Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2018)
SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018 | 5A DUNES from page 1A Oregon coast, a hidden area of dunes that have been virtually untouched by the species that have overtaken much of the coast’s dunes. The trek began at the end of Josh- ua Lane, located just east of Heceta Beach. The entrance to the dunes is unassuming, looking almost like an unkempt backyard — a wire fence hidden amongst a row of wild bush- es. Blackwell spoke to a group of a few dozen volunteers before the hike began. “What we have on our agenda today is, it’s about a half mile hike out to where we’re going to work,” he said. “It’s a place we’ve worked a few months ago, so I’m sure we’ll be able to finish that part of it.” The volunteers were an eclectic group of all ages, from children be- low the age of 10 to a woman in her 80s. They all held different tools for the job — loppers, saws and other weeding instruments. “I appreciate you guys to come out to continue our work here,” Blackwell said. “This is one of the best places to find the dunes in their natural habitat.” The group began hiking eastward. Just a few paces into the trek, the scraggly bushes made way to a beau- tiful, sand-swept tree island resting in the sands. Each expedition begins with a group photograph at the spot, which is special for the collaborative. It’s one of the first places they helped restore. “When we first started in the spring five years ago, it was just to- tally yellow,” Blackwell said. “Scotch broom seeds last 50 years, so unfor- tunately you’ve got to keep coming back to the same area. They’ll re- sprout. We have broom is a little to still come back bit more diffi- each year to get the cult to spot. The new plants coming larger plants have up, but we have dark seed pods on made an impact.” them. Several non- “Ah, there’s native species one right here,” were introduced Blackwell said, to the dunes de- moving toward a cades ago to pre- large bush. He de- vent sand blowing scribed the ways in to nearby coast- one can take out a al towns. Grasses, Scotch. such as Europe- “There’s differ- an beach grass, ent methods, de- would dig into the pending on your sand, spreading tool,” he said. “You over it complete- can dig these up ly, thus preventing with a shovel. You the strong coastal can take loppers winds from pick- or hand saws and JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS ing up the sand. cut it, but you Volunteers regularly remove Scotch broom, gorse and The plan want to cut it as worked only too invasive grasses in the Oregon dunes. low as possible. If well. Soon, the invasive species complaints with noise and parking you leave some, especially on young overtook the dunes completely, around the entrance, their use was plants, that will come back up from choking out the native plants. Aerial restricted, Blackwell said. the stump.” photography of the dunes taken over Blackwell began lopping off the Now, the majority of visitors to the years show a completely differ- the area are locals, exploring the branches of the broom, leaving a ent topography than it was before area by foot or bicycle. It’s also a stump in the ground. cities began to grow. “The older plants won’t sprout popular dog-walking spot. So, organizations like the collab- “Most of the tourists from out of back,” he said. “if you can get it as orative are working to restore the the area wouldn’t even know that it’s low as possible, that’s better. This dunes to their original glory. one was an old plant, which you can here,” Blackwell said. After the group photo, the volun- After walking for half an hour, tell because of the wider diameter, teers worked their way east up a tall a small outcrop of land was found so it didn’t sprout back. About right dune, then headed due south, find- where a plethora of Scotch broom here is the top of the roots. If you ing themselves on a sand path sur- could be seen protruding out of the can get to this point, you can kill it.” rounded by large trees and various ground. This plant is one of the non- For immature plants, the best native shrubs. native species that the collaborative practice is to simply yank them out The Heceta Dunes are very qui- hunts for. by hand. et, as far as human visitors are con- To dispose of the plants, they put During the springtime, Scotch cerned. No one would know that a broom is easy to find, with bright them in piles on the sand where it’s major highway and shopping com- yellow blooms dotting the land- more difficult for the seeds to bur- plex rest just a few miles west. row back into the ground. One pile scape. It wasn’t always so quiet. Around “It’s like a beacon when you’re try- the group worked on that day was 10 years ago, it used to be open ing to find them,” Balston said. nearly five feet tall. to motorized vehicles, but due to The group took a break to show a But in the summertime, the DENTURE SERVICES INC. new tool called Wild Spotter that is being utilized to help identify areas that are infested with invasive spe- cies. “It’s a campaign that was created by the US Forest Service, the Uni- versity of Georgia and a lot of oth- er agencies that got together,” said Chelsea Monks, forest botanist for the Siuslaw National Forest. She pulled out a tablet and brought up the app, which had a whole host of information including types of invasive species and how to identify them. Wild Spotter, which can be down- loaded for tablets or phones and can be found at wildspotter.org, helps organizations tag infestations throughout the country. “If you find something, you can hit report,” she explained. “You can attach pictures. It auto-populates your latitude and longitude, which is really handy here. You can put in the time you spent here, the infestation size. You can put in acres and acres of an infestation, or report you just found one or two plants.” The information goes to a mass database that helps agencies get a grasp on how prevalent an invasive species might be in an area. “If it’s something that needs a rap- id response, we’re going to get out to it as soon as we can, confirm it’s there, see how big it is, and see if we can immediately pull it and treat it,” Monks said. “The public is much better able, and more likely, to get onto those spots than we are. There’s a whole lot more of you than us. The hope is we can get people out there utilizing it and interested in caring, to help us figure out what’s going out in the landscape.” See DUNES page 7A Automotive Repair Facility I am currently ACCEPTING PATIENTS! Open 4 days a week! Highway 101 was the scene of a three-car accident on Fri- day evening, near the Rock Creek Campground. Initial police reports indi- cate a driver that was attempt- ing to pass a line of cars was involved in a head-on colli- sion. Traffic was stopped in both directions for approximately an hour as SVFR and WLAD responded. Three more major acci- dents occurred on Saturday. The first was reported on Canary Road just before noon and forced a road closure for two hours while emergency teams from both SVFR and WLAD responded. The second incident oc- curred on South Jetty road near the Goose Pasture Stag- ing Area for ATVs and the third took place on Highway 36, east of Swisshome. Several medical transports resulted from these incidents. Sunday saw two more ma- jor accidents on Highway 101, both took place near Sand Dunes Frontier. The first involved a rollover with an extraction needed and traffic was delayed in both di- rections on Highway 101 for approximately two hours. “The duty chief and op- eration chief worked in con- junction with many of the professional staff of both WLAD and SVFR to assure that coverage was maintained all weekend,” Dickerson said. “The resident firefighters at Station 1 were very busy.” RV’ers, PARTS we are your complete RV and SERVICE Are you struggling to fi nd a Primary Care Provider? LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED ACCIDENTS from page 1A Here to serve your denture needs: Dentures Partial Dentures Immediate Dentures Implant Dentures Relines & Repairs Same Day Monday-Thursday 10am - 2 pm 524 Laurel St. 541-997-6054 William Foster LD Sherry, Offi ce Manager “As a denture wearer myself, I can answer your questions and address your denture concerns.” ~ William Foster, LD A New Way to do Healthcare 541.590.3906 5292 Harvard Avenue ~ Florence www.nwrhealthandwellness.com Financing: Citi Health Card 12 Month no Interest PARTS SERVICE On Site Repairs In shop or Mobile ASE CERTIFIED TECH for Truck, Auto and RV Repair 541-997-8287 The Top Choice in Florence Real Estate. What’s happening in your area? Run a customized Market Watch report today! NEW LISTING One of a kind level cleared lot with Ocean, lake & treed views. Build your dream home on this rare lot .49 acres $200,000 BH7746 ML#18008573 NEW LISTING Custom Cape Cod with Woahink Lake views. Great room with wall of windows, large gourmet kitchen, glassed in sunroom and MORE! 4 Bdrm, 2 full, 2 Part Ba 4071 sq ft $599,000 BH7738 ML#18084877 NEW LISTING Fabulous treed private lot with gate. Septic installed with 30 amp/water & 2 dumpsites. 26’ x 24’ garage with bathroom & heat .53 acre $165,000 BH7740 ML#18412918 NEW LISTING Private Collard lakefront recreational lot .47 acre, Old Growth trees, seasonal creek. Swim, canoe, kayak & relax! Rare opportunity. $39,900 BH7739 ML#18670289 NEW LISTING This stunning home with breathtaking views in exclusive gated community of Southview is magical 4 Bdrm, 3 1/2 Ba 3184 sq ft $974,900 BH7736 ML#18612113 PRICE REDUCED Mercer Lake area. Beautiful remodeled home, open design, light & bright. Double garage 28x32 shop, RV parking & more! 3 Bdrm, 2 Ba 1982 sq ft $429,500 BH7680 ML#18344188 NEW LISTING 3.51 ac with lake access. Approx 32x56 RV barn with storage upstairs. 3+ car attached garage w/bonus room w/half bath. Landscaped, pond 3 Bdrm, 4 full & 3 Part Ba 3356 sq ft $825,000 BH7729 ML#18280268 NEW LISTING Live & work on the Oregon Coast. Prime Salmon fi shing spot, 300’ of Siuslaw waterfront, “Cushman Store” storefront, owner’s quarters, RV sites, boat ramp, dock & marina $598,000 BH7706 ML#18396583 FEATURED LISTING Woahink Lake heritage property approx. 1254 ft of waterfront. Build your dream home 11.78 acres $699,900 BH7637 ML#18138837 View active listings with our exclusive Market Watch based on what is important to you. • Search active listings by a geographic parameter such as a zip code, address, or centered around a particular point on a map • Easy-to-use interactive map with an adjustable radius • Detailed color-coded summary of each property Visit our website at www.RealEstateFlorence.com and click the Market Watch icon and start your search! ...or give us a call at 541-997-6000 and we’ll do the searching for you! Florence Branch | 1875 Hwy 101 | Florence, OR | (541) 997-6000 | www.RealEstateFlorence.com © 2016 BHH Affi liates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affi liate, and a franchisee of BHH Affi liates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.®