New salamander species identified

Portland

A new species of salamander has been identified in the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon and Northern California, demonstrating the biological richness of the region, researchers say.

The Scott Bar salamander, classified as Plethodon asupak, had been considered to be a member of the Siskiyou Mountains salamander species, or Plethodon stormi, until genetic analysis showed a distinct evolutionary line, said Joseph Vaile of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center in Ashland.

“Everyone talks about how biologically rich the tropics are, but we are still discovering species right here in the Klamath-Siskiyou,” Vaile said.

The word “asupak” is the Shasta Indian name for Scott Bar, an area near the confluence of the Scott and Klamath rivers.

Dave Clayton, a U.S. Forest Service biologist, led the study. The genetic analysis was done at Oregon State University.

The species dates from the Pleistocene era, a geologic period that stretches from 1.8 million years to 10,000 years ago. The newly identified species is believed to have survived the last ice age, Vaile said.

“It’s pretty rare to find a new species of something that actually has four legs,” Vaile said. “Usually, it’s something like a new lichen, or maybe an insect. This is really an exciting discovery.”

The Scott Bar salamander lives on rocky slopes under mature and old-growth forest. The dense forest canopy helps retain moisture that is key for the survival of the salamander, which is highly sensitive to drying out.

The species has no lungs and instead breathes directly through its skin.

Environmental groups petitioned the Bush administration last year to protect the Siskiyou Mountains salamander and any related or distinct populations under the Endangered Species Act.

The research leading to the identification of the new species was funded by the Forest Service. The results will be published in the June edition of the quarterly journal Herpetologica.

Driver gets to keep JOHN316 on vanity license plate

Olympia

Vanity may be a sin, but a Christian message on vanity license plates is OK with the state of Washington.

The Department of Licensing on Tuesday dismissed a complaint against a vanity plate imprinted with “JOHN316.”

“The plate is not offensive under our rules and was never in danger of being canceled,” said Licensing Department Director Liz Luce said.

Meanwhile in Vermont, Shawn Byrne, of Rutland, is suing the state after it rejected his bid for a “JOHN316” vanity plate. State attorneys contend the license plate would amount to a state endorsement of religion.

The plate refers to the verse in the New Testament that says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In Washington state someone filed a complaint about the plate in April, and the department’s vanity plate review committee called an early meeting to deal with it because of the public interest. The department did not identify the owner of the plate or the person who complained.

“This was just a routine, procedural review required by policy,” Luce said.

Male grizzly bear killed by vehicle

Bozeman

An adult grizzly bear was killed by a vehicle recently near West Yellowstone, the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said on Tuesday.

The male bear, which weighed 675 pounds and was 12 years old, wasn’t known to have been in any management conflicts, the agency said.

It was hit this past weekend.

The bear’s head, hide and internal organs will be used for research and education, the department said.

In a separate statement, the state agency said a grizzly bear was killed in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River drainage recently. State and federal law enforcement officers are investigating and no further details can be released yet, the wildlife agency said.

Oregon Senate OKs emergency contraceptives bill

Salem

Women would be allowed to buy emergency contraception without a prescription under a measure approved Tuesday by the Oregon Senate.

The bill would allow specially trained pharmacists to offer the “morning after” pill, which is a large dose of birth control hormones that can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

If the measure becomes law, Oregon would join six other states that allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives without the usual doctor’s prescription.

Backers said the bill would help prevent abortions and unintended pregnancies by making access to the drug easier, particularly on weekends when it’s often difficult to get a doctor’s prescription.

Sen. Alan Bates, an Ashland Democrat who is a physician, said the bill involves emergency contraception, not a drug like RU-486 that is used to abort a pregnancy up to six weeks after fertilization.

Others said that under the bill pharmacists who have moral or religious objections would not be required to dispense emergency contraceptives.

The measure was sent to the House on a 22-6 vote.

Bill gives some drunken drivers mandatory jail

Salem

Drunken drivers with very high blood-alcohol levels would get mandatory incarceration under a bill passed Tuesday by the House.

The measure would impose a minimum seven-day sentence and $2,500 fine on a motorist convicted of drunken driving with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.20 or above.

The sentence could be served in jail or in an alcohol treatment facility. The bill passed 55-1 and now goes to the Senate.

The measure also requires an automatic 60-day minimum sentence for a convicted drunken driver with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.20 or higher and another drunken driving conviction within the previous five years.

Present law requires two days of jail or community service for a drunken driving conviction.

Bear takes a stroll through Scappoose

Scappoose, Ore.

A small black bear took a romp down the streets of Scappoose on Tuesday, leading police officers on a chase before finally disappearing into the woods.

TV news broadcasts showed the bear loping down a street and squad cars combing the town in search of the bear.

Scappoose Police Officer Scott Hanley had a face-to-face encounter with the creature after spotting it at an apartment complex.

“It’s not something we train for at the academy,” he said.

The bear stood up on its hind legs, turned around, looked at Hanley and fled.

Authorities had planned to corral the bear, tranquilize it and then take it back into the woods. But the bear decided to leave Scappoose on its own.