Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2022)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2022 Lamprey swim past Soda Springs Dam IN BRIEF A long-awaited milestone for species Suspect sought in Seaside gun incident SEASIDE — Police are seek- ing the whereabouts of Jeremy Lee Morinville, a 24-year-old Warrenton man considered a sus- pect in a gun incident Sunday afternoon. At about 2:45 p.m., police Jeremy Lee received a report that a gunshot Morinville wound victim was being treated at Providence Seaside Hospital. The victim had been shot at his home and drove to the hos- pital for treatment, police said. The injuries were described as non-life-threatening and the victim was taken to Portland for continuing care. The victim and suspect are known to each other, police said, and police do not believe it was a random encounter. Police said Morinville, who was recently released from prison, should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on Morinville’s where- abouts is asked to call 911 or to contact Sgt. Detec- tive Josh Gregory of the Seaside Police Department at 503-738-6311. Park district board member resigns SEASIDE — Erika Marshall has resigned from the Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District Board, cit- ing other commitments. “I don’t really want to resign,” she said. “I just am being spread too thin at the moment. I have a very demanding role with Mercy Corps as senior director of global HR and also have two kids, Jahzara and Maleek Marshall.” Over the past few years, she has been coaching soc- cer, basketball and softball for girls who are now sixth and seventh graders. “This is really my passion and I am hoping whatever extra time I have can be spent coaching and supporting young female athletes in our community,” she said. Marshall, who was appointed to the park district’s Position 4 in 2020 after the resignation of John Chap- man, was elected in 2021. — The Astorian Columbia Riverkeeper challenges new gas pipeline, generator The environmental group Columbia Riverkeeper has fi led a petition challenging the Federal Energy Reg- ulatory Commission’s approval of the Coyote Springs Cogeneration Project near Boardman. According to state and federal energy department documents, the $32.5 million gas pipeline compressor station would operate on a 22-acre site at the Port of Morrow Industrial Park. The plant would have two com- bustion turbines that would generate 440 average mega- watts of energy when complete. The project would be built in phases. Columbia Riverkeeper seeks a rehearing of the reg- ulatory commission’s approval. Audrey Leonard, staff attorney at Columbia Riverkeeper, said the organization is “taking a stand against another misguided fossil fuel project.” — East Oregonian DEATHS Aug. 27, 2022 In DYGERT, Brief William Nelson, 71, of Asto- ria, died in Astoria. Deaths Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. Aug. 10, 2022 MATTSON, John Matthew, 74, of Asto- ria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD By COURTNEY FLATT Northwest News Network It seemed like a nor- mal Monday morning. Rich Grost pulled his truck into work and went to see what fi sh had swam past the Soda Springs Dam on the North Umpqua River. He thought he might see a giant 50-pound C hinook salmon. What he saw was even better — after nearly 10 years of waiting. A Pacifi c lamprey pro- pelled itself through the dam’s fi sh ladder. Grost, an aquatic sci- entist on Pacifi c Power’s North Umpqua Hydroelec- tric Project, and an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife employee gave each other a high-fi ve. Grost said they’d been waiting for what seemed like forever to see lamprey swim past the Soda Springs D am. “It seemed like it was going to be an inevita- ble event, but it was like: when, when, when, when?” he said of the excitement he felt that morning. Pacifi c Power installed this fi sh ladder in 2012 with lamprey in mind. Lamprey need wet, rounded corners to travel up fi sh ladders, unlike salmon. However, while salmon immediately began using the fi sh ladder, lamprey wouldn’t make it past the dam for another 10 years. Often, fi sh ladders are designed with 90-degree angles and jumps for salmon. However, lam- prey use their mouths, or oral discs, to suction and jump their way up fi sh lad- ders and waterfalls, such as Willamette Falls, said Kelly Coates, the director of nat- ural resources for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians. “They just suction cup their way up the falls. It’s kind of a unique move. It requires a lot of core strength,” Coates said, jok- ing about the way lamprey move upstream. The news of the fi rst lamprey to get past the Soda Springs Dam quickly circulated among the wide group of people and agen- cies that had worked to get lamprey to this point, around 180 miles inland from the Pacifi c Ocean. A few weeks later, a second lamprey suctioned itself to the glass fi sh obser- vation area, perhaps sig- Pacifi c lamprey are an imperiled species in the Northwest. ‘THEY JUST SUCTION CUP THEIR WAY UP THE FALLS. IT’S KIND OF A UNIQUE MOVE. IT REQUIRES A LOT OF CORE STRENGTH.’ Kelly Coates | director of natural resources for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians naling more lamprey could make the journey next year, said Sam Moyers, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “It was pretty late in the season when they crossed the dam,” Moyers said. “Usually, lower in the river, they would have found their little hidey hole to hang out in for the summer.” Moyers said he hopes more lamprey will make it past the Soda Springs Dam earlier in the season next year. “It’s a water temperature thing, and it’s a numbers game,” Moyers said. Pacifi c lamprey are an imperiled species in the Northwest. Young lamprey spend at least fi ve years in river sediment, fi lter-feed- ing until they’re able to migrate out to the ocean. When adult lamprey return inland to spawn, they don’t always return to the exact location where they were born, as salmon do. Scientists believe pher- omones play a role in the direction lamprey head, which is one reason Coates said she’s excited to see lamprey making it past the Soda Springs D am. Others could follow their pheromones. Moreover, Coates said, lamprey, known as xtàan in Takelma, the language of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indi- ans, are a culturally import- ant fi rst food to the tribe. Their lipid-rich bodies pro- vide a good source of pro- tein. Often, people eat lam- prey dried or smoked. In addition, I ndigenous people traditionally use lamprey oils as hair and skin moisturizers. People also use lamprey as tradi- tional medicines, Coates said. For example, when her 1-year-old daughter began teething, Coates said she fed her daughter dried lamprey. “She slept better that night than she had in three nights,” Coates said. “So, I can personally attest to lam- prey being good medicine.” The North Umpqua River is a usual and accus- tomed fi shing spot for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indi- ans. Lamprey haven’t been harvested in this area in a really long time, she said. Harvesting lamprey is an eventual goal once the pop- ulation is sustainable. Beyond healing I ndige- nous people, the return of lamprey will help heal the ecosystem, Coates said. In addition to fi lter-feeding when they are young, lam- prey provide food sources for other fi sh. Adult lam- prey bring marine-derived nutrients to the streams in which lamprey spawn and die. The two lamprey that made it past Soda Springs Dam could signal a bet- ter future for lamprey in the Umpqua River system, Coates said. “It’s helping to restore the balance, putting the system back on the trajec- tory to be healthy and func- tional,” she said. Getting more lamprey into colder waters will be important as climate change causes warmer waters, said Bob Nichols, the f orest-fi sh p rogram manager for the Umpqua National Forest. During the 2021 heat dome, a tremendous number of lamprey died before spawn- ing in the South Umpqua River, Nichols said. “The access to cool water habitats are going to be pretty important in the future,” Nichols said. Lamprey numbers in the Umpqua River system have been depressed since the early 1970s. However, more lamprey have shown up recently in the Umpqua River sys- tem, Moyers said. Almost 1,400 lamprey have shown up at Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River, around 118 miles from the Pacifi c Ocean. “That’s the highest count we’ve had since 1986,” Moyers said. Those numbers likely contributed to a few lam- prey making it farther upstream into the North Umpqua system and to the Soda Springs Dam, Moy- ers said. Coates said lamprey don’t have any passage bar- riers on the main stem of the South Umpqua River so they can get close to the river’s headwaters. Now that lamprey have passed the Soda Springs Dam, they can get to the headwaters of the North Umpqua River as well. “This expands their range,” she said. Barriers in the river, such as dams and culverts, are one of the biggest prob- lems for lamprey, Coates said. The Pacifi c Lamprey Conservation Initiative, for which Coates is the tribal co-chair, works with land- owners to remove or mod- ify passage barriers to make rounded corners. “Passage barriers are one of the main reasons we don’t see Pacifi c lamprey in more places,” Coates said. Assault Alvarez, 27, of Gearhart, On the • Evelyn Rose Record Moss, was arrested on Saturday 22, of Warrenton, was arrested on Saturday on S.E. Marlin Avenue in Warrenton for fourth-de- gree assault. • Evan Thomas Burt, 33, of Hammond, was arrested on Saturday on Lake Drive in Hammond for fourth-de- gree assault constituting domestic violence. Theft • Beau Dewayne Goli- ghtly, 35, of Astoria, was arrested on Saturday at Fred Meyer in Warrenton for second-degree theft. • Keana Christine at Fred Meyer in War- renton for second-degree theft. • Jerry L. Buckhan- non, 43, of Hillsboro, was arrested on Aug. 23 at Walmart in Warrenton for second-degree theft. • Robyn L. Rasmus- sen, 42, of Lafayette, was arrested on Aug. 23 at Walmart in Warrenton for second-degree theft. • Randolph Ross Searls, 64, of Warrenton, was arrested on Aug. 21 at Walmart in Warrenton for fi rst-degree theft. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Gearhart City Council, 6:30 p.m., work session, (electronic meeting). PUBLIC MEETINGS Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 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 Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2022 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Oregon angler has caught more than 1,000 diff erent species of fi sh By ALLISON FROST Oregon Public Broadcasting Luke Ovgard has been fi shing for as long as he can remember — literally. He told Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud” that one of his very earliest memories was going on a long fi shing trip with his dad when he was 3 . “I did eventually hook a fi sh, but I had no idea what to do. So instead of reeling it in, I just sort of backed up to the bank a little bit higher with each step until I pulled the fi sh onto the bank. And then that would become our dinner later that night.” Ovgard is now a writer and a high school teacher in s outh- ern Oregon, but he’s never stopped fi shing. But it wasn’t until about fi ve years ago that he started carefully keeping track of the number of fi sh spe- cies he caught. That put him in a niche community known as “species hunters,” anglers who catch and catalog their fi sh before releasing them. Ovgard caught his 1,000th fi sh species in mid-July, becoming only the sixth in the world to make that mark. He calls his endeavor his “Spe- ciesQuest,” which he writes columns and blogs about. His Instagram is all fi sh, all the time. Aside from the thrill of the hunt, he feels this kind of fi shing has a much deeper purpose. “Every single species mat- ters whether or not it has com- mercial value,” Ovgard says. “Whether or not it’s small or ugly, it deserves to be pro- tected and to have its story told.” Ovgard says that because he can focus on lesser-known species, he’s able to share data with biologists and research- ers — data like migration and feeding patterns, invasive spe- cies monitoring, and even new populations of fi sh. “I’m not alone in this, either,” Ovgard says. “It’s a Luke Ovgard holds a yelloweye rockfi sh he caught and released in summer 2021. fairly common occurrence in this subset of the fi shing community.” Ovgard says for him, “That’s one of the beauti- ful things about this type of fi shing.” The number of fi sh spe- cies he’s caught now numbers 1,101 — and he has no inten- tion of putting away his fi shing gear anytime soon. 10K RUN/WALK SUNDAY, OCT. 9 Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Sign up now at GREATCOLUMBIACROSSING.COM
