SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946
www.currypilot.com
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020
Brookings, Oregon
Rising cases threaten hospital capacity
If he builds it ... will they come?
MAX KIRKENDALL
Lincoln City News Guard
Linda Pinkham Photos, The Pilot
Paul and Elle Ambrose show off some of their birdhouse features at a kitchen table discussion of their fledgling business.
Birdhouses for the homeless birds LINDA PINKHAM The Pilot
Paul Ambrose built his first birdhouse last spring after his wife Elle asked for one. She was thinking of the decorative houses people put on fences in their backyards. Paul went online to learn how to build a birdhouse and watched many videos. “I started learning a lot about birds and what birds need in a house,” he said. “It seems like birdhouses fall generally into two categories: there’s houses that birds can build nests in and there are decorative things you can put in your garden, which don’t necessarily work for the birds. “Basically, I decided to build houses that birds can actually use, so natural materials, unfinished inside, nothing toxic and correct proportions. Little things like, when the babies are fledging (getting ready to fly), they need a way to climb up to the hole. Inside the birdhouses, a series of scribes on the wall of the house provide textures the birds can grab with their feet and beaks to climb up the side. Some people put in screens, he said. The birdhouses have a door for clean-out between seasons. The houses have ventilation and are pre-equipped with several
Paul Ambrose stands next to his prototype “first” birdhouse in his garden. options for hanging, including a tree mount. “Right now, I’m just building for the smallest birds — wrens, chickadees, nuthatches and downy woodpeckers.” The houses are designed for birds that are cavity nesters (build nests inside trees). The holes are sized to let any of the small birds in but will not allow sparrows, which are kind of an invasive species. “We like them, but they have a tendency to take over.” The perches that you see on decorative houses are actually unnecessary, according to Paul. They also have no porches or balconies that give predators
access. Because of the coastal rains in this area, the houses have a large overhang to keep the rain out. That also makes it harder for a cat to reach in. “As I started looking at wood, I became fascinated with using the knot as a part of the design.” The knots are strategically placed to be where he drills the entrance hole. The holes are one and oneeighth inches round. “If you go up to one and a quarter, it allows a whole other group of birds in.” If someone wanted to attract larger birds, they can ask for a larger hole, Elle added. Paul also likes to incorporate driftwood pieces into the designs.
The thickness added by the extra layer helps protect the occupants from predators. It’s similar to the double thickness that some birdhouses incorporate. “Mice, squirrels and chipmunks will try to chew through to make the hole bigger so they can get in,” Paul said. “Even woodpeckers will do that.” “It just makes it harder for them, so maybe not worth the effort,” Elle said. “The houses are constructed out of all recycled materials, like old redwood fences or cedar plank fencing,” she said. Friends brought them some old Redwood fencing from California. “We wanted that weathered look, but when we sanded it off, this is what we got,” Paul said, as he showed the rich reddish surfaces with knots and fiddleback grains. Each one of the driftwood houses is hand crafted. The houses are assembled by drilling and pinning them with dowels and glue to provide structural strength. The outer surfaces of the houses are finished with water-based acrylic to give them a little longer life. Some of the houses are also finished with a rubbed-in teak oil, which is also nontoxic.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown was joined Nov. 10 by doctors and nurses from around the state to send a clear message to Oregonians: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are threatening the state’s health care systems, and help is needed to flatten the curve. During the Tuesday press conference, Gov. Brown addressed some of the challenges that Oregon hospitals are starting to face as cases skyrocket. “We all know that COVID-19 cases are surging across Oregon,” Gov. Brown said. “Over the weekend, we saw daily case rates near a thousand and yesterday I announced that nine Oregon counties will be starting a two week pause as of Wednesday on social activities to help us slow the spread of COVID-19.” Gov. Brown said their fears of the virus spreading in the winter months is starting to come to fruition, but the goal is still to continue saving lives and avoid overwhelming health care systems. To do that, the state is ensuring that they have enough hospital beds, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and staff to provide life-saving care. “This is very serious, Oregon is headed on the wrong road,” Gov. Brown said. “While we have plans in place to share beds and ventilators if necessary, that needs to be a last resort. We cannot and should not be relying on the fact that our hospital systems can withstand a surge. Instead, we should be working together to ensure they don’t have to.” Dr. Dana Hargunani, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), said that over the past three weeks, Oregon has gained More COVID, Page A8
High wind warningfor Coalition raising funds to buy shelter home Friday Curry County has as many as 500 people who are unsheltered LINDA PINKHAM The Pilot
Temperatures dipped to 35 degrees in Curry County this week, followed by wind and a cold rain. On any given day, as many as 350 to 500 unsheltered community members are trying to survive in Curry County, according to Beth Barker-Hidalgo, executive director of Curry Homeless Coalition. “Some households are living in temporary emergency housing or motels throughout Curry County,” Barker-Hidalgo said. “Many continue to experience homelessness, living in vehicles, tents, RVs, doorways of businesses, churches and other structures that may provide temporary shelter.” It’s not just individuals, but sometimes entire families living in RVs or cars, garden sheds, storage units or tents throughout the county.
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“We have veterans who cannot find safe, stable and affordable housing in Curry. And then there are those individuals with few opportunities for support,” she said. “Brookings/Harbor has the highest need for subsidized or supportive housing,” she said. “It stands to reason as south county houses the majority of our population. Port Orford came very close to mitigating their homeless population last year. Our colleagues in Port Orford, staff at Coast Community Health, keep us informed as to how many people are unsheltered. Last report we received was there are four unsheltered individuals. That said, there are people precariously housed, which means they may be doubled up with other households, living in RVs with no hook ups on private property, sheltering in garden sheds in people’s back yards. In Gold Beach there are approximately 20 to 25 unsheltered individuals; again many households are doubled up, or living in precarious situations.” The 501(c)3 nonprofit is trying to raise $25,000 as a partial down
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Photo by Linda Pinkham
A man catches an early morning nap inside a doorway that shelters him a little from the dampness and cold temperatures this week. payment to buy a former group home. AllCare has contributed an additional $17,500, and the Coalition has submitted an additional request for support, along with a forthcoming grant request to The Gordon Elwood Foundation. When asked about the deadline for raising funds, she answered,
“Before the house sells. The house was listed February 2020 and has had no offers to our knowledge. The price has been lowered three times since we looked at the property. The seller is an LLC partnership and they More Shelter, Page A3
The National Weather service has issued a high wind warning from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Friday, Nov. 13, covering the Curry County Coast and South Central Oregon Coast. The warning includes the cities of North Bend, Reedsport, Bandon, Port Orford and Gold Beach. South winds from 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are expected and will affect areas from Gold Beach northward. This includes portions of U.S. Highway 101, including the cities of Ophir, Port Orford, Bandon, Charleston, North Bend, Lakeside and Reedsport. Travel will be difficult, especially in high profile vehicles. Damaging winds can blow down trees and power lines, and power outages are possible. The National Weather Service warns that people should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.
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