get out!
A relay beautiful route
RAM PAPISH
Snowy Plover
From Pixieland to plovers
The transformation of the Salmon River
Estuary will be the subject of a Thursday,
Feb. 20, presentation hosted by the Yaquina
Birders and Naturalists in Newport.
Kami Ellingson, watershed program
manager for the US Forest Service, will give
an overview of efforts to restore the estuary,
which was heavily impacted by residential
and commercial development in the mid
20th Century, most notably by the Pixieland
amusement park. For more than 40 years
the Siuslaw National Forest, together with a
diverse range of partners, has been acquiring
tidal marsh in the estuary in order to bring
back the tides. The estuary was restored
incrementally from 1978 through 2017.
Nearly the entire estuary is now restored
to a natural, historic tidal regime, resulting
in significant fisheries response and native
biodiversity.
Ellingson is a hydrologist with 20
years of field experience, ranging from
landslide studies following the 1996 storm
event in Western Oregon to road, stream
and estuary restoration. She has led the
restoration of the Salmon River estuary since
2007 and has been recognized nationally
and internationally for the success of the
physical restoration and the collaborative
partnerships. Ellingson received both her BS
degree in Natural Resources Management
and her Master’s in Forest Engineering and
Hydrology from Oregon State University.
The presentation, which is free and open
to all, will start at 7 pm at OSU Extension
Lincoln County, 1211 SE Bay Blvd.
And on Saturday, Feb. 22, the Yaquina
Birders and Naturalists will head to South
Beach State Park for a guided bird walk
led by Steve and Rachel Holzman, starting
at 8:30 am at the Hatfield Marine Science
Center.
The two-hour outing will see walkers
keep their eyes peeled in search of wintering
snowy plovers and other shorebirds as well
as a variety of gulls, cormorants, loons,
waterfowl and songbirds like yellow-rumped
warbler. On the way back, birders will
stroll through the woods on the jetty trail
while listening for chickadees, bushtit and
wintering sparrows.
If the weather is wet and windy enough
to make a beach walk miserable, the trip
will proceed to the jetty via car and search
for water birds. If time permits, there will
be a quick search for the lingering Nashville
warbler at the Hatfield Marine Science
Center.
This sounds swell
Recreation Site next to the Best Western
Hotel in Newport. Bags and rubber
gloves will be provided, but volunteers are
encouraged to bring their own.
“It’s going to be cold and wet,
but this important work needs to be
done,” said Chapter Chair Michael
Harrington. “Dress appropriately and join
the effort. Newport’s beaches are worth
protecting.”
The Newport Chapter of Surfrider
Foundation’s Saturday, Feb. 15, beach
cleanup will see volunteers gather debris
pushed ashore by recent king tides, big
swells and strong west winds.
The group will meet at 11 am in
the parking lot at Agate Beach State
22 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • February 14, 2020
Registration is now open for
the Three Capes Marathon Relay,
which will see runners from around
the Pacific Northwest flock to the
Tillamook Coast at the end of
February.
The 26.2-mile course takes
runners around Three Capes Scenic
Loop, starting at Cape Meares,
passing Cape Lookout and finishing
at Cape Kiwanda.
Starting and ending at sea level,
the course offers nearly 2,400 feet
of elevation gain, presenting a
challenging racing venue that is
great for building team camaraderie.
Runners can choose between
running a solo marathon or as
part of a two-person or a five-
person team. Team categories
include family, business, school or
Clydesdale.
The course is separated into five
legs which vary in distance from
4.37 miles to just under seven miles.
The rugged course passes through or
runs adjacent to six state parks, two
national wildlife refuges, multiple
Tillamook County parks and also
boasts stunning vantage points of
the Tillamook Bay, Netarts Bay and
the Pacific Ocean.
The race begins at 9 am on
Saturday Feb. 29.
Registration deadline is Friday,
Feb. 21. The cost for registration is
$199 for a five-person team; $99 for
a two-person team; and $69 for solo
marathoners.
Packet pickup and late
registration will be hosted at
Tillamook High School from 6 to 8
pm on Friday, Feb. 28.
For more information and to
register, go to threecapesrelay.
oregoncoastalflowers.com.