THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM
SATURDAY EDITION | MARCH 21, 2020 | $1.00
T IME
O UT
By Lloyd Little
Retired teacher, coach and
game offi cial
Sports &
Recreation
With more than55 years as an
athlete, coach, parent and specta-
tor, Lloyd Little has gained some
insights and perspectives regarding
athletics. Each week, he shares
what he's learned about sports
from his multiple points of view.
Longevity = success
Calendar
All sporting
activities
at Siuslaw
and
Mapleton
high schools
have been
cancelled
through
April 28
ODFW R EGIONAL F ISHING
R EPORT
www.dfw.state.or.us/RR
MID COAST LAKES:
Stocking of the mid-coast lakes
has begun for the 2020 season.
The first two weeks of February,
several of the mid-coast lakes
were stocked, more stocking are
scheduled for the beginning of
March. Check the stocking
schedule online for dates and
locations of lakes that have been
stocked and will be stocked in the
future. Lakes that are scheduled
to be stocked in February
include: Alder, Dune, Carter,
Lost, Elbow, Cleawox, Munsel,
Siltcoos, Thissel Pond, Big Creek
Reservoirs, Olalla Reservoir and
Devils Lake.
Warmwater fisheries will start
up again when we get some
warmer weather later this spring.
SIUSLAW RIVER: winter
See
FISHING 3B
Tide Tables
Entrance Siuslaw River
High Tide
Low Tide
March 21
11:08am / 6.9
5:22am / 2.5
5:50pm / 0.3
March 22
12:12am / 6.5
11:51pm / 7.0
6:02am / 2.0
6:24pm / 0.4
March 23
12:40am / 6.7
12:30pm / 7.0
6:38am / 1.5
6:55pm / 0.5
March 24
1:06am / 6.9
1:08pm / 6.9
7:12am / 1.2
7:24pm / 0.8
March 25
1:32am / 7.0
1:44pm / 6.7
7:46am / 1.0
7:53pm / 1.2
March 26
1:57am / 7.1
2:22pm/ 6.5
8:19am/ 0.8
8:21pm/ 1.5
March 27
2:23am / 7.1
3:01pm / 6.2
8:54am / 0.7
8:49pm / 2.0
PHOTO BY MORGAN HEIM
Siuslaw Watershed Coucil Executive Director Eli Tome, who left his position last week,
enjoys a quite moment in the watershed he helped manage for the past three years.
W ATERSHED SEEKS NEW DIRECTOR
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
planned to be published in the
coming months.
The website also contains
links to the SWC’s film series
ance and initiating a 401K
program.
“Good things happened,”
Tome said. “Those boring
fter three years work-
administrative
ing in the
things that often
Siuslaw
fall behind for
region, Siuslaw
nonprofits, we
Wa t e r s h e d
were able to bring
Council (SWC)
on to make this a
Executive
livable job and
Director
Eli
make this a place
Tome is voyaging
where someone
north to work at
can build a career
— Eli Tome, SWC executive director
a land trust in
and stay on a
Washington. His
long time.”
final day was last
Plus, in just the past two
week, but he took time to talk “Stories of Restoring the
about the Siuslaw, his time Siuslaw,” which debuted in years, SWC spent more than
here and the stories Siuslaw March 2019 at City Lights $2 million on restoration
Watershed Council is ready to Cinemas after a rollout on the work, which supports 15 to 18
council’s social media. Those local jobs and connects the
share.
“I had the privilege to lead films have now been shown Siuslaw with contractors.
“It feels like it’s a really
an amazing team of folks who around the world.
“We now have a new logo, exciting time to be working
work tirelessly to restore our
river, build community and too, that is more representative here. The council has a lot of
develop the next generation of of the watershed and shows new tools that we didn’t have
environmental stewards for the connection between the before,” Tome said. “And we’re
forest, the fish and the river,” a new face in the community.
our area,” Tome said.
A lot of people have found us
When he joined SWC, the Tome said.
The SWC has accomplished over the past couple years, and
council looked much different
than it does now. It had an a lot in the past three years. have started to engage with us
outdated website, an old logo Tome detailed more on the more and more about the
and people had a hard time organizational facelift, adding land.”
One of those tools is the
connecting to the council’s that the watershed council was
able to add employees and Watershed Exploration Camp
resources.
Shortly after, Tome began to improve its funding situation. each summer. It costs campers
come up with a plan. Now, This included raising enough $75 for a five-day camp, but
siuslaw.org is a well-function- funds to pay a better living ultimately the SWC spends
ing website full of professional wage, giving everyone at the $500 per attendee.
photography, events, resources watershed a 10 percent pay
See TOME 2B
and more — with new projects increase, adding health insur-
Siuslaw News
A
“I had the privilege to lead an
amazing team of folks who work
tirelessly to restore our river...”
Spring Whale Watch Week begins today
The Spring Whale Watch
Week event returns to the
coast today, March 21, and
comnntinues through March
29. During that time, whale
watchers will have a chance to
see the more than 25,000 Gray
whales expected to migrate
north past Oregon over the
next few months.
A map of the whale watch-
ing sites is available online on
the official whale watch web-
page on the Oregon State Parks
website.
A live stream of whale activ-
ity in Depoe Bay returns this
spring too; watch it on the Ore-
gon State Parks YouTube chan-
nel each day during the event,
or catch the archived streams
throughout the week.
This year’s Whale Watch
Week will not include Whale
Spoken Here volunteers sta-
tioned at any of the 24 loca-
tions.
The decision was made
March 13 in an effort to help
slow the spread of the novel
coronavirus (COVID-19.)
Oregon State Parks made
this decision to protect the
health and safety of our volun-
teers and visitors. However,
visitors can still enjoy this
spring break tradition on their
own.
Grab binoculars and visit
one or more of the locations
for whale watching along the
Oregon coast.
More information about
the agency’s response to
COVID-19 is on the official
FAQ page on the Oregon State
Parks website.
Gray whales migrate north
along the coast annually during
spring, following a route to
Alaskan waters after spending
the winter in the warm lagoons
off the coast of Baja, Mexico.
Many of the Gray whales will
be accompanied by their new
calves, born during the winter.
The first large groups of
whales swim by Oregon mid-
March and the migratory
stream typically continues into
June.
For more information about
parks and campgrounds on the
coast, visit oregonstateparks.
org.
Recreational razor clamming closes on central coast
The Oregon Department of
Agriculture (ODA) and the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW) an-
nounce the closure of razor
clam harvesting on the central
Oregon coast.
Recreational and commer-
cial razor clam harvesting
is now closed from Cascade
Head (north of Lincoln City)
to the California border for el-
evated levels of the marine bio-
toxin domoic acid.
Recreational and commer-
cial razor clam harvesting
remains open from the Co-
lumbia River to Cascade Head
(north of Lincoln City).
Bay clams, crab and mussel
harvesting are open along the
entire Oregon Coastline.
See the MyODFW page for
more information on crabbing
and clamming (https://myod-
fw.com/crabbing-clamming)
Call ODA’s shellfish safety
hotline at 800-448-2474 or vis-
it the ODA Recreational Shell-
fish Biotoxin Closures web-
page for the latest information.
Lutero. Dodson. Zahner.
Wartnik.
Siuslaw had only two foot-
ball coaches leading the Vi-
kings for over four decades un-
til it came to a screeching halt
fi ve years ago. Perhaps current
football coach Sam Johnson
will stand the test of time and
renew the stewardship need-
ed to gain the confi dence of
the players and community to
once again become a contend-
er for league and state titles.
Th ere is another combina-
tion of coaches still leading the
Siuslaw wrestlers to success on
and off the mats.
Coach Zahner became
the Siuslaw wrestling coach
in the early 1980’s and when
he left his position has been
well-fi lled ever since by Coach
Wartnik.
Success is not measured by
the amount of paint on the
walls of the Glenn Butler gym.
Th ese four coaches worked to
have their players become pos-
itive members of the Florence
community. Each program
promotes the belief that par-
ticipation in their programs
instills confi dence, teamwork,
diversity and the will to com-
pete until the clock shows zero.
Each sport has clinics for
the youth of Florence. Th ese
clinics use current players as
role models and skill builders.
My wrestling experience is
limited to the two weeks be-
tween winter basketball and
spring track. Since our bas-
ketball team seldom qualifi ed
for post season play there was
a down time. My friend asked
me to try freestyle wrestling
during this down time of my
sophomore year. In the two-
week period I learned basic
moves and was entered into
two tournaments.
My record was 0-4 in that
span.
I was pinned only once by
the David Douglass 6A state
champion. It took him almost
a minute because he kept
throwing me out of bounds.
For two decades, coach Neil
Wartnik has guided the Siu-
slaw program. He continues
today as a positive enthusiastic
mentor to his team. Th e fund-
raising his team does pay for
extras needed for his program.
At every Fourth of July’s annu-
al Wings and Wheels celebra-
tion, you will see the wrestlers
and Coach Wartnik guiding
cars to an available parking
space.
We also have on the Siuslaw
coaching staff Coach Johnson
for cross country and track.
His continued success as the
coach of these two programs
spans nearly three decades.
Just the other day while wait-
ing to pick up my grandchil-
dren, I saw track coach Chris
Johnson running back towards
the high school. Undoubtedly,
he is a role model for his team.
Th e changing of leagues has
placed Siuslaw in the toughest
athletic league in the state. His
team will meet the challenges
ahead of them.
Th e fi ve coaches I have
mentioned, Lutero, Dodson,
Zahner, Wartnik and John-
son have over 130 seasons of
coaching experience for Siu-
slaw High School. Th eir con-
tribution to the development
of these competitive programs
has been and continues to be
benefi cial to our town.