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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2019)
A3 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019 Winter steelhead stage comeback on Willamette River Killing sea lions a factor By KALE WILLIAMS The Oregonian A controversial plan to kill sea lions in the hopes of bolstering an endangered run of fi sh on the Willamette River appears to be working, offi cials said , with win- ter steelhead showing their best returns in three years. As of Wednesday, more than 2,400 winter steelhead had tra- versed Willamette Falls to the upper section of the river to spawn, according to the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife. Offi - cials predict a total run of around 3,200 fi sh. That’s up from 1,829 steelhead last year and just 822 in 2017. The uptick, according to Shaun Clement, a senior policy ana- lyst for the agency, is due, at least in part, to the state killing 16 sea lions, which prey on the fi sh at the horseshoe shaped falls in Oregon City. “We’re encouraged by the fi sh numbers and by the success in implementing the sea lion removal program,” Clement said in a state- ment. “We’ve defi nitely been able to reduce predation this year and provide some relief to the fi sh.” Winter steelhead were thought to be one of the most imperiled species on the u pper Willamette with wildlife managers estimating that up to 25 percent of the run was being preyed upon by California sea lions. The pinnipeds had been AP Photo/Don Ryan A California sea lion trapped at Willamette Falls in 2018. congregating at the falls in grow- ing numbers in recent years, where steelhead are forced into a bottle- neck and become easy prey for the voracious marine mammals. The state tried removing the ani- mals, who assemble at the falls by the dozen, but the sea lions often returned to Oregon City within days. Sea lions are safeguarded under the federal Marine Mammal Pro- tection Act so, in 2017, the state applied for a special permit to kill animals that were seen habitually preying on steelhead and other endangered species of fi sh. The permit was approved and trapping began in late December. In January, the state began using lethal removal to try to bolster the chances of endangered fi sh migrat- ing upriver. By March 11, offi cials said, the state had killed 11 sea lions and the river was free of the pinnipeds for six days, during which steelhead passage increased to triple digits. The respite didn’t last, though, and more sea lions were seen at the falls within a week. The theory, according to She- anna Steingass, marine mammal program lead for the state, is that the animals that are removed won’t be able to pass along their problem- atic behavior to future generations. It will likely take a few years, but wildlife managers hope to break Astoria Band Boosters Judge fi nds national monument expansion lawful The move did not preclude logging The expansion of Ore- gon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument did not unlawfully preclude logging on public land dedicated to timber production, accord- ing to a federal judge. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke has recom- mended the dismissal of a timber company’s claim that President Barack Obama lacked the authority to enlarge the monument in 2017 by adding 40,000 acres of Oregon & California Rail- road Lands reclaimed by the federal government. The Murphy Co., which relies on so-called O&C Lands for its log sup- ply, argued that Congress devoted that acreage to tim- ber harvest, which meant it couldn’t be included in the national monument any more than a federal prison or military base. “What the president has done here is vacate the pur- pose of those lands that Congress designated them for,” said Mike Haglund, the company’s attorney, during oral arguments last month in Medford . Commercial logging is greatly restricted within the national monument, which was originally established in 2000 with 53,000 acres, but local ranchers are also wor- ried about grazing curtail- ments within the expanded boundaries. The Obama adminis- tration increased its size by 48,000 acres consist- ing mostly of O&C Lands shortly before leaving offi ce. The decision has been defended in court by the Trump administration even as it’s pared down other national monuments. The federal government was joined by an environ- Bureau of Land Management The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon. mental group, the Soda Mountain Wilderness Coun- cil, in arguing that O&C Lands can lawfully be man- aged for multiple uses, such as creating reserves where timber can’t be harvested. “Not every tree on every acre of O&C Lands needs to be cut. If not every tree needs to be cut, why can’t the president set aside those 48,000 acres?” argued Coby Howell, attorney for the government. The judge has deter- mined the Obama adminis- tration was within its author- ity under the Antiquities Act — which allows presidents to create national monu- ments — in adding the O&C Lands to its footprint. Although the statute gov- erning O&C Lands repeals confl icting federal laws, it’s not entirely incompatible with the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, according to Clarke. “Although there may be tension between the dom- inant purpose of the O&C Act and the conservation- ist purpose of the Antiqui- ties Act, there is no irrecon- cilable confl ict between the two a cts,” he said. The dominant purpose of O&C Lands is timber har- vest, but the law’s require- ment of a “sustained yield” does not mean logging must be maximized — “the prin- ciple merely ensures that the CAN & BOTTLE DRIVE 1 P.M.- 3 P.M. • SUNDAY, APRIL 7 TH AT ASTORIA HIGH SCHOOL timber resource is managed in perpetuity while provid- ing the BLM with discretion in how to achieve that objec- tive,” Clarke said. The Murphy Co. has two weeks to fi le objec- tions to Clarke’s recommen- dation before a U.S. district judge who will issue a bind- ing decision in the case. The government and the Soda Mountain Wilderness Coun- cil will have two weeks to respond to any objections. Ch ec k th e L a b e l ! By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press the yearly cycle of sea lions return- ing to the falls every spring to feast on steelhead and salmon. “As a pinniped biologist, it’s better for the salmon,” Steingass said soon after program got under- way, “but it’s better for the pinni- peds too because we won’t have hundreds of other animals learning this behavior.” The permit allows for the removal of up to 93 California sea lions, though Steingass estimated that no more than 40 or 50 ani- mals would be killed. To kill the sea lions, wildlife biologists use the same traps that were unsuc- cessfully used in their relocation efforts. The animals are taken to a location offsite, anesthetized and euthanized using a combination of chemicals. Travis Williams, executive director of Willamette Riverkeeper, doesn’t explicitly oppose the sea lion removal program. The winter steelhead run has teetered on the edge of extinction in recent years and he recognizes that something had to be done. What gets lost in the conversation, he said, is all the factors that led to such a small pop- ulation of fi sh where predation by sea lions became a breaking point for a whole species. “There are big systemic prob- lems,” he said, noting that many of the Willamette’s tributar- ies have fl ood control dams with inadequate measures to help fi sh migrate past them. “We address the issue as if sea lions are the only factor.” P LEASE , NO EARLY DROP - OFFS Items must have the 10 cent, OR redemption label in order to benefit the band programs The Band Boosters are the primary source of funds to keep Astoria’s school band programs functioning. Please help by dropping off your empties or making a donation. Call (503) 791-8134 or email i_want_to_help@astoriabands.org for more information. Heidi Wintermute North Coast Symphonic Band Directed by Dave Becker “In the Spotlight” 2 PM , Sunday , April 7 FREE Concert Prelude at 1:30: Northern Lights Flute Ensemble Liberty Theater, 1203 Commercial — Doors Open at 1:15 Guest soloist: Alan Pierce, retired bass trombonist, Oregon Symphony www.northcoastsymphonicband.org With sincere gratitude, we would like to say “Thank You” to our friends & family for your caring and thoughtful expressions of sympathy for the passing of our dear mother, and wife, Shirley Tadei. Your loving messages, memories that were shared, prayers, generous donations, lovely flowers, gifts, and beautiful cards have touched our hearts and helped tremendously to ease our sorrows and loss. We feel blessed for the support and friendship which will always be remembered and appreciated. A special thank you to Father Oruko for the memorial masses said in Shirley’s memory. Sincerely, Vince Tadei and Family
