SIUSLAW NEWS | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 | 3B
Let me Showcase your property.
Wendy Krause
Broker
541 999-7765
Heceta Dunes – Beautiful gated community with
seven lots ranging in size from 5 to 6.47 acres.
Building pad is cleared, utilities available, and
the lot has septic approval. Build your dream
home within minutes of dunes, lakes, and ocean!
Prices range from $180,000 to $215,000. #3237-
21064509
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
COHO from page 1B
fisheries officials in 2003,
it was the first time in 10
years that nonhatchery
coho could be kept at Silt-
coos and Tahkenitch lakes.
Though numbers have
remained stable since
fishing was opened, most
anglers on the two lakes
agree that a few factors
continue to hurt the coho
habitat on Siltcoos and
Tahkenitch.
In 1963, the Interna-
tional Paper (IP) in Gar-
diner was one of the ma-
A weekly roundup of shopping,
savings and doings around town.
BARGAINS OF THE MONTH
TRUE VALUE HARDWARE
1750 HIGHWAY 126
DUNES VILLAGE
SHOPPING CENTER
FLORENCE, OR
PHONE (541) 997-8024
SALE DATE:
SEPTEMBER 1 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
49.99
Black & Decker® 50 pc. 20V
Max* Cordless Drill & Tool Set
#R 268 794 4
O L D S C HO OL
I s i t t i m e f o r a n e w m a t t r e s s ?
M O N D A Y - S A T U R D A Y 1 0 - 5 1 5 5 0 6 t h S t . & H w y 1 0 1
5 4 1 - 9 9 7 - 9 4 2 4 F R E E I N T O W N D E L I V E R Y
jor employers in the area.
The plywood business was
booming, and operations
required a significant in-
crease in water needs for
the mill. It was estimated
at the time that the mill
would guzzle some 8,500
gallons of water a minute.
At the time, that was near-
ly equal to the water needs
of an average winter day
for the entire city of Eu-
gene.
IP owned the water
rights to both Siltcoos
and Tahkenitch and built
dams on each in order to
collect the water for use
at the mill. At the south
end of each lake, giant
pumps were installed to
draw water and send it to
Gardiner. The mill closed
in the late 1990s and in
2016 Industrial Harbor
USA, LLC of Centralia,
Wash., bought the site and
the water rights to the two
lakes. They maintain and
operate the dams to this
day.
The hope was that the
dams would keep water
levels for both lakes nearly
constant the year around
and also provide plen-
ty of water to the mills.
Some hope was lost when
fish numbers seemed to
steadily decrease and the
consensus among locals
who fish for wild coho on
Siltcoos and Tahkenitch is
that the dams are the num-
ber one reason the coho
fishery is so precarious.
Each dam is equipped with
fish ladders for spawning
salmon to transverse the
structures though that is
far from foolproof.
In 2015, ODFW Fish
Passage Program Coor-
dinator Ken Loffink said,
“Both sites (Tahkenitch
and Siltcoos) have dams
that can be partial bar-
riers to native migratory
fish migration. Both sites
also have fish ladders that
provide (or offer) fish pas-
sage at low flows when the
dams are not open. I’ve
LITTLE from page 1B
I scholarships for a given
sport. The ones I know (I
apologize because I know
I missed some) are Steph-
anie Osborne, Haley Hunt,
Ben Vooge, Collin Cram
and Jake Thompson. Of
those athletes, I think only
Thompson and Vooge ad-
vanced to the professional
Make your life easier with HONDA.
Florence Saw Shop is your local
HONDA Power equipment dealer.
Come see our selection of
Generators, Mowers, Tillers and Pumps.
been to both sites and in-
spected the fish ladders
associated with each site
several years ago, and
while not perfect, I found
the ladders to provide fair-
ly good fish passage con-
ditions at both dams. Both
fish ladders are currently
operational and in good
working order, and fish
have the ability to travel
up those if they choose.
Many fish choose not to
use the ladders, though,
and instead wait for a rain
event and travel through
the dam when the dam is
subsequently opened.”
Some locals believe the
dams keep the lake at an
unnaturally low level, in
turn creating less than op-
timal conditions for coho.
Loffink believes this to
be partially true.
“Yes, the dams contrib-
ute to some delay in the
lower river, but I believe
a combination of factors
is going on. In dry years
(such as this year and last
year), there may not be a
strong environmental cue
for fish to travel upstream
until a significant pulse of
freshwater comes down
the system. This also oc-
curs in a lot of our coastal
estuaries, though it is like-
ly more pronounced and
more visible in the small-
er basins such as Siltcoos,
Tahkenitch, Tenmile, etc.,”
said Loffink. “Significant
rains also signal the time
that the dam operators
need to open the gates
at each site to maintain
the proper lake levels. In
general, when fish get a
strong environmental cue
to move upstream from a
rain event, the dam is usu-
ally open to allow for free
passage. When the dam
is closed, the fish ladders
still provide a viable op-
tion for passage as well.
The biggest issue is at Silt-
coos Lake, where the high
tide can flood out the fish
ladder entrance, eliminat-
ing much of the attraction
flow. However, once the
tide goes out again, the
ladder will flow normally
again and produce good
attraction flow.”
These factors, along
with
eutrophication
caused by runoff of land
from construction around
the lake and introduction
of nonnative warm water
species, have certainly cre-
ated a less hospitable envi-
ronment for wild coho but
that doesn’t mean all hope
for success is lost.
Coho average 8 pounds
but can grow significant-
ly larger. The largest wild
coho ever caught in Or-
egon was caught on our
own Siltcoos Lake in 1966
by Ed Martin. It tipped the
scales at 25 pounds, 5.25
ounces.
Even in the best of
times, wild coho are a dif-
ficult catch. It is said that,
on average, it takes 40
hours of fishing to catch
a wild coho on Siltcoos
Lake. But, as Scottish au-
thor John Buchan once
said, “The charm of fish-
ing is that it is the pursuit
of what is elusive but at-
tainable, a perpetual series
of occasions for hope.”
With another fall coho
run approaching, hope
springs eternal this fall on
Siltcoos and Tahkenitch
Lakes.
level.
If the athletes of Siuslaw
High School hope to con-
tinue their sport at a high-
er level, it is a rough road.
Only the hardest workers
have a chance to be noticed
by coaches of a major uni-
versity.
The individuals and
teams of Siuslaw High
School have a difficult task
ahead of them. Being one
of the smallest 4A schools
will challenge you and your
team each week to have suc-
cess.
The path to local im-
mortality is a difficult one.
Only those athletes willing
to work through all the di-
versity with a never say quit
mentality will make it. Go
Viks!
The fall wild coho run
has filled the fishing
resorts around Siltcoos
for as long as anyone can
remember. (Photo cour-
tesy Westlake Resort)
Do you part and volunteer today to
help support these organizations in our
community.
BARGAINS OF THE MONTH
Habitat for Humanity
19.99
-4.00
SALE
PRICE
MAIL-IN
REBATE•
17.99
-3.00
SALE
PRICE
MAIL-IN
REBATE•
FINAL PRICE
10.99
FINAL PRICE
Prestone® 1 gal. Yellow
50/50 Prediluted Antifreeze/
Coolant
#H 674 525 F6
15.99
Zinsser® 1 gal. Primer/Sealer/
Stain Killer
#P 669 630 B4
14.99
Ortho® Gal. Ready-to-Use
Indoor Insect Barrier
#L 262 122 B4
Florence Habitat ReStore
Volunteer to help Florence Habitat forHumanity ReStore.
From customerservice to donation coordination, there’s a volunteer
opportunity for you! Our greatest need right now is cashiers.
We are grateful for your continued support!
541-997-5834 | 2016 Hwy 101, Florence • 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)
18.99
Rubbermaid® 32-Gal. Trash
Can
#W 133 884 F8
67.99
49.99
#P 800 894 1
#R 268 794 4
Black Jack® 4.75 gal. Elasto-
Kool 700 White Roof Coating
Black & Decker® 50 pc. 20V
Max* Cordless Drill & Tool Set
STOCK UP & SAVE MORE AT TRUEVALUE.COM
BARGAINS OF THE MONTH
TRUE VALUE HARDWARE
1750 HIGHWAY 126 • DUNES VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER, FLORENCE, OR
PHONE (541) 997-8024
SALE DATE: SEPTEMBER 1 - SEPTEMBER 30, , 2021
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/
Us Too Florence
Saving men one PSA test at a time. “Someone to talk to...who
understands!”
541-997-6626 • maribob@oregonfast.net
www.ustoofl orence.org
To include your organization in this directory,
please call us @ 541-997-3441