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About Oregon Coast today. (Lincoln City, OR) 2005-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2019)
naturalist’s calendar Take a long-term view Stalk up on ‘shrooming tips Oregon mushroom hunter and enthusiast Nina Beckert will be the guest speaker at the Friends of the Waldport Public Library’s Annual Meeting this Sunday, Nov. 3, at at the Waldport Community Center. Beckert will present information about safe foraging and how to clean and prepare mushrooms, once gathered. Berkert grew up in Gelsenkirchen, an industrial area in Germany. She learned how to identify safe, edible mushrooms from her father during fungus-finding forays into the nearby woods. When she and her husband, Oliver, bought their home in Waldport, seven miles east of Highway 101, Beckert was excited to find familiar mushrooms in the woods on their land. The presentation will start at 4 pm at the community center, 265 NW Hemlock Street. Before the guest speaker, there will be a brief meeting to elect officers for 2020, with a Harvest Pie & Ice Cream Social and light refreshments served. For more information, call 541-563-5880. Do you care about the future of the Oregon Coast? Do you care about wetlands, coastal hazards, marine debris, aquaculture, public access, siting of renewable energy projects and other issues? If so, the Oregon Coastal Management Program wants to hear from you at an interactive engagement workshop set for Friday, Nov. 8, in Lincoln City. “Help Guide the Fate of the Oregon Coast” will run from 9 am to 4 pm at the Oregon Coast Community College North Campus, gathering information that will help guide the program’s work over the next five years. As part of this planning process, OCMP is charged with addressing the following nine categories in addition to other issues that arise through the public engagement: Wetlands, Coastal Hazards, Public Access, Marine Debris, Cumulative and Secondary Impacts, Special Area Management Planning, Ocean and Great Lakes Resources, Energy and Government Facility Siting and Aquaculture. Coffee, lunch and snacks will be provided. Participants should RSVP at http://bit.ly/ Oregon_Coast. For more information, contact Heather Wade at 503-934-0400. In-person participation is strongly encouraged. Can’t make it? Complete this survey online: http://bit.ly/OCMP_Survey. Immerse yourself in beaver ecology The ecological benefits of woody debris and beaver habitat will be the topic of discussion this Thursday, Nov. 7, at the MidCoast Watersheds Council Community Meeting in Newport. NOAA Research Fisheries Biologist Dr. Chris Jordan will talk about how the presence of large wood debris and beaver restoration can improve streams and create resilient watersheds. Historically, beaver dams and large woody debris were ubiquitous throughout North American rivers, with beavers often building their dams on large logs that would be stable even through winter storms. Their dams exerted a major influence on streams by elevating water tables, capturing sediments and evening out river flow. Salmon evolved under these conditions, with both the wood and beaver dams creating ideal fish spawning and rearing habitat. 22 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • November 1, 2019 Across North America, rivers have been simplified and degraded by the systematic and widespread removal of beaver and large woody debris. Many streams are now no more than deep channels that don’t spread out floodwaters or create good salmon habitat. Consequently, one of the MidCoast Watersheds Council’s major goals is to restore the natural processes that large wood and beavers used to create. Jordan will emphasize two types of efficient low-tech structures that are being installed in streams to achieve restoration goals. The goal of both structures is to achieve dynamic, self-sustaining and resilient habitat conditions. Trained as a mathematical biologist, Jordan has worked on a wide range of biological topics, with recent work including the design and implementation of large- scale monitoring programs to assess anadromous salmonid freshwater habitat and population status. The presentation will begin at 6:30 pm in Room 205 on the upper floor of the Newport Visual Arts Center, 777 NW Beach Drive. Refreshments will be provided.
