The Columbia Press
January 15, 2021
Port: Making a list
Continued from Page 1
in-depth look at the projects
across the port so we can avoid
having the same discussions
over and over again,” commis-
sion Chairman Dirk Rohne
said. “I thought it was interest-
ing and helpful to read.”
Some of the projects at the top
of the list:
413 Gateway Ave.: A building
the port has previously leased
to the Oregon State Police and
Shooting Stars Day Care needs
a new roof, siding, windows,
and exterior paint. Estimated
cost: $72,800.
422 Gateway: Home to the
port offices, it’s in need of new
siding, windows, heating and
air systems, renovated bath-
rooms, paint inside and out,
and interior remodeling. Cost:
$206,000.
426 Gateway: The parking
lot south of the port’s mainte-
nance shop has some cash-gen-
erating potential. The port
could construct a small office
building that could bring in an
estimated $2,750 per month.
Initial building costs would be
$124,000.
Contamination: The port
learned in 2019 that it’s re-
quired to pay 50 percent of the
cleanup of an oil and gas leak
discovered in 2001 at the south
end of Slip 2. The site requires
monitoring and $2.258 million
in costs for the port during the
next three decades.
Boatyard expansion: The
boatyard, a consistent mon-
ey-maker for the port, could
be expanded from its current
four-acre footprint to bring in
more revenue. Pier 3, which
is no longer being used for log
exports, could provide an addi-
tional 12 acres.
East Basin Causeway: The
causeway was closed in 2018
due structural deterioration.
Yet the facility is one of the key
assets supporting the region’s
economic development, ac-
cording to the state.
Work to reopen the causeway
includes removing previous
short-term fixes and replacing
failing components, which could
be completed by port staff.
5
Scientists say new invader lurks off Pacific Coast
Research has identified a
new invader threatening a
vulnerable snail species on
the northern Pacific Coast, the
Oregon Department of State
Lands says.
The lined shore crab is head-
ing north, according to re-
search conducted at the South
Slough National Estuarine
Research Reserve south of
Coos Bay.
The crab species, typically
found between Baja Califor-
nia in Mexico and Southern
Oregon, has shell-crushing
capabilities. Normally, that
wouldn’t be a problem for the
Sitka periwinkle, a snail that
lives along the north coast.
Typically, the two species
live in separate regions, but
the lined shore crab’s range
expands north during El Niño
events, which cause a strong
ocean undercurrent that runs
northward.
The undercurrent transports
lined shore crabs outside of
their usual range and into ar-
eas where indigenous species,
like the thin-shelled Sitka
periwinkle, are ill-equipped to
protect themselves from such
predators.
The study was conducted by
researchers from the Univer-
sity of Guelph in Canada, Or-
egon State University, South
Slough Reserve and the Ore-
gon Institute of Marine Biol-
ogy.
In addition to tracking the
prevalence of the lined shore
crab in Oregon, Washington
and Vancouver Island, Can-
ada, the team conducted lab
experiments to test the threat
the crabs pose to the Sitka
periwinkle.
The snails’ defenses were
ineffective against the lined
shore crabs, which were able
to eat 10 times more Sitka
periwinkles, compared to
crabs commonly found along
the northern Pacific coast.
The team also assessed a sce-
nario in which the lined shore
crabs permanently establish
farther north. Their findings
suggest Sitka periwinkle pop-
ulations may only survive in
areas where the lined shore
crabs are less likely to estab-
lish.
The lined shore crab is one
of many aquatic species along
North American coastlines
that is advancing north as the
ocean warms.
“We need to understand the
impact of northward migra-
tion,” said Dr. Shon School-
er, Lead Scientist at South
Slough Reserve. “The disap-
pearance of Sitka periwinkle
populations may change parts
The lined
shore
crab has
shell-crush-
ing capabili-
ties, making
it especially
dangerous to
snails.
Oregon Dept. of
State Lands
of the food web. Additional-
ly, decreases in diversity can
reduce ecosystems’ resilience
to environmental change, like
natural disasters.”
The findings were published
in the Canadian Journal of
Zoology earlier this year.