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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS SATURDAY EDITION F ESTIVAL FEATURES HOLIDAY HOUNDS INSIDE — A3 127TH YEAR ❘ ISSUE NO. 96 California sea lion found dead on Heceta Beach Leptospirosis is suspected; Sea Lion Cave animals remain unaffected B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News A California sea lion was found dead on Heceta Beach in early November, with a probable cause of death being leptospirosis. “I have some results, but not a full set of results,” said Jim Rice, Stranding Coordinator for the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network. “For leptospirosis to be definitive, I need more testing to be done. I’m relatively certain that the animal did succumb to lep- tospirosis, as all the other signs indicate that it did. I’m missing a piece where I would declare that it was absolutely what it died from.” Leptospirosis is a bacterium that can lead to kidney failure, fever, weakness and muscle pain in sea lions. It is spread primarily through urine or other body fluids. The sea lion came ashore on Nov. 9, dying that day. It was discovered the next day by a local resident, who contacted Rice for removal. The sea lion was a California breed, which is different from the Stellar sea lions that pop- ulate Sea Lion Caves. California Sea Lions are prevalent up and down the coast, and while the Stellar and California populations sometimes overlap, the two breeds generally stay within their own groups. No Stellar sea lions have been reported with the disease. “There are a lot of California sea lions that have succumbed to it in the region,” Rice said. See SEA LIONS 6A WLAD meets, addresses complaint filed with Florence Police Department B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News T he November board meeting of the Western Lane Ambulance District (WLAD) took place Wednesday at a new location, Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue Station (SVFR) No. 1. The change of venue was agreed upon at last month’s WLAD meeting in an effort to provide a larger space for the group to meet as well as one that is better suited, from a technology perspective, to incorporate video and multi-media presentations to board mem- bers. The ongoing integration of many aspects of the two districts was also a major reason for the change. The move was supported by most mem- bers of the board with the only exception, or no vote, being cast by Director Cindy Russell. Russell objected to the move, citing the “diminishment of the importance of the ambulance district in the eyes of the commu- nity” and her ongoing reluctance to further integrate the operations of WLAD and SVFR. During the meeting, Operations Chief Matt House, detailed the month’s calls, made department reports and introduced a new paramedic, Chris Martin, to the board. Chief Director Jim Langborg presented his written report and took additional time to INSIDE See AMBULANCE 6A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 A3 A4 A2 ❘ DECEMBER 2, 2017 ❘ $1.00 COAST CENTRAL A&E — INSIDE SERVING WESTERN LANE COUNTY SINCE 1890 FLORENCE, OREGON Nerd Squad prepares to compete Siuslaw Middle School students are ready to enter a competition, help the world most from the middle school but two of the team leaders, Levi Spencer and Tyler Johnson, are now attending tudents at Siuslaw Siuslaw High School. Both have competed in previ- Middle School are ous First Lego League competi- involved in an after- tions, and this will be the last time they will have an opportu- school club that has nity to contribute to the squad’s the potential to change entry. the world. “Right now, we are getting ready for the robotics competi- tion in Corvallis,” Johnson Siuslaw School District said. “We were considering the teacher Ed Mielke, who teaches problems in the world and language arts, computer science clean water is a big problem. and communication arts, is the Most of the world is made up leader of the Nerd Squad, a of salt water so desalination group that is participating in an might be able to help a lot of international science-based people.” competition called the First He said he believes their Lego League. team could help with a solu- The yearly event is sponsored MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS tion. by the toy manufacturer Lego. Members of the Siuslaw Nerd Squad are set to compete in a Lego- Club members want to The purpose of the challenge is sponsored competition at OSU on Dec. 9. The group meets at the encourage other students to join to instill in the student partici- middle school and works on science and technology projects the Nerd Squad. The growth of pants an appreciation of the throughout the year. the club and the addition of important role science and new avenues of exploration for members is This realization led Mielke to propose and nature play in their lives. part of the appeal. eventually begin the program that came to be Siuslaw Middle School Principal Andy “Over the years, the club has grown bigger. known as the Nerd Squad. Marohl believes the opportunities for after- We’ve expanded out from just film and photos Mielke volunteers his time to insure the school activities should include areas that club continues to offer interesting after school to robotics, coding and working with mobile might not have been considered in the past. apps,” Spencer said. “It’s really fun.” alternatives for students. “The Nerd Squad is offered as an after- The Nerd Squad has been supported in the The club is currently preparing the team’s school option for students to provide fun, past by funding for the district’s Twilight entry for a competition to be held at Oregon engaging and safe activities for students. Not all students are into athletics, and Nerd Squad State University on Dec. 9. The subject of this After School Program. According to Marohl, that has changed. year’s competition is Hydro Dynamics — offers unique opportunities for those stu- “The Nerd Squad is no longer a part of dents,” Marohl said. “The kids who attend the exploring the location, use, storage and move- Twilight. This decision had to be made due to ment of water. program learn and practice valuable skills in the elimination of funding of the 21st Century The reason for this specific challenge, the STEAM arena. Students are creating and Community Learning Centers Grant,” he said. editing videos and are learning basic program- according to the materials provided by Lego, “Mr. Mielke is so passionate about what he is the increasing need for clean, accessible ming skills for web and app development.” does that he couldn’t bear to not provide these water around the world. STEAM stands for science, technology, Students from 80 countries are participating activities for our students.” engineering, art and math. According to Mielke, funding for the trip to in the First Lego League challenge. The Nerd Squad is the brainchild of OSU came in part from a generous donation Siuslaw’s squad has been working diligent- Mielke. His interest in starting a tech-based ly on the district’s entry since school began in made by the Florence chapter of the Delta after-school club began when he realized the Gammas, who donated $500 to the Nerd after school choices available to students were September. Squad for club activities. The students have set up their entry in the lacking in some areas. Additional funding for the group comes science section on the second floor of the Five years ago, when I was first hired here, middle school. A large project board is placed from an ODE grant that supports STEAM- it seemed to me the district had all types of related activities. amid an array of computers, a variety of pho- athletics and art, and we were reigniting the The scope of activities the squad is learning tographic equipment and a large assortment of theater program, so we needed some sort of about and enjoying is increasing and changing Lego building pieces. The Lego parts are tech club for students who were interested in as time goes on. mixed in with various mechanical parts and that sort of thing,” Mielke said. “My son was all manner of plastic and metal connectors. an eighth-grade student and he is sort of tech The team is made up of boys and girls, See SQUAD 6A minded.” B Y M ARK B RENNAN Siuslaw News S Public shows support for the Port of Siuslaw Community input meeting brings a flood of ideas on the future of the port, its properties B Y J ARED A NDERSON Siuslaw News P ublic support for the Port of Siuslaw was in full display Wednesday night as commissioners and staff opened their doors to the community, asking for suggestions on how the port should shape its future in a public input meeting. “Having a full audience and 12 public speakers exceeded my expectations,” said Interim Port Manager Dina McClure, who organized the meeting after a sug- gestion by the commission. “There were many constructive sugges- tions and I hope future meetings continue to be as positive as this one.” The public suggestions covered a wide variety of topics, including the port’s campground, the marina, housing, tourism and working together with other local agencies. The evening began with a ques- Sideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B This Week on the Coast . . . . A8 Weather Data . . . . . . . . . . . A2 THIS WEEK ’ S tion regarding the 40-acre industri- al park the port owns and, in partic- ular, its relation to the current hous- ing crisis that Florence is facing. One member of the public sug- gested that the port look to rezone the area as high density residential, with the ability to sell small parcels to builders who want to build apart- ment buildings. Currently, the area is zoned as commercial. Building four-unit apartment complexes was suggest- ed, as they would be more attractive to investors due to low risk. Port Commissioner Terry Duman agreed, saying, “It’s easier to sell 40 one-acre parcels than it is to sell one 40-acre parcel.” Duman said that the commission has spoken with a realtor about the possibility of rezoning the area, and commissioners have been working on it, though no final decision has been made. Specifics, like what types of housing would exist there if it were rezoned, had not been decided by the port either. An investor with a broader vision and energy to turn the land into a livable community would be need- ed to answer those questions, Duman said. Whatever the property ends up being, he said that the commission was open to any and all possibili- ties. Housing was also discussed in relation to the marina itself. Many people, including the commission- ers, believed that it was crucial to have a full complement of boats in the harbor to keep the maritime feel of the port and Historic Old Town, which continues to be an attractive draw for tourists. However, keeping a constant fleet of ships in the marina can be difficult, particularly during the winter months. At that time of year, the ocean waters become too chop- TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY 48 41 51 38 50 38 54 38 WEATHER Full Forecast, A3 py and it can be difficult to impos- sible for large vessels to get past the bar from the river to the ocean. Commercial fishing vessels stay away from the Siuslaw during the winter months because they don’t want to be stuck in the marina the entire winter, Duman said. Fixing the bar is impossible right now, he explained, because the project could reach a billion dol- lars. Because of this problem, the number of vessels that moor at the port dips considerably during the winter months. One solution the public offered was to bring in year-round, live- aboard boats that people could own or rent. That would provide a full harbor all year, while supplying additional housing and a more robust revenue stream for the port and Old Town businesses. S IUSLAW N EWS 2 S ECTIONS ❘ 22 P AGES C OPYRIGHT 2017 See PORT 6A
