Washington Dock likely From Japan
A scientist who examined the dock that has washed ashore on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula last week says it looks just like the one that came ashore on a central Oregon beach last summer.
John Chapman, an assistant professor of fisheries at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, said the Washington dock has the same dimensions and configuration as the one near Newport. But there was no commemorative plaque to identify where it came from.
The Oregon dock broke loose from a Japanese fishing port in 2011. Chapman says 30 marine species were identified on the Washington dock – more than 100 were found on the Oregon dock.
He says the Washington dock was in the ocean longer, and fewer species from Japan survived.
*******
Federal officials have given the green light to the Lane Transit District’s effort to extend bus rapid transit to west Eugene.
The agency announced Friday that the Federal Transit Administration found no environmental road blocks to the project. Transit district General Manager Ron Kilcoyne said design work will begin immediately and construction should begin in 18 to 24 months. The $90 million project includes dedicated bus lanes along much of the 4.4-mile route from downtown to west Eugene.
A group opposed to the project plans to file an appeal in federal court in hopes of delaying the project.
***
A Lane County Sheriff’s Deputy who was severely injured while vacationing in Mexico has returned to Oregon. The county says Drew Wattier was moved to a long-term care facility in Portland from San Diego on Thursday. He is not awake, but officials say he has made “great progress” in recent days. Wattier’s wife, Michelle, remains at a San Diego hospital, where she is now awake and able to talk with medical staff and family. The county says both face a long rehabilitation period. The couple were hit by a speeding car outside their hotel Nov. 30. The driver fled.
