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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2015)
5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015 Toxic algae blooming in warm water from California to Alaska By PHUONG LE Associated Press SEATTLE — A vast bloom of toxic algae off the West Coast is denser, more widespread and deeper than scientists feared even weeks ago, according to surveyors aboard a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion research vessel. This coastal ribbon of mi- croscopic algae, up to 40 miles wide and 650 feet deep in SODFHVLVÀRXULVKLQJDPLGXQ- XVXDOO\ ZDUP 3DFL¿F 2FHDQ temperatures. It now stretch- es from at least California to Alaska and has shut down OXFUDWLYH ¿VKHULHV 6KHOO¿VK managers on Tuesday dou- bled the area off Washington’s coast that is closed to Dunge- QHVVFUDE¿VKLQJDIWHU¿QGLQJ elevated levels of marine tox- ins in tested crab meat. So-called “red tides” are cyclical and have happened many times before, but ocean researchers say this one is much larger and persisting much longer, with higher levels of neurotoxins bring- ing severe consequences for WKH 3DFL¿F VHDIRRG LQGXVWU\ coastal tourism and marine ecosystems. Dan Ayres, coastal shell- ¿VK PDQDJHU IRU WKH :DVK- ington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the area QRZ FORVHG WR FUDE ¿VKLQJ includes more than half the state’s 157-mile-long coast, and likely will bring a pre- mature end to this year’s crab season. one’s mind is whether this is related to global climate change. The simple answer is that it could be, but at this point it’s hard to separate the variations in these cycles,” said Donald Boesch, profes- sor of marine science at the University of Maryland who is not involved in the survey. “Maybe the cycles are more extreme in the changing cli- mate.” “There’s no question that we’re seeing more algal blooms more often, in more places, when they do occur, they’re lasting longer and often over greater geographi- cal areas. We’re seeing more events than documented de- cades ago,” said Pat Glibert, professor at Horn Point Lab- oratory, University of Mary- land Center for Environmen- tal Science. Odell recently complet- HGWKH¿UVWOHJRIWKHVXUYH\ mostly in California waters. On Wednesday, researchers plan to continue monitoring the sea between Newport and Seattle. The vessel will then go to Vancouver Island, wrapping up in early Septem- ber. Another research ship is taking samples off Alaska. Particularly thick off Santa Barbara The brownish bloom was particularly thick off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Odell said it was unusually dominated by one type of al- gae called Pseudo-nitzschia, which can produce the neuro- toxin domoic acid. “It’s an indication of an First detected in May imbalance,” said Vera Train- “We think it’s just sitting er, a research oceanographer and lingering out there,” said with the Northwest Fisheries Anthony Odell, a University Science Center in Seattle. of Washington research ana- “Too much of any one thing lyst who is part of a is not healthy for anybody to NOAA-led team survey- eat.” ing the harmful algae bloom, Trainer said this bloom ZKLFK ZDV ¿UVW GHWHFWHG LQ is the worst she’s seen in May. “It’s farther offshore, 20 years of studying them. but it’s still there.” Harmful algal blooms have The survey data should usually been limited to one provide a clearer picture of area of the ocean or another, what is causing the bloom and have disappeared after which is brownish in color, a few weeks. This one has unlike the blue and green al- grown for months, waxing gae found in polluted fresh- and waning but never going water lakes. Marine detec- away. tives already have a suspect: “It’s been incredibly thick, a large patch of water running almost all the same organism. as much as 3 degrees centi- Looks like a layer of hay,” grade warmer than normal in said Raphael Kudela, a pro- WKH QRUWKHDVW 3DFL¿F 2FHDQ fessor of ocean sciences at nicknamed “the blob.” University of California, San- “The question on every- ta Cruz. Kathy Aney/East Orgonian In this photo taken Sunday, Gary Morris, a racehorse owner and trainer from Bend, smiles at one of his thoroughbreds in Pendleton, at the NEIGH-bors horse hotel. The brakes and transmission on Morris’ truck failed as he descended Cabbage Hill Saturday afternoon towing a horse trailer with three thoroughbreds. Racehorses survive scary, sweaty ride through eastern Oregon Tale involved Ex, Gypsy and a dark bay called Seattle Diner By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian PENDLETON — After a harrowing ride down Cabbage Hill with failed brakes and three thoroughbreds, a Bend man won’t soon forget his Pendleton adventure. Gary Morris, a racehorse owner and trainer, was wind- ing his way down the steep section of Interstate 84 Satur- day afternoon in a three-quar- ter-ton truck hauling a horse trailer. Morris was transporting the trio of horses from a race in Boise, Idaho, and heading to another in Tillamook. As he neared a 45-mile-per-hour curve, he applied his brakes. Nothing. “The brakes just left,” Mor- ris said. “I pumped them and nothing happened.” Morris dropped into sec- ond gear, but slowed little. He GRZQVKLIWHG WR ¿UVW RQO\ WR hear an ear-shattering squeal as the Ford’s transmission gave out. “I had no transmission and no brakes,” he said. Fortunately, his trailer brakes and emergency brake still functioned. Morris, 78, managed to keep the speed below 70 miles-per-hour as he made it safely to Pendle- ton exit 216 near the Arrow- head Travel Plaza. As soon as his adrenaline subsided, he turned his attention to his cargo. With the mercury hov- ering around 105 degrees, the valuable thoroughbreds were DW ULVN 0RUULV D ¿QDQFLHU turned racehorse owner, wor- ried about the well-being of his horses. “They were number one,” he said. About that time, Morris JRWWKH¿UVWRIVHYHUDOGRVHVRI Pendleton hospitality. “A guy and his wife stopped by in their pickup and pulled me to Kenworth,” he said. With disappointment, he learned the truck sales and repair business worked on only large commercial trucks. Service Manager Josh Payne, however, gave approval to move the horse trailer into the repair shop. “The horses were drenched with sweat. The (Kenworth people) pulled me into one of the bays and got the horses into the shade. They got three huge fans going,” Morris said. “Without that, the horses might even have died right there.” “The horses were shaky and upset,” Payne said. A predicament Kenworth employees pro- vided water for Morris’ three Boston terriers and showed the horse trainer to an air-condi- tioned lounge where he could use a computer to search for a rental truck with a gooseneck hitch. After making a string of fruitless calls, he dialed the number of the NEIGH-bors horse hotel, owned by Mary Alice Ridgway. “I called Mary Alice and told her I was in a predica- ment,” Morris said. “From there, everything was roses.” Ridgway and her friend Bev Kopperud arrived short- ly, hooked Morris’s trailer to Kopperud’s Ford 350 and headed to Ridgway’s horse hotel. When Morris unload- ed his thoroughbreds, the two women gazed with admiration at equine perfection. “I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ They were so beautiful,” Kop- perud said. “They were pranc- ing and happy to be out of the trailer.” The group included two chestnuts named Ex and Gypsy and a dark bay called Seattle Diner. All have won their share of races, Morris said. Ridgway installed Morris LQ D VHFRQGÀRRU DSDUWPHQW over the stalls. A truck for thoroughbreds The next morning, col- leagues from Morris’ horse farm arrived with a truck to pull the thoroughbreds back to Bend. Morris said he won’t soon forget the kindness he found in Round-Up City. His UHVFXHUV KRZHYHU GHÀHFWHG the praise. “You do what’s right,” Payne said. “You treat people the way you’d want to be treat- ed.” Kopperud and Ridgway agreed. “It’s not extraordinary to help people,” Kopperud said. “It’s what you do.” W h o’s n ext in lin e? Ever y d a y Pe o ple