Pacific City
SUN
STCEVC, NRFPD team up to offer CERT training starting Feb. 18 ..................... 2 County Commissioners to host public comments on proposed TLT hike...............2
Runners aim to conquer the Three Capes route
4
Variety of community activities featured in the Sun’s calendar of events..................... 6 PLEASE TAKE ONE
Vol. 18, No. 464 • January 24, 2025
Proposed setback dike for Sitka Sedge SNA to be discussed on Feb. 7
O
Proclaiming Freedom Nestucca Valley Lions Club flies flags on Beachy Bridge in honor of MLK Day Grant to aid Siletz Tribe in its efforts to return sea otters to Oregon, Washington The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians has been awarded a three-year $1.56 million grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support Tribal efforts to return sea otters to the Oregon and Northern California coasts, announced Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley on Jan. 21. The grant is through the America the Beautiful Challenge, a partnership between the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense, Native Americans in Philanthropy, and NFWF. The competitive grant awards were made possible with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, other federal conservation programs, and private sources. The project is entitled “Bringing Xvlh-t’vsh Home: Indigenous-led Planning for Sea Otters’ Return to the Oregon and Northern California Coast.” “I am pleased that after years of collaboration with the Elakha Alliance and others, we will now be able to take steps with other Tribal nations
and partner organizations to return this culturally important species to their ancient home,” Pigsley said. “This funding will enable us to build capacity and expertise to lead or participate in sea otter reintroduction and management and to elevate the role of coastal Indian Tribes in marine stewardship,” she said. The grant will support additional planning and technical capacity within CTSI as well as the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians; the Yurok Tribe; the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation; and other regional partners and collaborators. The Tribes and partners will produce a plan for reintroducing sea otters to the Oregon and Northern California coasts. The project will also focus on building support for sea otter reintroduction from coastal Tribes, ocean stakeholders and coastal communities in the region; completing key scientific studies; and conducting socio-economic assessments of potential reintroduction sites in the region. “Indian people of coastal Oregon
HAPPY HOUR
$5
and Northern California referred to sea otters by many different words,” Pigsley added. “These many names reflect their presence and importance to our people. We now know that they enabled rich marine and estuarine ecosystems that provided food and materials our ancestors needed for life. This grant will help us to bring these relatives home.” Officials say sea otters have long been recognized as a keystone species that promotes the biological productivity and ecological resilience of nearshore and estuarine ecosystems. Sea otters were once plentiful from Alaska south to Baja, but have been absent from Oregon for more than a century due to the maritime fur trade. With kelp forests declining at an alarming rate, reportedly due to ocean warming and over-predation by sea urchins, scientists consider sea otter reintroduction a part of a long-term solution to restore and maintain healthy nearshore ecosystems in Oregon. In estuaries, sea otters protect eelgrass habitat by keeping populations of small crabs, including invasive green crabs, under control.
PINTS
Draft Beer 5.00 Imperial Draft Beer 6.00
regon Parks and Recreation Department will host a townhall meeting 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7 at Kiwanda Community Center to discuss the proposed setback dike to replace the one currently in use at Sitka Sedge State Natural Area. OPRD and its partner, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, are designing a proposed setback dike to replace the tide control Photo courtesy of ORPD function of the OPRD will host a Friday, existing dike, Feb. 7 meeting to diswhich has been cuss a proposed setback failing. dike for Sitka Sedge State Natural Area. In its current state, Sitka Sedge SNA features a half-mile dike and tide gate that dates back to the 1930s. The purpose of the dike was to hold back tidewater and drain the area behind the dike, but, according to OPRD, it also had the effect of holding back native fish — including coho, chum, steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout — from migrating upstream to historic spawning and rearing areas. The informational meeting will be held in person at KCC’s facility located at 34600 Cape Kiwanda Drive, Pacific City and will include a presentation and time for questions. OPRD says that, in the past 30 years, the tide gate has deteriorated. They say the dike now leaks and no longer entirely blocks incoming tides. Officials add that further decay of the dike is expected — as is eventual complete failure. As well, current rules mandate that any repair or replacement will feature satisfactory fish passage elements. Potential flooding of Tierra Del Mar is reportedly a concern — either from failure of the current dike or any dike modification. The current proposal is a result of significant study including a hydrological analysis conducted from 2017-2019, followed by a decision in March 2020, when OPRD decided to pursue development of a setback dike. Since 2020, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership has taken the lead role in the effort to secure grants and conduct further studies on the setback dike proposal. For those who cannot attend the meeting in person, the meeting will be livestreamed via webinar and recorded. To join the webinar, visit https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87005693462 or find a recording online afterward at OPRD’s YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube. com/channel/UCkqL6iVPBrfCTO27cNmCTwg. Internet speed issues in the area have made past audio and video streams of meeting content choppy. OPRD will continue to try to find ways of improving webinar audio and video quality. Visit oregon.gov/oprd/prp/pages/pla-sitkasedge-hydro.aspx learn more about the project, including a fact page.
EVERY WEEK
SUN-THURS
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM