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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2016)
PIPELINE WORK BUCKS RESUMES NEAR BEST PROTEST SITE EAGLES Visit Elite Guns & Bows in Pendleton for a free hat SUSAN LYON OF ADAMS NATION/8A VOLLEYBALL/1B 60/42 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2016 140th Year, No. 258 WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD MILTON-FREEWATER One dollar Study uses ‘eDNA’ in water to track fi sh Research could extend to northeast Oregon By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian realignment, a more frequent grass maintenance schedule and a larger maintenance staff. Gillette said the course might not recapture the popularity it The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife is launching a pilot study that could lead to a cheaper and more effi cient way of monitoring fi sh popu- lations across the state. Rather than trapping and physically handling fi sh — which the agency says is expensive and labor-intensive — researchers are looking into the millions of strands of DNA released naturally into lakes and streams to determine the abundance of certain species. All living organisms release DNA into their environment, whether by their skin, hair, mucus or feces. This “eDNA” is unique to each species, and Shaun Clem- ents, research “I think the scientist with potential for ODFW in Corvallis, said cost savings it could be used to answer here is very big. critical ques- We’re a very tions about the labor-intensive distribution of fi sh. agency, and a “ T h e concept of lot of that could being able be replaced to capture with eDNA DNA from the water has sampling.” been around — Shaun Clements, for a while,” Clements said. research scientist with ODFW in Corvallis “Pretty much everything we’ve done to date is taking samples and seeing what was there. What we’re doing now is fi guring out what that all means.” ODFW has previously used eDNA to detect bull trout in Odell Lake and the John Day Basin, according to Clements. The technique came in handy, he said, since bull trout tend to be nocturnal, more secretive and diffi cult to fi nd. But simply fi nding eDNA for a particular type of fi sh doesn’t give biologists enough information. Clem- ents said they need to learn more about how the material travels in water to ensure the fi sh are actually present, and the result isn’t a false positive. “Because we don’t actually put our hands on the critter, we need to fi gure out what a positive detection of eDNA really means,” Clements said. That’s where the pilot project comes in. Essentially, Clements said they are creating custom eDNA, See GOLF/10A See eDNA/10A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Mike Cleveland of Adams plays a round of golf Tuesday at the Milton-Freewater Municipal Golf Course. Short on the green Fewer golfers, aging facilities put financial strain on course By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The Milton-Freewater Municipal Golf Course has landed in the rough and the city council is looking for the right club to get it out. The Milton-Freewater City Council discussed the 18-hole course at a work session Monday, where course manager George Gillette and Public Works Superintendent Dave Bradshaw explained the problems facing the links. Originally opened in 1973, the course now has crumbling cart paths, aging equipment and a lack of access for disabled people at the clubhouse, among other issues. Staff can’t make those repairs or improvements because the course has been operating at a defi cit in recent years, costing $187,587 to operate during the 2015-2016 fi scal year while only taking in $168,684. The course hit a peak in 1998 when golfers played 28,000 rounds, but last year golfer’s played only about half that. Although he was happy to report that he’s seen more players between 20-40 years old this year, Gillette said golfers Staff photo by E.J. Harris The Milton-Freewater Municipal Golf Course has seen a steady decline in use since its peak in 1998. who play at Milton-Freewater have generally trended older. “Unfortunately, most of the people that played (in the 1990s) now reside on the east side over- looking the golf course,” he said, referring to the town cemetery. “Quite honestly, that’s where a lot of those players ended up.” To help revitalize the golf course, Gillette put together a “wish list” of improvements, including a new informational center, sales software, cart path PENDLETON Portland artist revamps skylight Reception will be held Saturday at Christian Science building By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Pendleton’s Christian Science building may no longer hold religious services, but it still has the ability to inspire. When Portland artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins was sent pictures of the building as possible exhibit space for the Disjecta Contemporary Art Center’s Portland Biennium, she was taken by the former church’s ambiance, especially since her own mother was a Christian Scientist. When she made a site visit ahead of the exhibit’s opening, which ran from July 9 to Sept. 18, she took special interest in the building’s stained glass skylight. Built in 1926, the Spanish eclectic-style building on the corner of Southwest Byers Avenue and South Main Street is See SKYLIGHT/10A Staff photo by E.J. Harris The three new panes of stained glass (left, upper right, right) by artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins at the Christian Science building in Pendleton.
