The latest news stories across the state of Oregon from the digital home of the Oregon coastal cities, OregonBeachMagazine.com
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Oregon Beach Weather
Coast Guard Awards Contract To Expand Facilities At Tongue Point
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $30 million contract to expand facilities at Tongue Point in preparation for new fast response cutters.
GWWH A Joint Venture, a Watsonville, California-based company, was selected to design and build improvements to infrastructure at Tongue Point, including a fixed pier, two floating docks and several other additions. The contract also includes plans for extensive dredging around the pier.
The upgrades are necessary for the new cutters, with the first one expected to arrive in Astoria in March 2024.
“The expansion of the facilities at Tongue Point is the first critical step in bringing the newest class of cutters to the Oregon Coast,” Coast Guard Capt. Scott Jackson, the commander of Sector Columbia River, said in a statement. “The fast response cutters that will be stationed in Astoria will ensure that future generations of Coast Guard men and women continue to provide expert service to the people of the Pacific Northwest for many years to come.”
While no timeline for construction was given, Coast Guard personnel will begin arriving at the site next summer.
Fast response cutters, the newest class of ships being produced for the Coast Guard, are designed for several uses, including drug interdiction, port, waterway and coastal security, fisheries law enforcement, search and rescue and national defense.
The 154-foot ships typically have 24 crewmembers assisted by shoreside personnel.
“The city of Astoria is very excited to have this increased Coast Guard presence in Astoria,” Mayor Bruce Jones, a former commander of Sector Columbia River, said. “ … We’re very proud of the Coast Guard presence here. It contributes to the local economy significantly, so having new cutters, plus the crews, plus the maintenance assist team, a new dock and all the supporting infrastructure – it’s going to be a tremendous boost to our community economically, as well as just a great asset for our overall maritime economy.”
Referring to Tongue Point as a “maritime super campus,” Jones said, “It’s kind of returning us to our maritime roots, so it’s a win-win. Good jobs – jobs that are aligned with our historic maritime heritage.”
Astoria was chosen over Newport for two fast response cutters.
In 2020, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici wrote a letter to the Coast Guard recommending that four fast response cutters be stationed in Astoria.
Members of the congressional delegation also sent a letter to the Coast Guard in 2019 requesting that two new 360-foot offshore patrol cutters be sited in Astoria. Larger offshore cutters are intended to replace the 1960s-era medium endurance cutters, such as the Alert and Steadfast, which are homeported at the 17th Street Dock.
Razor Clamming Closed On Clatsop Beaches July 15th To Sept. 30th
Harvesting razor clams is closed July 15 – Sept. 30 on Clatsop beaches (from Tillamook Head in Seaside to the mouth of the Columbia River.)
This annual conservation closure lets newly set young clams establish themselves on the 18 miles of Clatsop beaches. Protecting these clams is vital to their population and future clamming opportunities as more than 90 percent of the total razor clam harvest in Oregon occurs here. The annual closure began in1967.
ODFW staff assess razor clam stocks during the conservation closure. The 2021 assessments showed the highest abundance of clams since surveys began in 2004. This translated into a very productive harvest season.
Razor clam harvesting is open on other state beaches from Tillamook Head south to the California border.
The best opportunities outside Clatsop beaches are in the Newport area, with the most consistent producers being Agate Beach, North Jetty, and South Beach. Other razor clam harvest areas include Winchester Bay, Bandon and Gold Beach among others.
Bay clam harvesting is currently open coast-wide.
Always check for toxin-related closures before harvesting clams or crabs by calling the shellfish safety hotline 1-800-448-2474. Closures are also noted on ODA’S Recreation Shellfish page and on ODFW’s Recreation Report – Clamming and Crabbing Report. MORE INFO: https://myodfw.com/crabbing-clamming
We want to keep you informed about COVID-19 in Oregon. Data are provisional and change frequently. For more information, including COVID-19 data by county, visit our dashboard: http://ow.ly/iGia50JUbNi
The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants are now the predominant COVID-19 variants in Oregon, and across the United States.If you’ve recently been sick with COVID-19 or are vaccinated, you have some immunity against infection, but BA.4 and BA.5 can escape immunity and cause reinfection.
The current COVID-19 vaccines remain effective at preventing severe illness and death. Everyone age 6 months and older is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, so entire families can be better protected from the virus.
Consider masking in indoor public spaces and especially around people who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness. When you do wear a mask, choose a well-fitting mask that provides a high level of protection — such as a KF94, KN95, N95 or a cloth mask over a surgical mask.
To learn more, visit our blog: https://covidblog.oregon.gov/spread-of-ba-5-and-ba-4…/
Fire Season Starts Along With Red Flag Warnings for Parts of the State
The Oregon Department of Forestry said Monday that all of its fire districts, which combined cover about 16 million acres (6.47 million hectares), are officially in wildfire season.
Heavy rainfall stalled the start of the season for parts of the state. But with drier, hotter conditions here or forecast statewide, fire officials are urging Oregonians to take steps to prevent blazes.
The official start of fire season means people can expect public use restrictions such as campfire bans where fire danger is high, said Jessica Prakke, public affairs officer with the Oregon Department of Forestry.
The Department of Forestry recommends drowning campfires, monitoring debris piles, not parking cars on dry grass and properly disposing of cigarettes. The fewer human-caused fires on the landscape, Prakke added, the more resources fire officials can devote to other blazes.
The latest fire season outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center shows the highest fire risk in Central and Southern Oregon from the Columbia River down to the California border as well as Southeast Oregon for July.
The Willowcreek Fire north of Ontario near Idaho has been the largest fire in Oregon this year, burning more than 40,000 acres (16,187 hectares) of rangeland in a few days.
Despite this year’s exceptionally rainy Pacific Northwest spring, officials have been warning for months that they expected another challenging fire season later in the summer.
At a news conference in May hosted by Gov. Kate Brown, Oregon Department of Forestry fire chief Mike Shaw said high drought levels would cause wildfire conditions to set in very quickly once the cooler spring weather let up.
“I would say we’re in better shape than we would have been if March weather had continued, but it’s still going to be challenging when we make that transition to warmer and dryer weather,” he said at the time.
A day after the Oregon Department of Forestry deemed the whole state had entered fire season, portions of south and central Oregon are under Red Flag Warnings.
The National Weather Service in Medford posted the warning early Tuesday morning, July 12.While there are currently no large fires burning in the state, officials say all it takes is one spark, and fire can explode under these conditions.
With the conditions being favorable for fires, officials are asking everyone to be extra cautious.
Also on Tuesday, the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group has raised the preparedness level to a 3. Northwest firefighters are battling fires in several other western states.
Klamath County Sheriff’s Deputy Rescues Missing Child From Klamath River
A missing child was rescued thanks to the quick thinking of a Klamath County Sheriff’s deputy, Mark Borgas, who waded into the Klamath River without hesitating when he spotted the child clinging to a rock.
The child had gone missing in the area of the Chiloquin Water Tower, prompting the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Search and Rescue, and members of the Chiloquin Fire Department to go searching.
After an hour and a half, Deputy Mark Borges spotted the child in the river, clutching onto a rock.
“Without hesitation, Deputy Borges waded out into the river where he rescued the child, then carried him back up the ridge to his pickup,” said the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office in a release. “A happy ending for family and individuals involved with the search.”
An examination from Chief Cook showed the child was not injured.
“The communication between all agencies that responded was remarkable and contributed substantially to the success of this search and the safe return of the child,” KCSO said. “We would also like to recognize Deputy Borges for going above and beyond to ensure the best possible conclusion.”
Grant Funds To Study Klamath River After Dam Removal
Researchers at Oregon State University will embark in July on a 3½-year partnership with the Yurok Tribe to study what the connections between river quality, water use, and the aquatic food web may look like after four Klamath River dams are dismantled. The $870,000 grant funds the study from Oregon Sea Grant.
“In the end we’ll have new ecological models, new cultural models and new decision models for understanding the Klamath system,” said OSU’s Desiree Tullos, a professor of water resource engineering and the project’s leader. “We can put all three together and conduct simulations: How would recreation change or how would opportunities for the tribes in the area change if we managed for water quality a certain way?”
A big part of the research focuses on Western science around water quality, Tullos said, but another big piece involves “examining new ways of making decisions where all voices can be represented and where the stakes are high.”
In addition to the Yurok Tribe, Tullos and her collaborators will work with whitewater recreation outfitters, the commercial and charter fishing industries, conservation organizations, farmers and ranchers.
“By working with the tribe and stakeholders in the basin, we’ll capture a really comprehensive set of perspectives,” Tullos said. “And the more perspectives we have, the better decisions we’ll make.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission along with the utility PacifiCorp and the states of California and Oregon are poised to sign off on the removal of the lower four dams on the Klamath River: the J.C. Boyle Dam in Oregon and the Copco 1, Copco 2 and Iron Gate dams in California.
The decommissioning effort, among whose goals are improving water quality and fish habitat, includes restoration of 2,000 acres currently inundated by the hydroelectric dams, which were built between 1918 and 1962 and provide power through PacifiCorp. Dam removal work is likely to begin in a year. MORE INFO: https://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/feature/oregon-sea-grant-funds-study-envision-klamath-river-after-dam-removal
Regional Quarantine Ordered After Bird Flu Found In Deschutes County Flock
The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that a non-commercial flock of 30 chickens and 40 ducks and geese in Deschutes County has been confirmed to have avian influenza or bird flu. A regional quarantine encompassing Bend and outlying areas has been activated.
This marks the fifth case in Oregon of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers this a poultry flock rather than a backyard flock, according to ODA. That’s because the owners sold the birds’ eggs to the public.
The birds have been euthanized and won’t get into the food system, ODA said. The agency says there is no immediate public health concern and says avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or eggs.
Because it’s a poultry flock, ODA said a regional quarantine is required to reduce the movement of poultry products. The state veterinarian is also required to issue the quarantine under federal and international disease control rules.
The quarantine area is in the city of Bend and outlying areas. This map shows the borders of the quarantine. People can put in their address to determine if their home is in the quarantine zone.
The quarantine will continue while agriculture officials conduct surveillance to ensure there are no other bird flu cases.
Poultry owners, both commercial and backyard, are urged to keep wild birds and domestic flocks separated to help prevent the spread of bird flu.
ODA asks that death or illness of domestic birds be reported by calling 503-986-4711 (Alt Phone: 1-800-347-7028). For wild birds, contact the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) at 866-968-2600 or Wildlife.Health@odfw.oregon.gov. Do not handle the birds.
Invasive Beetle Found in Oregon
The emerald ash borer has been found in Northern Oregon. It is an invasive wood-boring beetle that infests and kills North American ash trees. The discovery was the first known sighting on the West Coast, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
The beetle was found on June 30 by Dominic Maze, an invasive species biologist for the City of Portland. The notorious emerald ash borer which is native to Asia has left widespread destruction in its path across the country so its arrival on the West Coast concerns biologists.
ODA calls the emerald ash borer the most destructive forest pest in North America. According to a 2022 study in the academic journal Sustainability, since it was first found near Detroit, Michigan in 2002, the beetle has killed more than 8 billion native ash trees.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture confirmed Monday that emerald ash borers, an invasive beetle whose larvae kill ash trees by burrowing into their bark, were discovered near a parking lot in Forest Grove about 25 miles west of Portland. They have destroyed ash trees across the country but this is the first time they’ve been spotted west of Colorado.
The beetles pose a major threat to forests which could be turned into grasslands and shrublands without native ash trees.
The Emerald Ash Borer Information Network, a consortium of scientists from universities and state and federal natural resource departments, has called it North America’s most destructive forest pest.
The group said the beetles have killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in 36 states and have the potential to cause local extinctions of the trees if they aren’t stopped. Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service estimate that the beetles will eventually decimate ash trees throughout most of North America. They say it’s possible that some could survive in places where in winter temperatures plunge to –22 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Oregon Invasive Species Council – made up of representatives from the state’s natural resource agencies, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon State University, Portland State University and various conservation groups – has had a plan since 2021 to confront the beetles. The state Department of Agriculture and Forest Service, which are also represented on the council, have launched a response based on those strategies, according to the state agriculture officials.
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