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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2015)
8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL July 8, 2015 High water temps stressful on fi sh, says ODFW Stop the fawn-napping: ODFW reminds people to not pick up fawns or other young wildlife One fawn had to be euthanized due to malnutrition and its over- all poor condition. Western Oregon’s black-tailed deer give birth in early June. Similar to many wild species, they will leave newborn fawns alone for several hours or even the better part of a day while off foraging. They will return to collect their fawn and feed it, provided they sense no danger. “Never assume a fawn or oth- er young animal found hiding, standing or wandering alone in the wild is orphaned,” says Herman Biederbeck, ODFW district wildlife biologist in Til- lamook. “Give young wildlife a wide berth and leave them alone. The parent animal will return to collect their offspring when humans aren’t around and they feel safe.” “Only if you see the parent animal dead should you assume a young animal is orphaned,” he continued. “Then call ODFW, OSP or a wildlife rehabilitator to get guidance and assistance on what to do with the animal before you touch it.” Most fawns collected by good Samaritans this time of year are not orphaned, and remov- ing them from the wild compli- cates their chances for survival and a long life in the wild. These fawns will miss the chance to learn important survival skills from their parent like where to feed, what to eat, how to behave as part of a group and how to es- cape from predators. Offbeat Oregon History 8:40 a.m., that he learned that the Rosecrans was a mile and a half out to sea, at the end of Pea- cock Spit. He’d spent the hours before dawn thoroughly search- ing the wrong side of the river. The lookout in the tower at Cape Disappointment had spotted the wreck shortly after dawn. Wicklund rushed across the river to help. Once there, he joined the crew of Cape Disap- pointment Lifestation Keeper Alfred Rimer, who commanded another of the new gasoline- powered motor lifeboats, and they set out together for the scene of the wreck. Both crews were equipped with the doughty 34-foot “Mer- ryman” type motor lifeboats, which had been developed just a few years before by installing gasoline engines in the standard self-bailing, self-righting rescue lifeboats of the day. They were the state of the art in 1912; but their primitive engines — mas- sive 414-cubic-inch four-cylin- der jobs built by Holmes Mo- tor Co., rated at 25 horsepower — weren’t powerful enough to P icking up a newborn fawn all by itself in the wild and taking it home to care for it might seem like the right thing to do. But ODFW wildlife biol- ogists call it “fawn-napping”— and OSP calls it a violation of wildlife laws, which prohibit taking animals out of the wild, transporting them or keeping them at home. Across Oregon, ODFW dis- trict offi ces and wildlife reha- bilitators say they have fi elded dozens of calls in recent weeks urging people to think fi rst and not pick up fawns (or elk calves, baby seals, cougar or bobcat kit- tens, bear cubs, fl edgling birds, or other young wildlife born in spring.) In several cases, people have been advised to put fawns back where they found them. A few fawns have gone to a li- censed wildlife rehabilitator. Rosecrans rescue one of Coast Guard’s fi nest hours BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel I n any great disaster, it’s al- ways possible to fi nd one or two pivot points at which a key decision made disaster all but inevitable. In the wreck of the tanker steamship S.S. Rosecrans, there were several of these; most great disasters come at the end of a chain of unlucky breaks, and this was no exception. And there’s a great deal that can’t ever be known, since none of the ship’s offi cers survived. But a strong case can be made that the Rosecrans’ doom was ensured by the catastrophic fi re that had gutted the ship six months previously, in Califor- nia. That experience seems to have made the Rosecrans’ captain, Lucien Johnson, extremely wor- ried about the risk of fi re — un- reasonably so. So much so that when the radio operator started transmitting SOS calls, Johnson ordered him to stop, for fear that the bright blue spark from the transmitter would catch some stray fumes from the hold and set the cargo ablaze. (Remem- ber, this was in the midst of a 60-knot gale.) And the ship never launched a single distress fl are — most likely because Captain Johnson wouldn’t allow any pyrotechnic risks. As a result, when the Rose- crans struck the sand and the breakers doused her engines, she was left helpless and invis- ible and silent in the blackness, without even enough steam to blow her whistle. And no one knew where she was. Legendary Point Adams Lifestation Keeper Oscar Wick- lund later testifi ed that, had the lifesavers known where the Rosecrans was stranded, the en- tire crew would likely have been saved with relative ease within a few hours. What happened instead was one of the worst maritime disas- ters of Oregon history, and one of the most spectacular rescue performances in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard (or U.S. Lifesaving Service, as it was then called). The wireless operator in Asto- ria had told Wicklund the wreck had likely happened on Clatsop Spit on the Oregon side of the river; so he sent a patrol out on the beach to look, launched his new gasoline-powered motor lifeboat and hurried out to look for the ship while the tide was still slack. On the way he met up with a tugboat, the Tatoosh, and the two vessels hunted all across the storm-swept bar with no luck. As the tide started coming in, Wicklund and his boat returned to the station. It was then, around “Nothing humans do can substitute for the natural learn- ing experience life in the wild provides,” says Colin Gillin, ODFW wildlife veterinarian. “Research has shown that re- habilitated fawns have lower survival than their wild-raised counterparts. The fawns that have the best chance of a long life learn life skills from a par- ent animal.” However, fawns that are truly orphaned and picked up in the fi rst week or two of life will only survive under the care of a licensed wildlife rehabilitator with specialized knowledge and facilities to provide appropri- Vickie “ I like this job . They are nice and let me do my job . ” – Vickie, employee, Eugene Water & Electric Board Promoting community jobs for people with developmental disabilities Read more about Vickie’s success story: ate care. Rehabilitators working with fawns and other wildlife try to use methods that limit human interaction and mimic the animal’s natural lifestyle as much as possible, so the animal has the best chance of survival when returned to the wild. ODFW has also been success- ful in placing known orphaned week-old fawns with wild fos- ter does that have similar-aged offspring. Under the right cir- cumstances, mother does will foster fawns that aren’t their own. ODFW veterinarians have found that later in the summer as the fawns get older in age, it becomes more diffi cult to inte- grate the animal into established doe/fawn groups, particularly fawns that have been held by humans and are habituated and lack normal fawn behaviors. Biologists have also observed that older fawns that become orphaned in late summer have learned enough skills from their parent animal to survive their fi rst winter and become a wild and vital part of Oregon’s wild- life community. muscle the 11,000-pound rescue boats across the bar against the combined fury of the gale and a strong fl ood tide. By now the sun was up, though, and the rescuers could see the Rosecrans — or what remained of it. “All that could be seen of the wreck was the mast sticking up S ummer conditions have come early to Oregon, and in many places fi sh like trout, salmon, steelhead and sturgeon are struggling with low water levels and high water tempera- tures. “Normally we see these kinds of conditions later in the summer, not in late June and early July,” said Rick Hargrave, ODFW Information and Educa- tion Division Administrator. In response, the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife is asking anglers to take precau- tions when fi shing during these drought conditions. “When streams get too warm, fi sh are stressed, and as a result the fi shing goes downhill fast,” said Rick Hargrave, ODFW In- formation and Education Divi- sion Administrator. “Fish stop biting or retreat to deeper, cool- er water where they are harder to catch.” On days when temperatures soar, anglers can do their part to reduce the stress fi sh are under. Hargrave recommends the fol- lowing when fi shing in waters that include native fi sh you in- tend to release: Fish early in day when water temperatures are cooler. Use a thermometer to check water temperatures frequently. Stop fi shing when temperatures exceed 70 degrees. Look for trout in deep, high el- evation lakes or shaded streams near headwaters. These places are often cooler. Use barbless hooks so you can release fi sh easily. Use the appropriate gear and land fi sh quickly. The longer the fi ght, the less likely the fi sh will survive. Keep the fi sh in the water when you unhook it and cradle the fi sh upright until it revives enough to swim away. Use your judgment. If con- ditions where you want to fi sh seems especially severe (low, hot water), consider fi shing somewhere else where water conditions are better. Check the regulation update pages on the ODFW website be- fore you head out to make sure temporary emergency regula- tions have not been put in place for the waters you want to fi sh. “If drought conditions con- tinue, it’s possible we may have to close or restrict some fi sher- ies in order to protect fi sh,” Har- grave said. Please see OFFBEAT, Page 10A Signature Homes with three men clinging to the rigging,” Wicklund wrote in his report afterward. “I did not have much hope of reaching the ves- sel, but I thought it would en- BY S HERRY courage the men in the rigging if they saw the lifeboat con- stantly trying to reach them. I made two attempts, but the boat was entirely submerged, and we 1054 E VAN BUREN AVE were forced to return.” Back at the station, the two OPEN HOUSE lifestation keepers conferred. SAT. JULY 11TH 11-1 They would make another at- tempt as soon as the tide slack- Room and more room. Picture ened, they decided. perfect. A must see 1 level beauty, “We made up our minds that hardwood fl oors, built in book we would not quit trying as long as there was anyone left in the case, updated kitchen, large spa- rigging,” Wicklund wrote. cious rooms and lots of storage. By 12:30, the tide was slack A home you’ll be proud to own. once again, and the motor life- Price$174,990 MLS#15586361 boats set out. This time, they made it — although their crews were drenched continually by the heavy 624 boarding seas. HARDING PL “I ran in as close as I dared OPEN … and signaled to the HOUSE men in the rigging to jump,” Wicklund SAT. JULY 11TH 1-3 wrote. “I circled fi ve times, Be the fi rst one to live and in this got as near the vessel as I dared brand new home. each time … but custom they would not Move in do ready. it. As we got near the wreck Tons of room and all done a fi to fth perfection. time, a terrifi Th c sea struck home is 2-story our boat, turning it almost end has separation of space, 1st over end great and washing fi ve mem- master with vaulted bers fl oor of the crew overboard, in- ceiling cluding myself.” and a sliding door leading to the For the rescuers, this was just Th e albeit home ers the great room concept, custom cabinets, patio off the part patio. of the job, an off unpleas- a fi replace. Th e 2nd story has additional 2 bedroom &1 bath ant dinning part. They room waited and for the boat to fl and ip back upright, clambered a family room. Price$239,900 MLS#15256685 back aboard, and went to pick up one of their number who’d drifted 300 yards away. 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