Monthly Archives: September 2015

Science Pub in Coos Bay: Why Salmon Need Estuaries

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Dan BottomCOOS BAY – “Why Salmon Need Estuaries” is the question veteran NOAA Fisheries biologist Dan Bottom will explore in a Science Pub presentation at 7 Devils Brewing on Saturday, Oct. 3. The talk begins at 7 pm; there is no cover charge or admission.

For more than a century, resource managers and scientists in the Pacific Northwest have worked to enhance, protect and restore salmon. That’s often meant controlling populations or their environments to improve survival. Despite such efforts, salmon populations have declined, fisheries have been restricted and stocks have been added to the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

Recent watershed restoration efforts in Oregon offer useful case studies in salmon diversity and resilience. The region’s heavily developed Columbia River basin and its most heavily restored estuary, the Salmon River, demonstrate the importance of diverse habitats and life history to salmon in a changing world.

Dan Bottom has 38 years as a state and federal fishery research biologist. he is a co-author of Oregon Sea Grant’s book, Pathways to Resilienc: Sustaining Salmon Ecosystems in a Changing World.

The event is co-sponsored by 7 Devils Brewing, the Native Fish Society and Oregon Sea Grant.

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Spots still available for fall Career, Home School days at HMSC

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NEWPORT – Spots are still open for two popular, day-long youth education programs offered by Oregon Sea Grant’s marine educators at the Hatfield Marine Science Center this fall.

Career Day, a program for 9th-12th-graders interested in exploring careers in marine science, takes place Oct. 23 from 9:30 am-3:30 pm. Participating teens will enjoy a full day of events including:

  • Hearing from researchers about upcoming projects and recent discoveries
  • Exploring science through hands-on activities and behind-the-scenes tours
  • Helping researchers collect data

Registration costs $25 per student. Information and registration are available on the HMSC Visitor Center website.

Home School Day, Nov. 6 from 10 am to 4 p.m., is a family program with activities grouped into “strands” of fun and educational activities  families will follow all day.  Registration is $25 per person. Learn more and register at the Visitor Center website.

DeFazio holds earthquake early warning roundtable in Eugene Sept. 22

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EUGENE – Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) will host a roundtable policy discussion, “Earthquake Early Warning in the Pacific Northwest: Preparing for the Big One,” on Tuesday Sept. 22 at 10:30 am in the HEDCO Education Building, Room 230T at the University of Oregon, 1655 Alder Street, Eugene.

Among the invited participants is Oregon Sea Grant’s Pat Corcoran, a specialist in coastal earthquake and tsunami preparedness.

The event brings together local, state and federal officials and scientists to discuss earthquake resilience programs and efforts, the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system and the next steps for developing an offshore earthquake early warning system.

DeFAzio is the ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The event will be livestreamed at:http://media.uoregon.edu/channel/livestream for those who cannot attend.

OPB’s “Unprepared:” Are we ready for the Big One?

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“Unprepared,” a special edition of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Field Guide series airing Oct 1, examines whether Oregonians are ready for the magnitude 8 or stronger earthquake scientists are predicting for the offshore Cascadia Subduction Zone within the next .

The program looks at what it takes to get ready for a disaster of that scope – and the potential consequences if we don’t.

Oregon Sea Grant’s coastal hazards specialist, Patrick Corcoran, is among the experts who contributed to the program. Corcoran is accustomed to talking people through preparedness, from how families can create a “Quake Kit” of supplies that can be grabbed at the first sign of earthquake to how entire coastal communities can – and should – relocate critical facilities such as hospitals and schools from the likely path of the devastating tsunami that likely would accompany such a quake.

“Unprepared” is part of a year-long initiative by OPB and Oregon Field Guide to inform people about the dangers of a megaquake, and to examine ways that our region can be better prepared for such a disaster. Visit the OPB Website for more information.

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Teachers: Register now for Oct. 9 Coastal Learning Symposium

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NEWPORT – Registration is open for the 2015 Coastal Learning Symposium, an annual event aimed at giving pre-K-12, informal and post-secondary educators creative ways to address learning objectives using the ocean, forest and community as context.

The symposium, which takes place Oct. 9 at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport and OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, features break-out sessions by Oregon Sea Grant, Oregon State Parks, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute and several learning technology companies, on topics ranging from Connecting Math and Science: Exploring the Math in Boyle’s Law data to Creating Art in Nature.

Field trips include learn-to-surf and paddle-board workshops at Agate Beach emphasizing beach and ocean safety, and guided interpretive walks of Yaquina Head and Brian Booth State Park, Oregon’s newest coastal park.

Greg Smith, professor at Lews & Clark College’s Graduate School of Education, will deliver a keynote address, and the day will culminate with a Learning Symposium Cruise of Yaquina Bay by Marine Discovery Tours.

Schools sending three or more teachers receive 30% off registration fees with the promotional code “GROUP” if they register by Sept. 25. Graduate credit is available through Portland State University.

The symposium is part of the  COASTALearning series, a project of the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Lincoln County School District.

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National Take Back Prescription Day wants your old drugs

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Oregon Sea Grant teams up with the Corvallis Police Department, Corvallis Public Works and the Benton County Heath Department on Sept. 26 to collect your unused, expired and otherwise unwanted pharmaceuticals, free of charge.

Dispose of old medicine on National Prescription Drug Takeback Day

The collection takes place from 10 am to 2 pm at Republic Services, 110 NE Walnut Blvd., Corvallis.

Unused prescription drugs should never be tossed in the trash or flushed down the toilet, experts say, because they can make their way into the waterways with potential harm to animals and plants. And keeping them around can result in accidental poisonings, overdose or theft.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which sponsors the nationwide event, medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to theft, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

“Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem and this is a great opportunity for folks around the country to help reduce the threat,” DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said.  “Please clean out your medicine cabinet and make your home safe from drug theft and abuse.”

Research – including studies funded by Oregon Sea Grant – has found evidence that pharmaceuticals leaching into the waterways, possibly from improper disposal, are showing up in the tissues of fish and sea birds with as-yet unknown consequences.

While narcotic prescriptions, such as hydrocodone, oxydodone, and morphine, are the main focus of the nationwide take-back, you can drop off other prescription drugs as well. The only thing not accepted is syringes.

In the previous nine Take-Back events nationwide from 2010-2014, 4,823,251 pounds, or 2,411 tons of drugs were collected, according to the DEA.

Register now for State of the Coast, this year in Coos Bay

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Registration is open for Oregon Sea Grant’s annual State of the Coast conference, taking place Oct. 24 at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay.

Noted author and marine biologist Dr. Wallace “J” Nichols will deliver this year’s keynote address: “What happens when our most complex organ — the brain — meets the planets largest feature — water?” Nichols will discuss the research behind his book, Blue Mind.

Registration, which includes lunch, snacks and a reception, is $35.00, $25 for students. To register, and for more information, visit www.stateofthecoast.com.

After years in Florence (where it began as the Heceta Head Coastal Conference), organizers decided to move this year to Coos Bay in response to requests to bring the event to other Oregon coast communities.

State of the Coast brings scientists, students, industry and everyday citizens together to learn, network and engage in conversations about the current and future state of Oregon’s ocean and coastal environment.

This year’s morning plenary session will provide quick updates on coastal issues including new DEQ water quality rules, marine reserves, Oregon’s shellfish initiative, changing ocean conditions, an overview of 2014 fisheries and the threat of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. Afternoon break-out sessions allow participants to choose a topic to explore in more depth: Forage fish, Cascadia Earthquake, “The Blob”, Innovations in Fishing, Citizen Science Opportunities, Aquatic Invasive Species, and more.

The popular student research poster session will give participants an opportunity to interact with some of the state’s brightest university students and learn about current ocean and coastal research at Oregon universities.