AN EDITION OF
Bandon
Thursday, August 29, 2013 Serving the Bandon community since 1912
WESTERN WORLD theworldlink.com/bandon ♦ $1.00
Happy crabbing:
Game time:
Inside this edition:
Great weather and crabbing, see page A9 for photo
Tigers in jamboree Friday, see page A10 for the story
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Bandon Police Log. . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4
Arts and Entertainment . . . A5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . .A7, A8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10
Crab season surpassed last year’s By Tim Novotny Bandon Western World
COOS BAY — The Oregon Dungeness Crab fishery plopped tens of millions of dollars on the Oregon Coast this year. In a fishery known for its up and down nature, it has contributed enormously to the state’s economy over the last decade. Hugh Link, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, recently returned from an economic summit where he touted some staggering numbers. “Last 10 years, Oregon fishermen brought a billion dollars of seafood to the docks,” Link said. “That’s billion with a ‘B’.” This season, according to preliminary numbers from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, commercial crab fishermen landed more than 18.1 million pounds of crab. The southern port of Brookings had the highest catch numbers, with landings exceeding 4.8 million pounds, followed closely by Newport with 4.2 million. Link says the season ended up surpassing last year’s 14.3 million pounds, but why that is remains a mystery. “Mother nature is the only one that predicts that one,” he says. “It is a cyclical fishery, it goes up and down,” Link said. “Scientifically, we don’t know why this is, but research is underway to try and find out.” Until that happens, the fishery remains a mystery that typically unfolds fairly quickly at the start of each season. A season that usually begins in December. While the total number of pounds is hard to control, the economy of the crab fishery can be pushed and prodded in the public market. That is something that the Crab Commission works on by attending events like the recent Louisiana Restaurant Association Show, and the associated Great American Seafood Cook-off. The ODCC’s mission is to enhance the image of the Dungeness crab industry and to increase opportunities for profitability through promotion, education and research. This event fits that mission. For nine out of the 10 years that they have held the cook-off, an Oregon chef, appointed by the governor, has accompanied them on the trip. Gregory Gourdet of Departure Restaurant and Lounge in Portland actually won the event last year. Link says though, that win, lose or draw, it is an event that pays dividends for the Oregon Coast by
■ See Crab, A6
Coos Bay Harley riders embark on ‘Honor’ tour Bandon Western World
Two local motorcyclists begin a 6,900-mile cross-country trip next week to honor police and firefighters who’ve died in the line of duty. Coos Bay Harley Owners Group members Art Spinella, a long-time Bandon resident, and George Woolcock plan to hit the highway Wednesday on a road trip that will take them through Idaho and the Plains states, headed for Mechanicsburg, Pa. There they’ll join with the Cumberland Valley Harley
■ See Honor, A6
Contributed photo
Holding court The 2013 Cranberry Festival Court (left to right): Stephanie Gordon, Ariel Elstad, Emma Wampler, Sonia Rose Havill and Kimberly Carrero.
A merry Cranberry Festival is near By Amy Moss Strong Bandon Western World
BANDON — A fun-filled weekend of activities and events are planned for the 67th annual Cranberry Festival, with the theme “Cranberry Kingdom.” The event promises royal entertainment for the whole family, Sept. 13, 14 and 15. This year’s title sponsors of the Cranberry Festival are Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, Bandon Ocean Spray Growers, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bain Insurance, Edward Jones Investments and SeaPort Airlines.
The annual Blessing of the Harvest will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 13, at the Freitag bogs off Ohio Avenue Northeast. The Cranberry Coronation will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at the Sprague Theater, where the Cranberry Queen will be crowned as well as the Queen or King of the Kitchen awarded. Tickets are available at the Visitor Center. Food Fair entries also are due Friday by 1 p.m., this year at the Port of Bandon picnic shelter on the boardwalk. See page A5, In and Around Bandon, for details about the
Cranberry Food Fair. Traditional festival events kick off Saturday with the parade at 10 a.m. and entrants are encouraged to use the theme in their decorating. Kings, Queens, castles, jesters, knights and ladies are just a few suggestions that suit the royal theme. Registration is underway and entry forms and rules can be downloaded from the chamber’s website at www.bandon.com. Entries must be received by Sept. 6 for judging and awards presentation. Live music will be presented in
■ See Cranberry, A6
Rehabilitated and released on the beach By Thomas Moriarty Bandon Western World
BANDON — 20 years after the western snowy plover was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, state and federal wildlife officials say the species is doing great, but predation and habitat management are still at a critical stage. Standing on a stretch of New River south of Bandon on a recent Friday morning, Dan Elbert, a biolgist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the government had established a goal of 250 breeding adults for the region. “We reached that last year for the first time,” Elbert said. The western snowy plover was first listed under the ESA in 1993. Since then, state and federal officials have crafted a carefully developed system of beach access restrictions to reduce conflict with humans during the tiny shorebirds’ nesting season. Elbert, who’s based at the agency’s Newport field office, was on the South Coast to supervise the release of three orphaned snowy plover chicks that had been discovered on the beach last year. The chicks had since been raised at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Erin Paxton, the aquarium’s public affairs coordinator, said that the agency. “We work very closely with Fish and Wildlife Services because we are one of the few facilities permitted to work with threatened bird species,” Paxton said. Elbert said limiting predation is a challenge for wildlife managers. “By far our biggest problems are from the corvids,” he said, referring to the avian family that includes crows and
Contributed photo
Three orphaned snowy plover chicks raised at the Oregon Coast Aquarium were released on the South Coast.
Kathy Castelein, faculty research assistant and plover biologist at Portland State University, watches a rehabilitated snowy plover fly away near New River in the Bandon State Natural Area recently. Three plover chicks were released after being rescued from the New River area in July when their parents disappeared. By Alysha Beck Bandon Western World
■ See Plovers, A6
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