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THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY EDITION | JULY 21, 2021 | $1.00
Siuslaw News
Sports &
Lifestyle
Seeing the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area from sandrail gives recreationists a view of the dunes and the Pacific Ocean
south of Florence.
SPORTS
CALENDAR
Sandland Adventures is ‘dune’ it right
To add your
activity’s summer
sports schedule,
email Sports
Reporter Zeahna
Young at zyoung@
thesiuslawnews.com
Tide Tables
Entrance Siuslaw River
Low Tide
High Tide
By Zeahna Young/Siuslaw News
Just south of the Siuslaw River Bridge on the
west side of Highway 101 is Sandland Adven-
tures. Owned and operated by Chris and Dar-
la Hague, the company was created in 1986 by
Chris’s parents, Larry and Ilene, who originally
started it as a rental company.
Currently, the company offers speedy sandrail
tours on buggies that carry up to seven passen-
gers, as well as giant dune buggy tours that hold
as many as 27 passengers. The park also features
a miniature golf course, go karts, bumper boats
and train rides.
After the logging industry was shut down in
the area, Larry and Ilene, who were still fair-
ly young at the time for retirement standards,
bought a company that had vehicles and started
renting them out. Two or three years after start-
ing, the business began to morph into a tour
company.
“Originally, when we had the rentals, we
needed buggies to go out and rescue people,”
said Chris. “People would break down on the
See SANDLAND page 2B
Gage Miller describes the topography and history of the Oregon Dunes National
Recreation Area while leading a sandrail tour for Sandland Adventures.
July 21
5:40 a.m. / -1.0
5:14 p.m. / 2.3
12:11 p.m. / 4.9
11:10 p.m. / 7.3
July 22
6:33 a.m. / -1.5 -46
1:06 p.m. / 5.2
6:14 p.m. / 2.2
July 23
7:22 a.m. / -1.7
7:10 p.m. / 2.1
12:04 a.m. / 7.4
1:55 p.m. / 5.5
July 24
8:08 a.m. / -1.7
8:02 p.m. / 1.9
12:57 a.m. / 7.4
2:39 p.m. / 5.7
July 25
8:53 a.m. / -1.6
8:53 p.m. / 1.7
1:47 a.m. / 7.2
3:21 p.m. / 5.8
A Sandland Adventures tour group pauses to take in the
ocean while on a sandrail tour of the Oregon Dunes.
Commission uplists marbled murrelets from ‘threatened’ to ‘endangered’ status
On July 9, the Oregon
Fish and Wildlife Commis-
sion voted 4-3 to reclassify
the marbled murrelet from
Threatened to Endangered
under the state’s Endan-
gered Species Act.
A total of 28 people
testified for and against
uplisting the murrelet, in-
cluding several panelists
invited to testify.
The Oregon Endan-
gered Species Act (ESA)
sets out criteria and pro-
cedural requirements that
apply to the commission’s
determination on wheth-
er to reclassify a species.
To reclassify or uplist the
marbled murrelet as En-
dangered, the commission
must determine that since
1995 (when the species
was listed as Threatened),
the likelihood of survival
of the species has dimin-
ished such that the species
is in danger of extinction
throughout any significant
portion of its range within
Oregon.
Per Oregon ESA criteria
and procedural require-
ments,
commissioners
first voted 4-3 in deter-
mining that survival of
the species has diminished
such that marbled mur-
relets are in danger of ex-
tinction throughout any
significant portion of its
range within Oregon and
that state lands can play a
role in the conservation of
the species.
They then voted 4-3 on
determining that the fol-
lowing two factors exist:
Most populations are
undergoing imminent or
active deterioration of
their range or primary
habitat; and
Existing state or federal
programs or regulations
are inadequate to protect
the species or its habitat.
Commission
Chair
Mary Wahl noted the risks
of changing ocean condi-
tions on the seabird’s food
supply and wildfires as a
factor in her decision to
vote yes to uplist.
Commissioner
Kath-
ayoon Khalil noted that
conservation
measures
are only voluntary for the
Threatened seabird in her
decision to vote yes to
uplist.
As part of the uplisting
requirements, the com-
mission also voted 5-1 to
adopt amended survival
guidelines as proposed by
staff.
With the marbled mur-
relet uplisted to Endan-
gered, state natural re-
source agencies that own,
manage or lease lands
with murrelet habitat are
required to develop an en-
dangered species manage-
ment plan and submit for
approval by the Commis-
sion within 18 months of
uplisting.
To see all the public
testimony and full dis-
cussion between commis-
sioners, a recording of the
Zoom meeting is available
at https://youtu.be/Pqfad-
PM9V_c.
Learn more about the
marbled murrelet in Or-
egon at www.dfw.state.
or.us/wildlife/hot_topics/
marbled_murrelet.asp.
A Marbled Murrelet floats on the sea. (Photo by: Martin Raphael, U.S. Forest
Service)
Happy summer to all!
It’s been a busy time for everyone in town. Remember to have patience at retail businesses who are
struggling for help, especially the restaurants.
As for real estate, sales are still brisk, but demand for homes for far outweighs supplies.
If you need help buying or selling your home, give me a call.
I am the guidance and journey for your real estate needs.
100 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR • 541.997.7777
Lynnette Wikstrom
Broker
“We’re next to the Bridge.”
lynnette@cbcoast.com · Cell: 541.999.0786
COAST REAL ESTATE
