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SERVING CURRY COUNTY SINCE 1946

www.currypilot.com

FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021

Brookings, Oregon

Brookings man drowns in Chetco River Knox Keranen The Pilot

A 47-year-old Brookings man, Carl Martin, drowned in the Chetco River last Tuesday. At 4:28 p.m. on July 14, the Brookings 911 Dispatch received a 911 call about a possible drowning near the Social Securi-

ty Bar on the Chetco River. The caller told dispatch a man had been under water for about five minutes prior to the call, according to a July 14 press release from the Curry County Sheriff’s Office After the call, Brookings and Harbor Fire Departments and Cal Ore Life Flight Ambulance

responded to the area, as well as sheriff’s deputies. When law enforcement and first responders arrived on the scene, it was determined the man was submerged in 12 feet of water in the middle of the river. Curry County Sheriff’s Patrol Sgt. Jordan White arrived with his dive gear, entered the water,

and brought Martin back to the shore. Martin was then identified and transported to Redwood Memorial Services. The Oregon State Police notified next of kin. Sheriff John Ward said Martin was swimming in the river with his dog, while his wife was on the bank. As of press time, OSP could not release more informa-

tion about a possible cause. According to his Facebook profile, Martin graduated from Brookings-Harbor High School in 1992. “We are all saddened at the tragic death of Carl and we want to express our sincere condolences to his family,” said the press release.

Sudden oak death a growing concern Leaders

respond to difficult wildfire season Hilary Dorsey Country Media

Photos by David Rupkalvis/The Pilot

Sarah Navarro shows a tree impacted by sudden oak death while leading a tour near Port Orford.

Outbreak near Port Orford much larger than first thought By David Rupkalvis The Pilot

Sudden oak death is nothing new to residents of Curry County, but despite decades of work to keep the pathogen that kills tanoak trees isolated, it appears to be moving. Earlier this year, a researcher

with Oregon State University noticed tanoaks dying at a site on Highway 101 just north of Port Orford. When the trees were tested, they came back positive for sudden oak death. Since then, the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University have been working

to find other tanoak outbreaks in the Port Orford area. What they have found is troubling, to say the least. Hundreds of trees and close to 400 acres have been verified as infected, leading to an emergency quarantine area around Port Orford. Sarah Navarro, a forest pathologist with the U.S. Forest

Service, has been leading the research in the area. On Monday, she led a tour of the infected area, showing what she has found and laying out plans to eradicate the pathogen. While sudden oak death is a threat in both regions of the

More Outbreak, Page A2

Monitors work to keep beaches safe Knox Keranen The Pilot

As a water quality monitoring technician with the state Department of Environmental Quality, Shane Bennett helps to keep swimmers and beachgoers safe from harmful fecal bacteria on Oregon’s beaches. The state’s Beach Monitoring Program started in 2002 as an organized way to protect swimmers from harmful microbes. Technicians like Bennett use a variety of tools and mobile labs in their vehicles to test for Enterococcus, which is an indicator of fecal bacteria present in human and animal waste. It can enter marine waters from sources such as streams and creeks, storm water runoff, animal and seabird waste, failing septic systems, sewage treatment plant spills More Monitoring, Page A11

By Knox Keranen/The Pilot

Shane Bennett, water quality technician, takes water samples from Harris Creek — a fresh water creek that feeds into the ocean at Harris Beach last Wednesday. Fresh water creeks can sometimes gather up fecal bacteria from farm animal runoff and bring it to beaches.

Massive offshore windfarms coming to Oregon? Legislature invests in wildfire prevention AT CURRYPILOT.COM

Nearly 450,000 acres of land have already burned across the state during this year’s wildfire season, Gov. Kate Brown announced during a wildfire briefing Tuesday, July 20. Nine large fires are currently burning. “The weather conditions – windy and dry with lightning – are truly problematic,” Brown said. “It's shaping up to be another difficult wildfire season.” There are extensive drought conditions throughout the state, with 19 counties in drought emergencies. Teams from Utah and California have partnered with Oregon to respond to the Bootleg fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Lakeview. “Being prepared is one of the best ways you can help frontline firefighters do theirs jobs,” Brown said. “Make a plan with your family, sign up for local alerts at oralert. gov so you’re aware of fires in your community.” Department of Forestry Fire Chief Doug Grafe said drought conditions across Oregon are driving the fire potential. “Ninety percent of the state is in exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions,” Grafe said. The heat dome in late June – with 100 plus degrees – propelled the state into early fire conditions. There have been 580 fires to date. “The future forest for the remainder of the season continues to look above normal dry and above normal temperatures,” Grafe said. “This is not going to return to normal anytime soon.” Grafe said the Bootleg fire, the largest fire in the nation, has had 387,000 acres burned and is 30 percent contained. The fire began July 6. Lines are established on the west side. “The east side remains problematic,” Grafe said. State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said significant work has been done on the More Wildfires, Page A2

INDEX Crosswords.............................................. A10 Crossword Answers............................ A7 Classifieds.......................................... A5

$1.50 Call us: 541-813-1717 Fax: 541-813-1931

Curry County Fair

Community Community Carnival Carnival Curry County Fair

Summer Fun Summer ofofFun 20212021

July 30--August August 1 1 July 30 $5

SEE YOU AT THE FAIR

Online: www.currypilot.com


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