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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2021)
2 B | SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021 | S IUS LAW NEWS TIDEPOOL from page 1B Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve Collaborative Tour Guide Liz Lemhouse finishes her Tidepool Ambassador Tour as visitors explore the area. the mussel and pry open the shell, then they insert themselves and eat the mussel,” Lemhouse said. “Their mouth is at the bottom,” continued Du- Bois, “and they’ll take their mouth out and put it inside of the animal. They have an acidic digestive system, so it liquefies the meat.” The ochre sea stars are quite resilient and will re- generate if part of them breaks off, which happens often when sea birds man- age to grab them and eat part of their bodies. Unfor- tunately, if a sea star gets stuck on its back, it is less autonomous. “If the sea star is on a rock, it is easier to propel itself and flip back over, but if it’s stuck in the sand, all of their feet are on the bottom, so they get stuck,” said Lemhouse. “That’s why we flip them over as we see them.” Visitors to the tidepools can assist the prone ochre sea stars by gently turning them over so their many tube feet can access the rocks or sand, but they should not hold or play with the sea stars for any longer than it takes to care- fully place them back on their feet. In addition to the ochre sea stars, there is an abun- dance of green sea anem- ones in the tide pools, as well as California and blue mussels. Because there are so many California mus- sels, visitors are allowed to harvest them, but they are the only animal that may be harvested at the reserve. “The reserve is a no-take zone with the exception of mussels,” said Lemhouse. So, although people may find red rock and several other types of crab in the tidepools, they are off lim- its. “You can gently hold or touch them, but you have to put them back,” she said. The tidepools also fea- ture various nudibranchs, including sea lemons and frosted tip nudibranchs, as well as limpets, barnacles and tidepool sculpin. “Sculpin broadcast spawn, so they release their [reproductive matter] into the water,” said Lem- house. “They will adapt to their surroundings, so they change color depending on that; they blend in with whatever is near them.” Along the tour, you will also see various seaweeds, including, but not limited to, feather boa kelp, sea palm seaweed, flat leaf kelp and hairy seaweed. You might also happen upon the sea squirt, whose col- or varies from white and yellow to orange and red, as well as the chiton, a noc- turnal mollusk. We are open for dine-in, take-out, sidewalk & patio seating We are doing everything we can to safely serve our community. We are open: Noon to 8pm every day 2020 VOTED F BEST O E summer,” she said, “but I’ve worked with them in the past because I worked with the Forest Service, and we collaborated on different projects.” In addition to her in- ternship with the Siuslaw National Forest, Lemhouse spent a year in Alaska for an internship that pre- pared her a great deal for her experiences as a ma- rine life educator. At this point, the Ma- rine Reserve’s ambassador programs have been quite popular and the scheduled tours are full, although tour guides are generally in the area of the tours from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. to an- swer questions and speak with visitors. “So far, I’d say it’s a suc- cess and it’s a lot of fun,” Lemhouse said. Tours began in May, and although the sign-up rate was slow to start, it filled up fast. “At the beginning, noth- ing,” she said. “Then, as soon as we did our first couple of tours, everyone heard about it, and they [filled right up]!” As far as planning the curriculum, tour guides get to use their expertise and knowledge to tailor classes to each group on the day of the tour. Each guided tour will differ with every visit, so participants will experience something new each time. “Once we get hired on or we find volunteers, we do a day training,” said Lem- house. “We did a Zoom training this year, and then we go out in the field and kind of learn as we go. And we plan the curriculum on our own. We come out here and decide whatever we want to do that day.” The tour at Bob Creek State Park allows visitors to experience spectacular tide pool reserves. In winter when the tides are highest, the majority of the beach at the park is covered by the ocean all the way up to the parking lot. However, in the summer when the tides are lowest, visitors can ex- perience a vast expanse of marine life in their unique habitats. One of the most breath- taking sights is the massive number of ochre sea stars in the area, many of which perished during the sea star wasting disease back in 2014. According to Lemhouse, “Ochre sea stars are start- ing to rebound somewhat from the sea star Wasting Disease, so it’s great to see them back up and around.” The ochre sea stars are more readily found at Bob Creek than further north at the Yachats State Park. “In Yachats, unless the tides are really low, you don’t see a lot at that loca- tion, so it depends where the tides are,” said DuBois. “But we do our sea star survey out of Yachats State Park during the summer, and this summer we’ve ac- tually noticed some mild wasting disease at our spots that we monitor ev- ery time.” They will have to keep a vigilant watch to ensure the wasting disease doesn’t spread, but for now, at Bob Creek, the sea stars are plentiful. “Ochre sea stars are the most prevalent ones in the tide pools,” DuBois added. The ochre sea stars can be recognized from a dis- tance due to their vibrant orange and purple colors. “Their color is genetic, so it just depends on who their mom and dad were,” said Lemhouse. At the tide pools, you can even catch them eating the local California mus- sels from the rocks. “They’ll wrap around F LO E N C R 1285 Bay Street, Old Town Florence (541) 902-8338 www.1285Restobar.com NOTICE We’re buying used cars, trucks and SUV’s. Any make or model, paid for or not. Please call today for quote. All quotes by appointment only. Johnston Motor Company “During the day they don’t move,” said Lem- house, “and at night when it’s dark, they’ll feed so the birds don’t find them; it’s too easy for the seagulls to find them during the day.” Visitors may also see tube worms and various sponges, in addition to beautiful black turban snails, who have black bodies and purple shells, as well as purple sea urchins. “We have an overabun- dance of sea urchins, but they’re all in the kelp for- est, so they’re killing all of the kelp right now,” said Lemhouse. “And we don’t have the sea otters to help out.” In addition to the abun- dant sea life, visitors can explore the secret caves at Bob Creek when the tides are low, just walk south on the beach and the caves are accessible. With respect to safety at the tide pools, remember never to turn your back on the ocean and step slowly and lightly as it is a fragile and slippery area. Visitors should try to step on bare spots and not on plants or animals, or in the pools. Animals can be easily in- jured, so try not to remove them from the rocks. In addition, if you are unable to attend the am- bassador tours on the scheduled days, the CPM- RC has other programs to participate in this summer to enjoy the tide pools and Cape Perpetua Marine Re- serve. “We also just launched a Marine Reserve Ambassa- dor Program out of Smelt Sands up in Yachats on the weekends,” said DuBois. “We set up a table and chat with folks that come by and share information about the marine reserve and the culture, and an- swer questions. “It’s happening now through August, and any- one can show up and folks are always going to be there at the table.” The Collaborative is also sponsoring beach clean- up days at Cape Cove, the next of which will be on Wednesday, Aug. 11. For information on event dates and times, visit the CPMRC’s events calendar at capeperpetuacollabora- tive.org/events/. For more information on supporting the Collective, and to learn about what’s coming up in the fall, visit capeperpetu- acollaborative.org/ SUMMER SPECIAL $1000 OFF THE FIRST MONTH RENT FOR MOVE IN DURING JUNE AND JULY Contact us today to set up a tour or to receive an informational packet DeAnn Hawkins, Community Relations Director (541)997-6111 DHawkins@spruce-point.com FLORENCE FOOD SHARE Here to alleviate hunger and enhance the health and dignity of people in Lane County. Because no one should go hungry. Procedure for pick-up once qualifi ed: 1. A staff member will greet you in front of the building OR, you can call our phone line when you are in our parking lot. If you would like to speak with our greetings staff face to face, a correctly worn mask and adhering to 6-foot social distancing guidelines is required to receive service. 2. The staff member will talk you through our daily menu of selectable options. 3. The staff will pass your choices to our team of volunteers inside the building. They then fi ll your shopping cart with both your selections and other availalbe items. 4. The cart is then wheeled out of the building to your location in the parking lot. Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30am-1pm • Mon & Wed: 4pm-6pm Sat. 10am-1pm 2190 Spruce Street Florence, OR 97439 (541) 997-9110 fl orencefoodshare.org Do you part and volunteer today to help support these organizations in our community. Habitat for Humanity Florence Habitat Volunteer Opportunities: AM shift is 9-1, PM shift is 1-5 ReStore Cashier: Wed. PM & Sat. PM • ReStore; Donation Processor: Tue. PM, • Thursday and Saturday both shifts; Construction: If you are a novice or a professional builder, we can use your help! Contact Ivy 541-902-9227 ext. 101 • www.fl orencehabitat.org Helping Hands Coalition We are in need of volunteers on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. We need volunteers to serve food, set up for meals and also prepare meals beginning at 11:00 am and fi nishing at 2:00pm. New Location: Community Baptist Church, 4590 Hwy. 101, Florence (Across from Fred Meyer) Oregon Coast Humane Society relies heavily on volunteers. There are many opportunities to volunteer and a variety of skills and talents are always in need. Volunteer interest forms may be found online, at the shelter and at our Thrift Shop on Bay Street. www.oregoncoasthumanesociety.org/volunteer/ Senior & Disability Services (A division of Lane Council of Governments) YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Senior & Disability Services is looking for volunteers for our Senior Connections Programs and Senior Meals Programs—Meals on Wheels and Café 60-- in Florence! No experience is necessary. As a volunteer, you will be taught on how to help those in our community through the volunteering opportunity that best suites you. For more information, please call 541-682-3353. Us Too Florence Since 1939 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 Saving men one PSA test at a time. “Someone to talk to...who understands!” 541-997-6626 • maribob@oregonfast.net www.ustoofl orence.org