4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ SEPTEMBER 12, 2015
Siuslaw News
RYAN CRONK , EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
Opinion
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
VIEW FROM UPRIVER
YESTERDAY’S NEWS
Climate change refugee
W ESLEY V OTH
For the Siuslaw News
I
t has been a great year for fruit at our
place, most recently grapes, Brooks
prunes and several varieties of apple,
including Honeycrisp and Braeburn. The mild
frost-free spring, warm summer temperatures
and dry weather combined with sufficient
numbers of our own bees and native pollina-
tors has led to early seasons and heavy crops,
which we are getting harvested ahead of the
annual arrival of the bears. And so we have
added cider and dried prunes to our larder,
and by the time you read this, if all has gone
well, raisins and applesauce.
Salmon have started to show up in our sec-
tion of the river, just above the head of tide,
and some are being caught, although not yet
by me. I have caught a couple of nice blue-
back, the native sea-run cutthroat trout that
are particularly wonderful in this river. After
catching one of these last week that was
hooked in such a way that it bled quite a bit, I
went up to the house for a minute, and when I
was coming back down the bank I saw an
otter following what was apparently a blood
EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
trail in the water. Then it came sniffing
up across the rocks where I had slid
the fish as I landed it.
At that point it noticed me watching
and jumped back in the water, heading
upstream. This spooked a sizable
Chinook salmon that had been in the
pool, and that fish splashed up through
the shallow water above, allowing both the
otter and I a good look. This is the first time
I’ve observed an otter tracking scent through
water, although thinking about it, I remember
seeing a mink do something similar when I
was a boy fishing in a very clear lake in the
Cascades. The mink was able to track an
injured trout that I had been unable to hang
onto, to where it was hiding under a log.
The Siuslaw Watershed Council is holding
its annual fundraising dinner “Celebrate
Siuslaw Salmon” tomorrow night, Sept. 13, at
the Florence Events Center. Tickets are $30 at
the door, and more details can be found at
their website www.siuslaw.org. Monies raised
at this event help fund grant-writing activities
that in turn generate hundreds of thousands of
dollars each year that benefit this region eco-
nomically, in terms of restoration projects,
and in outreach to area schools.
While celebrating fish that are native to our
river, I heard this past week about some fish
that aren’t. A man who fishes from his bank
in the section between the mouths of Hadsall
and Sweet Creeks told me he had been catch-
ing good numbers of large-mouth bass. Never
having heard about this before, and thinking
he might be confused about what fish he was
catching, I had him send me some photos.
But it looks like he is correct — big large-
mouth bass in the Siuslaw.
Despite enough rain here to fill the 5-gal-
lon buckets that sit under our eaves to catch
the run-off, many small streams and ponds
remain dry. One set of ponds dried up recent-
ly for the first time in the memory of folks
who have lived here 60 to 80 years, and
because of that, the turtles that lived there
have had to flee. Pacific aka western pond
turtles, while native here, are so reduced in
numbers that few people I’ve talked to have
seen them or know that they are here.
One of these rarities, an adult male with a
9-inch shell that could be as old as 50 him-
self, crossed Sweet Creek Road several times
in an attempt to reach the main river, but was
stymied by the long barrier of gravel being
stockpiled there. Twice I tried putting him
back on the pond side of the road, but he had
no interest in returning to what I finally
noticed was a completely dry field.
After rehydrating him for a couple of days,
I found a place along Hadsall Creek 200
yards from his home that still had water and
released him there. He quickly found a place
where there were alder roots growing into the
water with enough space underneath to swim
into. I hope he is able to reunite with others
of his kind, and continue a turtle presence in
these parts.
MOMENTS IN TIME
The History Channel
• On Sept. 16, 1620, the Mayflower sails
from Plymouth, England, bound for the New
World. Along the way, the settlers formulated
and signed the Mayflower Compact, establish-
ing constitutional law and the rule of the major-
ity, an important precursor to American democ-
racy.
• On Sept. 17, 1796, George Washington
prepares a final draft of his presidential
farewell address, officially announcing that he
will step down as the nation’s first president.
Rarely, if ever, in the history of Western civi-
lization had a national leader voluntarily relin-
quished his title.
• On Sept. 15, 1916, during the Battle of the
Somme, the British launch a major offensive
against the Germans, employing tanks for the
first time in history. Some of the 40 or so prim-
itive tanks advanced more than a mile into
enemy lines.
• On Sept. 20, 1946, the first Cannes Film
Festival opens in the resort city on the French
Riviera. The outbreak of World War II had
forced the cancellation of the inaugural Cannes
festival in 1939.
• On Sept. 19, 1957, the United States deto-
nates a 1.7 kiloton nuclear weapon in an under-
ground tunnel 65 miles north of Las Vegas. The
test was the first fully contained underground
detonation and produced no radioactive fallout.
• On Sept. 18, 1960, Fidel Castro arrives in
New York City as the head of the Cuban dele-
gation to the United Nations. Castro’s visit was
climaxed by his four-hour speech, a blistering
attack on American “aggression” and “imperi-
alism.” In January 1961, the U.S. severed
diplomatic relations with Cuba.
• On Sept. 14, 1975, Elizabeth Ann Seton is
canonized by Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in
Rome, becoming the first American-born
Catholic saint. In 1797, Seton founded the
Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with
Small Children in New York.
(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.
LETTERS
Don’t miss
‘Mercy Killers’
Waiting for care
I hope everyone in our com-
munity will take the opportunity
to see “Mercy Killers.” It’s a
powerful one-man play that is
hard to forget.
The playwright and actor,
Michael Milligan, is amazing at
conveying his bewilderment,
despair and pain at the loss of his
wife, his job and his home
because of the machinations of
the healthcare system. It’s a gut-
wrenching indictment of the
power that’s been given to corpo-
rate entities. The fact that the
majority of personal bankruptcies
are medically related underscores
the point.
I’ve seen “Mercy Killers”
already. I’m going to see it again.
It is being performed at City
Lights Cinemas on Thursday,
Sept. 24, at 7 p.m.
Patricia Burke
Westlake
I must report a recent incident
involving the medical care avail-
able through PeaceHealth’s
Walk-In Clinic in Florence.
Aware of a spider bite on my
lower right leg Tuesday evening,
I applied usual anti-itch ointment
before retiring. By the next day, I
was surprised to see an inflamed
area. There seemed to be no itch-
ing, but bright coloration (deep
red) was very pronounced.
Since the bright red color per-
sisted, by Friday early morning I
decided I should ride the local
Rhody bus to the clinic to have a
medic’s evaluation. The first bus
is not available until 10 a.m. I
boarded the bus at 16th and
Spruce streets and was delivered
to the clinic front door about
10:25 a.m.
The usual sign-in procedure
was done and I was directed to
take paperwork to another clerk,
only to be told of a two-hour wait
time. Being an avid reader, I
waited and read, and read some
more. After two hours and 15
minutes, I returned to the same
clerk who said there were still six
patients in front of me.
After sitting in the waiting area
a short while longer, I decided I
couldn’t take the chance of miss-
ing the last bus pick up. At age
86, I won’t be missed.
Having
read
the
“No
Appointments Necessary” and
the posting of clinic hours start-
ing at 6:45 a.m., I realized that no
bus rider could reasonably be
accommodated after four whole
hours of patients with private
transportation who had already
signed in ahead of my 10:25
arrival time.
I had hoped for at least a triage
nurse, but none were available.
I had wasted my time, thinking
a walk-in clinic could be the
answer as I felt it wasn’t an ER
case or problem. My hope is that
a triage nurse could have evaluat-
ed the situation and eliminated
the prolonged wait and inconven-
ience for all.
Becky Beckner
Florence
A big thanks
Thank you to the community
of Florence for celebrating
Backstreet
Gallery’s
10th
Anniversary this summer.
It is a great pleasure for our
cooperative gallery on Bay Street
to serve our local community as
well as those, from all over the
world, who travel through our
town. Serving our community
includes welcoming local artists
and providing display opportuni-
ties that encourages artistic
growth.
Thanks again to artists and art
lovers for your continued support
over these past 10 years and into
the future.
Jane Rincon
Backstreet Gallery President
Florence
L ETTERS TO THE
E DITOR P OLICY
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Pres. Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, OR 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line 503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
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FAX: 503-986-1080
Email:
Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997
541-465-6750
State Rep. Caddy McKeown
(Dist. 9)
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email:
rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416/ 800-944-9603
541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5)
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
West Lane County Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us