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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2020)
SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2020 | 5A Community Voices Siuslaw Natural Perspective — Herons on the bank By Emily J. Uhrig, Ph.D Special to Siuslaw News S ummer is here, but 2020 is not the year for long-distance va- cations. Staying local, however, offers more opportunities to look closer at the parts of nature we usually pass right by. Head out along our rivers or lakes, for in- stance, and you’ll likely see some of our most striking, yet overlooked birds: the herons. The group of birds called herons includes both herons and egrets, and Oregon has several species of each. In our area, you’re most likely to see great blue herons and great egrets. Standing over 4 feet high and with a wing- span of around 6 feet, great blue herons live up to their grand name. Great egrets are slightly smaller in stat- ure, and their brilliant white plumage is a stark contrast to the herons’ duller blue-gray. In flight, herons hold their necks in an S-shaped curve, distinguishing them from other gan- gly species like cranes, which fly with out- stretched necks. As wading birds, her- ons and egrets are found near the banks of riv- ers and lakes. They use their dagger-like beaks to stab prey, including fish, frogs, small mam- mals, even other birds — essentially anything within reach and able to fit in their beak is a po- tential menu item. The sharp beak can be dangerous to humans venturing too close, but keep your distance and you needn’t worry. Herons, like fish- ermen, generally use a sit-and-wait tactic, standing patiently for long periods until prey approaches. Some her- on species hurry dinner along by using insects or twigs as bait to lure in fish. Whatever herons catch, they swallow whole, but that strate- gy has risks, and herons have choked to death attempting to swallow large prey. While some herons feed in groups, great blue herons tend to live a socially-distanced ex- istence most of the year. They forage alone and chase intruders from their territories. When breeding, however, her- ons assemble in colo- nies called rookeries. A single tree can hold multiple nests, but jab- bing beaks still main- tain distance between neighbors. Each nest contains several eggs, but they may not all reach adulthood. Predators, like rac- coons, pose little threat to adult herons but can decimate nests. Summer is the time when young herons come of age and leave the nest; great blue her- ons head out around mid-June and egrets leave a little later. So, if you’re looking for some nature view- ing, know that you needn’t go far from home. Have a look along our waterways and appreciate wildlife you normally pass by. You may even see some young herons striking out on their own. News + Us TOO Florence — Behind the headlines urologist Dr. Bryan Me- hlhaff, US TOO Florence meetings have been on hold, like other groups. Now we are into June and currently have no planned date to regroup. However, we are still available for those who are seeking information. All one has to do is reach out… By Bob Horney Such was the case on Special to Siuslaw News the recent morning of ollowing our March June 8. I received a call 12 meeting with from a man in Florence F seeking specific prostate cancer treatment infor- mation. He and his wife had recently moved to Florence. This meant the urol- ogist he was seeing in Medford is still a couple hundred miles away - a full day’s trip if a Tele- Med visit is not appro- priate. A suspicious DRE led to a robotic prostatec- tomy in July 2007. Fol- lowing surgery, his PSA Faith – Friendship - Fellowship – Fun CHURCH DIRECTORY To include your organization in this directory, please call us @ 541-997-3441 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 2705 Munsel Lake Rd, Services 10 AM Sunday All are welcome! 541-999-1979. Bishop Larry Farnsworth FOURSQUARE CHURCH 1624 Highway 101 (next to A&W) –- 997-6337 Pastor George Pagel – Something for the entire family. Sun. Services: 10:45 a.m., Wed. Bible Study 6pm-7pm Website:florence4square.com COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH 4590 Hwy. 101, Across from Fred Meyer –- 997-7418 Sunday School, 9:30a.m. – Worship, 10:45 Wed. Prayer - 6:00 p.m. – Wed. Ministries 1-8 Grade 7 p.m. NEW LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH, E.L.C.A. 21st & Spruce Street – 997-8113 Pastor Rachel Simonson – All are welcome Sermons are on YouTube at https://youtu.be/jcTJVWp_6ps. www.florencenewlife Lutheran.org CROSS ROAD ASSEMBLY OF GOD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF THE SIUSLAW Corner of 10th & Maple- 541-997-3533 3996 N Hwy 101 997-7136 Sunday Live Services: 9am & 11am Traditional Worship Service 10:00 a.m. , (please pre-register) Reverend Greg Wood Facebook Streaming: 11am Sunday morning Worship services and all group meetings https://www.florencecrossroadag.org/church-online in the church have been temporarily Other platforms update after the service. suspended at least until the end of March. florencecrossroadag.org Our 10am Sunday worship service will be available office@florencecrossroadag.org via Zoom using your phone, tablet or computer. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH - SBC Church members and friends will be called 1935 25th St. – 997-7660 • Pastor, Ron Allen this week and given phone in/logon information. Services on Facebook live You can also call the church office for this Sunday’s at 11:00 am information. Wednesday’s at 6:00 pm All Welcome. Come as you are. All Bible studies held at the church including Sunday morning, Thursday Ladies study, and RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS) Children’s Programs are suspended. “War is still not the answer.” FCNL Blessings on you and your family. Since we meet in homes, we are taking a mindful pause. Call 997-4237 or 902-9511 for information. FLORENCE CHRISTIAN CHURCH RESURRECTION LUTHERAN CHURCH, 2nd & Ivy – 997-2961 –Non-Denominational L.C.M.S. Services suspended this week. We will continue Every Sun., Bible Class 9 a.m., Worship Service 10 a.m. to meet as The Church through our Community 85294 Hwy. 101 S. – 997-8038 Groups. We are working on options for you and will DVD of Weekly worship service available. communicate that with you soon. Pastor Randy Benscoter FLORENCE CHURCH OF CHRIST ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH Pre-Denominational (Romans 16:16) 2135 19th St. –- 997-6600 1833 Tamarack Street 8:30am, Tuesdays, Morning Prayer (2 blocks east of Hwy. 101 on 18th St.) Sunday Services: 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. - Wed, 11 a.m. Bible Study: Sunday 10 a.m.; Worship: Sunday 11 a.m. Everyone Welcome – Come walk our Labyrinth. www.churchofchristflorence.org FLORENCE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE 12th and Nopal – 997-9020 Services will be available via YouTube. Follow the link at http://florencenaz.church/ SAINT MARY, OUR LADY OF THE DUNES CATHOLIC CHURCH 1.5 miles south of river on Hwy 101 – 997-2312 COVID-19 Compliant Masses have been scheduled. Please call our office for details. FLORENCE EVANGELICAL CHURCH 1318 Rhododendron Dr. • 541-997-2523 Sunday Service 11am ( Children Sunday School) Mid-Week Activities, all ages. FLORENCE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 2nd & Kingwood • (541) 997-6025 Link to Sunday services at www.florenceunitedmethodist.org or find us on Facebook. hormonal therapy is very personal. Some men will suffer most of the side effects listed above while other men will sail right through with few to no side effects. There seems to be no way to know what one’s reaction will be until it is administered. Hormonal therapies, including El- igard, are not a cure for prostate cancer. Given enough time, prostate cancer often learns how to resume spreading without testosterone. Knowing that my call- er was going to need more information than what our hormone ther- apy users could give him, I sent an email the same day (June 8) with the caller’s history to Dr. Bryan Mehlhaff, our go-to-urologist at Ore- gon Urology Institute. It didn’t take long to get a response and agreed to see him in Florence the next day. Dr. Mehlhaff comes to Florence only the 2nd Tuesday of each month, so our timing was unbe- lievable. Also, he and his wife had seen the repeat- ing Us TOO Florence ad in the Siuslaw News — “Someone to talk to…who understands” — and often considered calling me. That morn- ing his wife placed the ad right in front of him and he made the call. When I called him June 9, I got his report. Rather than start him on a whole-body thera- py, i.e. Eligard, Dr. Mehl- haff suggested a whole- body scan to see if they can pin-point what ex- actly was responsible for the rapid increase in his PSA; there are treatment options, depending on what the scan finds. To be continued… Here’s your chance to have a bit of history for just $3! Th e Blast From Th e Past Rhododendron Festival Buttons are a fun memory from the year of COVID. You can get yours at the Siuslaw News Offi ce on Maple Street in Old Town Florence. FLORENCE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST 4445 Hwy 101 (South of Fred Meyer) – 997-3951 Worship on Saturday 10:30 A.M. Adult/Children’s Sabbath School 9:15 A.M. FLORENCE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP 87738 Hwy 101 at Heceta Beach Road All are welcome to explore the answer. In lieu of our regular service, we will be videotaping the sermon and have it available from YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UC1h3s3lhuRKRCXNxbF8H3Nw). www.FlorenceUUF.org - (541) 997.2840 was 0.05; in 2017 it was 1.079. After a brief stop at about 4.0 in 2018 it was onward to 6.260 in September 2019 and doubling to 12.44 in April 2020. Based on that PSA in- crease and his original Gleason Score, which he doesn’t recall, his Medford urologist sug- gested he consider start- ing on Eligard. This is a hormonal prescription medicine given by sub- cutaneous injection. Eligard is one of those hormonal medicines that lowers a man’s tes- tosterone thereby rob- bing the prostate cancer of its source of food for growth. Just considering the side effects of Eligard and hormonal therapy in general is enough to give a man pause. The most common side effects include hot flashes/sweats, fatigue, weakness, muscle pain, dizziness, clamminess, testicular shrinkage, de- creased erections and enlargement of breasts. Another potential side effect, the thinning of bones (osteoporosis), can lead to fractures. Urologists are well aware of this and will often prescribe a bisphospho- nate such as Prolia along with hormone therapy. Living in Florence and driving to Medford just for an injection didn’t make much sense. His call to me was looking for information that men in Us TOO Florence might have from personal ex- perience with Eligard. Our group has had many men on hormonal therapies over the years and a few of them are on one right now. One thing we have found over the years is that a man’s reaction to Give us a call 541-997-3441 to get us your updates or email to: mberg@thesiuslawnews.com www.shoppelocal.biz
