For hundreds of years, Coos tribal ancestors traveled between their bayside villages and hunting and foraging grounds on a trail from present-day North Bend to Empire.

In the 1850s, Charles Merchant refused to sell alcohol in his North Bend store, so thirsty loggers, mill hands and shipyard workers followed the same route to saloons and entertainment.

In July, a collaboration between the Coos Historical & Maritime Museum and numerous volunteers and agencies created the Sawmill & Tribal Trail.

The 5.6-mile route follows trails and city streets. Thirty-five points of interest are marked with posts bearing a saw-blade logo and a number. A brochure briefly describes the point of interest at each number. Some points explain native uses of plants at that spot; others tell the history of a building. One marks the spot of a notorious armed robbery.

Soon, QR codes on the posts will let smartphone users access detailed information about each point.
At an inaugural hike July 17, Coos Bay City Councilor Jennifer Groth, vice president of the museum’s board of trustees, said the museum hopes to use the trail for a lot of teaching opportunities.
‘Learning about history is more fun outside the building,” she said.
Brochures with the trail map and points of interest are available at the Coos Historical & Maritime Museum and the Coos Bay Visitor Center.

By Gail Elber
Special to The World

The 12th annual Coos Basin Salmon Derby will be Sept. 10 and 11 in the Coos River. The derby is coming off a record year.

Last year’s event raised about $23,000 thanks to 362 fishermen — some from as far away as Arizona. Proceeds help support Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program projects in the area, including the Millicoma Interpretive Center, Morgan Creek Hatchery and Interpretive Center, Eel Lake Interpretive Site and education and habitat restoration in the Coos River basin.

Photo by Lou Sennick

The derby is sponsored by Coos County STEP Commission, South Coast Anglers STEP Association, Eel Tenmile STEP Association, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Douglas Timber Operators. For more information, call Valerie at 541-759-2709.

Labor Day weekend events

Gardiner/Reedsport/Winchester Bay STEP will hold its 15th annual salmon derby over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-5.
The derby starts with the morning bite at 5 a.m. Saturday morning, and closes at noon Monday. The derby day ends at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

There will be scales at east mooring basin in Winchester Bay, and in Reedsport at the Rainbow Plaza boat ramp, next to Waterfront Family Restaurant. Contestants must show their derby tickets when weighing in their fish.

Drawings and awarding of prizes will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at the Rainbow Plaza boat ramp. Biggest salmon wins $500, and $150 will be awarded for the biggest salmon caught each day. Prizes of $100 will be given to winners of miscellaneous drawings. Anglers need not be present to win.
The cost to enter is $10 per person or $25 for a boat with three or more fishermen. Tickets are on sale at the Stockade Marker in Winchester Bay, and Turman Tackle and Ace Hardward in Reedsport. Call 541-271-4210 for more information.

The same weekend, Winchester Bay will start its annual Crab Bounty Hunt, which will run from Sept. 5 to Oct. 1, with a chance to win $1,000.

Crabbers catching a tagged crab should return it to The Sportmen’s Cannery before the 2 p.m. deadline on Saturday, Oct. 1, and register the number of the tag.

If a lucky crabber caught the special tag number, $1,000 will be awarded. If not, drawings for $500, $300 and $200 will follow.

The event in sponsored by the Winchester Bay Merchants, and rules are available at local bait and crab rental shops. Call 541-271-4471 for more information.

By Rachel Finney
The World

Photo by Geneva Miller

Built above the high-water mark, the Port Orford dock is one of the country’s few dolly docks. Industrial cranes lift boats in and out of the water to minimize the hard knocks delivered by the waves. Forty commercial fishing boats dock on-site full time, and port manager Gary Anderson estimated the port conducts 3,500 commercial lifts per year.

The first port district was established in Port Orford in 1919, but the present dock was completed just 10 years ago.

The Port of Port Orford sits between Coast Guard Hill and Fort Point, in one of the most dramatic coastal vistas on the West Coast, rocky reefs support a thriving array of marine life.

‘The fishing here is probably the best in the state because of the rocks,” Anderson said.

Mark Lottis of Five Star Charters said the rocky habitat, combined with a comparatively small fishing fleet, makes Port Orford an ideal destination for commercial and recreational bottom fishing. Out on the water, Lottis and his customers enjoy watching all manner of marine life, including seals, whales, puffins, murres and harlequin ducks.

Under the water, kelp forests grow as lush as timber on land.
‘The plant life is so beautiful here. The colors are just amazing,” said diver and underwater photographer Claudia Fowler. Fowler has been diving recreationally for years, and said she prefers Port Orford’s reefs and kelp forests to any of the many Pacific sites she has explored.

Landlubbers also can enjoy a day at the docks, watching boats launch or bring in a live catch. After docking, fishermen transfer the fish to saltwater storage tanks.

The majority of the catch is shipped live to markets in the California Bay Area. But locals can sample local seafood at restaurants in Port Orford.

The Port of Port Orford is located at 300 Dock Road, off U.S. Highway 101 South. Visit portofportorford.com for docking and lift requirements. Visit 5starcharters.com for information about charter fishing.

By Geneva Miller
Special to The World
Geneva Miller is a freelance writer. She can be reached at migelyn@aol.com.

Photo by Benjamin Brayfield

‘Since we have all this wind, we might as well celebrate it,” said Port Manager Gina Dearth.

WindFest is also an opportunity to celebrate local artisans and cottage industries. Last year, more than 30 vendors lined the Coquille River boardwalk, selling domestic arts and crafts in a wide range of genres. This year, WindFest revelers will find traditional art painting and photography prints, as well as glass art and jewelry.

Visitors can sample the scents and textures of handmade soap and candles. Local fiber arts include knitted, crocheted, embroidered and quilted goods. There are sweet treats from the dessert wagon and live music at the amphitheater. Classic rock performer Skeet will take the stage on Saturday afternoon, and the Hudson Ridge bluegrass band will play Sunday afternoon.

Co-sponsored by Koffee ‘n Kites, WindFest activities include family kite flying Saturday afternoon and free kite making for children both days. Koffee ‘n Kites owner Laura Kreft said children of all ages enjoy assembling their kits and decorating kites with original designs. Kreft is an avid kite enthusiast herself.

“I like to put my MP3 player on and fly my stunt kites with music. It’s like dancing in the sky,” she said.

The Year of the Rabbit art show, sponsored by the Port of Bandon, Coos County Cultural Coalition and AVK Arts, features paintings by local students and adults. The paintings are on display through early September.

Boardwalk visitors can cast votes for their favorite adult and student art pieces at Tony’s Crab Shack. The Bandon boardwalk is also home to a permanent collection of wooden and metal sculptures by nationally recognized artists.

The newest sculpture, located near the boat launch, is an octopus by Chris Foltz of Coos Bay.

The boardwalk is located on the north side of First Street in Old Town Bandon. Admission is free. For more information, call the Port of Bandon at 541-347-3206.

By Geneva Miller
Special to The World
Geneva Miller is a freelance writer. She can be reached at migelyn@aol.com.

Photo by Lou Sennick

They find it by piloting their craft over a quarter-mile-long course at speeds up to 170 mph.

If that’s your idea of water sports, weigh anchor and head for Lakeside Aug. 20-21 when drag boat racers will gather on Tenmile Lake for the Neil Donegan Classic, part of the Columbia Drag Boat Association’s Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series.

Except for substituting water for asphalt, drag boat races mirror car drags.

Six brackets, or classes, comprise competition. They are based on a boat’s elapsed time along a quarter-mile course, dividing boats into five brackets from 7 seconds to 11, plus a River Racer bracket for boats that cover the course in 11 seconds or more.

Bracket racing, sometimes called handicap racing, allows two boats capable of different speeds to compete head head basis.

The two drivers decide how fast they can go and dial in a time. If one driver dials in 8 seconds, and the other dials in 8.5, the second driver gets a half-second head start.

In theory, the race will end in a dead heat; in practice it almost never does.

The first boat across the finish line wins — as long as it doesn’t go faster than the time its driver dialed in. That’s called breaking out, and doing so forfeits the race.

The faster brackets feature some pretty exotic boats. It’s not unusual to see these speedsters powered by fuel-injected, supercharged, 2,500-horsepower V8 engines that would look at home in a Top Fuel Funny Car dragster.

Because these boats are so fast — and because crashing at 170 mph is a serious matter, whether it’s on water or pavement — they’re built with a safety capsule for the driver.

The capsules typically use the cockpit glass from fighter aircraft, and have 45 minutes of air in a tank for the driver to breathe in the event the boat capsizes or breaks apart.

At the other end of the speed spectrum are the River Racers, a class that in car racing is sometimes called ‘run what you brung.” River Racers can be just about anything that floats and covers the course in more than 11 seconds.

A good example of the spirit of the class is illustrated by a boater who arrived at a CDBA event from out of town, unaware the lake was closed for the races.

What he saw looked like so much fun that he entered his bass boat in the River Racer class. Four years later he’s become a regular.

Drag boat racing is a spectator-friendly sport, especially geared toward families. Boats don’t go into the water until their race is called, so it’s easy to stroll around the pits and get a close look at the equipment. Drivers are happy to talk to fans and show them their boats.

Photo by Beth Burback

Five days a week, Theresa Bolch cruises the sand roads of the spit, educating the public about recreational opportunities and use restrictions of this long lick of land.

About five miles long and one mile wide, the spit forms the western rim of Coos Bay. Its sand dunes, forest, marsh and beach are home to many animals and plants, such as deer, foxes, raccoons, osprey, shore pines, beach grass, and at least two endangered species, the Western snowy plover and the pink sand verbena.

Bloch is a biological science technician for the Bureau of Land Management, one of several agencies with jurisdiction on the North Spit. Traveling the North Spit in her 4-wheel-drive vehicle, Bolch is the face of BLM, treating visitors with dignity as she listens to their concerns.

Her welcoming friendliness makes the public receptive to the BLM message of enjoying a pleasant, safe recreational experience while respecting the fragile species that inhabit this wedge of wild beauty.

Bolch recently met a husband and wife at the entrance to the spit.

“Hi, how are you? Have you been here before?”

No, they answered.

“Then you’ll want a map.”

She retrieved one from her vehicle.

“The ocean beach is closed to motorized vehicles,” she said. ‘But there are 12 miles of sand roads you can ride on.”

She indicated the areas, then gave the visitors the detailed map, which she helped produce. At first the couple was stand-offish. But by the end of the conversation, they were laughing, at ease with Bolch and her message.

Back in her vehicle, Bolch logged the contact.

In the summer, she sometimes speaks with as many as 200 people in a day, running up a total of 45,000 visitor contacts during the nine years she has traveled the North Spit.

Next, she stopped at the bay beach site where about 30 people were camped. A young man greeted her, telling her how the group visits the spit yearly. She asked if they needed trash bags and gave them her card.

“If you have problems, give me a call,” she said. ‘Thank you for reading and obeying the signs.”

She logged the contact.

BLM follows a policy of separating user groups as a way to keep all visitors safe. Each group has its specified area of the spit: 12 miles of sand roads around the perimeter for motorized vehicles, 12 miles of interior trails for hikers and horseback riders.

After several more contacts, Bolch arrived at the beach near the jetty, where she checked the ropes and signs marking the restricted area, the summer home of the Western snowy plovers. The BLM is under federal mandate to protect the tiny shore birds that breed along the ‘wrack line,” where high tides deposit seaweed and other flotsam. Their habitat encroached upon, their numbers were nearing extinction until a federal program to safeguard their breeding area was enacted.

From March 15 until Sept. 15, the dry sand area of the North Spit ocean beach is closed to all entry, and the wet sand area is closed to motorized vehicles. Violating this restriction risks a $300 federal fine.

The sand roads can be a driving hazard. Bolch and her BLM colleagues carry shovels and plywood to help dig out sand-mired vehicles.

“We want visitors to have a good time, to respect the environment, and have a safe recreational experience,” she said. ‘Birdwatchers, ATVers, boaters, hikers, horseback riders, all are welcome here.”

By Carol Sanders
Special to The World

Photo by R.J. Guyer

Many enjoy the swift cascading waters of the Pistol and Elk Rivers. But the Rogue River has earned a reputation for its world-class whitewater.

Rain and snowmelt feed the rapidly descending water that flows out from the Coast Range toward the ocean. Rocks and boulders churn the bone-chilling waters. The resulting rapids burst on impact, serving up anything from a cool spray to an all-out drenching.

Fog often shrouds the coastline, making mornings cooler near the ocean. Further inland, clouds give way to sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Rafter Ann Caldwell from Roseburg recalls, ‘It was chilly when we left at 10 a.m., but by noon it was hot and we were ready for the rapids.”

More than 35,000 acres were designated by Congress as the Rogue Wilderness Area. Here the Rogue River narrows as the orientation becomes more vertical. Steep walls begin to close in as you enter the scenic canyon. In the distance you see the rippling water as the mighty Rogue prepares to unleash its power.

The cascading waters toss and dump you. Your craft collides with chopping waves as the currents tug from all directions.

It’s not all about rapids, though. Many sections of the river let you float serenely and enjoy the area’s diverse wildlife. The river basin has been called ‘the floating zoo,” with frequent sightings of osprey, bald eagles, salmon, deer and even the occasional black bear.

Jet boat tours leave from Gold Beach for those seeking to enjoy a comfortable guided tour. Outfitters also offer guided whitewater trips from half a day to extended overnight trips. They supply not only the rafts, kayaks and camping gear, but also meals.

The Bureau of Land Management offers permits for experienced paddlers who want to brave the mighty Rogue’s punishment on their own terms.

‘I have rafted and kayaked rivers throughout the U.S. and Canada, including the Colorado,” Caldwell said. ‘The Rogue is in a class of its own. Although I’m an excellent swimmer, I would not attempt the Rogue on my own. I only go with experienced guides. It actually makes the trips more enjoyable to leave the navigating to them.”

Whether you are just looking to cool off from the summer heat or seeking an adventure of a lifetime, the wild and scenic Rogue River has something for everyone.

By R.J. Guyer
Special to The World
R.J. Guyer is a freelance writer. He can be reached at renadvent12@hotmail.com.

Jerry’s Rogue River Jet Boats was established in 1958 as the original operation with jet boat tours. Those two companies have merged to become Jerry’s Rogue Jets.

Hop aboard, but not without a life jacket and sunscreen. Get ready to grab your seat and grin. But beware, you could get wet with a little spray from another passing boat.

The boats offer exciting whitewater trips into the Rogue Wilderness and make stops at lodges along the way where the option of a meal is provided.

Jerry’s Rogue Jets offers jet boat trips.
Call 1-800-451-3645
29985 Harbor Way
Gold Beach
www.roguejets.com

The charity event donates the majority of albacore tuna caught during the Charleston tournament to South Coast Food Share and to regional food banks in other port towns where the event is held. In the past, the Tuna Classic has brought 200 to 500 sport fishers to the South Coast.

The event is sponsored by The Mill Casino-Hotel, Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, Coos Bay-North Bend Tourism and Promotions and other local businesses and organizations. K-DOCK will broadcast live from the docks during the event.

A registered 501(C)(3) non-profit organization, the Tuna Classic has partnered with the Oregon Food Bank to fight hunger in Oregon since its inception in 2005. In 2009, the Tuna Classic produced more than 7,300 pounds of Albacore tuna for the entire state, with the organizers making sure all fish caught in these coastal communities were donated to regional food banks that served local families. This year, more than 180 boats and nearly 900 people are expected to participate in the statewide competition, with Charleston serving as one of four host sites. For more information about the 2011 Tuna Classic, visit www.oregontunaclassic.org.

Birders do too, so they flock to annual birding festivals. However, many of these festivals happen in the fall and spring, when birders — whose fledglings still are in the nest can’t attend.

Around here, we have one of the few summer birding festivals: the Oregon Shorebird Festival, which will be held Aug. 26-28 at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston. Although this isn’t the best time of year to see exotic species, the festival is a fun way for anyone to learn more about birding.

Now in its 25th year, the Oregon Shorebird Festival typically draws 60-100 birders from all over the country.

On land, participants can tour the Bay Area’s best birding sites, including North Spit, Pony Slough, and Millicoma Marsh, or visit Bandon Marsh and New River. A canoe trip on South Slough will be offered. In addition, a bird guide will lead an ocean birding trip on the Betty Kay.
The Oregon Shorebird Festival’s website includes a list of species that will be in the area at this time.

For more information, visit the festival Website at www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/shorebirdfestival.htm.

A registration fee of $25 per person or $45 per family covers the evening programs and land-based trips; boat trips cost extra. There’s also an additional charge for a Saturday night sustainable seafood banquet that some birders regard as the highlight of the weekend. Housing is available in the OIMB dorms.

By Gail Elber
The World