NED HICKSON , SPORTS EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3523 ❘
SPORTS @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ DECEMBER 27, 2017 ❘
SECTION B
Siuslaw News
Sports & Recreation
W INTER W HALE W ATCHING
BEGINS TODAY
The winter migration of grey whales will peaks from Dec. 27-31 along the central Oregon coast
W
inter is here and it is time
to “think whales.” A vari-
ety of activities will be
offered at the Cape Perpetua Visitor
Center during Whale Watch Week,
which runs from today, Dec. 27,
through Sunday, Dec. 31.
Cape Perpetua is a partner of Whale
Watch Spoken Here, a program of
Oregon State Parks that promotes
whale watching at 24 designated loca-
tions along the Oregon coast.
Trained Whale Watch volunteers
will be on-hand each day during the
week from 10am to 1pm, to share
information and help visitors spot
whales. The public is also invited to
attend the presentation, Experiencing
Gray Whales by Michael Noack,
scheduled at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday,
Dec. 30, in the Cape Perpetua Visitor
Center.
Noack, a retired Chief Park Ranger
and Naturalist, has been educating
agency staff and the public about the
natural world, especially gray whales,
for many years. He has trained whale
watch volunteers and has been
involved with whale research.
After the program, Noack will be
available to discuss whale watch tech-
niques that have worked for him.
Visitor Center winter hours are 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. During the holi-
S PORTS
Calendar
• DEC. 29
MHS GIRLS B-BALL
HOSTS
Y ONCALLA
3 P . M .
MHS BOYS B-BALL
HOSTS
Y ONCALLA
4:30 P . M .
SHS GIRLS B-BALL
HOSTS
C ORBET
4 P . M .
SHS BOYS B-BALL
HOSTS
C ORBET
5:30 P . M .
• JAN. 2
On the
Bite
A
WEEKLY
FISHING REPORT FOR
THE LOCAL REGION
www.dfw.state.or.us/RR
Weekend fishing oppor-
tunities:
• Chinook fishing is
open in coastal streams,
and has been slow to fair
recently.
• While Chinook fishing
is winding down, anglers
should keep an eye out for
early-returning winter
steelhead.
• The first winter steel-
head of the season have
been caught on the Alsea.
See
FISHING 2B
COURTESY PHOTO
Retired Cief Park Ranger Michael Noack helps visitors spot migrating whale activity at the Cape Perpetua Visitor
Center lookout point.
day season the Visitor Center will be
closed New Year’s Day on Monday,
Jan. 1. The presentations is free, but a
Northwest Forest Pass, Oregon Coast
Passport, and Federal Recreation Pass
or $5 day-use fee is required within
the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area.
For more information, call the
Visitor Center at 541-547-3289.
Yachats hosting annual Peace Hike
Eighth annual event will be held New Year’s Day on along the Amanda Trail
Start the New Year off on the
right foot by joining the 8th
Annual Yachats New Year’s Day
Peace Hike being held Monday,
Jan. 1.
Participants in this six-mile
round-trip hike will proceed from
the Yachats Commons, 441 N.
Highway 101), along the Amanda
Trail to the Amanda Grotto south
of town, where a Peace Ceremony
will take place.
Hikers will traverse both paved
roads and narrow dirt trail sur-
faces with some steps and moder-
ate inclines. Sturdy shoes, layered
clothing and walking sticks are
recommended.
In addition, a new activity this year
for both hikers and non-hikers who
would like to acknowledge and honor
Amanda’s journey will be a candlelight
vigil for peace at Yachats’ Little Log
Church.
Here are details for both events:
Peace Hike buttons commemorating
the 2018 event will be available for
purchase on Jan. 1 in Yachats.
• 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
Hikers may check in at the Yachats
Commons’ kitchen. All hikers will need
to sign liability wavers and will receive
safety information, route maps and
commemorative buttons during check-
in.
• 9:50 a.m.
The story of Amanda will be told by
Confederated Tribes of the Coos,
Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
(CTCLUSI) tribal members at Yachats’
Little Log Church, 328 W. Third St.
Hikers are encouraged to check in at the
Commons beforehand so that they may
continue to the Amanda Grotto imme-
diately following the story telling.
• 10:15 a.m.
All hikers should be checked in by
10:15 and on their way to the Amanda
Grotto to arrive in time for the Peace
ceremony.
• 11:15 a.m. to noon
Peace ceremony takes place at the
Amanda Grotto.
Noon
Ceremony ends and hikers may
See
HIKE 2B
T IDE T ABLE
Entrance Siuslaw River
High Tide
Low Tide
Dec. 27
6:34am / 7.2
7:05pm / 5.4
1:20pm / 2.0
Dec. 28
7:22am / 7.7
8:23pm/ 5.6
12:49am / 2.2
2:21pm/ 1.2
Dec. 29
8:12am / 8.2
9:31pm / 6.0
1:51am / 2.5
3:16pm / 0.3
Dec. 30
2:51am / 2.7
9:01am / 8.5
10:30pm / 6.4 4:07pm / -0.6
Dec. 31
9:51am / 8.9
11:23pm / 6.8
3:48am / 2.7
4:56pm / -1.2
Jan. 1
10:40am / 9.2 4:43am / 2.8
5:45pm / -1.7
Jan. 2
12:17am / 7.1 5:36am / 2.7
11:29pm / 9.3 6:32pm / -1.9
MHS GIRLS B-BALL
HOSTS
M C K ENZIE
5:30 P . M .
MHS BOYS B-BALL
HOSTS
M C K ENZIE
7 P . M .
SHS GIRLS B-BALL
HOSTS
W ALDPORT
6 P . M .
SHS BOYS B-BALL
HOSTS
W ALDPORT
7:30 P . M .
Oregon commercial crabbing to open Jan. 15
NEWPORT — The commercial
Dungeness crab fishery will open on
most of Oregon’s coast on Monday,
Jan. 15.
Dungeness crab will be ready to be
harvested from Cape Blanco to the
Columbia River, and north into
Washington. While the commercial
season can open as early as Dec. 1, the
opening can be delayed to ensure a
high quality product for consumers by
allowing crabs more time to fill with
meat.
Prior to the opener, crab vessels may
set gear from Jan. 12 onwards, using
the “pre-soak” period of time to set
gear in anticipation of the first pull of
ocean crab pots on Jan. 15.
The recreational crab fishery in
Oregon is already open in this same
region (Cape Blanco north to the
Columbia River).
The area south of Cape Blanco will
remain closed to both recreational and
commercial crabbing due to persisting
domoic acid in the region.
Continued testing will determine
when this closed area can reopen.
All Oregon crab product on the mar-
ket is safe to eat.
Last year’s season opening was also
delayed but still brought in the record
high ex-vessel value of $62.7 million
(about 22 percent above the 10-year
average).
For more information, call ODA’s
shellfish safety information hotline at
800-448-2474 or visit the ODA shell-
fish closures at www.oregon.gov/ODA
/programs/FoodSafety/Shellfish/Pages/
Shellfish Closures.aspx.
S IUSLAW
N EWS
148 Maple St.
Florence
541-997-3441
2016 & 2017 were great years for real estate…
So here’s hoping 2018 will be the same.
Start the New Year right ~Come list or sell
ll with me!!!
Happy New Year !
Lynnette Wikstrom
Broker
Cell: 541.999.0786
lynnette@cbcoast.com
100 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR • 541.997.7777
“We’re next to the Bridge.”
COAST REAL ESTATE