SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016
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For everyone’s safety, enjoy seal pups from afar
NEWPORT — It’s that time
of year when seal pups begin
appearing on beaches along the
Oregon coast. Beachgoers are
asked to stifle their desire to
assist these animals and,
instead, give them space.
For those familiar with the
exquisite cuteness of a newborn
pup, the advice can be hard to
swallow. But it’s for the best,
for people and wildlife alike.
Every spring, harbor seals
give birth to pups on secluded
beaches or reefs up and down
the Pacific coast. The pups are
born ready to swim but cannot
tread water for long; they need
ample time on shore to rest and
stay warm, and can remain
there for days while their moth-
ers forage at sea.
Concerned observers often
report “abandoned” seal pups
on the beach, not realizing that
the mother might be foraging
nearby, or swimming just off-
shore to maintain distance from
curious humans and their dogs.
“This is a perennial spring-
time issue for us all,” said Jim
Rice, Stranding Coordinator at
the Oregon Marine Mammal
Stranding Network. “It’s help-
ful to remind people that it’s
normal for pups to come ashore
to rest, that their mothers often
leave them unattended while
they forage for food, and that
interfering with this natural
process is not only illegal but
will likely be very detrimental
to the pup.”
In other words, humans
approaching or otherwise try-
ing to “help” these unattended
pups may inadvertently cause
them harm, as the presence of
people may deter mother seals
from coming ashore to nurse.
Seal pups are vulnerable and
they may yank at our heart-
strings, but we often jeopardize
matters further by intervening
in their affairs.
Rice also pointed out that,
being wild animals, harbor
seals face myriad challenges to
reaching maturity, and pup
mortality is a natural check on
robust seal populations in our
region.
Studies estimate that as
much as 50 percent of harbor
seal pups born in a given year
do not reach their first birthday.
Another reason to give seals
a wide berth is the possible
threat of disease, said Laura
Todd, Field Supervisor for the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
office in Newport.
“Seals and sea lions can har-
bor the bacteria responsible for
leptospirosis, a disease that
affects humans and dogs and
causes damage to the liver, kid-
neys and other organs.”
The bacteria are present in
the infected animal’s fluids,
including urine, and can easily
pass into surrounding water or
wet sand.
In general, the Oregon Coast
Aquarium is committed to the
rescue and rehabilitation of
indigenous wildlife when they
are deemed injured by human
interference. But in the case of
harbor seal pups, humans
should not be approaching
these animals in the first place,
and the aquarium advises the
public to obey marine mammal
protection laws and let nature
take its course.
“Concerned observers itch-
ing to help can call the Oregon
Marine Mammal Stranding
Network Hotline at 541-270-
6830 if a pup is spotted,” said
Jim Burke, Director of Animal
Husbandry at the Oregon Coast
Aquarium. “Their staff can post
courtesy signs near the seal to
inform other beachgoers of the
situation.”
Finding a harbor seal pup on
the beach can be an enchanting
and poignant experience. To
keep these creatures safe,
watch with binoculars or take
pictures from afar — and let the
seals take care of themselves.
Spring cycling season is here; motorists asked to be aware
There are many bicycles on
today’s roads. More people are
using bicycles as a means to
commute for entertainment and
for exercise. Some of the more
common reasons include low
cost to operate, reducing the
consumption of fossil fuels,
and exercise.
Motorists should remember
these tips when sharing the
road with a cyclist:
A bicycle is considered by
law to be a vehicle. When a
cyclist has stopped and remains
astride their bicycle at an inter-
section and/or for a traffic sig-
nal, they are to be treated as a
vehicle waiting for their turn to
proceed.
Many children riding bicy-
cles on the street may lack the
necessary training and skills for
safe cycling. They may not be
aware of all dangers.
Be alert for small children
on oversized bicycles. This
may increase the likelihood for
loss of control.
When passing a cyclist, go
around them like you would
any other vehicle. Leave lots of
room.
When you are preparing to
make a right turn, watch for
cyclists who may pull up along-
side your vehicle.
Remember to shoulder-
check your blind spots.
When you are about to
make a right turn, do not pull
up beside a cyclist and then
turn directly in front of them
and cut them off.
When pulling away from
the curb, always check for
cyclists who may be trying to
pass you.
When parked at the curb,
always check for cyclists
before you open your vehicle
door. It’s the driver’s responsi-
bility not to open the vehicle
door into traffic.
Do not follow too close
behind cyclists. They do not
have brake lights to warn you
when they are stopping.
Cyclists are entitled to
make left turns in the same
manner as motorists. Since they
are more exposed to traffic on
left turns, they will need extra
consideration, especially on
multi-lane roads.
Cyclists are required to ride
as close as practicable to the
curb, however they may need
to ride further out when they
have to steer away from
drainage grates, pot holes,
debris, loose gravel or sand,
wet or slippery surfaces, rutted
or grooved pavement and even
dogs. Be aware of the roadway
conditions that may affect a
cyclist.
Do not sound your horn
unnecessarily when you are
overtaking a cyclist. It may
startle them and cause them to
lose control.
If you feel that you must use
your horn, tap it quickly and
lightly while you are still some
distance away from the cyclist.
Cyclists should also remem-
ber that, when they are riding
their bicycles on streets and
highways, they are considered
by law to be a vehicle.
Therefore they are required
to obey all the rules of the road,
which apply to other (motor-
ized) vehicles, plus those that
apply only to bicycle operators.
Cyclists using the streets and
highways should:
Never ride against traffic. It
is one of the leading causes of
crashes, accounting for 15 per-
cent to 20 percent of all crashes
with cars.
Keep both hands on the
handlebars except when mak-
ing a hand signal.
Keep both feet on the ped-
als.
Not carry more people at
one time than the bicycle was
designed for.
Not hold onto, attach them-
selves, or attach the bicycle to
any other moving vehicle.
Only ride side by side on
the road with another cyclist
when it does not impede other
traffic.
If traffic doesn't have enough
room to pass you safely, ride
single file.
Ensure the bicycle is
equipped with at least one
white light to the front and a
red light and or red reflector
mounted on the rear of the
bicycle when riding between
sunset and sunrise.
Ensure the bicycle has
effective brakes.
—Lincoln County Sheriff ’s
Office
SIUSLAW AUTOMOTIVE & TOWING Siuslaw Watershed offering summer camps
Repair • Towing • Trucks • Motor Homes
Cars • Lock Outs
Other services include alarm systems,
stereos, accessories, oil changes and custom work.
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Monty Deardorff, Owner
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(541)
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The Siuslaw Watershed
Council has announced it will
again offer summer camps for
students entering fourth grade
through high school.
These camps are the perfect
way to get the most out of sum-
mer.
Come be a part of exploring
the Siuslaw watershed’s many
rivers, streams and lakes.
Camp dates are:
Introductory Camp: June
27-30, for students entering
grades 4-6
Intermediate Camp: July
11-14, for students entering
grades 6-8
Advanced Camp: July 18-
22, for students entering grades
8-12 with previous watershed
experience
During the camps, attendees
travel throughout the Siuslaw
watershed learning about
plants, animals, water and land.
The camps focus on the
restoration work that is being
done to keep the watershed
healthy. Campers will get a
chance to make a difference by
doing hands-on restoration
work, as well as canoeing,
kayaking, snorkelling, hiking
and more.
Introductory and intermedi-
ate camps are day camps.
Advanced camp includes
one overnight camping trip.
Each camp is $75 for the
whole session and scholarships
are available.
Registration packets are
available at www.siuslaw.org/
camps, call the SWC office at
541-268-3044 to request a
packet or email camp@siuslaw
.org.
Siuslaw Watershed Camps
are made possible with funding
from OWEB, WCLF, in part-
nership with Siuslaw School
District, and through private
donations.
Dry weather means wildfire season can heat up
May is Oregon Wildfire
Awareness Month. Oregon
experiences its heaviest wild-
fire activity during the summer,
but fires occur all seasons of
the year including spring.
During May, federal, state,
tribal and local fire agencies
will be spreading the word
about wildfire prevention and
the steps Oregonians can take
to stop most fires before they
start.
When it comes to preventing
wildfires, there’s a lot at stake:
lives, personal property and the
many values provided by
Fri 4/29-Sat 4/30
8am-2pm
4976 Lake Dr
Multi-Family Sale. Furniture,
Antiques, Garden Equipment.
Early Birds welcome!
Sat 4/30
8am – 3pm
5050 Heceta Parkway
Lots of cool items, little bit
of everything!
Sat Only! 4/30
8am – 4pm
128 Park Village Loop
Clothing, bedding,
household items, books,
collectibles, and more.
Sat 4/30-Sun 5/1
9am
5236 Hilltop Dr
Multi Houses on Hill sale!
4/30/2016
PLANT SALE
Florence Garden Club
! !
(across Hwy. 101
from McDonalds)
!
Proceeds for local
Scholarships
Also Giant Raffle, Lots of
Prizes to give away!
Fri 4/27-Sat 4/30
8am – 5pm
5156 Versant Drive
Spruce Village off Munsel
Lake Rd.
Living Estate Sale
1722 Coosah
April 29 8am-4pm
April 30 8am-2pm
Electric Wheelchair and lift, Oak Dinet
Tabl and 8 chairs. Lighted buffet, lazy
boy hideabed, full size bed, extra long
twin, kenmore washer and dryer. Hot-
point side by side fridge, Electric lawn-
mower, yard tools, ornaments and
plants. Lots of crafts and picture
frames. Vintage records and 8-tracks
and lots more
Oregon’s forests and range-
lands. During the 2015 wildfire
season, about 1.6 million acres
were consumed by wildfire
across the Pacific Northwest,
including 630,000 acres in
Oregon.
Some 675 structures were
lost — many of them perma-
nent residences. And tragically,
three firefighters were killed.
Key
wildlife
habitats,
including those of the belea-
guered greater sage grouse,
went up in smoke. In Oregon
alone, some 850 human-caused
fires ravaged the landscape.
And on just the forest and
rangelands protected by the
Oregon
Department
of
Forestry, these “people” fires
burned nearly 87,000 acres.
But wildfire prevention edu-
cators are not pointing fingers.
In the extreme weather condi-
tions of last summer nearly any
fire start, whether human or
lightning caused, had potential
to spread into a raging wildfire.
Wildfires that occur in the
wildland-urban interface often
are started by human activity
and then spread to the forest.
Once underway a fire fol-
lows the fuel, whether it is trees
or houses.
Fortunately, this grave threat
to lives and property can be
dramatically reduced.
“Simple prevention strate-
gies will make the strongest
impact on your home, family
and community safety,” said
Kristin Babbs, president of the
Keep
Oregon
Green
Association.
Spring is the perfect time,
she said, to remove dead, flam-
Sat 4/30
10am-3pm
First driveway North of Bi-Mart.
Simply Marvelous! Huge Sale -
Furniture, Antiques, Collecta-
bles, and Crafts.
Sat only! 4/30
8am – 1pm
2273 Willow St
Rain or shine.
Let Paul show you a new car or truck.
Stop by today!
mable vegetation and limb up
trees around the yard.
“When clearing brush and
vegetation from around the
home, property owners should
also keep in mind the access
needed by larger fire trucks,”
said State Fire Marshal Jim
Walker. “Long driveways
should be at least 12 feet wide,
have 10 feet of vegetation
clearance from the centerline to
the edge of the driveway, and
about 14 feet of overhead
clearance.
“Having an adequate turn-
around area is critical for fire-
fighters.”
To get an early start on
Wildfire Awareness Month,
join neighbors in reducing your
community’s wildfire risk by
taking part in National Wildfire
Community Preparedness Day
on Saturday, May 7.
The National Fire Protection
Association has teamed up
with State Farm Insurance to
encourage residents to commit
a couple of hours, or the entire
day, to help raise wildfire
awareness and work together
on projects that can help pro-
tect homes and entire commu-
nities from the threat of fire.
Visit us on
the web
T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM
D EADLINE FOR P RESS R ELEASES I S E VERY M ONDAY AND T HURSDAY
BY N OON . E MAIL P RESS R ELEASES @T HE S IUSLAW N EWS . COM .
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
S IUSLAW N EWS
