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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2017
Remember safe campfire practices this weekend
Sitting around a campfire is
one of the special times we all
enjoy, but campfires are also a
major cause of wildfires. May
is Wildfire Awareness Month,
and Keep Oregon Green, the
Oregon State Fire Marshal, and
the Oregon Department of
Forestry urge Oregonians to
follow these basic outdoor safe-
ty tips:
• Know before you go. Call
your local forestry or fire dis-
trict to learn if there are any
current campfire restrictions at
your recreation destination.
An interactive map of
Oregon’s fire restrictions is
available at www.oregon.gov/
ODF/Fire/Pages/Restrictions.
aspx.
Tom Fields, ODF’s fire pre-
vention coordinator, says the
map continues to improve and
is “an excellent tool for folks to
use from home or from their
mobile device.”
• Kick the campfire habit this
summer. Portable camp stoves
are a safer option to campfires
at any time of year.
Areas that prohibit campfires
outside maintained camp-
grounds with established fire
pits often allow camp stoves.
• Select the right spot. Where
campfires are allowed, avoid
building the fire near your tent,
structures, vehicles, shrubs or
trees, and be aware of low-
hanging branches overhead.
Clear the site down to miner-
al soil, at least five feet on all
sides, and circle it with rocks.
Store unused firewood a
good distance from the fire.
• Keep your campfire small.
A campfire is less likely to
escape control if it is kept
small. A large fire may cast hot
embers long distances.
Add firewood in small
amounts as existing material is
consumed.
• Attend your campfire at all
times. A campfire left unattend-
ed for even a few minutes can
grow into a costly, damaging
wildfire.
Stay with your campfire
from start to finish until it is
dead out.
That ensures any escaped
sparks or embers can be extin-
guished quickly, and it is
required by state law.
• Never use gasoline or other
accelerants. Don’t use flamma-
ble or combustible liquids, such
as gasoline, propane or lighter
fluid, to start or increase your
campfire.
Once the fire starts, wait
until the match is cold and then
discard it in the fire.
• Have water and fire tools
on site. Have a shovel and a
bucket of water nearby to extin-
guish any escaped embers.
Before you leave, drown all
embers with water, stir the
coals, and drown again.
Repeat until the fire is dead
out. If it is too hot to touch, it is
too hot to leave.
• Burn only wood. State reg-
ulations prohibit the open burn-
ing of any material that creates
dense, toxic smoke or noxious
odors.
Burning paper and cardboard
can also easily fly up to start
new fires.
Escaped campfires can be
costly.
Oregon law requires the
proper clearing, building,
attending and extinguishing of
open fires at any time of year.
A first-time citation carries a
$110 fine. But by far the
biggest potential cost is liabili-
ty for firefighting costs if your
campfire spreads out of control.
These can range from a few
hundred to tens of thousands of
dollars or more.
During Wildfire Awareness
Month visit the Keep Oregon
Green website, www.keepore
gongreen.org for other wildfire
prevention tips.
Contact Kristin Babbs, presi-
dent Keep Oregon Green
Association, at 503-945-7499
or email Kristin.a.babbs@ore-
gon.gov for more information.
Current levels of waterways call for extra caution while boating
Motorboats, kayaks, canoes,
rafts, pontoon, drift, stand up
paddleboards, sailboats, per-
sonal watercraft — there’s a
boat out there that can connect
you to the water and a rental
facility ready to help you get
your feet wet if you're new to
boating.
The Oregon State Marine
Board invites boaters to explore
the interactive Boating Oregon
Map, where you can find a boat
ramp near you, or plan for a
weekend escape to places less-
frequented.
“This season is going to be a
fantastic year for water recre-
ation with abundant water,”
says Ashley Massey, Public
Information Officer for the
Marine Board.
“Just be sure to plan ahead
by checking the weather, water
ommends boaters play it safe
by:
• Abstaining from marijuana,
drugs or alcohol. Instead, take
along a variety of non-alcoholic
beverages and plenty of water.
Impairment can lead to a BUII
arrest.
Drugs and alcohol impair a
boater’s judgement and coordi-
nation. Swift currents, chang-
ing weather and debris require
boat operators to be focused
and skilled to avoid an acci-
dent.
• If you are feeling fatigued,
take a break on land and return
to the water when you are re-
energized and alert. Wind,
glare, dehydration and wave
motion contribute to fatigue.
Continually monitor the
weather because it changes
quickly.
• Operators and passengers
should wear properly fitting life
jackets. Learn more about life
jacket types, styles and legal
requirements. Anyone rafting
on Class III Whitewater Rivers
is required to wear a life jacket,
and all children 12 and under
when a boat is underway.
The water temperature for
most waterways is below 50
degrees and wearing a life jack-
et is the most important piece
of equipment for surviving the
first few seconds of cold water
immersion.
• Never boat alone — espe-
cially when paddling. Always
let others know where you are
going and when you’ll return.
• Be courteous to other
boaters and share the waterway.
Congestion is a given in many
popular locations, especially
with nice weather.
Paddlers need to stay in
calmer water near the shore and
allow motorized boats to oper-
ate in deeper water.
Motorized boaters should be
given priority when launching,
as many boat ramps are
designed for heavier trailered
boats to access the water.
• In Oregon, all boaters must
take a boating safety course and
carry a boater education card
when operating a powerboat
greater than 10 horsepower.
The Marine Board also offers a
free, online Paddling Course
for boaters new to the activity.
For more information about
safe boating in Oregon, visit
www.boatoregon.com.
SNOWY PLOVER CHICKS REPORTED ON NORTH COAST BEACHES
After more than 50 years,
Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department (OPRD) wildlife
biologists have learned that at
least one western snowy plover
chick has hatched on a beach at
Nehalem Bay State Park.
This is the first verified
hatchling in the area since the
1960s, and follows three years
of increased sightings and
species activity, including nest-
ing attempts.
Western snowy plovers are a
threatened species under the
federal Endangered Species
Act, and are protected in all
west coast states. Collaborative
efforts like OPRD’s Habitat
Conservation Plan, developed
s’mores.
Register for one of the fol-
lowing events by calling 800-
551-6949. Most events are
limited to 35 people and spots
are filling quickly:
• June 16-18: L.L.Stub
Stewart Park
• June 30-July 2: Deschutes
River
• July 7-9: Cascadia
• July 14-16: Willamette
Mission
• July 21-23: Silver Falls
• July 21-23: Prineville
Reservoir
• July 28-30: Ainsworth ‘
• Aug. 11-13: Milo McIver
• Aug. 25-27: Champoeg
• Sept. 8-10: Memaloose
in coordination with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS), is showing results with
the expansion of snowy plovers
northward.
The population is growing
along parts of the southern
Oregon coast, where areas with
signs and nest designations are
part of everyday beachgoing in
Not only are nests easy to
miss, or step on, but the bird
will abandon its eggs if repeat-
edly disturbed.
Plover chicks are mobile
almost immediately after hatch-
ing. They freeze in place and
hide in small depressions —
like footprints — when they
perceive danger.
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The Nehalem nesting area,
like all nesting sites, is clearly
designated with signs, and they
remain off limits until the nest-
ing season ends.
Maps and more information
can be found at bit.ly/wsplover.
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the spring and summer.
Yet, species recovery is
much more likely to continue if
populations can establish them-
selves along the entire coast.
OPRD asks that visitors keep a
cautious eye out.
Plovers nest in dry sand, in
tiny, shallow scrapes that are
almost invisible.
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OPRD offers overnight
for novice campers
The Oregon Parks and
Recreation
Department
(OPRD) welcomes beginning
campers to join in an overnight
guided camping experience
this summer at an Oregon state
park.
Registrations are now being
accepted for the “Let’s Go
Camping Program.”
Events will be held at nine
different parks.
For $30 per family, OPRD
provides tents, sleeping bags
and other gear. Volunteers will
help campers set up tents,
build campfires, prepare meals
in the campsite and more.
Activities could include
ranger-led hikes, owl prowls,
bat chats and plenty of
keep their distance from the
shoreline up to several hundred
feet out from shore.”
Boaters are encouraged to
learn where the wing dams are
located based on the waterbody
where they’re boating from
www.charts.noaa.gov, for free,
downloadable
navigation
charts.
Think about taking a “disper-
sion excursion” to lesser-
known waterbodies, especially
for people new to paddlesports
or seeking more solitude.
There are 96 waterways
where motors are prohibited
and 50 designated as electric
motor only waterways. Visit the
Marine Board’s “Experience
Oregon” boating handbook for
more information about these
areas.
The Marine Board also rec-
A
W ESTERN
levels, reported obstructions,
and having all of the right gear,
says Massey. “Boaters can
check the Marine Board’s web-
site for everything a boater
needs to know to start planning
a trip.”
Massey emphasizes paying
attention to your surroundings,
continually scanning port to
starboard and keeping a close
eye on what’s dead-ahead.
“2016 saw an increase in
accidents, largely from colli-
sions,”
says
Massey.
“Familiarize yourself with the
rules-of-the-road, and start out
slow because of debris in the
water from this past winter.
“With the extraordinary high
water levels, many wing dams
(also known as pile dikes) on
rivers and bays are just below
the surface, so boaters need to
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