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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 4, 2020)
THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SATURDAY EDITION | APRIL 4, 2020 | $1.00 T IME O UT Recreation options while social distacing Sports & Recreation By Lloyd Little Retired teacher, coach and game offi cial 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. Diversity Calendar All sporting activities at Siuslaw and Mapleton high schools have been cancelled through April 28 Tide Tables Entrance Siuslaw River High Tide Low Tide April 4 9:27am / 6.9 10:51pm / 6.5 3:41am / 2.8 4:21pm / -0.2 April 5 10:30am / 7.3 11:30pm / 7.1 4:39am / 1.9 5:09pm / -0.4 April 6 11:28am / 7.5 5:31am / 1.1 5:53pm / -0.3 April 7 12:08am / 7.7 12:22pm / 7.7 6:20am / 0.2 6:36pm / -0.1 April 8 12:45am / 8.1 1:15pm / 7.6 7:08am / -0.6 7:18pm / 0.3 April 9 1:23am / 8.4 2:08pm/ 7.4 7:56am/ -1.1 8:00pm/ 0.9 April 10 2:02am / 8.4 3:02pm / 7.0 8:44am / -1.2 8:44pm / 1.5 MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS Florence Golf Links, Ocean Dunes and the Siuslaw Rod & Gun Club are still open to locals. For those looking get fresh air and exercise, local golf courses and gun range are still options while social distancing. B Y M ARK B RENNAN Newspaper headlines have been fi lled with the concept of diversity for the last few years. For students in America, di- versity starts from day one in our education. I, for one, liked math and physical education. Th e schools and teachers threw in ge-ography, English, science, Spanish, history, etc. to make our education diverse and well-rounded. Th is diversity of education was also present in our physi- cal education (PE) classes See LITTLE 3B ODFW R EGIONAL F ISHING R EPORT Siuslaw News T he COVID-19 emer- gency has forced public officials to close most public venues either voluntari- ly or in response to state, county or municipal emergen- cy declarations. Schools are closed and trips to larger cities like Eugene and Coos Bay can only be made for essential rea- sons. Restaurants may be open for take-out or delivery but not for in-house dining; gro- cery stores, with a newly appreciated workforce, are still selling the food and the house- hold goods needed for people to maintain some semblance of normal life while maintain- ing social distancing. This has left many residents feeling a little stir crazy due to the lack of activity options posed by the challenges of COVID-19. As the initial wave of clo- sures and lifestyle shifts have begun to become more famil- iar, some experts are suggest- ing we turn our collective attention to pausing a moment to relax and recharge. The stress of the unknown and disruption of routines can be difficult personally, profes- sionally and spiritually; the cumulative effect of these on the mind and the body can in turn be equally detrimental. One of the best ways to recharge and revitalize is through exercise — which can be a problem with local fitness and workout spaces closed along with state, county and city parks. However, there are a limited number of outdoor recre- www.dfw.state.or.us/RR ational activities. Florence res- idents are fortunate to have at least three outdoor options at this time that still meet social distancing requirements: Florence Golf Links, Ocean Dunes Golf Course and the Florence Rod and Gun Club. All three have posted COVID-19 rules at their respective clubhouses and are actively enforcing the social distance and cleaning proce- dures currently in place. Bob Rannow, PGA Pro at Ocean Dunes, spoke with Siuslaw News about following the guidelines. “It’s challenging to keep people apart, but I am sur- prised how well people are responding and we are pleased to be able to provide an oppor- tunity for people to get outside and get some exercise,” he said. “We are not really mar- keting our golf course at this time, we let members here know we are open — but we are not looking to get folks coming from other areas to golf.” In order to keep golfers as safe as possible, the signage at Florence Golf Links is very specific about acceptable — and more importantly — unacceptable behavior. The most important of the procedures now in place emphasize social distancing by not allowing golfers to share carts with anyone from a different household, and to not touch other players equip- ment, cart or personal items. Sand Traps are also current- ly out of play because the rake needed to smooth the sand after a shot into the bunker could potentially pass infec- tion to someone else. Restrooms on both courses are closed and water fountains have been shut off for the same reasons. Nik Remer is the PGA pro at Florence Golf Links, and while the course is open there are some important points to remember to help maintain the health of employees and members at the club. “All group and tournament See GOLF 2B COVID-19 precautions • To help protect you and others during the COVID-19 pandemic, take the following precautions when fishing: fol- low social distancing guide- lines when bank fishing, only fish from a boat with other members of your household, carry your own hand sani-tiz- er or soap/water, and, if a place is crowded, go some- where else. • Anglers have been catch- ing striped bass in the upper portions of tidewater of the Coquille River. Most of the fish are 20 – 26 inches long. • Fishing for recently stocked and holdover trout has been good in several area lakes and reservoirs including Ben Irving Reservoir, Cooper Creek Reservoir, Empire Lakes, Galesville Reservoir, Garrison Lake and Loon Lake. • Jackson County Parks and ramps are closed, Josephine County Parks day use and boat ramps are open. Learn more about the specific water bodies below. • There are limited boat ramps available in the Upper Rogue. • Lost Creek Lake is a great location to bank fish as trails are open and there is ample bank access. • Bank anglers willing to do a little walking on the Elk See FISHING 2B OSAA discusses potenial cancelation of spring sports this season The OSAA executive board also discussed extending the season and adopted safety guidelines. The OSAA Executive Board held an online meeting Wednes- day to discuss the latest develop- ments regarding the COVID-19 situation. In its meeting, the board decided to continue its current suspension of spring activities but chose not to cancel any other re- maining state championships at this time. “Up to this point, the board has aligned its decisions regarding OSAA’s education-based activities with the Governor’s school clo- sure orders and plans to continue on that path,” said OSAA Execu- tive Director Peter Weber. “Board member discussion centered around the latest information sent out from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) last week stating that there is a very real po- & SHEET METAL, INC. “Your Local Independent Trane Dealer” Florence’s Oldest & Largest Heating Contractor tential that students may not re- turn to school this academic year.” Weber added that if the Gover- nor orders ends in-person student learning for the remainder of the school year, the OSAA will con- tinue to align with the school clo- sures and also cancel its spring ac- tivities and state championships. In the meantime, the OSAA says its staff has been in com- munication with all spring state championship venues and shared potential challenges they are run- ning into. In particular, Western Oregon University has shut down all of its athletic facilities through June 30. That means the facility will not be available to host the 3A, 2A, 1A Track and Field State Championships in May. For now, OSAA is looking into other po- tential track venues to determine optional availa-bility. Board members also discussed the potential of shifting spring ac- tivities and state championships into the summer, “but the board wasn’t supportive of that concept at this time,” Weber said. “Con- cerns include increased staffing See OSAA 3B • Heating Systems • Heat Pumps • Sales / Service • Ductless Heat Pumps 1645 Kingwood ~ Florence • www.trane.com (541) 997-2422 (L-R) Matteo Cocciolo, Owners Krystal & Steve Wolford, Abbie Kimble CCB#64
