NOTICES
Recent DNA Discoveries Helpful for Sea Otter Réintroduction
PORTLAND, Ore. - In 1970,
efforts were under way to reintroduce
sea otters to the Oregon coast. That
effort failed, but scientists now believe
that they may have discovered why.
New DNA research conducted at
Portland State University on ancient sea
otter bones from 200 to 2000 years old
has revealed that native sea otters may
be more closely related to southern sea
otters than previously thought.
The Elakha Alliance, an informal
association of tribes, agencies, indi
viduals, and organizations, including
the Oregon Zoo, is pleased with the
results of the DNA research. The
alliance sees the eventual re
establishment of sea otters as an
important step in restoring the
ecosystem of the Oregon coast.
More than 30 years ago, sea otters
were taken from Alaska’s Amchitka
Island and released along the coasts of
Washington and Oregon with the hope
that they would create new colonies.
Although the otters flourished in
Washington, Oregon’s new population
did not fare so well and after several
years vanished altogether. Scientists are
unsure why the otters disappeared.
To understand why the otters
vanished, PSU, with funding from the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
of Oregon, began to study the DNA
Thelma and Ozzie at the Oregon Zoo
of ancient Oregon sea otters.
Mitochondrial DNA was extracted from
samples of teeth and bones collected
from Native American middens. The
DNA information collected from the
ancient sea otters was then compared
with DNA information collected from
modern otter subspecies.
The side-by-side comparison of the
two genetic blueprints has revealed a
possible reason for the failure of the
transplanted northern sea otters.
Researchers discovered that Oregon’s
native sea otters might have been more
closely related to southern sea otters.
Though making sure that any future
réintroduction effort uses the correct sea
otter subspecies is important, it’s still not
enough to assure that sea otters will
thrive in Oregon. To increase the chances
of their success, they also need protected
areas in which to live and breed.
The Oregon Ocean Policy Advisory
Council recently recommended that the
governor establish and test a limited
system of marine reserves. These efforts
Preventing Hazardous Trees Seminar Coming Up
A day-long continuing education
seminar, “How to Prevent Hazard
Trees,” will teach landscape
professionals, highway maintenance
personnel, utility workers, etc., how to
prevent trees from becoming hazardous.
In February, the Oregon
Department of Forestry
(ODF) and the Pacific
Northwest Chapter
of the International
Society of Arboriculture (PNW-ISA),
which is headquartered in Silverton, are
sponsoring this educational opportunity
in Albany, Roseburg, and Coos Bay.
“Usually, ODF helps arborists and
landscape professionals identify
whether or not trees are a likely hazard,”
said Paul Ries, ODF urban forester and
seminar instructor. “Conducting this
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Siletz News
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seminar is a new approach. Instead,
we will be trying to reach people who
don’t regularly work with trees. We’ll
show them how to work safely around
healthy trees to prevent them from
becoming a hazard.”
The development of the seminars
was prompted by a severe
Feb. 7, 2002, windstorm
that hit Coos, Curry,
Douglas, Linn, Lane, and
Benton counties. During the storm,
several trees were uprooted and many
fell on power lines.
The “How to Prevent Hazard
Trees” seminars will be held at the
following locations: Feb. 4, Linn
Benton Community College, Albany;
Feb. 11, Umpqua Community College,
Roseburg; and Feb. 12, Southwestern
February 2003
Oregon Community College, Coos Bay.
The seminars are being funded, in part,
by a grant from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency and Oregon
Emergency Management.
The cost to attend the seminars is
$20 and registration forms can be
downloaded from www.pnwisa.org/
news.html For more information,
contact the Pacific Northwest Chapter
of the International Society of
Arboriculture at 503-874-8263.
are aimed at restoring the health of the
coastal ecosystem, of which the sea
otter is a vital part.
“We know that the sea otter is a
keystone species,” says Tony Vecchio,
Oregon Zoo director. “Losing sea otters
resulted in a sea urchin bloom, which
clear cut our kelp forests and destroyed
the homes of animals and fish that relied
on these forests. The ocean we see today
is not the healthy ecosystem which was
once here.”
The Oregon Zoo is a member of the
Elakha Alliance and uses its position
to facilitate communication between the
alliance and other organizations that
care for sea otters. The zoo is supportive
of research that may lead to the
successful réintroduction of sea otters
to Oregon’s coast.
The Oregon Zoo is home to three
southern sea otters, Thelma, Eddie, and
Ozzie. Ozzie has the distinction of
being the world’s first southern sea otter
to be conceived, born, and raised by its
mother at a zoo or aquarium.
Other southern sea otters have been
born in zoos or aquariums, but none
have survived. The zoo works closely
with Monterey Bay Aquarium and other
agencies in sea otter conservation
programs to help ensure the continuing
survival of the sea otter through
rehabilitation and research.
Attention Siletz
Tribal Members!
If you are a diagnosed diabetic,
think you may be diabetic, or just feel
that you are at increased risk for
becoming diabetic and you do not
receive primary care at the Siletz
Clinic, you need to contact us!
Without your mailing address
and telephone number, we are unable
to include you in our diabetic events
and monthly mail-outs! Please call
or write us at SCHC, Attn: John
Jasper or Laura Duarte, P.O. Box
320, Siletz, OR 97380, or call us at:
541-444-9611 or 541-444-9659
Toll-free: 1-800-648-0449
Fax:541-444-1278
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