SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2019 | 5A
Community Voices
Natural Perspective — For the birds
W
By Emily J. Uhrig, Ph.D
Special to Siuslaw News
ith temperatures dipping,
it’s a good time to stay
indoors, perhaps clutching some
hot chocolate by a fire. While
doing so, you may feel sorry for
the little birds hopping about
outside and decide to offer them
food. Although our local species
are adapted to cope with our cli-
mate, winter can be a challenging
time for birds as food resources
are scarcer and keeping warm in
low temperatures requires extra
energy.
Anyone who enjoys feeding
backyard birds probably notices
their feeders increasing in pop-
ularity during cold weather. In
our area, juncos, chickadees and
other small birds often descend
in droves, sometimes emptying
feeders within hours.
In some ways, such feeding is
beneficial. Studies have shown
that supplementing birds’ natu-
ral food sources with feeders can
increase health and boost winter
survival.
There are also benefits for hu-
mans as bird watching is fun pas-
time and attracting certain birds
may help with insect control.
However, if not done responsi-
bly, there are potential down-
sides to feeding wild birds.
While offering seeds, nuts
or suet can be helpful to birds,
feeding bread should be avoided.
Indeed, the popular childhood
activity of visiting a duck pond
with a loaf of bread can actually
be detrimental. For birds, bread
is like a junk food: it has relative-
ly little nutritional value, and a
bird filling up on bread may have
a reduced appetite for nutritious
foods. Additionally, diets high in
carbohydrates can lead to wing
deformities that affect flight.
Beyond the type of food on
offer, feeder hygiene can affect
birds’ health. Feeders can har-
bor harmful mold and bacteria.
This is a particular concern if the
food has become damp, which
easily happens in our climate.
Feeders can also spread disease
among birds simply by bringing
many individuals together in one
place. To reduce these risks, feed-
ers should be regularly cleaned.
Simply taking them apart and
running them through the dish-
washer is usually sufficient.
Another common hazard
to birds visiting feeders is your
home’s windows. Particularly if
there is a reflection of trees and
sky, birds are prone to colliding
with the glass, often fatally. To
reduce such risks, try affixing de-
cals to the window. Paper snow-
flakes are a seasonally fitting op-
tion, but, if you’re less artistically
inclined, sticky notes work too.
So, if you’re feeding feathered
friends this winter, take a mo-
ment to assess the health and
safety factors. Then sit back with
your cocoa and enjoy!
Military Heritage Chronicles — Civil War in Oregon
Cal Applebee
Special to Siuslaw News
W
hen you mention “Civil
War” these days, par-
ticularly in Western Oregon,
most folks immediately think
of the annual battle between
orange and green, not the bat-
tle between blue and grey that
took place in the southeastern
United States 158 years ago.
Although the annual collegiate
battle first took place nearly as
far back in 1894, other than
the common name reference,
the similarities probably end
there.
However, while none of the
battles from the war between
the states took place here in
Oregon, that doesn’t mean
Oregon didn’t feel the impacts
from that war.
When the real Civil War
started in 1861, Oregon was a
fledgling state, having attained
statehood only two years ear-
lier. The United States Army
already had considerable pres-
ence in Oregon, but primarily
because of conflicts between
the growing number of settlers
who were newcomers and the
multiple native American tribes
around the state, who had been
here first.
As the troop demands for
the Civil War increased, the
North began withdrawing fed-
eral troops to feed that need. To
fill the gap for keeping peace,
volunteer cavalry replacements
were recruited, and the 1st Or-
egon Cavalry was activated in
1862.
While numerous army posts
were established around the
state throughout our early years,
Ft. Stevens was specifically de-
signed to protect the mouth
of the Columbia River from
potential Confederate raiders.
Although the authorization act
for its construction came out of
Congress in 1862, the Civil War
was over before Ft. Stevens was
fully operational. It would how-
ever, go on to play significant
roles in WWI and WWII.
The Civil War left its im-
print on Oregon in other ways,
besides the veterans who are
buried in some of our local
cemeteries. Ft. Stevens itself
was named after Isaac Stevens,
former Governor of Washing-
ton Territory, who, as a Union
Officer, was killed in 1862 in the
Battle at Chantilly.
Harney County in Eastern
Oregon was named after Wil-
liam Harney, a Union Officer
who survived the Civil War, and
known for his pre-war success
with Indian tribes.
Baker County and Baker City
were named after Edward Bak-
er, another Union Officer killed
in 1861 at the Battle of Balls
Bluff.
Closer to home, Lane County
was named after Joseph Lane,
the first Governor of our State,
but who was also a southern
sympathizer and ran unsuc-
cessfully for the vice presidency
against the Lincoln ticket. Even
after his retirement from polit-
ical life to Douglas County, he
remained a believer in separa-
tion of the states.
There are other connections
between Oregon and the Civil
War, and you can hear about
them plus more detail about the
events mentioned here, at our
next Military Heritage Day on
Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Flor-
ence Municipal Airport.
Board Member and Volun-
teer Dave Burkett, a Civil War
living historian, will regale you
with more fascinating tidbits
about this element of Oregon’s
military heritage.
Perhaps at the next collegiate
Civil War match up, you’ll have
a different perspective of that
game’s title!
The Oregon Coast Military
Museum is located at 2145
Kingwood St. in Florence and
is open Wednesday through
Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. You
can learn more at www.oregon
coastmilitarymuseum.com.
Us TOO Florence — My Prostate Cancer Journey – Update & giving back
By Tom Wilson
Special to Siuslaw News
T
he second part of my jour-
ney was first published in
February 2015. After a steadi-
ly increasing PSA (Prostate
Specific Antigen) and three
biopsies, I was diagnosed with
prostate cancer, Gleason Score
7. Nine of the 12 samples were
positive, with seven of them
over 90 percent cancerous.
I decided to be treated with
external beam radiation in-
stead of surgery because there
was a chance that the cancer
had escaped the prostate gland
and radiation, extending be-
yond the prostate, could kill
any cancer in that area.
Because testosterone feeds
prostate cancer, I was offered a
clinical trial to lower my testos-
terone before starting external
beam radiation. The clinical
trial required me to take a pill
every morning to lower the tes-
tosterone instead of an injec-
tion every few months, which
is usually prescribed.
I started my nine-week, 45
treatments at Oregon Urology
Institute’s Radiation Center in
Springfield on March 24, 2015,
ending May 26. The clinical tri-
al to keep my testosterone level
low ended on June 1. At that
time, using a standard PSA test,
my PSA was undetectable, and
my testosterone level was 9. An
average testosterone level is
around 600 and low is anything
under 250.
I continued getting PSA and
testosterone tests monthly for
three months and then was
tested every four months until
March 2016. At that time my
PSA, using an ultra-sensitive
test, was 0.032 and testosterone
had come up to 146. Ultra-sen-
sitive PSA tests continued at
six-month intervals until Feb-
ruary 2018 with PSA results of
0.054 and testosterone 259.
I am now on a one-year
testing schedule and my latest
results, as of January 2019, are
PSA 0.093 and testosterone
301. It’s normal for my PSA
to fluctuate since I still have a
prostate.
My urologist is Dr. Bryan
Mehlhaff from the Oregon
Urology Institute (OUI) in
Springfield. At this time, he
feels that my chances of being
cured are good and recom-
mends that I continue annual
tests for the rest of my life. As
long as my PSA tests do not be-
gin to rise significantly, chances
are that the cancer is gone.
My recommendation is that
all men get a single PSA test
in their mid-40s to establish a
baseline and ensure that their
PSA isn’t elevated, then start
annual testing in their 50s. One
in six men will be diagnosed
with prostate cancer in their
lifetime. It is vitally important
that prostate cancer be caught
early and treated before symp-
toms develop.
Believe me, it’s better to
know than not know.
I continue to attend Us TOO
Florence Prostate Cancer Ed-
ucation and Support meet-
ings monthly because I feel a
responsibility to share (give
back) some of my experienc-
es and knowledge to help men
who are just beginning their
prostate cancer journey, like so
many men did for me when I
began my journey. These meet-
ings are an excellent source of
information for anyone who
has questions or concerns
about their prostate health.
The meetings are attended by
prostate cancer survivors, men
who are undergoing treatment,
have recently been diagnosed
or are just concerned about
their prostate health. Spouses
are encouraged to attend.
The meetings are the sec-
ond and third Tuesday of each
month, the first in the evening
at 5 p.m., attended by Urolo-
gist Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff, and
the second at noon, attended
by Urologist Dr. Roger McK-
immy. Both meetings are held
at the Ichiban Restaurant in
Florence.
Giving back in another way,
I recently started driving the
Friends of Florence bus to Eu-
gene and Springfield. This bus
has been taking patients to the
Willamette Valley Cancer and
OUI’s Radiation Center, Mon-
day through Friday since 1985
and 2008, respectively.
This is a no-cost means of
transportation to and from the
medical centers for people re-
ceiving radiation treatments.
I highly recommend this vol-
unteer job to anyone looking to
help people in our communi-
ty. It doesn’t take a lot of your
time, only one day per month,
and is very rewarding.
If interested, contact Bart
Mealer, 541-997-8663.
oil for the car. Waited in the
car.
Came home. Found glasses
case and searched for sun-
glasses.
Instead, found bananas in
pantry where I hid them from
myself, under cards and pa-
pers that I whisked from the
counter before guests arrived.
The bananas were too rotten
even for banana bread. (Un-
fortunately, I accused some-
one of stealing them!)
Disposed of the bananas.
Looked for sunglasses.
Found the glasses next to the
basin where I combed my
hair.
Ralph grinned. “See! I told
you that you had accom-
plished a lot, I counted 20
items on your list.”
What do you think? Did I?
The Moral of the Story — A Very Busy Day
By Karen D. Nichols
Special to Siuslaw News
A
fter reading a joke on an
email about fogey for-
getfulness, I was motivated to
write this true tale of woe.
Yesterday, I told Ralph that
I was really mad that I hadn’t
accomplished a damn thing
all day!
Nothing!
Ralph scratched his head.
“That simply isn’t true! Just
think back at everything
you’ve done. You’ll see.”
So, here’s my list.
Got up. Took a swim. Dried
and dressed.
Couldn’t find bananas.
Ate
breakfast
anyway.
Cleared the breakfast table
while Ralph loaded the dish-
washer. Answered emails.
Froze gravy and chicken to
make a potpie later. Assem-
bled and packed food to give
to a friend.
Was temporarily indis-
posed. Combed hair. Brushed
teeth. Lost sunglasses.
Looked for sunglasses but
gave up.
Assisted Ralph in finding
Friend’s house and avoiding
hump in driveway. Delivered
food. Hugged Friend and said
we’d see each other soon.
Hung out with Ralph on his
drive to the gas station and
waited while the tank filled.
Accompanied Ralph to buy
The moral of the story:
Something is not nothing.
Always Something Happening
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WHAT’S COMING UP:
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in Our Community.
Nicole Henry
Thank You.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with this
generation’s First Lady of Jazz.
February 14th 7 p.m.
FEC Indoor Yard Sale
February 23rd, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m
www.edwardjones.com
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