Oregon
Visitors flock to celebrate birthday of the elderly Herman the Sturgeon
A crowd of onlookers — some wearing party hats — stood in front of a gigantic tank to sing “Happy Birthday” to Herman, a 500-pound sturgeon housed at Bonneville Fish Hatchery and one of Oregon’s largest tourist attractions.
Herman’s home, located in Cascade Locks about 40 miles east of Portland, is Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s largest hatchery facility. Starting in the 1930s, the sturgeon had been a longtime fixture at the Oregon State Fair.
He has lived in his enclosure at the hatchery since 1998, constructed so that he would have more room to move around, and for his hundreds-of-thousands of visitors to catch a glimpse at one of the state’s most famous fish.
Shannon Perez, right, and her son James attempt to locate Herman the Sturgeon at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery in Cascade Locks, Ore., on June 22, 2024. Dozens of people gathered to celebrate the famed sturgeon’s birthday. Joni Land / OPB
It’s unclear exactly how old Herman is (likely in his 80s, according to the Oregon Wildlife Foundation), but that mattered little to those who trekked to the hatchery to see him in person. Small children quietly gasped as Herman trudged by the front of the tank.
Melody St. John of Los Angeles travels to Portland each year with a group of students enrolled in an exchange program she helps run, and said she always pays a visit to Herman. The fact that it was his birthday made it even more special.
“I’ve never been to a birthday party for a sturgeon before — this made my day,” St. John said.
‘Herman The Sturgeon’ Survives Stabbing, Kidnapping, And Now Wildfire
Despite being in the public eye for so long, onlookers are still impressed by Herman’s size and ancient appearance. Tim Greseth, executive director of the Oregon Wildlife Foundation, said sturgeons are remnants of prehistoric times.
“In Oregon, there’s a long public understanding of Herman the Sturgeon, and sort of a love fest with this creature,” Greseth said.
To be clear, there have been multiple “Hermans the Sturgeons” over the decades, and each iteration has seen its share of drama, more than one might expect for a gigantic fish. A man attempted to kidnap Herman in 1983, while another attempted to stab him.
Catch And Release Sturgeon: A New Game For A Very Old Fish
There have been multiple thefts of sturgeon from the hatchery, which Greseth said is because people were looking for sturgeon eggs that are often used to make expensive caviar. Herman’s new enclosure was created, in part, to provide him more security to deter would-be thieves, he said.
Nowadays, Herman leads a much more peaceful existence, except for the occasional song wishing him another happy year.
Amelia Schwarz, 2, looks at the sturgeon during Herman the Sturgeon’s birthday celebration at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery in Cascade Locks, Ore., on June 22, 2024.
Joni Land / OPB
PULLMAN, Wash. — Aaron Glass ‘ 16 points helped Washington State defeat Oregon State 81-67 on Sunday.
Glass went 7 of 15 from the field (1 for 7 from 3-point range) for the Cougars (8-9, 3-1 West Coast Conference). ND Okafor scored 13 points, shooting 6 of 8 from the field. Jerone Morton shot 5 for 8, including 3 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points.
Dez White led the Beavers (8-9, 1-3) in scoring, finishing with 16 points and three steals. Oregon State also got 11 points from Isaiah Sy. Yaak Yaak finished with nine points.
Washington State took the lead for good 21 seconds into the game and it was 47-33 at halftime, with Glass racking up 11 points. Washington State pulled away with a 10-3 run in the second half to extend a 14-point lead to 21 points. The Cougars closed out the victory over Oregon State from there, as Morton led the way with a team-high seven second-half points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Planned increases to Oregon’s gas tax, DMV fees, and payroll tax are on hold after a petition garnered enough signatures to challenge parts of a recent transportation funding bill.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s office confirmed that the petition, led by the group No Tax Oregon, will place the issue on the November ballot.
The group, spearheaded by Republican legislators Sen. Bruce Starr and Rep. Ed Diehl, launched the campaign following Gov. Tina Kotek’s approval of the bill last November.
On Dec. 12, No Tax Oregon submitted over 190,000 signatures to the Secretary of State.
The delay raises questions about the impact on the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and transportation funding.
On this week’s segment of Your Voice, Your Vote, KATU’s Angelica Thornton interviewed Rep. Ed Diehl and Rep. Susan McLain, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, to discuss the implications of the referendum.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (4)
Watch the full Your Voice, Your Vote segment below or on KATU’s YouTube channel:
J.D. PicKell explains why Oregon-Indiana Peach Bowl rematch is perfect for Dan Lanning originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Oregon Ducks’ 23-0 Orange Bowl win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders was the eventual planted seed for the soon-to-be Peach Bowl next Friday, as they will rematch the Indiana Hoosiers for a chance to go to the national title game in Miami.
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Despite losing to the Hoosiers during the regular season, the Ducks’ resilience has shone through since, making On3’s J.D. PicKell cautiously optimistic the Ducks could turn the tables on the No. 1-seeded Hoosiers.
“That might be the greatest gift this football team could have had, in the context of this season,” PicKell said. “That loss, I think, was a big reason why you’ve seen Oregon grow and progress the way they have in this College Football Playoff.”
PicKell said Oregon’s ability to “grow” has been apparent this postseason so far.
“Very different from last year’s team, when it comes to the way they’re evolving, the kind of ball they’re playing right now in the second round of the College Football Playoff,” PicKell said. “I think a lot of Oregon’s growth, you’ve got to give credit to some of the scars they have over the course of this season.”
We’ll see if PicKell’s words hold true, but it seems the Ducks have a shot to make the postseason even more interesting.
Come next Friday, we’ll find out.
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