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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
11A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015 -HOO\¿VK People should never feel foolish for reporting a potential spill Continued from Page 1A ,QVWHDGWKH\IRXQGÀRDWLQJ masses made up of millions of small purple and blue by-the- wind sailors, or Velella velella. The reports came from credible people, experienced mariners familiar with the ap- pearance and hazards of oil spills, said Coast Guard Lieu- tenant Commander John Titch- en, chief of the incident man- agement division for Sector Columbia River. He supervis- es the Coast Guard’s pollution response efforts on the Colum- bia River, along the Oregon coast and along a portion of the Washington coast. “Even to experienced mar- iners, it really has the proper- WLHVRIZKDWZHFDOOHPXOVL¿HG RLO´KHVDLGDERXWWKHMHOO\¿VK in a phone interview Friday. To mariners aboard a boat and Coast Guard respond- ers hovering 500 feet up in a Jayhawk helicopter, the dark masses of Velella perfectly mimicked the appearance of RLORQWKHZDWHUWKH\ÀRDWHGLQ long, narrow, wavy strands and even appeared to bubble and froth as they rode the swells. Though the Coast Guard has seen this in the past, they have never had so many calls in a single year before. Oil or jelly? Titchen estimates the Coast Guard Sector Columbia River responds to approximately 250 pollution hazard calls in a typ- ical year. ,Q WKH SUHYLRXV ¿YH \HDUV they have responded to only eight calls where reported oil slicks turned out to be Velella. So this year’s unusually high number of reports in a two- month period has acted as a sort of training ground. Titchen said they quick- ly are learning what kind of questions to ask when a report comes in. For example: Can you smell diesel? The Velella have their own special aroma, DNLQGRI¿VK\EULQ\VWHQFK Titchen said they also know now that they are more likely to encounter the Velella near headlands and jetties. “We can put two and two together,” he said. Still, oil spills are serious. Even if the “oil slick” just WXUQV RXW WR EH MHOO\¿VK SHR- ple should never feel foolish for calling the Coast Guard to report a potential spill, he said. “Certainly what we don’t want to do is have people jump Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard to the conclusion, ‘Oh, I’m just Photographed from a helicopter flying at an elevation of about 500 feet, Velella or “by-the-wind-sailors” form such VHHLQJMHOO\¿VKVR,ZRQ¶WFDOO dense bands that they are routinely being mistaken for oil spills. the Coast Guard,’” Titchen said. “Very experienced mari- The creatures glide along warm-temperate waters in ners are reporting these.” the top of the ocean using a the open ocean and are found stiff, clear, triangular sale that in oceans around the world. rises vertically from their body Though they are lumped in Big year, but with the same group, Cnidar- and catches the wind. common occurrence Though electric blue or LDWKDWLQFOXGHVMHOO\¿VKFRUDO Piles of dead or dying by-the-wind sailors are a even purple while alive, they and sea anenomes, they are not common sight on most Ore- quickly dry up and bleach closely related to the common gon and Washington beach- white when driven onto land PRRQMHOO\¿VK Researchers say the crea- es during spring, and even by wind and sea swells. According to Oregon tures thrive in the warmer wa- during winter. Last year, people walking Sea Grant, the short-lived, ters associated with the build along Oregon and Washing- quick-breeding creatures are up to an El Niño year. NOAA’s ton beaches commented on easily overpowered by strong Climate Prediction Center LAURA MULLINNIEX-DAVIS photo the vast numbers of Velella winds. Offshore and tropical declared a weak El Niño this Small purple and blue by-the-wind sailors, or Velella velel- carpeting the sand. By many storms can drive them toward March and predict strong El la have washed up on Oregon’s North Coast and south- Niño conditions for later in the west Washington beaches in vast numbers in recent accounts, this year was equally the coast by the millions. Velella thrive in warm and year. big. years, including this one. Body cams: ‘... Everybody behaves better when they are on camera’ Continued from Page 1A Ultimately, a judge would determine what is in the “public interest,” which is a common legal balancing test applied to materials under Oregon’s pub- lic records law. But requests must be“reason- ably tailored”to the approximate date and time of an incident, and the video must be edited to make all faces unrecognizable. Oregon law bars agencies from disclosing photographs of RI¿FHUV ZLWKRXW WKHLU FRQVHQW although agencies themselves can use them. Rep. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, said the bill is not meant to single out police con- duct. “It’s also because every- body behaves better when they are on camera,” said Frederick, a former television reporter and the only black member of the House. “What has been shown in communities across the country where these devices have been used is that both complaints and the types of incidents that lead to complaints are reduced.” The House also passed a companion bill that makes it clear it is legal for people to re- cord a conversation with a po- OLFH RI¿FHU SHUIRUPLQJ RI¿FLDO duties in a public place. “It does not give permission to anyone to interfere with po- lice work,” said Frederick, the bill’s chief sponsor. “It only allows people to record a con- versation that they are already permitted to hear.” While Oregon law already DOORZV ¿OP RU YLGHR RI VXFK encounters, the bill allows an exception to a longstanding ban under which a third party cannot record a conversation without consent of either partic- ipant. Already exempted from that ban are recordings made at public meetings. Police have raised questions about whether the bill would allow others to eavesdrop on undercover operations or inter- views with witnesses. Rep. Jeff Barker, D-Aloha, said the bill’s language would be further changed in the Sen- ate to foreclose those possibil- ities. “We just need to straighten out this little piece of the law so that it’s all legal,” said Barker, a retired Portland police lieu- tenant. House Bill 2704 moved to the Senate on a 51-8 vote. The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Me- dia Group and Pamplin Media Group. THE BIG EVENT IS HAPPENING NOW! REDUCED $ 10 SAVE $ 30 FS 70 R TRIMMER NOW JUST WAS $ 269 95 $279.95 SNW-SRP “I service about 20 yards. The 70 has a strong, smooth motor that gets the job done.” – user spencerforhire755 FREE TRIMMER LINE WITH PURCHASE OF SELECT STIHL TRIMMERS Receive 1 FREE one lb. spool of X-LINE with purchase of FS 70 R, FS 90 R or FS 94 R trimmer. 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