Cottage Grove Sentinel Community & Lifestyle B1 THURSDAY | JUNE 18, 2020 • CONTACT SPORTS REPORTER NICK SNYDER AT 942-3325 OR NSNYDER@CGSENTINEL.COM Virtual race to raise money for seniors By Nick Snyder nsnyder@cgsentinel.com As summer approaches, hot car is no place for pets While many of us welcome the warmer weather this time of year, we must remind ourselves that some of our loved ones may fi nd themselves in an uncomfortable predicament. It could even result in their death. We are speaking about our pets who accompany many of us on our trips and errands in a motor vehi- cle. We should never leave our pet unattended in a parked car. On warm days, and even cloudy days, the temperature in a car can rise to dangerous levels in minutes, even with the windows cracked open. Th e brief stop we plan to make at the store could stretch to 15 min- utes or more before we know it. Our mistake could cost our pet its life. Leaving the windows cracked won’t cool the car enough to pro- tect our beloved pet, even if we have made water available. In June of 2017, Governor Kate Brown signed into law House Bill 2732 to protect dogs and children left in hot places. Oregon was the 11th state to pass such a Good Samaritan Law, which provides that anyone — not just fi rst responders — can enter a ve- hicle (by force or otherwise) to re- move an unattended domestic ani- mal without fear of civil or criminal liability. If you come upon a scenario like above where you believe an animal could perish, call 911 before decid- ing to enter the vehicle. Be ready to convey your location, the vehicle description, and a de- scription of yourself. Animal Service Deputies will make every eff ort to respond quick- ly. If you determine that more im- mediate life-saving action is nec- essary, please ensure that you: have a reasonable belief that the animal is in imminent danger of suff ering harm; notify law enforcement or emergency services either before or soon aft er entering the vehicle; use only the minimum force necessary to enter the vehicle; and stay with the animal until law enforcement, emergency services, or the owner or operator of the vehicle arrives. Recent crises around the coun- try have revealed gaps in a great number of areas where govern- ment funding and existing struc- tures come up short in their abil- ities to care for citizens. Seniors are often all too familiar with those gaps. The Lane Council of Govern- ments (LCOG) — a public agen- cy founded 75 years ago — has continued to address these areas of need in its partnership with a number of local organizations. From Jul. 22-26 the LCOG will host a virtual race called the Race for the Rest of Us, a fundraising effort in its ongoing support of the Senior & Disability Services (S&DS) Senior Meals Program. LCOG serves as a regional planning, coordination, program development and service delivery organization in local commu- nities across all 12 incorporated cities in Lane County, including Cottage Grove where they have a satellite office and senior meals site. The council works in conjunc- tion from a wide-ranging vari- ety of local groups, including six school districts, utilities compa- nies, Lane Community College, Lane Transit District and Willa- malane Parks and Recreation, but one primary area of focus is to provide support for S&DS. “One of our programs is senior meals,” said Brenda Wilson, the executive director of LCOG. “So, we are Meals on Wheels for all of Lane County and we contract with Food for Lane County to de- liver our meals within the City of Eugene and we deliver the meals throughout the rest of the county.” As one of the most vulnerable groups in communities around the country, seniors are often heavily impacted by economic downturns — particularly with recent coronavirus closures and subsequent budget shortfalls all over the public and private sectors — and LCOG is doing their part to alleviate these hardships. “A lot of people don’t know that our seniors struggle to make dif- See RACE 2B False start for Daugherty reopening NICK SNYDER/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL W hile Lane County entered Phase Two reopening on Fri., Jun. 5 — allowing for larger indoor and outdoor gatherings, bars and restaurants to stay open until midnight, the opening of pools and spas and a number of other updates — Cottage Grove residents will have to wait a bit longer to use the Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center as it’s considered a “school district facility” and thus must remain closed through Jun. 30. Local, regional camping continues to reopen Economic fallout from COVID-19 closures presents a challenging future for OPRD By Nick Snyder nsnyder@cgsentinel.com As Oregon enters Phase 2 re- opening from coronavirus clo- sures and the weather turns to summer, now is a good time for a reminder on the current sta- tus of local recreation opportu- nities. Following the reopening of various businesses and services across several Oregon counties, outdoor and recreation author- ities at the state and local level began further loosening re- strictions to camping facilities. On Jun. 12 Siuslaw National Forest reopened most remain- ing day-use sites while a num- ber of campgrounds will be opening today. Visitors, howev- er, should be prepared to prac- tice safe social distancing and be self-sufficient as they may encounter a reduction in or lack of services, such as bath- rooms and trash collection. “We know visitors are excit- ed to get back to recreating on public lands, and we want them to do so safely,” said Donna Mickley, acting forest super- visor. “We’re asking visitors to please provide adequate phys- ical distancing and to avoid gathering in large groups. We can all do our part to ensure we’re keeping everyone, includ- ing local communities, safe by being prepared to recreate re- sponsibly.” In addition, Lane County Parks and Recreation (LCPR), the Bureau of Land Manage- ment (BLM), and the Willa- mette and Umpqua National Forests continue to open access Yard of the Week brought to you by: Cottage Grove Sentinel 116 N. 6th • (541) 942-3325 Week of June 18th Winner is: 247 S 2nd Street Yards will be selected each week by nominations. To nominate a yard you can call City Hall (942-5501) or Chamber of Commerce (942-2411) ical challenges due to the eco- nomic fallout from COVID-19. The agency does not receive state General Fund tax dollars to operate any service, includ- ing its popular, heavily visited state park system. A decline in its main reve- nue sources — Lottery Fund and park visitors — has left it offering reduced services and facing layoffs to fill an estimat- ed $22-million gap in its July 2019-June 2021 budget. OPRD’s budget is 44 percent Lottery Fund dedicated by Or- egon voters in 1999 and 2010; 50 percent “Other Fund” from OPRD facing layoffs in wake park visitors, a portion of rec- of revenue drop reational vehicle registrations, and other sources; and 6 per- The Oregon Parks and Recre- cent Federal Fund, mainly for ation Department (OPRD) will face months, even years, of crit- See OUTDOORS 2B to campgrounds. To check the current status of a particular campground in the national parks, visit the forest service’s interactive map at https://www.fs.fed.us/ivm/ index.html. While LCPR sites are open for camping, visitors must make reservations in ad- vance at https://reservations. lanecounty.org/ or by calling 541-682-2000. For updates on BLM-managed areas vis- it https://www.blm.gov/or- egon-washington/covid-ac- cess-restrictions. In spring, avoid ‘helping’ young wildlife Oregonians are getting back outdoors just in time to encounter newborn fawns, elk calves and other young wildlife in the wild or even in their backyard. This is the time of year when deer fawns are born — and there is a chance you will come upon one that’s all alone. Don’t assume any young animal is or- phaned just because it’s alone — and don’t pick it up. It’s natural for mother animals to leave their young alone for extended periods of time while they go off to feed. The mother will return when it’s safe to do so (when people, pets or predators aren’t around). Unfortunately, every year around this time, ODFW offices and licensed wildlife rehabilitators are flooded with calls from people who picked up a deer fawn, elk calf, fledgling bird learning to fly, or other young animal they assumed was orphaned because it was alone. Wildlife rehabilitators are licensed and trained to care for truly orphaned or injured wildlife and return them to the wild, but spots in their facilities need to be saved for real cases — especially this year, as the coro- navirus has led to more limited capacity at these facilities. Animals taken away from their natural environment miss the chance to learn im- portant survival skills from their parents like where to feed, what to eat, how to be- have as part of a group and how to escape from predators. Usually this leads to a shortened life span for the animal — or a life in captivity. Because of the damage it can do, remov- ing or capturing an animal from the wild is a violation of state law (ORS 497.308—No person shall remove from its natural habi- tat or acquire and hold in captivity any live wildlife in violation of the wildlife laws). A woman in Union County found a red See WILDLIFE 2B