Dungeness crab season delayed
Preseason tests show crabs in some areas along the Oregon Coast are low in meat yield, leading state officials to delay the commercial Dungeness crab season opener by about two weeks. The Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife tests crabs in six major crabbing ports in partnership with the commercial crab industry and the state Department of Agriculture. Those tests look at meat content and biotoxins. If the meat content is low, the season gets pushed back to let the crabs further develop so harvested crabs don’t go to waste. The biotoxins can mean the crabs aren’t edible and need to be destroyed. (OPB Staff)
Wild horse adoption site planned for Central Oregon
Federal officials plan to reduce the size of the so-called Big Summit herd of wild horses roaming the Ochoco National Forest in Central Oregon. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the herd is damaging sensitive riparian habitat. To help prevent further damage, the agency plans to capture and dozens of horses and keep them in a new wild horse adoption center. The agency plans to build a new $3 million facility in the Rimrock Springs Wildlife Area that will include pens, pastures, security fencing and RV hookups for custodians. The center will take care of the animals until they can be adopted. (Michael Kohn/Capital Press)
Jackson County asks state to limit mushroom growing licenses
As the Oregon Health Authority drafts rules in preparation for the launch of pscyhedilic mushroom businesses in January, Jackson County officials have asked the agency to limit the number of licenses it issues to growers. OHA has no plans to limit the number of licenses, which worries some mushroom proponents who say too many growers could flood the market, reduce profits and push many out of business. That’s something that happened with some marijuana growers when Oregon first legalized recreational cannabis. (Vickie Aldous/Mail Tribune)
Mt. Bachelor says it’s not liable for boy’s death on slopes
Mt. Bachelor ski area and its parent company, Powdr Corp. filed a response to a wrongful death suit this week, saying a 9-year-old boy and his father were warned of icy conditions in which the boy allegedly slid down the mountain and crashed into rocks, apparently suffering a fatal head injury. The filing also alleges the boy’s injuries stemmed from a failure to recognize the limits of his skiing skills and “maintain reasonable control of his speed.” The lawsuit, filed Aug. 2, argues that due to icy conditions, the chairlift and ski runs near the summit should not have been open on the day of the boy’s death. (Joe Siess/The Bend Bulletin)
Oregon farmer talks turkey
The days before Thanksgiving are a busy time for owner Mark Anderson at Champoeg Farms in the Willamette Valley. “Right now, it looks like we’re going to be doing over 1,000 birds,” he said. “It’s gonna be intense.” Anderson’s turkey farming practices aren’t that different from his ancestors’. Champoeg Farm birds are pasture-raised, which means the older ones spend their days in open fields. Anderson and his team move the birds every couple of days to give them fresh ground and allow the waste they leave behind to fertilize the soil. Anderson’s family history in the valley dates back to the 1800s and once included ownership of the land that is now Champoeg State Park. (Shannon Sollitt/Statesman Journal)
Washington sees higher voter turnout overall, but a drop east of the Cascades
Even as conservative-leaning counties east of the Cascades glowed ruby red in Washington’s midterm elections, several of them shone a bit more dimly. This year’s midterm turnout – roughly 63% of all state voters cast ballots – didn’t quite hit the 70-plus-percent high marks of the Democratic 2018 blue wave or the GOP’s 2010 Tea Party-infused rebellion. That overall number, however, masks some stark differences among Washington’s 39 counties. Just 49% of Yakima County voters returned their ballots this year, compared to 65% in King County, home of Seattle. (Joseph O’Sullivan/Crosscut)
