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SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF FLORENCE • DUNES CITY • WESTLAKE • MAPLETON • SWISSHOME • DEADWOOD • YACHATS AND ALL POINTS BETWEEN
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Two die in plane crash at North Jetty
A Florence-area pilot and his pas-
senger died in a Sunday morning
plane crash into the Pacific Ocean
near the entrance to the Siuslaw River.
Richard Munger, 68, was found
dead in the ocean surf off the North
Jetty, June 15, after the U.S. Coast
Guard dispatched a boat from the
Siuslaw River Station and a helicopter
from the North Bend Station in
response to a 9-1-1 call.
Family, friends plan
to gather Friday for
a celebration of life. The
public is invited.
S TORY AND P HOTO BY T HERESA B AER
Siuslaw News
Munger had been flying his small,
single-engine Grumman American
AA5 on a short scenic trip on Father’s
Day along the coast with his grandson,
Benjamin Dressler, 15, of Washington
state.
Witnesses
at
the
Florence
Municipal Airport saw Munger and a
passenger take off Sunday morning,
and some said they later heard his
return approach, perhaps as little as a
half-hour after take off. But the plane
took off again before landing, possibly
to try another approach. Witnesses
said that Munger was an experienced
pilot and that the weather — overcast
with low clouds — may have been a
factor in the crash.
According to Senior Chief James
Greenlief, the officer in charge at the
U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw
River, a number of agencies, including
the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, U.S.
Coast Guard North Bend, Oregon
State Police and Siuslaw Valley Fire
and Rescue, responded to a call that
came in around 9:45 a.m., June 15, in
which witnesses who were jogging
near the North Jetty reported hearing a
low-flying plane enter the water.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew first
See
PLANE 7A
S TORY AND P HOTO BY J ACK D AVIS
Siuslaw News
With the help of grants and volunteers, the
Florence Food Share garden has grown in
size and variety.
If properly nurtured, a single seed can grow to
produce an entire bushel of tomatoes. The same
holds true for ideas, like the Florence Food Share’s
raised garden project, launched in 1993 with a few
raised beds and a handful of volunteer gardeners.
This unassuming beginning has grown into one
of the state’s most successful food share programs.
Today, Florence Food Share has the smallest per-
cent of reliance on Lane County Food Bank of the
more than 100 food pantries in Lane County, due
in no small part to the success of the Florence Food
Share garden.
Florence Food Share Executive Director Norma
Barton explained.
“Currently Florence Food Share has 42 raised
beds covering over 10,000 square feet, two high
tunnel green houses, 10,000-gallon rainwater
catchment tanks, a timed irrigation system and
composting bins.”
With the help of several grants and many volun-
teer gardeners, the program continues to expand.
“In 2011 Food Share produced 2,600 pounds of
food; in 2012 we installed the first high tunnel
greenhouse and production increased to 6,000
pounds,” Barton said. “In 2013 the harvest jumped
to more than 9,000 pounds. We have chard, onions,
potatoes, squash, tomatoes, cilantro, beans, egg-
plant, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage,
snow peas and carrots. It’s incredible, just incredi-
ble.”
The addition of the high tunnel green house not
only allowed Florence Food Share to lengthen the
growing season to nearly year-round, but also
allowed the planting of crops needing a warmer
climate, such as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.
On average, the temperature inside the greenhouse
stays 20 degrees warmer than outside.
“We installed our second high tower greenhouse
last month and for this year we are hoping for
10,000 to 12,000 pounds of food,” Barton said.
As ideal as this all sounds, there is no perfect
world, especially when it comes to compost gar-
dening in bear country. The composting area in the
back is adjacent to nine acres of undeveloped land
that is home to a group of local black bears.
This has presented more than a few problems.
Police
Scoreboard
Sports
Tides
Weather
Firefighters tackle major blaze in Florentine Estates
B Y T HERESA B AER
A2
B2
B
B1
A2
Florence Food Share is an emergency food pantry serving Florence, Westlake,
and Dunes City.
Many people are surprised to learn that they qualify for assistance under the
2015 eligibility guidelines. The application process is simple and food may be
picked up the same day. Clients are treated with dignity and respect, and all infor-
mation is confidential.
The shopping-style pantry has an informal and welcoming atmosphere where
clients self-select items suitable for their households. Bread, surplus produce and
foods with a short shelf life are available in the pantry lobby to everyone who can
use them; no registration or sign-in required for lobby selections.
Our energetic and compassionate volunteers make Food Share what it is.
We can always use more! They pick up donations from local retailers, greet folks
who come in, assist shoppers, break down bulk products for easier distribution,
help in the warehouse and garden, and love what they do.
Come in and check us
out. We are located behind Gro-
Family Size
Monthly Income Annual Income
cery Outlet, in the north end of
1
$1,799
$21,590
the parking lot of the New Life
2
$2,425
$29,101
Lutheran Church. Donations of
3
$3,051
$36,612
food are accepted at the pantry
4
$3,677
$44,123
from 8:30am-3:30pm each week-
5
$4,303
$51,634
day. Please come around to the
6
$4,929
$59,145
back of the pantry for all dona-
7
$5,555
$66,656
tions. We also accept money!
8*
$6,181
$74,167
Donations are tax deductible.
For each additional member, add $626 per month.
Por cada miembro adicional, agregue $626 por mes.
***Rates effective July 1, 2014 - June 30th, 2015***
Siuslaw News
On Thursday, June 12, about
2:30 in the morning, Siuslaw
Valley Fire and Rescue was called
to a fire in Florentine Estates.
At 628 Glenbrook Circle, RV
and car garages attached to a
1,369-square-foot manufactured
home, as well as an adjacent RV
garage, were involved in a major
fire.
Falling debris made it difficult
for firefighters to get close to the
blaze, and it took two hours for 16
firefighters and eight pieces of
apparatus to extinguish the fires.
According to Fire Marshal
Sean Barrett, the fire traveled into
the attic space of the manufac-
tured home and the department’s
ladder truck was used to extin-
guish from above.
No injuries were reported.
The fire became two separate
fires,
spreading
manpower
between a property at 627
Glenbrook and the main engulfed
building.
FOOD 7A
Weather
T ODAY
T HURSDAY
F RIDAY
S ATURDAY
Partly
sunny
63
50
Partly
cloudy
64
52
Partly
sunny
63
50
Partly
cloudy
63
50
4 • F AVORITE F RONT P AGES 2014
PHOTO BY LOU INVERNON
Firefighting crews worked simultaneously on two properties on Glenbrook Circle last
Thursday. One home and its garage and motor home were destroyed.
Damage to the property at 628
Glenbrook Circle, the home of
Glen Howson, is estimated at
Sports—B
Ambulance A2
Classifieds
B5
Library Tidings A5
Obituaries
A2
Opinion
A4
PHOTO BY THERESA BAER/SIUSLAW NEWS
Miller Park was briefly the newest “dog park” in town June 14, during the first Bark For Life held in Florence. Participants
walked the park, like Relay For Life events, with their canine companions to raise money for the Florence Relay, which is set
for August. The first walk Saturday was led by Anthony Nickolaus, a Korean War veteran and cancer survivor. After the offi-
cial walk, guests could visit booths, a silent auction and dog agility course. The Bark For Life project raised about $2,500, which
will go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in Florence.
Your
INSIDE
W E D N E S D AY
Food Share
would like to help!
First-time event, Bark For Life raises
cancer awareness, research funds
Florence Food
Share bounty
continues to grow
See
D O Y OU K NOW S OMEONE
W HO M IGHT B E H UNGRY ?
$185,000 for the structure and
$200,000 for contents, including a
38-foot motor home.
The property next door, owned
See
WE WANT TO HELP -- WE CAN HELP!
FIRE 6A
Open 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Mon. thru Fri.
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Mon. & Wed.
2190 Spruce Street – 541-997-9110
PO Box 2514, Florence, OR 97439
www.florencefoodshare.org