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THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM | WEDNESDAY EDITION | AUGUST 4, 2021 | $1.00
Hobbit Trail and China Creek Loop
On the Trail
By Zeahna Young/Siuslaw News
Siuslaw News
Sports &
Lifestyle
SPORTS
CALENDAR
To add your
activity’s summer
sports schedule,
email Sports
Reporter Zeahna
Young at zyoung@
thesiuslawnews.com
Tide Tables
This summer, recreationists in search of a hike
with multiple path options and the best views the
Central Coast has to offer need look no further
than the Hobbit Trail Loop. Located in the Carl G.
Washburne Memorial State Park, the Hobbit Trail
and China Creek Loop is a four-mile loop that can
be broken into several smaller hikes depending on
the visitor’s preferences.
To complete the full loop as reviewed here, you
should follow the specific instructions for park-
ing and hiking as listed below. There are also tips
on various stopping points that can be chosen
throughout, should a visitor not want to complete
the full loop. Additionally, Carl G. Washburne Me-
morial State Park has a campground, as well as a
smaller parking lot for the Hobbit Trailhead, and
more information for those areas can be found at
stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.pro-
file&parkId=85.
To access the loop trailhead from Florence, peo-
ple can take Highway 101 north and continue past
Heceta Head Lighthouse for about 2.5 miles to the
Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park. Turn left
toward the beach to access the Day Use Area park-
ing lot (the campground can be accessed here by
turning right instead).
Take the one-way road to the right and follow
the path to the parking lot. There is no fee to park,
but there is a four-hour time limit at the Day Use
Area; camping and overnight parking are only al-
lowed at the designated campground. Dogs are al-
lowed throughout the park as long as they remain
on a leash.
Once parked, visitors can follow the designat-
ed path to the beach. There are restrooms and a
picnic area with barbecue pits located before the
See TRAIL page 2B
Located in the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park, the Hobbit Trail and
China Creek Trail Loop is a four-mile loop that winds hikers down the beach and
through the Siuslaw National Forest.
Entrance Siuslaw River
Low Tide
High Tide
August 4
5:21 a.m. / 0.2
11:59 a.m. / 4.4
4:53 p.m. / 2.8
10:40 p.m. / 6.0
August 5
6:06 a.m. / -0.2
12:42 p.m. / 4.7
5:45 p.m. / 2.7
11:27 p.m. / 6.2
August 6
6:46 a.m. / -0.5
1:19 p.m. / 4.9
6:30 p.m. / 2.5
August 7
12:11 a.m. / 6.4
7:24 a.m. / -0.7
1:53 p.m. / 5.1
7:11 p.m. / 2.3
August 8
12:52 a.m. / 6.6
8:00 a.m. / -0.9
2:26 p.m. / 5.3
7:52 p.m. / 2.0
August 9
1:33 a.m. / 6.7
8:35 a.m. / -1.0
2:59 p.m. / 5.5
8:33 p.m. / 1.7
August 10
2:14 a.m. / 6.6
9:09 a.m. / -0.9
3:32 p.m. / 5.7
9:16 p.m. / 1.5
ODFW marine researchers set to begin the state’s first
survey for black, blue, deacon rockfish
NEWPORT—ODFW
re-
searchers are about to embark on
a nearly 10-week at-sea survey of
black, blue and deacon rockfish
in Oregon’s nearshore waters.
The crew of four will use scien-
tific fish finders and underwater
video cameras to count these
highly prized rockfish species in
Oregon.
Leif Rasmuson, lead researcher
on this project, says blue, black
and deacon rockfish have con-
siderable economic value to Or-
egon’s recreational, charter and
commercial nearshore fisheries
but managers need better infor-
mation to effectively manage the
fisheries.
“Right now, we rely on data
from the fisheries to assess these
populations. Our samplers col-
lect harvest information from
recreational, charter and com-
mercial fishers, and we use this
data to estimate populations. But
we need scientific survey data to
generate a better estimate of pop-
ulation size,” Rasmuson said.
The team departed from New-
port early Saturday morning to
begin Oregon’s first fishery-inde-
pendent survey of black, blue and
deacon rockfish near the Wash-
ington border.
Rasmuson and his team con-
ducted pilot study surveys using
scientific fish finders and un-
derwater video cameras at Seal
Rock reef near Newport. They
compared findings to a popu-
lation estimate from an historic
11-year mark-recapture study. In
this way, researchers verified that
their method was effective and
cost effective.
The survey will be conducted
along the entire Oregon coast
over approximately 175 nautical
See ODFW page 2B
A crew of four ODFW
researchers will live
and work on the
Pacific Surveyor col-
lecting data on sever-
al rockfish species.
Firefighting resources at their limit, so follow restrictions or face more closures
SALEM—Nearly 2,000
firefighters are fighting the
640 square mile Bootleg
Fire in Klamath and Lake
Counties, the nation’s larg-
est fire, and few are left to
spare if another fire sparks.
Umatilla National Forest
is closed to all public ac-
cess because if another fire
starts, there are limited re-
sources available to fight it.
Natural resource agencies
are imploring outdoor rec-
reationists to follow all fire
restrictions. Access to pub-
lic land during late summer
and fall depends on it.
“We need the public’s
help in preventing wild-
fires as our resources are
stretched very thin,” said
Todd Forbes, Bureau of
Land Management. “All
human caused wildfires are
preventable if visitors will
just follow the fire restric-
tions that land managers
put in place. These simple
rules will keep you safe and
avoid you being responsible
for accidentally starting a
wildfire. “
THE RULES ARE:
• Campfires prohibited
on many public lands in-
cluding all lands east of I-5.
That includes within desig-
nated campgrounds.
• Only liquid-fueled
camp stoves may be used.
No charcoal briquettes or
other flammable solid ma-
terials are allowed.
• No smoking except in-
side an enclosed vehicle.
• Off-road driving is also
prohibited in most areas,
which includes motorcy-
cles and all-terrain vehi-
cles. Driving on vegetation
could spark a fire.
• Vehicles must have ei-
ther a gallon of water or a
fully charged and opera-
tional 2½-pound fire extin-
guisher and shovel (except
when travelling on state
highways or county roads).
• ATVs must have a
charged and operational
2½ pound fire extinguisher.
• Additional restrictions
as set by landowner.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO -
HOW TO CHECK FOR
ACCESS AND
RESTRICTIONS
Hunters, anglers and oth-
er visitors to public lands
are responsible for checking
on access and restrictions
beforehand. Access and
habitat property closures
are typically announced by
ODFW via press release.
Here are some links to
help:
• Interagency status map
of recreation sites impacted
by fires — wildfire.oregon.
gov/Pages/Recreation-Im-
pacts.aspx —
• Oregon Department
of Forestry fire restrictions
— gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/
Firerestrictions/PFR.html
• National Forests in
Oregon (U.S. Forest Ser-
vice) — www.fs.usda.gov/
visit/forests-and-grass-
lands?state=42
• Bureau of Land Man-
agement — www.blm.gov/
orwafire
• Inciweb for current
fires and fire-related clo-
sures in Oregon — inciweb.
nwcg.gov
• Private forestland
closure information —
ofic.com/private-forest-
land-closures/
ODFW TAG REFUND,
PREFERENCE POINT
REINSTATEMENT
POLICIES DURING FIRE
SEASON
ODFW is closely mon-
itoring access for hunters
as fall seasons approach,
with staff meeting week-
ly to assess the situation.
Currently, southeast Or-
egon pronghorn hunters
are most impacted as their
seasons begin in August.
Pronghorn hunters with a
tag for areas affected by the
Bootleg Fire have been con-
tacted with their options
which include preference
See FIRE page 2B
Happy Summer! It’s been a fabulous summer so far. Very busy in town and for real estate. Th at being said though...it’s a
tough time for real estate. We’re busy but inventory is low and multiple bids on properties are high. Here’s a couple of tips
Be prepared. Make a list of your top 3 must haves and don’t wants in a home. Be prepared to compromise...aim for almost
perfect. If you’re fi nancing, get preapproved, that way you’ll know what your budget is and know what your down
payment and monthly payments will be. Lastly, choose the right agent, your agent will guide you through the steps
to make it a pleasant experience for you.
Call me, I can help.
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
