Boys and Girls Club Looks Forward
Just weeks after announcing a new leader at the helm the boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County continues to be focused on the tasks at hand. Interim Executive Director, Chuck Trent says their focus is on getting the High School Center move completed so that they can provide a separate environment for the older teens that have more age sensitive programs.
“When you are talking about Smart Girls, and Passport to Manhood, and you’re talking about esteem issues and safe dating and all those kinds of things, you really need to be able to separate the older teens that are really going through it at the time.”
The process for getting the building completed has been about a year and a half according to Trent. He says that there have been some obstacles, but the completion is just around the corner. The new building has also allowed them to take some of the other space for a new kitchen and eating area. The Boys and Girls Club offers kids an evening meal Monday through Friday and is also a partner in the Backpack for Kids Program that provides food for needy children on the weekend.
Dunes Restoration Project Has a Daunting Task
This past weekend at the Florence Home and Garden Show a group of volunteers set up shop to educate people about the Dunes Restoration Project. In the 1930’s and 1940’s the state of Oregon brought in European Beach Grass in hopes of protecting the roadways like highway 101. The program was successful, but through the years other issues arose from that. The habitats for indigenous wildlife became endangered and the grasses overtook the sands causing the dunes to get larger and higher. Retired Forest Service member Bill Blackwell along with several others are heading up the project that they say is a decade’s long endeavor.
“If we can get rid of the European Beach Grass, the Scotch Broom and the gorse and get the sand moving again than that restores the ecological process.”
Lisa Romano is with the Forest Service. She says that since the forest service is the primary manager of the dunes along the Oregon Coast they have a stake in making a successful restoration. According to Romano they act in a supportive role to the group.
“We have a role in helping figure out what we can and can’t do our there and we’ve got our specialists in botany and wildlife and ecology and lots of other fields to kind of support the whole process.”
The group began in 2014 and Blackwell says the process will take decades to complete. Trying to eradicate the invasive species according to Blackwell is an arduous process.
Farmers Market Seeks Leader
The Florence Farmers Market will opening on Bay Street May 15. The market will specialize in locally and regionally grown foods and will operate on Tuesdays from 3 to 7. The market is being promoted by the Siuslaw Vision Group and they are currently looking for a manager to oversee the market’s operations. They hope to have a list of candidates to choose from as the position begins officially on March 26th and will run through the 15th of November. A person familiar with the market philosophy as well as a business background is desirable for the organization. A complete job description and application is available at rivercal.org/marketmanager. They hope to have the process completed by the 15th of March.
