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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 2016
NOAA conducting patrols as halibut season opens today
Officers from NOAA’s
Office of Law Enforcement
will be conducting patrols dur-
ing the upcoming commercial
halibut fishing opening on the
Washington, Oregon and
California coast today.
The opening began at 8 a.m.
today and runs for 10 hours.
L EARN
The NOAA patrols will
focus on ensuring compliance
with rules and regulations gov-
erning halibut fishing, especial-
ly rules requiring proper release
of halibut and proper marking
of fishing gear.
Halibut that are not retained
must be released outboard of
the roller and returned to the
sea with a minimum of injury
by one of three methods:
Hook straightening
Cutting the gangion near
the hook
Carefully removing the
hook by twisting it from the
halibut with a gaff.
HOW YOU CAN HELP PRESERVE
Come to the Beachkomber
Pub on Wednesday, June 29, at
6:30 p.m., when Surfrider
Oregon Field Coordinator,
Ryan Cruse will be speaking
about the Surfrider mission:
who it is, what it does and how
the community can become a
leaders in protecting its local
coastline.
The Siuslaw Chapter of the
Surfrider Foundation covers
the Florence region and the
chapter’s work is focused on
monitoring water quality
through our Blue Water Task
Force Program; organizing
rapid response beach cleanups;
running a monthly marine
debris monitoring program;
and developing education and
stewardship activities related to
the recently established Cape
Perpetua Marine Reserve.
Use of these safe release
measures promotes survival of
released halibut and supports a
sustainable fishery.
In addition, all setline or
skate marker buoys carried on
board or used by any U.S. ves-
sel for halibut fishing must be
marked with either the vessel’s
O REGON
state license number or regis-
tration number.
The markings must be in leg-
ible characters at least four
inches in height and one-half
inch in width in a contrasting
color visible above the water.
All setline or skate marker
buoys carried on board or used
BEACHES WITH
Consider becoming a mem-
ber of the Chapter Executive
Committee: The Chapter is cur-
rently seeking interested indi-
viduals who want to be
involved with the leadership
and development of local pro-
grams and events.
Positions available include
vice chair, secretary and volun-
teer coordinator.
Visit the chapter’s event cal-
endar for meeting details or
contact Lisa at chair@siuslaw
.surfrider.org.
The Surfrider Foundation is
by a Canadian vessel used for
halibut fishing must be floating
and visible on the surface of the
water and legibly marked with
the identification plate number
of the vessel from which that
setline is being operated.
S URFRIDERS
a nonprofit grassroots organi-
zation dedicated to the protec-
tion and enjoyment of the
world’s oceans, waves and
beaches through a powerful
activist network.
Florence “ham” radio opera-
tors will join thousands of ama-
teur radio operators worldwide
to demonstrate their effective-
ness and proficiency in provid-
ing critical communications
after a catastrophic event such
as an earthquake or tsunami.
On the weekend of June 25-
26, members of the Central
Oregon Coast Amateur Radio
Club (COCARC) will establish
three amateur radio stations
capable of communicating all
over the Pacific Northwest and
the west coast — and if condi-
tions are favorable, all over the
world.
The club supports, maintains
and operates emergency com-
munications stations at the
Florence Justice Center and the
Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue
main station, as well as adjunct
equipment in other community
facilities in town, along with a
powerful 2-meter repeater at
the top of Mt. Herman Peak.
COCARC members will
establish and staff four amateur
radio stations at Sutton
Campground in group area A
beginning at 11 a.m. on
Saturday, June 25, and will
operate continuously for 24
hours until Sunday, June 26, at
11 a.m.
They will communicate with
other stations in Canada, the
United States and Oceania to
test abilities, equipment and
practices. One station will be a
Get On The Air (GOTA) sta-
tion for public education and
demonstration.
This will be an exciting edu-
cational experience for club
members, local fire and police
department staff, city staff and
the community at-large.
Field Day is the largest ama-
teur radio event in the world.
Last year, more than 2,600 dif-
ferent groups and more than
37,000 licensed operators
across the U.S. and Canada
participated in this event. This
year, ham operators will con-
struct emergency radio stations
at fire stations, parks, shopping
malls, schools and back yards
all around the country.
The Amateur Radio slogan,
“When All Else Fails, Ham
Radio Works” is more than just
words.
Hams will again demon-
strate their ability to send mes-
sages in many forms without
the use of phone systems, inter-
net or any other infrastructure
that may be compromised in a
crisis.
Over the past several years,
the news of catastrophic events
around the world and here at
home have summoned ham
operators to volunteer their
skill and equipment to aid in
saving lives and protecting
property.
Public asked not to release pet turtles into wild
ROSEBURG – A 10-pound
snapping turtle recently found
at the Yoncalla Water
Treatment Plant is a good
reminder not to release pet tur-
tles into the wild. It’s illegal,
and it’s harmful for Oregon’s
two native turtles, the Western
Pond Turtle and Western
Painted Turtle.
Snapping turtles, red-eared
sliders, and map turtles are not
native to Oregon and are often
illegally bought, sold or traded
in the state. These are the most
common pet turtles but are
prohibited by law in Oregon
because they are invasive
species.
ODFW biologists say inva-
sive turtles compete with
Oregon’s native turtles for
food, basking sites and nesting
areas. Many grow bigger and
lay more eggs than native tur-
tles, and some even predate
upon them, hatchlings in par-
ticular.
Turtles can live 40 to 100
years, and are often released
into the wild when people lose
interest or tire of caring for
them. Pet turtles often suffer
from eye, shell or respiratory
infections, and these pathogens
can be spread to native turtles.
“Turtles take a lot of care
and have special diet and habi-
tat needs to keep them
healthy,”
says
ODFW
Conservation Biologist Susan
Barnes. “Turtles also carry sal-
monella which can make peo-
ple, particularly children, very
sick.”
Anyone finding an invasive
turtle can turn it into their local
ODFW office.
Use extra caution when
picking up a snapping turtle
however; they can and do bite.
Pick snappers up by the back
of their tail, not the sides —
their neck is long enough to
swing about half their body
size.
This time of year, female
turtles are moving to nesting
areas. Rick Boatner, ODFW
Invasive Species Program
Manager has some advice.
“If you find a native turtle
crossing the road, pick it up
and put it on the side of the
road in the direction it was
heading,” Boatner said.
The Western Painted Turtle
and Western Pond Turtle are
both classified as “Critical” on
Oregon’s Sensitive Species
list; state law prohibits killing
them or taking them from the
wild.
Oregon’s native turtles are
also identified as priority at-
risk species in the Oregon
Conservation Strategy due to
declining habitat quality and
fragmentation, pollution and
competition with invasive tur-
tles among other reasons.
ODFW tracks native and
non-native turtle sightings, and
asks the public to help by
reporting them on at www.
oregonturtles.com.
There are more than 700,000
FCC-licensed Amateur Radio
operators in the U.S. and more
than 2.5 million around the
world. Hams voluntarily pro-
vide emergency communica-
tions for thousands of state and
local emergency response
agencies. Wildfires, blizzards,
floods,
earthquakes
and
tsunamis are events radio oper-
ators endeavor to prepare for
and Field Day is a valuable tool
to exercise and cultivate readi-
ness and capabilities.
The
Central
Oregon
Amateur Radio Club invites
the public to participate in
Field Day 2016.
Learn more about this valu-
able group of dedicated radio
enthusiasts or how to get your
own FCC Amateur Radio
license before the next disaster
strikes.
541-997-2422
Let me Showcase your property.
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Principal Broker
541 999-5223
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“Oregon’s Own”
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FREE CONCERT
h e 234th Army Band is a unit of the Oregon Army National Guard. h e Band consists of
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Siuslaw News
Florence Events Center
Photo Gallery
715 Quince Street, Florence, OR
NOW SHOWING THESE GALLERIES AND MORE
Florence Green Fair
Rhododendron Festival
Rhody Court Showcase
Oregon Dunes Triathlon
PTA Talent Show
Dancing with Sea Lions
Saturday, July 23rd, 2016 2:00pm
Admission Tickets required (limit two per person)
available at:
Siuslaw News
148 Maple St.
Banner Bank
777 Hwy. 101
Best For Hearing
2285 Hwy. 101
FLorence Events Center
715 Quince
For more information, call 541-997-1994
www.eventcenter.org
Sponsored by:
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Photos available for purchase*
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Purchase at 148 Maple St. 541-997-3441
*Photos online are reduced quality –
Actual photos purchased are
high resolution, high quality.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Local ‘hams’ to have ‘Field Day’ June 25-26