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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 2015)
GRAB BAG book shelf • glimpse • wildlife • pop culture • words • q&a • food • fun Nereocystis luetkeana Bullwhip kelp By LYNETTE RAE McADAMS While it’s true the Pacific Northwest is famous for its forests, there’s one we often overlook — the offshore kelp forest that thrives beneath the surface of our churning coastal waters. Easily its most impressive member, and the most common seaweed to wash up on our local beaches, is Nereocystis luet- keana, known by the more familiar names of bullwhip kelp, bull kelp, ribbon kelp, horsetail kelp, and sea otter’s cabbage. Actually a complex algae (specifically, the largest in the family of brown algae), bullwhip kelp can be found from Monterey, California, to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and grows in large fields in the subtidal zone. The fastest-growing kelp in the world, it is an “annual” seaweed, changing from a single spore in the spring to a mature plant by au- Photo by Lynette Rae McAdams This massive tangle of bullwhip kelp washed ashore near Ocean Park, Washington. tumn. During the summer months, when growth peaks, it can gain up to 10 inches per day to eventu- ally reach a length of 120 feet. Nereocystis (Greek for “mermaid’s bladder”), clings to the rocky ocean floor with a holdfast, or rootlike structure, that keeps it tethered in place. From the holdfast grows a long stalk (called a stipe), that quickly becomes hollow as it reaches for the water’s surface. At the end of the stipe is the kelp’s airtight trademark bulb, which is filled with a gas containing carbon monoxide, and floats high in the water, keeping the kelp upright. Ribbon-like blades grow from the top of the bulb and spread out like hair across the surface of the sea, converting sunlight into food through photosynthesis. Underwater, groves of bullwhip kelp provide shel- ter for crabs, snails, shrimp, sea stars, sea anemones, and many other marine inver- tebrates. On the surface, its flowing ribbons are popular with sea otters, who like to snack on the kelp and then wrap themselves in the ten- drils to keep from drifting away in the currents while they sleep. A complete source of trace minerals and protein, bullwhip kelp is entire- ly edible and has been harvested by humans for millennia. Indigenous peo- ple used the plant for food and also as a tool, weaving its long stipes into fishing lines and nets, and keep- ing the bulbs as storage for rendered fat and fish oil. Today, this kelp is still a prominent ingredient in many products, used espe- cially to thicken ice cream, salad dressings, hand lo- tion and household paints. It is particularly delightful when pickled. NW word nerd By RYAN HUME Buoy >EƝ@ noun 1. a floating object, often affixed with a visible signal and anchored to the bottom of a lake, river or bay to mark channels, hazards and mooring opportunities among other things 2. Buoy Beer: an award-win- ning brewery and public house that opened its doors on the Eighth Street wharf in Astoria in 2014 3. Bell Buoy of Seaside: a family-owned fishmonger that has been operating for over 50 years and is located on west side of U.S. Highway 101 at the south end of town verb 4. To keep afloat, or con- versely, to keep from sinking 5. nautical: To mark with a buoy 6. to be encouraged or to rise up Origin: The noun enters Middle En- glish in 1296 as boye, meaning a beacon (to which it is proba- bly related) or signal, borrowed either from the Old French boie or the Middle Dutch boeye, both of which arose from the West Germanic baukn. The verb as it relates to marking with a float derives from the noun’s meaning and appears in 1596. As the verb relates to “lightness” or “rising up” first oc- curred shortly after, in the 17th century, and may have been influenced by the Spanish verb, boyar, meaning “to float.” “The 50-to-55-foot trawler had struck river buoy 40 near the Megler Bridge, ac- cording to a 911 call U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received at 12:21 p.m. from Astoria Dispatch. The fishing vessel was disabled but was not taking on water or in immediate danger of sinking.” —Chinook Observer staff report, “Boat strikes buoy, gets towed back,” The Daily As- torian, June 15, 2015 “‘The wait is nearly over. Buoy Beer Company, Astoria’s fourth brewery, will open at 4 p.m. Friday and be on tap this weekend at Fort George’s Festival of the Dark Arts and during the statewide Zwickelmania breweries celebration.” — Edward Stratton, “Buoy Beer taps the keg Friday,” The Daily Astorian, Feb. 13, 2014, P. A4 Bike Trip America Astoria to New York Adventure update #1: June 18 to July 8 By MARILYN GILBAUGH The crew: Astoria teenage Boy Scouts Bryce Nurding, Ryan Tallman and Jonathan Williams. Gearhart’s Pat Woll- ner and Hawaii’s Don Child are the adult sidekicks, she at the wheel of a Suburban, Don on a bike. The journey so far: 21 days riding across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Mon- tana, almost 1,200 miles (1198.60 according to Nurd- ing’s schedule) from Astoria to Glendive, Montana. The crew plans to arrive in NYC Aug. 15. Highlights: • Down one on day two: Mascot black lab Annie, deciding that long days in the Suburban plus no play time are not for her, has found a summer’s stay along the way more to her liking. Both Pat and Annie are happy with the decision. Submitted photo courtesy Don Child From left, Don Child, Jonathon Williams, Ryan Tallman and Bryce Nurding celebrate reach- ing the Continental Divide July 1 at Rogers Pass in Montana, at an elevation of 5,610 feet. After leaving Astoria June 18, the group is biking across America this summer to raise funds for Operation Comfort Warriors. They expect to reach New York City Aug. 15. • No such thing as too much food: Burning 5,000-plus calories a day, there is no diet big enough to stop the crew from eating! • Lodging: The crew stays in prear- ranged churches, private homes, tents, camp grounds, state parks and ranches. They enjoy real beds and hot showers for the first time June 25, provided by the commander of American Legion Post 13 in Lewiston, Idaho. When they roll into town, a TV reporter greets them. • June 28 & 29: The crew climbs up Lolo Pass in the Rockies and down the other side into Missoula, Montana. Fundraising for Operation Comfort Warriors reaches approximately $2,500. They receive a $200 check from Ameri- can Legion Post 9 in Lincoln, Montana. • July 1: The group crosses the Con- tinental Divide at Roger’s Pass, elevation 5,610 feet. All water from here on flows into the Atlantic. • July 2: They cross the last of the Rocky Mountains. Find out more: Daily or nearly daily (due to the whims of Internet connec- tions) details, photos and videos are available on Bryce Nurding’s Bike Trip Across America Facebook page and on Don Child’s blog at donsbike.blogsite.com July 16, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 23