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SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946

www.currypilot.com

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026

Brookings, Oregon

Two Gold Beach men presented with Life Saving Award following late-night marine rescue STAFF REPORT At the Port of Gold Beach’s monthly meeting on February 19, Merit Draven and Scott Feist received the “Life Saver Award” from Oregon State Marine Board Director Larry Warren following their heroic efforts on the evening of August 30, 2025. The two men were home when they received a call at about 9:30 PM stating that their friends’ sport tuna vessel, the ‘Uno Mas’, had capsized roughly 4 miles northwest of Gold Beach. On board were Robbie Nelson, Sam Waller, and Jerrod Bruner. Draven and Feist responded immediately, heading to the marina to disembark in the former’s boat. In the dark, the two rescuers crossed the rough bar in 20 knot winds, using what information they could glean from Nelson’s phone call and the boat’s lights to try and find where the Uno Mas had flipped. Against all odds, they found Nelson atop the hull of the capsized vessel suffering from hypothermia and secured immediate evacuation for medical care. Tragically, Waller and Bruner could not be found. The US Coast Guard vessel from Gold Beach and North Bend Air Station’s MH-65 Dolphin helicopter later arrived to search for the two lost fishermen. The loss of the Waller and Bruner is profoundly felt in the local fishing community. Feist owns Feisty Fish Guide Service, providing guided fishing trips throughout the Oregon Coast. Draven runs Rogue Fishing Operations, a local non-profit that provides fishing opportunities to veterans, first responders, and members of the local community. The Pilot commends these men on their life-saving efforts and sends condolences to the families of those lost that night.

(l) Larry Warren, Director of the Oregon State Marine Board, presents (c) Merit Draven and (r) Scott Feist with the “Life Saver Award”.

Oregon Senate advances bill

to protect public lands

View of the north side of Mt. Hood.

BY MIA MALDONADO

Oregon Capital Chronicle

The Oregon Senate in a 17-11 vote Thursday advanced a bill meant to safeguard public lands against the threat of privatization. Senate Bill 1590, sponsored by Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, would prohibit state agencies from using any funding, data, equipment or staff to help the federal government sell or transfer federal lands to private parties. The measure puts no restrictions on tribes. Broadman brought the bill in response to efforts from congressional Republicans to include in their massive summer 2025 tax and spending law plans to sell between 2 to 3 million acres of federally-managed land across 11 Western states, including hiking trails and campgrounds in Oregon. Those provisions ultimately failed after receiving bipartisan pushback and because Congress could not guarantee that those lands wouldn’t be bought by antagonistic foreign interests. Roughly 53% of land in Oregon is managed by the federal government, specifically the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service. “We will not collaborate with federal efforts to privatize our national parks, our monuments, our sacred places,” Broadman said. The Senate advanced the bill along party lines, with Republicans citing concerns that the bill would limit private and public partnerships meant to manage the state’s natural resources and protect the health and safety of Oregonians. Sen. Todd Nash, an Enterprise Republican and cattle rancher, said there are times when it is beneficial to transfer public lands to private hands. “I just don’t want to put us in a place where we don’t have the benefit of doing that, allowing counties and the state of Oregon to participate in that transfer,” he said. The bill heads to the House next. Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/oregon-senate-advances-bill-to-protect-public-lands/

INDEX

Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, on the Senate floor on Jan. 13, 2025.

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