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Siuslaw News
VOL. 129, NO. 91
NEWS &
VIEWS THAT
DEFINE OUR
COMMUNITY
F LORENCE , O REGON
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY EDITION | NOVEMBER 13, 2019 | $1.00
Postal Customer
Florence, Ore. 97439
INSIDE — SPORTS
Census hiring
process begins
Honoring our veterans
Workers needed for
local canvassing
By Mark Brennan
Siuslaw News
Partly sunny with
a high of 63 and a
low tonight of 46.
Full forecast on A3
COMMUNITY
Kiwanis prepares
for free Community
Thanksgiving Dinner
INSIDE — A3
SPORTS
Football post-season
ends for local teams
INSIDE — SPORTS
RECORDS
Obituaries &
emergency
response logs
Inside — A2
KID SCOOP
Activities and
comics every
Wednesday
Inside — B5
CLASSIFIEDS
The United States Census Bu-
reau has been making preparations
to conduct the 2020 Census for the
better part of the past two years. The
next stage of the process begins this
month with the initiation of a na-
tionwide recruitment program with
the stated goal of hiring more than
500,000 workers across the United
States to conduct the census.
The hiring and training of work-
ers for the 2020 Census has begun in
earnest as the Census Bureau is now
actively seeking applicants for these
positions. In the Pacific Northwest,
tens of thousands of workers will be
needed for a variety of different jobs
related to the accurate description
and counting of everyone in the state
and the region.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown recently
released a statement on the impor-
tance of participation in this year’s
census.
“The decennial (2020) census is
the foundation of our democracy and
an integral component to making
sure that families across Oregon have
the resources they need to thrive. As
governor, I am committed to work-
ing with both public and private
partners across Oregon to make sure
we have a fair and accurate census,”
Brown said, “From more dollars for
our schools and hospitals to ensuring
our roads are safe and well kept, the
census has a profound and significant
effect in the everyday lives of all Ore-
gonians. An accurate census not only
allows us to have better representa-
tion in congress but it also tells the
story of Oregon — who we are and
where we are going. Make yourself
count in 2020.”
The U.S. Constitution mandates
that a census of the population be
conducted once every 10 years.
See CENSUS page 6A
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F
lorence area veterans were
the focus of recognition and
appreciation at a number of
events on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
The weather cooperated this
year with mostly sunny skies and
a slight breeze, drawing hundreds
to Historic Old Town to enjoy the
highlight of the day: the 13th an-
nual Veteran’s Day Parade.
Earlier in the day was a well-at-
tended ceremony at the Florence
Elks Lodge, during which former
Mayor Roger McCorkle spoke el-
oquently on the sacrifices made
by veterans and their families. The
Elks have made it their mission to
support veterans in a number of
ways including scholarships, mon-
etary and housing assistance.
This year’s Grand Marshal float
honored World War II veterans
from all five services.
Members of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, Disabled American
Veterans, Daughters of the Amer-
ican Revolution, the American
Legion, Coast Guard Station Siu-
slaw River, Oregon Coast Military
Museum and others rode in Jeeps,
on floats and in boats down Bay
Street, waving to the many fami-
lies and visitors that lined the pa-
rade route.
In addition, the Siuslaw High
School Band performed in the pa-
rade, adding an upbeat and rous-
ing musical element to the after-
noon’s festivities.
See more photos
on page 7A
Natural Perspective — Bear in Mind ‘A tough year
are black bears; the state’s last cal changes, including decreas-
for bears in
official sighting of their larg- ing their heart rate to as few as 8
er cousin, the grizzly, was in beats per minute, which has led
the 1930s. Despite their fear- scientists to conclude that bears
Dunes City’
some-looking teeth, black bears indeed hibernate; they simply
Listings and public
notices
Inside — B6
/S IUSLAW N EWS
Photos By Jared Anderson,
Mark Brennan & Chantelle Meyer
Siuslaw News
S IUSLAW N EWS
2 S ECTIONS | 20 P AGES
C OPYRIGHT 2019
By Emily J. Uhrig, Ph.D
Special to Siuslaw News
Winter is approaching, and
wildlife are preparing for the sea-
son. While most of these prepa-
rations proceed without much
notice from us, they sometimes
encroach into our lives. Bears,
for instance, busy bulking up for
winter, have been quite active re-
cently around Florence.
Our local bears, and any
throughout Oregon these days,
are typically omnivorous, with
plants making up a large part of
their diet. Their love of berries
makes black bears key players in
forest ecology as they disperse
seeds throughout the woods in
their droppings.
Any mention of bears and
winter brings to mind hiberna-
tion, yet scientists have debated
whether the bears’ dormancy pe-
riod is really hibernation. Unlike
so-called true hibernators, such
as squirrels, bears do not show
extreme drops in body tem-
perature during dormancy. By
maintaining near-normal tem-
peratures, bears can rouse more
readily to deal with potential
threats. Dormant bears do, how-
ever, undergo other physiologi-
use a different strategy than
many smaller hibernators.
For female bears, winter is an
important period for reproduc-
tion. While black bears mate in
summer, fertilized eggs don’t
immediately implant within the
uterus; instead, the embryo’s de-
velopment is put on hold until
about November. Gaining weight
for winter is, therefore, doubly
important for females as their
bodies will be supporting devel-
oping young.
Cubs are born in the den
during January or February
and emerge in spring with their
mother, who will keep a protec-
tive eye on them for around 17
months.
See FACTS page 6A
APARTMENT FOR RENT
Alcove: 400 square feet.
Private bath and kitchenette, storage
and plenty of natural light.
Smaller, but oh so cute and cozy!
Wildlife sightings
continue in area
By Jared Anderson
Siuslaw News
It was around a month ago
when the bear broke into a home
in Dunes City.
“A couple who live on Wood-
land Lane came downstairs to
have breakfast and they found a
bear in the kitchen,” Dunes City
Administrator/Recorder Jamie
Mills said. “Apparently, he broke
in through a sliding glass door in
the back and was hungry. It had,
of course, torn everything up.”
The couple called the Oregon De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife
See BEARS page 6A
541.997.8202
shorewoodsl.com
15th & Spruce,
just off Highway 126