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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2018)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS Siuslaw News Community Voices N OTES FROM THE S ILTCOOS — The Overlook B ARRY S OMMER Special to Siuslaw News B reaking dawn is truly one of those times where all earthly con- cerns dissolve away and, for a moment in time, we are part of the stellar miasma. As if our being has been swept up with- in the grand movement of the universe and all is complete. A quiet and colorful serenity wraps itself across our meta- physical shoulders, letting us know that, as the Buddha said when asked after getting up from his sleep under the bodhi tree and answering the ques- tion “Who are you?” with “I am awake.” N ATURAL At morning we are awake. We exist among the stars and clouds. We are … loved. It’s just before the sol cur- tain rises and I am walking quietly towards the hill behind my home. It’s crisp this morn- ing. I exhale breath clouds that surround my head and quickly dissipate in the cold. No sound but for the distant soft crashing of low tide, carried inland by the first gasps of morning breeze. No birds except the occa- sional owl hoot and the far off truck on 101, they being the only real break in the silence at this time of the morning. Lake Boulevard, now there’s a use of boulevard that stretch- es the definition. It is the main road that accesses Westlake, aka Dunes City at Siltcoos Lake, but it is as small and rural as any two-lane byway. It’s the kind of road that begs to be walked slowly, down the middle with kind of a saunter or maybe a brisk wander. It is this deliberate stroll that PERSPECTIVE allows for the intake of sights and smells not available when whizzing (at max 25 mph) past with windows rolled up and air conditioning or heater blasting depending on daily weather. The real world is full of scents and visions and to be meshed with it entails more than just rolling the window down. It means learning to stroll. Southbound on Lake Boulevard starting at the post office, I amble towards the hill going up to the Fish Mill resort. Past a few pre-war (WWII) homes and some newer construction, the lake meanders to the bridge over the Siltcoos River. One of the world’s shortest rivers, it winds its way for about 3 miles to the Pacific, through coastal forests of shore pine, fir and cedar. Up the hill and Lake Boulevard begets the lake extension road which turns to Fish Mill Way, curving around the resort and bringing to view something out of the past. The look reminds one of a bygone era in the same way one looks at the fins on late 1950s cars and sees their childhood. Think nostalgia and the way things used to be when time moved slower like the cars, when fish took their time bit- ing the hook and you cooled your beer by dunking it in the lake. Small and cozy cabins line the lake view edge, with dirt parking and the always present bird poop adding to the ambiance. Weird as it sounds, rural bird soiling is far more preferable to me than the mul- tiple coatings provided by those flying rats of the big city, also known as pigeons. I know, God’s creatures and all, but did he have to put wings on the family rodentia? The morning sun is now up and active, glistening on the lake’s surface as it reflects that deep blue of the early sky. Following Fish Mill to Summit I meet Myrtlewood, turn left to B Y E MILY J. U HRIG , P H D S igns of spring abound: daffodils, budding trees, birds singing. However, one harbinger of spring that tends to go unnoticed is the return of the turkey vultures, or “turkey buzzards” as they’re sometimes known. Overlooking their return is probably due to most folks not noticing they ever left. Unlike the habits of the more aestheti- cally pleasing backyard song- birds, seasonal changes in the vultures’ presence are less attention-grabbing. If you do keep track of vul- tures, you will find they are only present in Oregon through their breeding season in the spring and summer. In the fall, they migrate in flocks called “kettles” as they travel impressive distances to Central and South America where they overwinter before returning northward. With black feathers and bald, red heads, turkey vul- tures may not be the most attractive birds, and their role as scavengers of dead animals contributes to their image problem. Although much maligned, their scavenging practices serve an important ecosystem role: by consuming rotting car- casses, vultures clean the land- scape and help prevent the spread of disease. Indeed, their role as environmental purifiers is reflected in their scientific name, Cathartes aura, which has the same Greek origin as the word “catharsis.” While our local turkey vul- ture populations are currently doing fine, some of the world’s vulture species are seriously declining, often due to human activities like the use of poi- son, and this has been linked to increases in disease trans- mission. Vultures have a number of adaptations that help them suc- ceed as scavengers. For exam- ple, whereas a feathered head would become matted with gore when reaching into the depths of a juicy carcass, their characteristic bald head can emerge much cleaner. Vultures’ extremely harsh stomach acids, which kill most ingested bacteria, enable them to eat rotting flesh without becoming ill. While turkey vultures have keen eyesight, it’s their excellent sense of smell that gives them an edge over other scavengers. Following their noses, vul- tures use their familiar circling flight pattern to home in on odor plumes rising from rot- ting carcasses, and they can detect these scents from long distances — possibly miles — away. So, as you go about your springtime rituals, take a moment to notice the turkey vulture. While we don’t asso- ciate our returning vultures with the “prettiness” of spring, and you won’t be seeing Easter greeting cards with vul- tures perched among the tulips, they are nonetheless integral members of our environment. Next Date is MARCH 17th 9am to 2pm at the Kingwood entrance to the airport, located at Kingwood & 27th St. COST 2018 Collection Dates: Pickup load $10 Small Utility Trailer (Single Axle) $10 MARCH 17 Medium Utility Trailer (10-12 ft) $15 MAY 12 Large Utility Trailer (12-18ft) $21 Greater than 20 cubic yards $21 +$5/yard over Bring: • Tree Clippings • Leaves • Grass Clippings • Weeds • Prunings • Brush APRIL 21 DO NOT Bring your: JUNE 16 JULY 21 AUGUST 18 SEPTEMBER 15 OCTOBER 20 • Food & Household waste • Animal Waste • Plastics • Construction Debris • Hazardous Waste For questions, please contact the City of Florence Public Works Department at 541-997-4106 Rod McCulloch Karla D. Holloway CPA CPA Estate Sale Fri./Sat 3/16-3/17, 8am-3pm, 930 Tamarack, liquidating Mom’s estate. Household items, furniture, collectibles… everything must go! Sat./Sun 3/17-3/18 9am-2pm, 4875 Seapine Dr., Moving Sale! Something for everyone. ay w o o l l Rick Yecny, CPA & A ss o ci e s Write off Tax Time Stress! H FREE garage sale signs 541-997-3441 with your ad PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE FY 2019 - FY 2023 LANE COUNTY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Th e Lane County Transportation Advisory Committee (TrAC) will conduct a public hearing to receive testimony regarding the draft of the Lane County Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2019 through 2023 (“Draft CIP”) prepared by Lane County Public Works. Th is is the fi rst of two public hearings on the matter. Notice will also be posted this spring to announce when the Lane County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to consider the TrAC’s recommendation. Th e Draft CIP is available for review at: https://www.lanecounty.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=3585881&pageId=4213801 DATE: TIME: PLACE: had in the early morning when one has not had the first cup of coffee. There are a few neighbors out in the morning, some going to work while others taking to their retirement as a frog takes to a violin. I wave, they wave, we smile and return to each of our muses. Leaving the overlook and walking back down the hill towards my house gives a dif- ferent perspective. Nothing has changed physically; everything is there just as it was when I came earlier but looks … new. I experience this every time I walk this route — like I am seeing it for the first time. It never becomes routine. The wonder of what is before me never fails to impress and I suck it all in like a Hoover with a just changed bag. I can see the overlook from my home. It may be only 51 feet above sea level but it’s Everest to me. Yard Debris Disposal — Return of the vultures Special to the Siuslaw News Laguna and then bear right back to Summit with then a quick left onto Cherry and there I am. The overlook. There is an abandoned house right there on the corner. I can sit where the front stairs used to be while safely avoid- ing the creeping vines that hide all manner of creature winged and scaly. I find a comfortable spot where I can gaze northeast towards Jernigan Island and the forest beyond. Jackson’s Marina lies just below, the worn and weathered docks tied to patina-covered boats, each trying to decide which is hold- ing up which. Any moment now the griz- zled caretaker will pass through the door of the dilapi- dated boathouse, tap his pipe on his wooden leg, squint at the sun while pulling on the shoulder straps of his bib over- alls to straighten them out, a task with no good outcome. Oh the hallucinations to be Tuesday, March 20, 2018 6:30 PM Goodson Room at the Willamette Building Lane County Public Works, 3040 N Delta Highway, Eugene 97408 If you have questions or need special arrangements pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Monica Witzig by March 16, 2018 (541.682.6996 ; monica.witzig@co.lane.or.us). Stop in and see us at our Hwy. 101 location 733 Highway 101 (across from Safeway) HOLLOWAY & ASSOCIATES, LLC Certifi ed Public Accountants 733 Highway 101, Florence • Ph #541-997-3434 We specialize in Tax Strategies Bookkeeping and Accounting Services Payroll Services Preparation of Tax Returns for Individuals Corporation LLC’s Estates & Trusts Business Consulting Quickbooks Installation & Training Serving Florence for 39 years Proud to be a Florence and Reedsport-Winchester Bay Chamber member.
