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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 18, 2016)
Page 8C OUTSIDE East Oregonian Saturday, June 18, 2016 Summer chinook tribal ishery underway Mother-daughter hike can entrance both East Oregonian Tribal sales of summer chinook and sockeye salmon are underway by the Umatilla, Nez Perce, Warm Springs and Yakama tribes. The irst of three commercial isheries opened last week, with peak harvest anticipated over the next two or three weeks. The tribes anticipate they will have 19,000 summer chinook and 5,000 sockeye available to the general public through the season. “The tribes are excited to bring trib- ally caught salmon to our customers throughout the region,” said Jeremy Wolf, a Umatilla tribal member and chairman of the Columbia River Inter- Tribal Fish Commission. “The tribal and non-tribal isheries are the fruit of the region’s labor when it comes to salmon recovery. It’s the on-going efforts of everyone throughout the Columbia River Basin to restore salmon populations and improve salmon’s survival that makes harvest possible.” Common places where the public can buy tribally caught salmon include Marine Park in Cascade Locks, Celilo Village, North Bonneville and Columbia Point near the Tri-Cities. Price is determined at the point of sale, and most sales are cash only. Sales generally begin at 10 a.m. and end at dusk. Buyers should also request a receipt, and remember to pack a cooler with ice to keep their ish fresh. Anyone looking to buy tribally caught salmon should call 888-289- 1855 before heading out to ind where the day’s catch is being sold. More information is available on the salmon marketing website www.critfc.org/ harvest. By JESSI LOERCH The Daily Herald Photo contributed by CRITFC. Tribal ishers check their net on the Columbia River for ish that will be sold as part of their commercial season. Bend’s Whitewater Park trips those with ‘wrong kind of equipment’ SCOTT HAMMERS The Bulletin Whitewater oficials examine loater passage BEND — The irst hot weekend of the year drew hundreds to the Bend Whitewater Park, and no small number experienced popped loat tubes, over- turned boats and minor injuries as part of their adventure. Bend Park & Recreation District Executive Director Don Horton said the weekend was a test for the park, which was remodeled over the winter due to concerns over inadequate waves in the whitewater channel and safety hazards in the passageway channel. Horton said the district is aware of ongoing safety concerns but has no current plans to make any further modiications to the passageway channel. The whitewater channel can be modiied more readily through a series of inlatable bladders used to adjust the shape of the waves. “Last weekend was the irst really warm weekend and an opportunity for us to see how the park performed,” Horton said. “And for the people who were using the right kind of equipment, it seemed to be working really well.” River users with what Horton calls “the wrong kind of equipment” have been a recurring issue at the whitewater park. The passageway channel was not designed for most stand-up paddle- boards or latwater kayaks, he said, both of which are prone to getting hung up on rocks due to their long and rigid construction. Floaters are likely to pop cheap pool toys and air mattresses and should consider a sturdier inlatable craft intended for river use. In the voters’ pamphlet statement for the $29 million 2012 bond measure that voters passed to pay for the $9.7 BEND (AP) — Engineers and Bend oficials have spent two days trying to address problems with a passageway channel at the city’s Whitewater Park. The Bulletin reports the Bend Park and Recreation District closed the channel last week after several complaints of loaters knocked from their lotation devices. The whitewater channel is still open, although the district says the loating channel could stay closed through the summer. Park district Wave Shaper Ryan Richard says oficials are trying to determine optimal low for the passageway. Too little water will create a smoother ride but expose sharp rocks, while too much will hide the rocks but increase the water speed and the power of drops. He says the district will keep tinkering with water settings and search for other ways to improve the experience. million whitewater park, the park district stated the improvements would “provide safe passage for people using the river for tubing, paddle- boarding, kayaking and canoeing.” The district also originally described the channel adjacent to McKay Park as the “safe passage channel” but has since switched to describing it as the “passageway channel.” Horton said “passageway channel” is a more accurate description, less subject to individual interpretation as to what safe means, and that the channel is passable by skilled stand-up paddleboarders using boards intended for whitewater use. The passageway channel for loaters also provides passage for ish, replacing a small ish ladder afixed to the old dam. Horton said the design of the channel with its 10 small drops suits the needs of both ish and human river users. The river drops about 8 feet while traveling approximately 300 feet from above Colorado Avenue to below the whitewater park. Horton said a long, ramp-like drop in place of the passageway channel would be impassable for young ish and would accelerate loaters to dangerous speeds. Horton said the district is moni- toring input from river users and is encouraging irst-time users to inspect the park before loating through. The park district at one time discussed possible age restrictions for use of the whitewater park but decided against it. Horton said the district has no capacity to enforce such a restriction, and some children are able to navigate the park’s features where others are not. Parents are advised to use their best judgment before taking children through the park, Horton said, and life jackets are recommended, although not required, for kids riding in tubes. State law requires children 12 and under to wear life jackets in canoes, kayaks and other craft regarded as boats. The district is unaware of any inci- dents at the whitewater park requiring immediate medical attention, Horton said. A call to the Bend Fire Depart- ment was not returned Monday. BLOOMIN’ BLUES Wintergreen plant doesn’t lavor your gum CAMANO, Wash. — I like to hike. No, I love to hike. Or, to say it another way, hiking is the only thing I’ll happily get up early for. So, of course, I want my daughter to love to hike. I fantasize about hiking the PCT with her or going on other epic adventures. Right now, though, she’s 5, almost 6, and epic isn’t really her style. Picnic is more her style, and has been for a while. If I want to take her hiking, I have to be careful to avoid using the word “hike,” or she’ll simply say “No.” Not as if she’s being dificult, just as if it’s a fact. If I let her pack a picnic lunch, however, she’s in. My husband, Jerry, and I wanted to head outside recently, on one of the lovely summer-like days we’ve had this spring. I envisioned something in the mountains, my default outdoor playground. But all the trails were going to be extremely muddy from the days of rain that had preceded our sunny day. Jerry suggested the beach. I resisted a little. Because when I say I want Hazel to love hiking what I really mean is I want her to love hiking the way I love hiking. I want her to suffer up steep mountains with me and then, at the summit, lop down in ecstasy, take in the view and savor whatever fancy picnic we’ve packed. But, like I said, she’s 5. She’s not really interested in anything as abstract as a view. She cares about the things she can touch and play with. So we went to the beach. We started with the short walk to Cranberry Lake at Cama Beach State Park. Hazel led, playing her favorite game of being the teacher and telling us about the plants and wildlife. We sat down in the trail to watch a millipede. Hazel let it crawl up on her hand before carefully setting it at the edge of the trail where it wouldn’t get squashed. When we reached the lake, another family was already there with their two small kids. They pointed out the frogs in the water, but Hazel was distracted by the damsellies. I was distracted as well. I love damsellies. They’re just as beautiful as dragonlies, you just have to look closer because they’re so small. One of them, delicately shaped with a bit of bright blue, landed on my arm. I carefully lifted it on my inger and then set it in Hazel’s palm. She held it, entranced, and so very, very careful. Eventually, she wanted to see the frogs, so I helped her slip the damselly onto a leaf. She turned her attention to the frogs. She pointed out the different colors, the different sizes. She was suitably impressed with the gigantic tadpole we’d spotted. (Seriously, that thing If you go: Cama Beach Historical State Park is on the southwest shore of Camano Island. It’s a short walk down to the water. There are restrooms, a play- ground, picnic tables and a beach. There are also a number of trails, including a short, easy trail to Cranberry Lake. Small cabins are available for rent as well. Camano Island State Park is right next door, with camping and also with beach access. Get more info at parks. state.wa.us/483/Ca- ma-Beach. was enormous.) Then, as she lost interest in the frogs, she headed farther downshore and another damselly landed right on her hand. She was just as entranced the second time. And truly, so was I. When we inally left the pond, after Hazel spotted a bird with its mouth full of nesting material, we walked the mile or so to the beach. At the beach, we all settled in on the warm rock, backs propped up against a log. Hazel ran in and out of the water, occasionally eating, while Jerry and I watched and laughed at her gooiness. Eventually, with the food and drinks gone, she lured me into the water and my husband put his hat over his face and fell asleep. I buried her in the perfect beach rocks. As I dug up the rocks to cover her, I found shells and agates and chunks of perfectly weathered beach glass. I held up each treasure for her to examine. When she got tired of being buried, she shook off all the beach rocks and we headed to the tiny play- ground. We played in the sand box inside an old boat. She made me endless meals of sand, that we pretended to eat together. I pushed her on the swing and then I took the swing next to her. I closed my eyes and I felt like I was falling and lying at the same time. And really — that exhil- arating feeling was a lot like what I feel when I stand on the top of a mountain. We went home that evening so happy, all of us. I want Hazel to love the outdoors and I realize she does. She loves the rocks and the waves and the tiny damsellies. And some day, she’ll probably love the views and the summits and the feeling of achievement from getting there under your own power. Maybe someday I’ll teach her that. But for now? She’s reminding me to look closer than a grand view. She’s reminding me to slow down, to watch the millipede, to smell the wild roses and to let the damselly sunbathe on your skin. And maybe that’s its own kind of epic. General Dentistry For You and Your Family By BRUCE BARNES For the East Oregonian Names: Common Wintergreen and Snow- line Wintergreen Scientiic names: Pyrola asarifolia and Pyrola minor These two plants are so similar it makes sense to combine them in the same article. Both plants are found throughout Alaska, Canada, and the western and northeastern U.S. They prefer the same cool habitat, bloom at the same time, and are found in the same plant communities. The genus name Pyrola comes from the Latin for the pear tree, which has leaves similar to those on some of the Pyrola species. Interestingly, the name asarifolia refers to similarity of the leaves to those of Asarum caudatum, the so-called wild ginger. The common name “wintergreen” is due to the plants staying green all winter under the snow. They are not the source of wintergreen oil. Both plants have a single lealess stem about 6-12 inches tall with the upper third or less bearing the lowers, which are rounded and about a quarter inch wide. The bases of the plants have a few small, nearly round leaves. The plant with pink lowers is Common Wintergreen. All of the Pyrola species are best to enjoy Photo by Bruce Barnes Common and Snowline Wintergreen where they are. Picking the lowers is likely to kill the plant, and they cannot be transplanted as they depend on micro-organisms in the soil to survive. Pyrola species in general have been used by various Indian tribes for medicinal purposes, including salves and poultices, as a diuretic, and to treat eyes, ears, coughs and childbirth. Pyrola asarifolia speciically has been used for bleeding, sore eyes, and liver problems. • Digital X-rays • Laser Cavity Detection Extended hours: Mon. - Thur.: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm We take most insurances, including PPO’s Dr. Smith se habla Español 310 SE2nd St., Ste 203 Pendleton, OR 97801 541-276-4768 T. Blair Smith, DMD Edward S. Dolan, DDS
