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SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946 www.currypilot.com

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Brookings, Oregon

South Coast Chess Players prepare for state competitions playing in the Eugene Spring Fling Eleven South Coast chess players woke up at 5 in the morning on Saturday February 17th to travel to Eugene to compete against 90 other chess players to develop their skills. Ari Ish-Shalom in the primary division ended in a four way tie for first place and during an exciting Blitz play off with each player only having five minutes to complete the game, Ari barreled into first place. His brother Noah Ish-Shalom got honorable mention in the elementary division. Jeremiah Thompson also ended up in a four way tie for first place and

Contributed photo

Frank in green hoodie competing against Riley Jones. Jones won the round.

Please see CHESS, Page 2

Contributed photo

Jeremiah Thompson in the Blitz playoffs.

Southern resident orcas added Port of to state’s endangered species list Brookings Harbor BY ALEX BAUMHARDT

over the orcas’ plight. There was also insightful and moving testimony from seven students Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife from Sunnyside Environmental Commission has added a group School, a kindergarten-throughof whales that forage along eighth-grade school in southeast the Oregon Coast to the state’s Portland. endangered species list. “These orcas are at their lowest The commissioners voted numbers in 30 years and because unanimously to list southern of the conditions they are in, 75% resident orcas as endangered of orca pregnancies fail, on top during its Friday meeting in of the 42% of calves that don’t Hillsboro. The vote followed a survive. This further proves their presentation by a ﬁsh and wildlife need for protection” a 7th grader ofﬁcial calling for the animals said. “When I grow up to be an to be listed and testimony from adult, I want to be able to visit the dozens of conservationists, San Juan Islands as I do now and biologists, teachers, anglers and see a pod of healthy and thriving residents, some of whom had orcas.” traveled hundreds of miles. “The southern resident whales Much of the testimony was are very intelligent creatures, and fact-based and articulate, and there’s so much we have to learn from them,” a 6th grader added. one woman burst out in tears Oregon Capital Chronicle

“For example, each pod of whales has its own unique dialect.” The designation means Fish and Wildlife Department ofﬁcials will have to try to help the orcas, such as by boosting declining salmon populations, but that could require more funding, said John North, a department Marine expert. At least half of the Chinook salmon consumed by the orcas in the ocean originate in the Columbia Basin, according to Brady Bradshaw, an oceans campaign manager for the nonproﬁt Center for Biological Diversity. The department also will coordinate with state agencies to address other threats to orcas along the coast in a forthcoming management plan. They are

harmed by chemical and oil spills and sounds and other disturbances from boats. The Center for Biological Diversity is advocating that the state establish mandatory and voluntary distances boats must keep from whales. “Noise interference is a huge issue when they’re trying to find prey, and it’s already scarce,” Bradshaw said. Southern resident orcas have been struggling for decades to find food and navigate increasing boat traffic and pollution, according to an assessment presented to the commission by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in September. North, a marine expert for

Please see ORCAS, Page 9

Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries

A pod of southern resident killer whales.

INDEX

receives biennial report

The Oregon Coast Visitors Association released its biennial report on the state of Oregon’s coastal ports. The report aims to give a wealth of well-rounded information to the ports to help with infrastructural improvements to tourism, public health, and environmental sustainability. The Port of BrookingsHarbor (PBH) generally scored well in most assessed areas. Their most impressive assessment was in the realm of tourism indicators. According to the report Brookings, are missing all but two of the suggested accommodations, the lowest of any port on the coast. PBH also scored highly in the areas of Blue Economy indicators and administrative and infrastructural indicators. These indicate that the PBH is well set up to serve these important areas. In terms of Blue Economy, PBH has some of the most robust facilities of any port on the coast, with cold and dry storage, recreational ﬁlet stations, and a public ﬁsh market. The area of concern for Please see REPORT, Page 8

Phone Number: 541-813-1717 • Address: 519 Chetco Avenue, Unit 7, Brookings, OR 97415 • Email: Circulation@CountryMedia.net

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