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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2020)
Appeal Tribune | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020 | 1B OUTDOORS K AYA K I N T O W AT E R Y M A Z E AT Use a kayak to explore the many channels of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge outside Bandon in the Coquille River. ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK The moment you kayak into the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, it feels as though you’ve entered a maze. h A network of narrow creek passages flow through tall marsh grass, creating a multitude of watery pathways that lead to all manner of curiosity, while some hit a dead end. h Depending on your route, you might find a great blue heron perched on a log, a Native American fish trap or just an empty mudflat in this tidal estuary at the mouth of the Coquille River, a few miles outside Bandon on Oregon’s South Coast. h “It’s one of those amazing places on the South Coast that don’t get visited much,” refuge manager Kate Iaquinto said. “It’s pretty quiet. There’s a good chance you’ll be the only one out there.” h Established in 1983, the refuge is home to mudflats filled with invertebrates that feed tens of thousands of shorebirds every spring and fall, making it an essential stopover site. It’s also a sanctuary for young salmon heading out to sea. See KAYAK, Page 2B Kayak Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge In a nutshell: Kayak into estuary near the mouth of the Coquille River near Bandon. Put in / take out: Boat ramp into Coquille River at Bullards Beach State Park. When to go: Look at tide tables and try to catch the mid-point between high and low tide. It also helps to paddle with the incoming tide, and come back with the outgoing tide. Tide tables: Tide tables for Bandon and the Coquille River can be found here: https://www.tide-forecast.com/ locations/Bandon-Coquille-River- Oregon/tides/latest More information: Find the Coquille River Water Trail website or call the refuge at 541-347-1470. Lamenting on what wasn’t to be in the outdoors in 2020 Fishing Henry Miller Guest columnist I told myself that I wasn’t going to cry. Every October or November when the coming year’s calendars go on sale at re- duced prices, there’s an annual ritual at our house. It consists of going through the cur- rent calendar and transferring all of the significant dates such as birthdays, an- niversaries, and planned trips, events, outings etc. to the next year’s calendar. The look-back at 2020 was similar to finding a 1912 day planner from a pas- senger on the Titanic listing all of the wondrous things that they were going to do after pulling up to the docks in New York. The tales of coulda, woulda, shoulda began on Feb. 15, just 22 days before Gov. Kate Brown’s March 8 executive or- der declaring a state of emergency be- cause of the coronavirus pandemic. And just four days after the last time that we risked going to a movie theater. On that fateful Feb. 15, the day after Valentine’s, Kay and I, a couple of newly minted members of the Willamette Val- ley Mushroom Society, attended a man- datory class in preparation for the com- ing spring fungus hunts. Anticipation was high, almost giddy, among the two dozen or so in atten- dance. I figured that I needed the additional knowledge and insights to fluff up my meager bona fides, and this was going to be Kay’s first year as a free-range ‘shroomer. It never happened. Looking back, it was ironic that last movie was the 1920 silent version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John “The Great Profile” Barrymore. The accompaniment of the ominous live music played on the ginormous theater pipe organ really set the mood for the rest of the year. One of the most crushing disappoint- ments of the year, so far, also fell in See MILLER, Page 2B Happy birthday to me, NOT! The pandemic has rendered 2020 anemic as far as all of the plans that were on, then crossed off, the calendar. PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY MILLER
