Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018 ܂ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Alternative could aid fish problem Detroit Lake drawdown could be done for a few weeks each off-season Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan to draw down Detroit Reservoir for one to three years to below drought stage drew a lot of ire. But there may be a similar option to aid fish and meet the requirements of a 2008 Biological Opinion that doesn’t disrupt recreation in and around Detroit Lake: draw down lake levels for a few weeks each off- season. Jennifer Fairbrother, Campaign and Columbia re- gional director for the Native Fish Society — which is involved in a lawsuit with the Corps — is advocating for an alternative solution for Detroit that the Corps has used since 2011 at Fall Creek Dam south of Eugene and is going to try at other sites. At Fall Creek, the Corps draws down the water a few weeks each November or December by 50 feet — 10 feet above the regulating entrance — to allow juvenile fish to migrate and allow material trapped behind the dam to move downstream. The reservoir is then allowed to refill during the rainy season and perform flood control, its intended purpose. The Corps said the program has increased fish mi- Frank Kuhr of Salem lands a trout off the dam at Detroit Lake. HENRY MILLER/STATESMAN JOURNAL See FISH, Page 3A Kitten rescued after being stuck to road Could Aurora Airport expansion impact Salem? Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Chuck Hawley with Sticky the kitten. The kitten was rescued from the middle of Silverton Road NE on Oct. 19. She had glue on her paws and was stuck to the pavement. COURTESY CHUCK HAWLEY Now part of family after chance encounter during commute Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A kitten stuck in the middle of road — her paws glued to the pavement — was rescued by an alert driv- er and now has a forever home. Sticky is her name. She’s 5-8 weeks old and weighs 1.3 pounds. Her new family includes Stewie, an 8-pound Chi- huahua, and Jojo, a 115-pound great Pyrenees. “She’s already well-established with the dogs and everybody else,” said Chuck Hawley, the hero of this story. Hawley works as the director of facilities at the Sal- vation Army Kroc Center. He rescued the gray and white striped kitten on Silverton Road NE during his commute Oct. 19 from Silverton to Salem. It was about 7 a.m. and he was traveling west just past Cordon Road NE. Ahead of him, he saw cars weaving to avoid something on the road, their tires just missing the object. It was still dark outside. He couldn’t tell if it might have been a box or a sack. And then, after a truck swerved past the object, he saw the silhouette of what he described as a “kitten emoji.” Hawley slammed on his brakes, stopped traffic, and put his hazard warning lights on. He ignored driv- ers honking at him while he approached the kitten, See KITTEN, Page 2A A few years ago, an Alaska Airlines plane bound for Portland International Airport was forced to re- route due to a storm in Portland and landed at Salem Municipal Airport. It highlighted a need. In the Willamette Valley between Portland and Eugene, the only airport with a runway long enough to accommodate larger aircraft is Salem. For five decades, the Aurora State Airport has been targeted for expansion of its runway to accommodate larger aircraft, and the Oregon Department of Avia- tion has applied for a $37 million grant with that ex- pansion in mind. The plans have Salem officials keeping a watchful eye on the project. They still harbor hopes of bringing commercial service back to Salem and don’t want Aurora’s expansion to get in the way. In addition, Aurora now welcomes much more traffic from smaller aviators than Salem. “They’re both important, and I think both can be successful.” Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron said. Salem Municipal Airport manager John Paskell said the largest area where Salem and Aurora are competitors is for private jets for businesses when they bring employees to the Willamette Valley. “I know there are people that say Aurora is a com- petitor to Salem and in some ways it’s true and in some ways it’s not,” Paskell said. Salem Municipal Airport’s longer runway is 5,811 feet, and the field also has a 5,145 feet runway; Aurora State Airport has a single 5,000 foot runway but sig- nificantly more use. Proposed expansion Aurora State Airport was built in 1943 by the Air Force as an air base for military training flights, but closed after World War II and was given to the state. The airport was sparsely used – drag races were held on the runway from 1953 to 1959 – until property around the airport was developed, and it became one of the highest-traffic airports in Oregon. According to airnav.com, Aurora State Airport has 260 aircraft operations per day compared with 95 for Salem Municipal Airport; Aurora has 346 aircraft based at the field compared with 157 at Salem. The State of Oregon owns 28 airports – including Independence, Lebanon and Santiam Junction out- side Idanha – with Aurora the busiest, according to Matt Maass, Oregon Department of Aviation State Airport Manager. Between the airport and businesses around it, Au- rora employs a reported 1,200 people. See AIRPORT, Page 2A More county parks to stay open for winter David Davis Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK When Russ Dilley rolls up his sleeves to get started on a long list of maintenance tasks this winter, he won’t be alone. The Marion County parks coordinator, previously the only full-time parks employee since being hired in 2006, is now joined by a medium equipment operator for parks who started Oct. 22. “We already have a laundry list of projects this win- ter to get parks up to speed for next season,” Dilley said. The hire will allow the county to keep more of the eighteen parks open over the winter including Aums- ville Ponds south of Aumsville, Bonesteele Park out- side of southeast Salem, as well as three parks along the North Santiam River. Some parks had previously closed for winter start- ing Nov. 1 and reopened the following May. Spong’s Landing near Keizer and three other parks in the North Santiam River Basin will still close for the winter season. The new parks employee will be out in the field 100 percent of the time, freeing up Dilley for more admin- See PARKS, Page 3A Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 137, No. 45 News updates: ܂ Breaking news ܂ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ܂ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal 50 cents ©2018 Printed on recycled paper Happy Halloween!
