The Siuslaw news., February 25, 2017, SATURDAY EDITION, Page 11A, Image 11

SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2017
11 A
Pappas named Volunteer of the Month at OCHS
COURTESY PHOTO
Lisa Pappas
down the dogs’ pens. Other tasks include
transporting kittens and cats to the OCHS
Thrift Store for more public exposure and
therefore possible adoptions. Matt often
helps out at the shelter as well, mowing
the lawn, doing fence and gate repairs and
a myriad of other tasks. One example
includes renting, at his expense, a high-
pressure water sprayer to clean all of the
dogs’ pens.
Lisa is also somewhat of a dog whis-
perer, choosing to spend additional time
with the dogs that have been at the shelter
for an extended period of time and may
be depressed or have poor past experi-
ences to overcome.
The goal is that with her attention, time
and skills they may become more adopt-
able into permanent and loving homes.
Lisa’s perseverance paid off well for one
lucky dog last fall that had been at the
shelter for six years; it seemed he would
never be adopted.
However, in time he responded to
Lisa’s many efforts, skill and patience to
win him over, and he learned to better
trust in humans and became a happier
dog.
Both staff and volunteers congratulate
Pappas for her hard work and dedication
to all of the animals in OCHS’ care.
More dog walker volunteers are need-
ed. Anyone interested in walking a dog a
few hours a day or a week are encour-
aged to call OCHS volunteer coordinator
Danielle Dickson at 541-999-5702 for
more information.
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PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS
Members of the Blue Water Task Force take water samples
from the Siuslaw River.
Testing
from 1A
samples, which have a differ-
ent chemical makeup. That
way we get a broader picture
of what is going on in the
whole watershed,” Serbus
said.
The task force also records
tide and surf levels, water and
air temperature and whether it
is raining or not. All these fac-
tors are important to record as
they can influence test results.
Testers then take the freshly
drawn samples to the offices
of the Watershed Council in
Mapleton for preparation and
testing.
This process includes
adding a medium to activate
the bacteria and then waiting
for it to start to grow. A day
later, the culture is ready to be
examined more closely.
While collection and testing
have been underway for near-
ly 20 years, the effort gained
importance due to an event
that occurred far from here.
“We really started collect-
ing in earnest after the
Japanese Tsunami. We started
to see flotsam and debris
washing up on our shores,”
Serbus said. “That was when
National
Oceanic
and
Atmospheric Administration
realized they didn’t really
have any base line data on the
amount of debris on the beach,
which is important to know.”
The results from recent test-
ing have been encouraging,
according
to
Siuslaw
Watershed Council Executive
Director Dan Carpenter.
“We are always trying to
ascertain and characterize the
water quality in the watershed
area. The overall quality now
is generally excellent. We do
have some problems with bac-
teria growth, particularly in
the summertime when the
temperature is higher and
there is little shade on the
banks of the river. But right
now the quality of water in the
watershed is very good,”
Carpenter said.
For more information on
the Siuslaw Volunteer Water
Quality Monitoring Program
contact the Siuslaw Watershed
Council at 541-268-3044 or
email Siuslaw.org.
Members of the Blue
Water Task Force take
freshly drawn water
samples to the offices of
the Siuslaw Watershed
Council in Mapleton for
preparation and testing
each month.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
isa Pappas, an energetic and dedi-
cated volunteer is a life long animal
lover and will be the first to admit it.
She with her husband, Matt, as well as
four happy cats and two lucky dogs,
moved to Florence from their home in
Austin, Texas, more than a year ago.
Last year, she turned down a paid
position so that she could devote more
volunteer time to the dogs and cats
because she understands how much it
means to the dogs both emotionally and
physically to have an opportunity to be
out of their pens on a daily basis for
fresh air, exercise and a little freedom
— as well as the attention from their
OCHS walker.
Because Oregon Coast Humane
Society does not have nearly enough vol-
unteer dog walkers to see that all dogs get
out of their pens daily for walks, Lisa
comes to the shelter seven days a week to
walk as many dogs as possible.
In addition to dog walking several
hours a day, Lisa also performs her regu-
lar volunteer work schedule three days a
week, including sweeping and washing
L