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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 2015)
5A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2015 %XUHDXRI/DQG0DQDJHPHQWEDWVWXG\DLPVWR¿QGURRVWV Where do bats spend their days? Living up to their name, the bats have long ears. Bat burrito Anthony glued transmitters on some of the bats after snip- ping away a patch of their fur BEND — In her eight years using nail scissors. About the catching bats, Nadja Schmidt size of half of an AAA battery, has learned lessons about them. the transmitters have a 5½- First, they are fragile. Sec- inch wire antenna, which dan- ond, they should not be feared. gles from the back of the bat. “A lot of pictures make Members of the bat-catching them look scary,” she said. team said the transmitters do “But they eat mosquitoes. They QRW DIIHFW WKH EDWV¶ ÀLJKW$Q- don’t bite that hard, except for thony said the transmitters run the big ones.” for about 12 days, which is also Schmidt, a wildlife techni- about how long it is until the cian with the U.S. Forest Ser- glue gives way and the device vice, was among a team of bat falls off the animal. catchers that trekked out into “So you have a really short window to collect as much data the High Desert east of Bend as you can,” he said. on a recent Monday night. The The glue takes 10 minutes to mission was part of a two-year dry, so once a transmitter is on a Bureau of Land Management project trying to determine bat, Hummel wraps the animal where western long-eared my- in nylon and then folds it into otis bats go during the daytime, a washcloth, hoping to keep its said Christopher “Digger” An- body temperature up. thony, wildlife biologist with “We call it a little bat burri- the BLM in Prineville. to,” Hummel said. Active bats “The main thing is to iden- often have a body temperature Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin tify their roosts,” said Anthony, around 102 degrees. If they who is leading the research as Nadja Schmidt works on setting up a mist net across a small pond to capture bats near Brothers in July. cool down, they can quickly part of his master graduate become lethargic. When this studies with Oregon State Uni- help sage grouse by promoting blue rubber gloves, Cassandra happened to bats, she would put versity in Corvallis. Figuring sage brush habitat, so Anthony Hummel, another BLM wild- a hand warmer next to them. out where the bats go during the wants to know if those are af- life biologist, untangled a bat Soon the bat would be warmed GD\ZLOO¿OOLQJDSVLQNQRZO- fecting the bats. from the net. Then, she tucked XS DQG WDNH ÀLJKW VHHPLQJO\ edge about what habitats are The study also hopes to de- it into a brown paper bag and not bothered by the hardware PRVW LPSRUWDQW IRU WKH À\LQJ termine whether male and fe- put the bag in the pocket of her glued to its back. A day crew comes out at 7 mammals. male bats have different roost waders. preferences. Bagging and pocketing bats a.m. the morning after the bats Shrouded in mystery Last year, Anthony’s team does three things: keep them were captured. Using radio gear, A 2007 study determined FDXJKWDQGDI¿[HGWUDQVPLWWHUV IURP À\LQJ RII NHHS WKHP they locate the bats, pinpointing there were nine species of bat to 15 bats — eight males and warm and keep them separat- where they are and what they frequenting the playas — sea- seven females. This year he ed to avoid spreading illness have chosen for a roost. sonal shallow lakes — south hopes to track 17 more bats. “We are try to get visuals on among the bats. Bat research- of U.S. Highway 20 between Scientists depend on the ers are particularly concerned the bats in the roosts,” Anthony Brothers and Hampton. The tiny transmitters, attached to about white-nose syndrome, said. Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin western long-eared myotis bats’ backs with surgical ce- Despite the winds around prevalent in the northeast part proved the most common. The PHQWJOXHWR¿JXUHRXWZKHUH Nadja Schmidt places a small transmitter on placed on of the U.S., spreading west. So sundown, Monday night turned small bats, which have a wing- the bats go during the day. But the back of a bat shortly after the animal was captured in far, there have not been cases about to be a good time to catch span of 10 to 12 inches and before Anthony and his crew a mist near Brothers in July. of the disease, a skin infection bats — the team caught eight in weigh 0.2 to 0.3 ounces, are could attach the transmitters, caused by a white fungus, in all. The end of a hot day often is a good time to catch bats, An- shrouded in mystery, including they had to capture the bats. it grew dark, the bats began to “They can see it as a barrier Oregon. where they go in the winter. Catching bats requires nets, bounce around the watering and avoid it,” she said, noting Brought to the tailgate of a thony said. It is when bugs may )RU QRZ WKH IRFXV LV ¿J- calm winds and some patience. hole but were dodging the nets. that the bats “see” something pickup, which serves as an out- swarm. Rain and cool weather uring out where the bats roost At dusk, the bat catchers door lab table, the bats caught keeps insects from buzzing Winds probably were the using echolocation. on summer days, whether VWUHWFKHGRXWPLVWQHWV²¿QH problem. Bats notice the nets 0RQGD\ QLJKW ZHUH LGHQWL¿HG around, which also keeps the Fly into the trap they prefer places such as mesh nets strung between two more when they move in the weighed and measured. While EDWVIURPÀ\LQJ After a change to a less some bats tried to wiggle free “They are not going to waste rocks, living junipers, snags or poles like a volleyball net — wind, said Lisa Clark, BLM burned-out logs. Juniper-thin- over a playa near the base of spokeswoman in Prineville, windy part of the playa for while being examined, most energy,” he said. “If there is not ning projects are underway Frederick Butte, about a 20- who was also part of the one of the nets, bats started calmed down when held snug- a food source out they won’t be out.” near Frederick Butte, in part to mile drive from Brothers. As bat-catching team. WR À\ LQWR WKH WUDS :HDULQJ gly. By DYLAN J. DARLING The Bulletin Barge brings tons of buoys, other ocean debris to Seattle By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska — Hun- dreds of tons of marine debris have been collected from the shores of Alaska and British Columbia as part of an unprec- edented cleanup effort that an organizer says barely made a dent in the rubbish that remains on beaches. A barge heaped with white, heavy-duty bags and loose piles of Styrofoam, bottles, commer- FLDO ¿VKLQJ JHDU WKRXVDQGV RI ODUJH EXR\V DQG ÀRDWV DQG other debris arrived in Seattle on Thursday, three weeks after SLFNLQJXSLWV¿UVWORDGLQ.R- diak, Alaska. Some of the debris collect- ed likely was swept to sea by the 2011 tsunami in Japan, which killed thousands of peo- ple. But marine debris in gen- eral, including rubbish such as SODVWLFVDQG¿VKLQJQHWVLVDQ ongoing environmental prob- lem. In Seattle, volunteers will have to pick through the piles, sorting what can be recycled or returned and what must be tak- en by train to a disposal site in Oregon. Sorting isn’t expected to begin until next month and could take a couple weeks to complete, said Janna Stewart, tsunami marine debris coordi- nator with the Alaska Depart- ment of Environmental Con- servation. Still, project organizers were relieved when the barge docked in Seattle after a largely uneventful journey. There were no major weather delays along the way that would have racked up costs, and the bags held up as they were hoisted by heli- copter to the barge from often remote, rocky beaches. “Having it come in was just incredibly gratifying,” Stewart said. 2I¿FLDOV VD\ WKH SURMHFW unprecedented in scale in Alas- ka, was spurred by the amount of material that has washed ashore; the high cost of shut- tling small boatloads of debris from remote sites to port; and LEGAL NOTICE You Could Get $164 or More If You Bought Gas in Oregon at an ARCO or ARCO ampm Station and Paid a Debit Card Fee Case Update You may have seen a previous notice in this case. The Oregon state rule on unclaimed money in class actions has recently changed, and your rights may be affected. People who did not previously receive a letter about this case, file a claim, or opt out of this lawsuit may need to take action. If this applies to you, you must file a claim or opt-out of this lawsuit to preserve your rights. Any money that is not claimed will be paid to Oregon Legal Services and an entity (or entities) chosen by the Court. What is this case about? An Oregon jury found that BP West Coast Products LLC (“BPWCP”) charged more for gas than the amount registered at the pump and failed to properly disclose its prices when it charged a 35-cent fee to consumers who used debit cards to pay for gas at Oregon ARCO stations and ampm locations. BPWCP has denied the claims in this case and plans to appeal the jury verdict. Alan Berner/The Seattle Times Tsuyoshi Ohtsuka, Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, reaches out to a Japanese float (large, pink at left) that reads “white beach” Friday in Seattle. This debris was brought from Alaska on a 300-foot-long barge contain floats, build- ing materials, fishing equipment from Japan, Korea, China and about half of it estimated to be from the tsunami. It’s part of a two-year, multi-national shoreline cleanup project. a demand by the Anchorage ODQG¿OO WKDW ¿VKLQJ QHWV DQG lines — common debris items — be chopped up, a task that Stewart called impossible. The mass of debris collect- ed and loaded onto the barge, which is roughly the size of a IRRWEDOO ¿HOG UHSUHVHQWV MXVW 1 to 2 percent of the cleanup work that remains in Alaska, said Chris Pallister, president of the cleanup organization Gulf RI$ODVND.HHSHUZKLFKFRRU- dinated the project. Alaska has more coastline than all other coastal states combined, and Pallister esti- PDWHVWKDWFUHZVFRXOG¿OOWKH barge three more times from what remains on one island alone, Montague Island in the Gulf of Alaska. The area on Montague that needs to be cleaned is 74 miles long, Pallister said. Over the past three summers, cleanup crews have covered 10 miles RI WKDW VWUHWFK DQG ¿OOHG DW least 1,300 heavy-duty “su- per-sacks,” he said. Many of sites that have been cleaned are remote — not the kind of beaches that attract tourists. But it’s important to clean the areas since disin- tegrating foam can seep into salmon streams or be ingested by birds, Stewart said. There is also concern with the impact of broken-down plastic on marine life. Pallister worries about se- curing funding to continue the cleanup work. The barge proj- ect was funded in part with $900,000 from the state’s share of a $5 million gift from the Japanese government for states affected by tsunami debris. Pallister’s group committed $100,000. The total cost of the project was still being tallied. 7KHEDUJHDUULYHGLQ.RGLDN on July 15, where it loaded de- bris collected in that region in 2013 and 2014. Most of the collection sites were in Alaska, with the last stop in Alaska near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. There also was a pickup site in British Co- lumbia. It can be hard to distinguish tsunami debris from run-of-the- PLOOGHEULVZLWKRXWLGHQWL¿DEOH markers. Before the tsunami, a lot of ROG¿VKLQJJHDUZRXOGODQGRQ beaches. But afterward, there was an inundation of Styro- foam and urethane foam used for things like building insu- lation that has continued to be found, Pallister said. Property VWDNHVDQGFUDWHVXVHGE\¿VKHU- men in coastal Japan also have shown up. Am I eligible to file a claim? How can I file a claim? You can file a claim now if: • You purchased gas at Oregon ARCO or ARCO ampm locations between January 1, 2011 and August 30, 2013 and paid a 35-cent debit card transaction fee, • You did not receive a letter about the lawsuit, • You did not already file a claim, and • You did not opt-out. If you already received a letter about this case, do not file a claim because you will receive an automatic payment. File a claim online or by mail by September 21, 2015. If you file a valid claim, you will be eligible to receive $164.85 or more, and you will give up your right to individually sue BPWCP for the claims in this case. The previous notice talked about a $200 payment, but the fees required to pay Class Counsel will reduce payments by $35.15. What are my If eligible, you may also: • Exclude yourself (or opt-out) online or by mail from the other rights? lawsuit by September 21, 2015. You will keep your right to sue BPWCP yourself. • Object to the notice or claims process (or the fees if you file a claim now) by September 18, 2015. • Do nothing. If you did not previously take action and now do not file a claim or exclude yourself, you will give up your right to get any money from this lawsuit and your right to sue BPWCP yourself. For More Information Visit: www.DebitCardClassAction.com Call: 1-866-329-5931