SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018 | 7A
Library Tidings
Book Review: “The Hunger”
by Alma Katsu
Novelist Alma Katsu turns to one
of America’s most haunting human
disasters, the Donner Party, in “The
Hunger,” a book with a supernatural
turn. Evil is invisible, and it is every-
where. That is the only way to explain
the series of misfortunes that have
plagued the wagon train known as
the Donner Party.
Depleted rations, bitter quarrels
and the mysterious death of a little
boy have driven the isolated travel-
ers to the brink of madness. Though
they dream of what awaits them in
the West, long-buried secrets begin
to emerge, and dissent among them
escalates to the point of murder and
chaos.
They cannot seem to escape trag-
edy … or the feeling that someone
— or something — is stalking them.
Siuslaw Public Library Notes by Kevin Mittge
Whether it’s a curse from the beauti-
ful Tamsen Donner (who some think
might be a witch), their ill-advised
choice of route through uncharted
terrain, or just plain bad luck, the
90 men, women, and children of the
Donner Party are heading into one
of the deadliest and most disastrous
Western adventures in American his-
tory.
As members of the group begin
to disappear, the survivors start to
wonder if there really is something
disturbing, and hungry, waiting
for them in the mountains … and
whether the evil that has unfolded
around them may have in fact been
growing within them all along.
Effortlessly combing the supernat-
ural and the historical, “The Hunger”
is an eerie, thrilling look at the vola-
tility of human nature, pushed to its
breaking point.
Grant Workshop
Are you an artist or do you belong
to an arts, heritage or cultural orga-
nization?
If so, you should consider applying
for a grant through the Lane County
Cultural Coalition (LCCC). The co-
alition will be holding a grant work-
shop tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 23,
from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Bromley
Room, which will discuss the process
and how to write a successful grant
application.
LCCC has funded dance and art
programs in schools, film festivals,
theater groups, and much more. If
you are involved in the arts in any
way, this workshop is a must!
Concert: Folksongs of the
American Labor Movement
The library is pleased to present
Adam Miller, one of the premier auto
harpists in the country, on Thurs-
day, Aug. 30, at noon in the library’s
Bromley Room.
Miller, folksinger and natu-
ral-born storyteller based in Oregon,
will be celebrating Labor Day in this
popular program featuring folksongs
about the people who built America
and their struggle to overcome the
conditions of their labor.
RECYCLE from page 1A
realizes the problems that the ex-
cessive use of plastic will cause.”
Angelita’s group is also hard at
work creating a company to take
waste plastic and turn it into us-
able goods. The plan is still in its
initial stages, but some progress
has already been made.
“Our Building and Finance
group has made some good prog-
6th Annual
Florence
After the small break, the group
worked their way east, stopping at
various hot spots of Scotch broom,
picking out the offenders.
At that point they came upon the
most brutal of invasive plants: gorse.
“It’s like scotch broom in a way,
except it has needles on it, and they
don’t bend,” said Blackwell.
The gorse was massive, four feet
tall and just as wide. The sharp nee-
dles made it almost impenetrable.
Balston described how small ani-
mals such as rabbits hide under the
bushes in Wales to protect them-
selves from predators.
“And gorse is flammable,” Black-
well said. “There’s a lot of gorse
around the town of Bandon, and
in the late 1800s, the town actually
burned up because the gorse helped
fuel the fire.”
Beyond the dangers of handling
the plant, it’s also difficult to erad-
icate. Unlike Scotch broom, where
one can simply leave the stump be-
hind, gorse has to be dug up at the
root ball or it will come back.
Blackwell didn’t have the time
to take out the gorse that day, so
he marked it with a pink ribbon to
make it easy to find the next time the
group came through.
After two hours, the cleanup por-
tion of the day had ended, and it was
time to head toward one of the most
pristine places on the Oregon coast.
A small path eastward, turning
south, led to an oasis of untouched
dunes. The wind drifted sands
mixed with patches of native grasses.
“This is one of the places we
thought would be really worthwhile
to work on,” Marty Stein, a forest
botanist, said. “We look for areas
with relatively intact native com-
munities that wouldn’t take a lot of
work if we got in there and started
doing something. The category is
called ‘Preserve the best.’ This is ac-
tually one of the largest that we’ve
been able to find in this whole mid-
coast area.”
He explained how the native
grasses thrive on open sounds,
growing in small tufts in certain ar-
eas, sparsely growing. They thrive
on an ever-changing dune. But when
invasive species come in, they stabi-
lize the dunes, choking out the na-
tives and small, ephemeral wetlands
that are indigenous to the dunes.
The area wasn’t entirely pristine,
with patches of gorse and Scotch
broom still visible. There was also
a solid mat of European beach grass
that was threatening the area.
“But there’s not a lot of it here,”
Stein said. “If we do nothing, over
time I image we’ll end up losing this
whole area.”
However, the collaborative has
plans to restore the area, using her-
bicides for the beach grass and pull-
ing out the Scotch.
This area represented the end
goal for Stein and the collaboration.
“You can get the idea of what a
more natural system looks like,” he
said. “Think about driving down the
coast and looking at the beach and
seeing a very solid mat of European
beach grass growing out it. Compare
it to this. You can see what was, and
what is now in most places.”
The group walked around the
dunes, their footprints seen mo-
mentarily in the sand, quickly disap-
pearing with the strong winds. The
entire area was quiet, peaceful.
On the way back from the tour,
Balston explained why it was good
to have volunteer groups like the
collaborative work on the dunes.
“It’s good to have a group to keep
you motivated,” he said. “If it was
just me, maybe I would only spend a
half hour out here. But with a group,
it keeps you on your toes to get the
work done. And that’s the important
part. Maybe we won’t be able to fix
all this, nor our children. But after
that?”
ress since the June Power of Flor-
ence event. We are receiving do-
nations that are being matched
up through $5,000 for every $100
donation. This is helping toward
the rental or purchase of a space
to house the plant,” she said. “At
this time, we have a few options.
We have access to a shipping con-
tainer which can be converted to
a working recycling plant if we
get property without an industrial
building. We would need a small
building for bathroom and office.
If we get a rental space that has an
industrial type building on it, we
are open to that as well.”
The explosion in the use of plas-
tic globally for consumer goods,
construction materials and the
packaging for those goods, has
created a major environmental
problem.
There are also numerous in-
dustrial and construction uses for
plastic or “polymer formulations,”
as the materials are known to
builders.
Some examples of these types of
polymer are found in PVC pipes,
electrical wiring, floor coverings,
insulation and roofing materials.
Additionally, many plastic
products are often shipped in plas-
tic, which is then discarded after a
single use.
According to the National Geo-
graphic Foundation, 40 percent
of all plastic is used for packaging
and nearly 100 percent is discard-
ed after one use.
Adding to the problem is the
ever-increasing number, type and
chemical formulations of plastic,
which makes recycling these new
and unusual types of materials
much more difficult.
Nat Geo has made a commit-
ment to monitor and report on
the global plastic crisis, not only to
inform the public, but to show the
damage done by increasing levels
of plastic production and waste.
The first wave of information from
that effort has shown that the rate
of plastic recycling worldwide is
approximately 20 percent. In the
United States, that rate falls to just
over nine percent.
In addition, the foundation’s
analysis of plastic production and
waste data estimates that every
year 8 million metric tons of plas-
tic ends up in our oceans.
The difficulties in determining
what can now be recycled and
where it can be dropped off has
been a source of irritation and
confusion for consumers interest-
ed in recycling and Lane County
has borne the brunt of those crit-
icisms.
Bell wants to make sure that the
Recycle Roundup does not add to
the confusion.
“I want to be sure that all of our
residents who have very strong
feelings about recycling and who
attend the collection event will
not become disappointed or angry
when Lane County Waste Man-
agement does not accept some
items they mistakenly bring. This
collection event may not be a good
fit for folks that are exasperated
by the level of detail required. No
plastic bags. No No.1 PETE and no
No. 6 PS. Incorrect items will not
be accepted. Our minimum charge
for dumping trash, if folks want to
get back in line is $12,” Bell said.
However, the county’s aim is to
help those who wish to recycle to
find an outlet for their reusable
goods.
“I am so pleased that we can
provide this plastic recycling event
for the dedicated recyclers in our
community,” Bell said. “If this col-
lection event goes well, we would
like to have another in the spring.
And remember to please carpool!”
DUNES from page 5A
Get Results...List With Desiree.
COMMUNITY
Desiree Clifton
Principal Broker
541 999-5223
September 7-9
35 Easy St – Come relax at
the coast in this 444 sqft home.
This property has paved park-
ing, room for RVs with RV hook-
ups. Picnic area, garden/hobby
shed. Located in the Coast Vil-
lage community complete with
security gate, pool, laundry,
rec facility and more. $120,000.
#2612-17129165
How To Participate
The fee to participate is $20. An ad for the Community Wide Garage Sale with a map of all participation
sales will be published in the Siuslaw News on September 5th and 8th. Because of print deadlines,
the registration deadline is 5pm Thursday August 29 2018.
<RXZLOODOVRUHFHLYHWZRRI¿FLDO&RPPXQLW\:LGH*DUDJH6DOHVLJQVDVZHOODVDWLSVKHHWRQKRZWRKDYHDJUHDWVDOH
Maps will be available in the Siusalw News, online and at the Florence Visitors Center.
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
Please post signs only on private property with the owner’s consent.
Posting signs on City utility poles, street or signal light poles, and median strips is against the municipal code.
Name ____________________________________Phone____________________________
Address___________________________________Email____________________________
Subdivision name (if any) ____________________________________
Dates (CIRCLE):
Times:
Friday 9/7
Saturday 9/8
Sunday 9/9
___________
___________
___________
15-word description:( Date, times and address are included. Addition words over 15 are $0.50 each.)
Add’l Words
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
Let Paul show you a new car or truck.
Stop by today!
Bring form and payment to 148 Maple St in HIstoric Old Town or
mail to Siuslaw News PO Box 10, Florence, OR 97439
Call 541-902-3526 |ÀRUHQFHFKDPEHUFRP
Deadline is August 29th at 5pm to be included on the map.
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
CONCEALED CARRY
PERMIT CLASS
MULTI-STATE
Sign Up For Fall/ Winter Leagues!
Looking for something different to do
this winter? Break out of your old
routine and join us for good old
fashioned fun at Holiday Bowl.
WA
MT
ME
ND
VT
MN
OR
ID
WI
SD
IA
PA
NE
NV
IL
UT
CO
CA
We have plenty of leagues for
men, women, kids and
social leagues.
League Bowling begins
after Labor Day Weekend!
Everyone is Welcome to Join a League at
Holiday Bowl
Florence, OR • 997-3332
NY
MI
WY
AZ
OH
IN
OK
NM
MO
VA
KY
NC
TN
AR
SC
MS
AL
NJ
MD
WV
KS
GA
TX
LA
NH
MA
CT RI
DE
September 5th
March
2
1pm
& 6pm
1 pm Event
& 6 pm
Florence
Center
Vancouver
Trap St.
Club
715 Quince
11100 NE 76th Street
Walk-in’s welcome.
FL
AK
HONORED
RESIDENT NON PERMIT
NOT HONORED
Multi-State:
Multi-State: $80.00
$80.00
Valid in Included
Washington
Oregon
No Fee
Oregon
Included
No
Fee
Oregon Only: $45.00
Oregon Only: $45.00
Shaun Curtain 360-921-2071
or email: FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com | www.FirearmTrainingNW.com