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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2020)
Appeal Tribune | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 | 1B OUTDOORS Animal rescue organizations offer, seek help during wildfires A horse surrounded by smoke and ash to due to the Santiam Fire on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 near Stayton, Ore. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL Virginia Barreda Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK As wildfires rip through many parts of Oregon, pets and animals have also suffered. Some have been separated from their families and owners. Some need tem- porary shelters. Many organizations have called out for help as their animal shelters and sanctuaries have been evacuated. Oth- ers have taken in and cared for dis- placed animals. Here's a look at how some local shel- ters, sanctuaries, and rehabilitation centers are faring during the wildfires, what they're doing to reunite families with their animals and what the com- munity can do to help: Willamette Humane Society Willamette Humane Society officials said their priority is to free up kennel space and be a resource for animals sep- arated from their families during the fires. To prepare for a possible influx of dis- placed pets, the organization coordinat- ed with volunteers and foster families Monday to take in some of the animals, according to communications manager Callie Gisler. The Oregon Humane Soci- ety, for example, took in 20 adult cats from the Willamette Humane Society to free up space. Humane society staff delivered sup- plies to the Oregon State Fairgrounds, including pet food, litter, bedding, ken- nels and crates to evacuees with pets. Gisler said the organization is ready to provide supplies to other evacuees to help ensure pets can stay with their owners. "We want to keep animals who are al- ready with their families, there," she said. "This is traumatic enough of an event, and the last thing we want is to see a family ripped apart." Still, the organization is extending emergency short-term housing for ani- mals on a case-by-case basis. "We're trying to preserve kennel space for pets who are going to be com- ing in ... but if a pet owner has exhaust- ed every option and they're just not finding a place where their animal can be, please bring it to us because we want to make sure those animals are cared for and reclaimed," Gisler said. Should the shelter need to evacuate, Gisler said the organization will place animals with other shelters or rescues in the valley or with emergency foster fam- ilies. How to help The Willamette Humane Society is looking for donations of pet goods, par- ticularly medium-sized pet crates, cat litter, and pate-style canned cat food. Donors can drop off supplies at 4246 Turner Rd SE seven days a week be- tween 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monetary donations can be made through the Willamette Humane Soci- ety's website. The shelter is still doing adoptions by appointments due to COVID-19. Those who find lost or displaced pets should first call the Willamette Humane Society. If possible, pet-finders are en- couraged to keep the pets in their home as a temporary foster, so the shelter can keep space open for animals in need. The shelter is willing to provide supplies for temporary fosters. For more information, contact 503- 585-5900. Salem Friends of Felines Salem Friends of Felines is nearing maximum capacity for sheltered cats and is asking individuals who find stray cats to contact the Willamette Humane Society or other local shelters. The shelter has between 60 and 80 cats, according to intake specialist Alex Welch. Staff is continuing to scan lost cats for microchips to reunite pets with owners. The shelter also is providing supplies to families with cats who have been af- fected by the fires. See ANIMALS, Page 2B Some fisherfolks have all the, um, luck Fishing Henry Miller Guest columnist When it comes to fishing, some are lucky, some are unlucky, and some are fluky. Which brings me to the topic at hand, my sister, Michelle. I was reminded about her when we turned the calendar to September. Her birthday is at the end of the month. She said she will be retiring soon af- ter a career teaching physical sciences at a Sacramento high school. A remarkable lady, Mick, as she’s known among the siblings. Among the pro-forma listings on her curriculum vitae are an undergraduate degree in earth science and post-grad studies in climate and weather science, along with a previous stint in the U.S. Air Force. Some of Mick’s more colorful experi- ences included volunteering on an agri- cultural kibbutz in Israel that featured occasional visits to a communal air-raid shelter. A relatively uneventful fishing trip, at least for my sister, Michelle, during an Oregon visit. HENRY MILLER/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL According to Michelle, it was mostly false alarms and little damage, but the warnings did scare the chickens. Among her other non-conventional jobs, Mick also worked for a time as a mud-logger on a hell-and-gone drilling site on a wind-swept fly speck on the map of Wyoming. For those not acquainted with the skills involved in mud-logging – and I had to look it up to remind myself - the job description includes keeping rec- ords of the operations and supplying re- ports on the progress of the wells. My sister has led an eclectic and col- orful life. But back to the thesis of this column: Mick’s fluky fishing. The first time we learned about her uncanny ability at shock-and-awe an- gling came during an outing to Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara with a visiting aunt when we were kids. I don’t remember which aunt it was, but she loved to fish and said the secret to success was “spitting on the bait.” So, being kids, we did. Mick’s spittle must have some potent JuJu. After a sluggish but hefty hit, a lengthy struggle ensued with what can best be described as reeling up a wet laundry bag. When the battle wrapped up, a mon- strous spider crab with a warty-looking body about the diameter of a dinner plate surfaced. It looked like a creature out of a Rid- ley Scott Sci-fi nightmare. Flash forward a couple of years, and dad, a physics teacher at the local com- munity college, is at a summer educa- tion program at Utah State University in Logan with the family. The Logan River runs through town, and the Miller swarm spent almost ev- ery day fishing for planter rainbow trout. In fact, we ate so much trout that summer – fried, baked, poached, etc. - that we ended up most hot summer nights throwing trout lumps over ice- berg lettuce smothered in lava-like lake of Kraft Thousand Island dressing. Yep, so much trout that mom ditched the cuisine creativity. It was five kids, 100-plus-degree heat and no air condi- tioning in the rental house, after all. I digress. Anyway, one evening, we’re fishing the Logan River, and nature called, so I asked Mick to hold the rod while I sprinted to the outhouse. The yelling was the first clue. There she was, the rod going nuts with something massive on the end of See MILLER, Page 2B