2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 Wild steelhead in urban streams Walking park to open doors By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune MEDFORD — A rivulet gurgling into Larson Creek along East Barnett Road is so overlooked that it doesn’t appear on most maps and doesn’t even have a name. But it has wild steelhead. Juvenile wild steelhead are taking refuge in this tiny little backyard creek with no riparian zone, proving once again even the Rogue River Basin’s most urbanized streams still have a little wild left in them. The creek is the latest sur- veyed for wild steelhead by volunteers like Ken Foster who use a basic trap to cap- ture, mark and release wild juvenile steelhead and pos- sibly even threatened coho salmon as part of a 12-year effort to understand the role these creeks play in wild Rogue fish production. “I don’t think people understand there’s fish in here,” says Foster, a mem- ber of the Medford-based Rogue FlyFishers Associa- tion. “We’ve only been here a few days and there are quite a few fish in here.” Since the effort began in 2005, volunteers work- ing with the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife have set basic “hoop traps” in 38 streams throughout the Rogue Basin and discovered new wild salmon or steel- head — called salmonids — in 21 of them, says Ryan Bat- tleson, a state salmon and trout enhancement program biologist. Of those, six streams have been remapped to reflect con- firmed salmonid presence, which could lead to better riparian protections as well as help them qualify for ripar- ian habitat improvements that could bolster steelhead pro- duction, Battleson says. Larson Creek is a key trib- utary to Bear Creek, which is the Rogue Basin’s most urbanized stream, yet still produces wild steelhead, Chi- nook and coho as well as the most overlooked of Oregon’s anadromous fishes — Pacific lamprey. During their two years in freshwater before heading to the ocean as smolts, juve- nile wild steelhead migrate throughout the Bear Creek Basin depending upon the time of year. While small streams like this one usually run too low and warm to pro- vide summer refuge, they are key hiding places in winter when the juveniles need to escape high, turbid flows. “It’s an essential part of their life history,” Battleson says. Last week brought the first proof of that in this stream. Battleson installed a hoop trap to capture upstream migrants through the section off Asante Court in the mid- dle of east Medford’s health care firms. Foster and fellow volun- teer Mike Vaara check the trap every other day, carefully handling, measuring and log- ging their catch. Wednesday’s haul netted one wild steel- head, a 4-inch fish off which Battleson sliced a tiny portion of its tail so that, if caught again, it won’t be counted. The Daily Astorian Sunnie Bell, owner of the Sunflower Dairy Indoor Walk- ing Park, will hold a free open house from 10 to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Monday and Dec. 5. Bell has created an indoor walking track inside the for- mer Sunflower Dairy at 1312 Duane St., just west of the for- mer J.C. Penney Co. store. The park includes a wooden track, about one-fourteenth of a mile, running through vari- ous Southwestern- and trop- ical-themed rooms. Bell is offering memberships and daily use of the walking park. Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Sunnie Bell has been putting together a Southwestern- and tropical-themed indoor walking park inside the for- mer Sunflower Dairy on Duane Street. RV fire briefly closes Warrenton road on Monday The Daily Astorian A recreational vehicle caught fire on S.E. 12th Place near Highway 105 in War- renton on Monday afternoon, causing a brief traffic closure. Fire personnel contained the blaze without injuries, while the vehicle was declared a total loss. It was determined to be an electrical fire after the owner attempted to hook up batter- ies in the car, Warrenton Police Chief Mathew Workman said. OBITUARIES Robert W. Higgins Jr. Community parks and rec forum in Seaside Astoria Aug. 20, 1936 — Nov. 14, 2017 The forum, the first in a series over the next few months, will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Bob Chisholm Community Center in Seaside. The forum will provide an It is with much sorrow that we announce the ing sports and strumming his guitar and banjo. death of Robert W. Higgins Jr. He passed on Bob was an avid bowler and rarely missed his Nov. 14, 2017, at Providence Portland in Port- weekly team league. land, Oregon, at the age of 81. In 1999, Bob retired from Louisiana Pacific and relocated to Astoria, Oregon. Bob was born in Great Falls, Mon- tana, in 1936, to Robert and Gladys During his later years, he walked Higgins. As a child he loved spend- daily around the neighborhood with ing time outside with his canine com- his beloved miniature pinschers. He panions, as well as engaging in many continued bowling in the local league with JoAnn and Uncle Kenny until raucous adventures with his Higgins his health no longer permitted. and Brown cousins. He will be remembered for his He attended Great Falls public infectious smile, unending love for schools, and later received his bach- elor’s degree in biology at Great his family and tender affection for animals. Falls University. In addition, he Bob is preceded in death by his was a member of the Air National Robert Higgins Jr. father, Robert; mother, Gladys; and Guard, where he flew F-86 and F-104 sister, Judy. aircraft. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, JoAnn Bob then moved his family to Chapel Hill, and obtained his master’s degree in public Higgins; four children, Kerry Traudt (Kalvin), Kelly Higgins, Deborah Persian (Bob) and Scott health from the University of North Carolina. In September 1969, Bob and his wife, JoAnn, Higgins; as well as five grandchildren, Bre- moved with their four children to Ketchikan, Anna, Ashley, Erin (Tory), Meghan and Cam- Alaska, where he was employed with Louisiana eron (Megan); and five great-grandchildren, Pacific as the director of environmental control. Alek, Zachary, Avery, Malia and Emerson. A memorial service will be held at the First During his 30 years in Alaska, Bob thoroughly enjoyed all the state had to offer, spending his Lutheran Church in Astoria, Oregon, on Dec. 2 days outside in his cabin cruiser, fishing and at 12 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Hope camping with his children and grandchildren. When he wasn’t on the water, he could be House through the First Lutheran Church in found in his recliner, sipping Budweiser, watch- Astoria, 725 33rd St., Astoria, OR 97103. The Daily Astorian The Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District will host a community forum on facility needs and possible expansion. opportunity for residents to hear about potential options for facility expansion and voice their opinions and feedback. The Bob Chisholm Com- munity Center is located at 1225 Avenue A. FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TONIGHT WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 52 41 40 A shower early; otherwise, partly cloudy Occasional rain and drizzle Mostly cloudy with a little rain Last Salem 39/52 Newport 40/52 Dec 9 First Dec 17 Baker 24/45 Ontario 29/46 Burns 18/39 ON THE RECORD Klamath Falls 22/44 Lakeview 19/42 Ashland 31/49 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 Tonight's Sky: ISS visible at 6:32 p.m. at 50 degrees above south-southwest. Source: Jim Todd, OMSI TOMORROW'S TIDES Astoria / Port Docks Time 3:01 a.m. 4:07 p.m. Low 1.8 ft. 1.4 ft. Today Lo 47 40 33 28 29 37 40 -4 74 39 38 44 55 44 73 42 61 46 44 43 44 32 48 42 45 REGIONAL CITIES City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newberg Newport North Bend Hi 47 47 51 47 49 44 46 48 50 51 Today Lo 24 25 40 35 43 22 32 38 40 39 W pc r r r r pc r r r r Hi 45 45 56 50 52 44 48 50 52 54 Wed. Lo 22 28 41 33 44 23 29 37 41 38 W pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Springfi eld Vancouver Yakima Hi 47 49 47 50 48 49 43 47 48 46 Today Lo 37 35 40 37 39 42 30 36 39 30 W r r r r r r r r r c Hi 49 48 51 50 52 52 41 48 49 50 Wed. Lo 37 31 37 34 35 41 29 33 36 30 W pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER NATIONAL CITIES Hi 65 42 57 44 56 60 73 0 84 66 58 65 75 70 82 67 74 54 70 60 73 46 59 49 63 La Grande 29/43 Roseburg 37/50 Brookings 41/57 Dec 26 John Day 31/42 Bend 25/45 Medford 32/48 UNDER THE SKY High 8.6 ft. 7.2 ft. Prineville 25/46 Lebanon 37/50 Eugene 35/50 New Pendleton 35/48 The Dalles 36/51 Portland 40/51 Sunset tonight ........................... 4:33 p.m. Sunrise Wednesday .................... 7:35 a.m. Coos Bay Moonrise today .......................... 2:10 p.m. 38/54 Moonset today ............................ 1:16 a.m. City Atlanta Boston Chicago Denver Des Moines Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Honolulu Indianapolis Kansas City Las Vegas Los Angeles Memphis Miami Nashville New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Washington, DC 50 41 Cloudy with afternoon rain Tillamook 41/52 SUN AND MOON Time 9:29 a.m. 10:06 p.m. 51 42 Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. ASTORIA 40/52 Precipitation Monday ............................................ 0.10" Month to date ................................. 13.36" Normal month to date ....................... 9.95" Year to date .................................... 75.51" Normal year to date ........................ 56.17" Dec 3 SATURDAY REGIONAL WEATHER Astoria through Monday. Temperatures High/low ....................................... 51°/39° Normal high/low ........................... 51°/38° Record high ............................ 63° in 2002 Record low ............................. 19° in 1896 Full 51 41 Partly sunny ALMANAC FRIDAY W s s pc sf c s s pc sh s c s pc s t s s s pc s s pc pc r s Hi 70 55 47 57 50 46 67 11 86 55 49 67 76 70 82 66 76 58 56 62 55 46 61 50 64 Wed. Lo 53 30 38 24 35 34 42 -1 75 40 39 47 55 54 72 47 62 36 38 36 47 27 48 41 40 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s pc s pc s s pc c sh pc pc pc pc pc t pc pc s pc s c pc s pc pc OREGON Monday’s Pick 4: 1 p.m.: 1-5-7-0 4 p.m.: 0-0-4-5 7 p.m.: 4-7-6-3 10 p.m.: 4-0-5-8 Monday’s Lucky Lines: 04-06- 09-14-20-23-28-31 Estimated jackpot: $23,000 APPLIANCE AND HOME FURNISHINGS 529 SE MARLIN, WARRENTON 503-861-0929 IN YE TSOP C LA NTY C OU Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. Seaside Airport Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Astoria Planning Commission, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Monday’s Megabucks: 3-7-25- 27-37-47 Estimated jackpot: $3.8 million Estimated jackpot: $120,000 Monday’s Keno: 02-06-07-22- 23-25-29-33-37-40-42-43-48- 49-53-54-63-69-70-75 Monday’s Lotto: 05-15-25-26- 44-47 Estimated jackpot: $3.5 million Monday’s Match 4: 02-04-08- 17 WASHINGTON Monday’s Daily Game: 4-2-8 Monday’s Hit 5: 01-10-17-24- 35 OBITUARY POLICY PACKAGE DEALS Mattresses, Furniture & More! and charged with fourth-de- gree assault and second-de- gree disorderly conduct. DUII • At 1:58 a.m. Sunday, Shana Lee Powell, 33, of Astoria, was arrested by the Astoria Police Department at 32nd Street and Marine Drive and charged with driv- ing under the influence of intoxicants. LOTTERIES APPLIANCE 3 A 0 RS near the Triangle Tavern. The alleged victim was stopped by Lang’s friend as he tried to run after him. Soon after, Lang allegedly grabbed a hunter’s rifle from a vehicle but left when the victim called police. • At 4:48 p.m. Sunday, Jacob Martin Kitzman, 26, of Warrenton, was arrested by the Astoria Police Department on the 750 block of Astor Street PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Astoria Library Board, 5:30 p.m., Astoria Library Flag Room, 450 10th St. Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. Over Assault • At 9:16 p.m. Friday, Joshua James Lang, 29, of Canby, was arrested by the Astoria Police Department on the 220 block of W. Marine Drive and charged with fourth-degree assault, unlaw- ful possession of a firearm with intent to use and menac- ing. Lang allegedly hit some- one in the chin during a fight HOURS OPEN: MON-FRI 8-6 * SATURDAY * SUNDAY 10-4 We Service What We Sell The Daily Astorian publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can include a small photo and, for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge. The deadline for all obituaries is 9 a.m. the business day prior. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Death notices and upcoming services will be published at no charge. Notices must be submitted by 9 a.m. the day of publication. Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at www.dailyastorian.com/forms/obits, by email at ewilson@dailyastorian.com, placed via the funeral home or in person at The Daily Astorian office, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more information, call 503-325-3211, ext. 257. The Daily Astorian Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503- 325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 www.dailyastorian.com MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper. SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Effective July 1, 2015 HOME DELIVERY MAIL EZpay (per month) ................$11.25 EZpay (per month) ............... $16.60 13 weeks in advance ........... $36.79 13 weeks in advance ........... $51.98 26 weeks in advance ........... $70.82 26 weeks in advance ......... $102.63 52 weeks in advance ......... $135.05 52 weeks in advance ......... $199.90 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Daily Astorian become the property of The Daily Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2017 by The Daily Astorian. Printed on recycled paper