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.

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.

SALT LAKE CITY — The National Weather Service has announced a series of warnings for Utah on Sunday. One of those warnings involve “threats of flash floods” for both Sunday and Monday.

The NWS said in a post on its X account that areas in Southern Utah could receive flash floods.

Those areas include:

• Capitol Reef National Park
• Zion National Park
• Western portions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Other areas that could receive a flash flood include “slot canyons, normally dry washes and areas near recent burn scars.”

“If you have outdoor plans during this time involving slot canyons, please consider rescheduling them,” The post said.

In a moist airmass with little in the way of steering flow, southern Utah will see a heightened threat of flash flooding both Sunday and Monday. If you have outdoor plans during this time involving slot canyons, please consider rescheduling them. #utwx pic.twitter.com/UQVoC4Zu53

— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) June 23, 2024

KSL meteorologist Brett Benson explained what pushes in extreme flooding.

“The rivers are running high and then you get these thunderstorms that dump a bunch of extra water in an isolated area,” Benson said.

“It could be dangerous; you’ve got to be careful if you’re out there.”

Bureau of Land Management warns of elevated risks of potential washouts in the canyons and to stay clear of fast-moving rivers and overflowing streams.

Currently, some roads are closed, including Kane Creek Road and heavy debris has been reported on highway 128.

Parts of Utah under excessive heat warning

Cleanup begins after severe storm in eastern Utah

BLAIR, Neb. (WOWT) – With officials on alert for rising waters on the Missouri River, 6 News checked in with Blair.

Staff with the Cottonwood Cove Marina and RV Resort, which is right along the river, said they have been keeping an eye on conditions since Friday, and that the National Weather Service has been doing a good job keeping staff up to date.

Owner Mike Lupardus told 6 News they began having people move their more than 130 RVs to the higher campground Friday, and he expects them to finish that by Sunday. He said that was affecting 300 people.

Lupardus said they were there for the 2019 floods, and that did more than $800,000 in damage.

But he feels that was a different animal from what they’re preparing for now.

“It sounds like our crest here is going to be around Wednesday, so we’ve got some time to continue to make preparations for this high water,” Lupardus said. “It looks like it’s going to be a quick event—an up and down—where ‘19, you know, it lasted months and months.”

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said so far, they’ve only set barricades at the wayside for when they would use them to close off roads in the event of a flood.

6 News also reached out to Washington County Emergency Management. We’ll bring you updates once we hear about their plans.

Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.