2 September 2013
Heceta Water District to Discuss Aerial Spraying
Residents near a recently logged parcel of land east of Clear Lake are proposing an alternative to aerial spraying of herbicide on the land. Howard and Lisa Charnock own the property on both sides of a ridge separating the Clear Lake Watershed from the Morris Creek drainage on the North Fork.
The Heceta Water District Board of Directors will conduct an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss the work and possibly suggest some alternatives. District manager Scott Meyer says the Charnocks have already agreed to hand apply herbicide on the land that drains into Clear Lake, the source of drinking water for hundreds of homes north of Florence. Meyer said under current rules, they are not required to do that, but they’re offering to take the extra step as a way of protecting the lake’s water quality.
Still, some area residents are asking for manual brush clearing as a way to help young trees replanted following the logging to grow uninhibited.
Meyer’s said there is no legal way to require that, but the Charnocks have indicated they are open to doing it. In an email to Meyer Howard Charnock indicated that would increase costs… something they are not willing to bear.
Fish and Wildlife to Pay for Spraying
A dramatic increase in the number of mosquitoes in the Bandon area this summer has been blamed on restoration efforts at the Bandon Marsh Nation Wildlife Refuge.
Residents and visitors have been complaining of the biting insects all summer.
Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a permit to allow spraying on and around the marsh in mid-September. But, the cost would have to be paid by Coos County.
Friday the service changed direction. An official with the agency said a health advisory issued by the county along with scientific data linking mosquitoes to the Refuge allows them to pay the estimated $30-thousand cost.
Cape Perpetua Sets Fall Hours
Many scenic areas and parks on the central coast will be switching to fall and winter hours beginning tomorrow.
Beginning Tuesday the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center north of Florence will be open ten to 4 daily and the Devil’s Churn information booth will close entirely for the season.
The 26-miles of interconnected hiking trails linking old-growth temperate rain forest with the Pacific Ocean will remain open all daylight hours.
Oregon Bird on the Wing
A black oystercatcher chick that hatched in the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s Seabird Aviary exhibit in July flew south over the weekend to take up residency at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The young male didn’t fly there under his own power however… he was on an airplane.
He’ll be the companion to a 20-year old female that was rescued from the wild in Alaska.
The Black Oystercatcher, with a bright orange beak and black plumage… along with a distinctive loud vocalization… is a favorite at both aquariums.
Jim Burke, Director of Animal Husbandry at the Oregon Coast Aquarium says the pair of oystercatcher in Newport have been mated for 18 years and have provided many offspring for other zoos and aquariums across the country.
