County Homeless Remembered Wednesday

The first-ever Lincoln County Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day is observed in Newport Wednesday, December 21 at 3:00 p.m, at the Don Davis Park gazebo ( 840 W. Olive Street). Spearheaded by County Commissioner Bill Hall, the County has concluded the fourth year of a 10-year plan to eliminate homelessness. Lincoln County will take its place among more than 140 celebrations across the nation, some of which have been happening for more than 20 years. Other Oregon communities holding events include Albany, Douglas County and Portland. The event blends Native American ceremony and prayers, and music from the Judeo-Christian tradition, with a focus on healing and hope. The public is invited, especially anyone experiencing homelessness, families and friends, advocates for homeless people, and those for whom the alleviation of homelessness is an important priority. The nationally selected date is the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year. The event is sponsored by the Interfaith Community for Peace and Justice. For information, call 541-704-5941.

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Toledo Students Learn About Ocean Stewardship

OSU professor Dr. Carmel Finley speaks to a group of Toledo Jr/Sr students about their role in ocean stewardship.

Students at Toledo Jr./Sr. discussed “Millennials and the Ocean” with Dr. Carmel Finley, Oregon State University history professor December 6. Millennials are defined as those born between 1982 and 2003 – children and young adults who are now between the ages of 9 and 30. Finley spoke to about 85 students about the need to change ocean management strategies, from maximum fish harvests to developing sustainable fisheries. Finley pointed out that in the late 1880s, scientists believed that fishing by man would not result in the decline of fish stocks. However, as fishing and refrigeration technologies improved through the years and demand for cheap fish has increased, we are discovering that “we do need to maintain the population structure of fish, so the stocks will have the resilience to supply fish to us in the future,” Finley told the students.

“I’m excited by the ocean literacy campaign by Lincoln County schools, and I am pleased that I could contribute to their effort,” Finley said after her presentation. “It’s important that students understand they are stakeholders in management processes, and that they understand the implications of things like marine reserves and wave energy. I hope my program will help these Toledo students make more informed choices when it comes to ocean stewardship.” Finely was invited to speak at the school by advanced mathematics teacher Rich Berenson, after he heard her speak at the Marine Hatfield Science Center in Newport last year. He was pleased by his students’ response to the presentation. “Dr. Finley was great and really connected with our students,” Berenson said. “They were very enthusiastic about the presentation. They learned that shifting baselines make it difficult to properly evaluate the present condition of the fisheries in Oregon and around the world.”

A former Toledo resident, Finley also had another message for students: It’s never too late to go back to school. She was working as a central coast correspondent for The Oregonian newspaper when groundfish stocks crashed in 1996. Her interest in why that happened led her back to graduate school and authoring a book on fisheries management.

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Recorder Society Presents Food Share Benefit Concerts


The Oregon Coast Recorder Society (OCRS) performs two concerts benefiting Lincoln County Food Share. The first one is Friday, December 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Newport (227 NE 12th St.), and will perform the same program Friday, January 6 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter the Fisherman Lutheran Church in Lincoln City (1226 SW 13th St.). Both concerts will feature music for the holidays, including Renaissance and Baroque Christmas music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Michael Praetorius and others, as well as “Shir Hanukah” by Veitch, and two movements from a Christmas concerto by Archangelo Corelli. The group will also play two pieces for clocks by Benjamin Britten and Ludwig von Beethoven, and a piece by Frances Blaker, written especially for OCRS recorders and string bass player Corinne Newbegin. There will also be an audience Christmas Carol sing-along. OCRS musicians play several sizes of recorder, plus violas da gamba, gemshorns, string bass, violin, and guitar. Donations of nonperishable food items, checks, or cash are accepted as admission. All proceeds go to Food Share. For more information, call 541-961-1228 or visit their website.

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Students Learn About Ocean Stewardship

OSU professor Dr. Carmel Finley speaks to Toledo Jr/Sr students about their role in ocean stewardship

Students at Toledo Jr./Sr. discussed “Millennials and the Ocean” with Dr. Carmel Finley, Oregon State University history professor December 6. Millennials are defined as those born between 1982 and 2003 – children and young adults who are now between the ages of 9 and 30. Finley spoke to about 85 students about the need to change ocean management strategies, from maximum fish harvests to developing sustainable fisheries. Finley pointed out that in the late 1880s, scientists believed that fishing by man would not result in the decline of fish stocks. However, as fishing and refrigeration technologies improved through the years and demand for cheap fish has increased, we are discovering that “we do need to maintain the population structure of fish, so the stocks will have the resilience to supply fish to us in the future,” Finley told the students.

“I’m excited by the ocean literacy campaign by Lincoln County schools, and I am pleased that I could contribute to their effort,” Finley said after her presentation. “It’s important that students understand they are stakeholders in management processes, and that they understand the implications of things like marine reserves and wave energy. I hope my program will help these Toledo students make more informed choices when it comes to ocean stewardship.” Finely was invited to speak at the school by advanced mathematics teacher Rich Berenson, after he heard her speak at the Marine Hatfield Science Center in Newport last year. He was pleased by his students’ response to the presentation. “Dr. Finley was great and really connected with our students,” Berenson said. “They were very enthusiastic about the presentation. They learned that shifting baselines make it difficult to properly evaluate the present condition of the fisheries in Oregon and around the world.”

A former Toledo resident, Finley also had another message for students: It’s never too late to go back to school. She was working as a central coast correspondent for The Oregonian newspaper when groundfish stocks crashed in 1996. Her interest in why that happened led her back to graduate school and authoring a book on fisheries management.

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Nye Beach Writers’ Series Celebrates 15 Years

Writers on the Edge hosts its 15th year anniversary celebration tonight, with door prizes, music, and an 0pen Mic Saturday, Dec. 10. The party begins at 7:00 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Newport Visual Arts Center (777 NW Beach Drive across from the Nye Beach Turnaround). Admission is free and light refreshments will be available. Writers on the Edge welcomes local writers and those who support them to a celebration marking the organization’s fifteenth anniversary.
 Audience members are encouraged to read, sing, or recite original work for up to five minutes. Open mic slots are available to the first 10 writers who sign up. No preregistration is required.
 For more information and a schedule of events for 2012, visit www.writersontheedge.org.

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