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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
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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-
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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-
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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.
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