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--> --> Oregon In Brief Boy survives crash, walks hours for help OREGON CITY - A 4-year-old boy scaled a 400-foot embankment and walked for two hours to find help after he and his father were ejected from their car, police said Sunday. A passer-by found Cornelius Sopt walking along a U.S. Forest Service road near Timothy Lake around 7 p.m. Saturday. The boy said he had been in an accident and his father was dead, according to Jim Strovink, spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. He then led rescue crews to a wrecked car, which had flipped and rolled down a 400-foot embankment of loose gravel, Strovink said. Rescuers used ropes to descend to the wreckage. They found Cornel Sopt's body about 100 feet from the car, Strovink said. The Sopts, who are from Indiana, were visiting relatives in Gresham, Strovink said. Sopt and his son were returning from a fishing trip when the accident occurred. Cornelius Sopt was recovering from minor injuries at a Portland hospital Sunday, Strovink said. His mother, Lucia Sopt, was with him. Biologists search for wolverines ROSEBURG - Encouraged by several sightings, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is searching remote parts of the state for evidence that wolverines are still living in Oregon. If wolverines are found, the animal could be placed on endangered species lists for the state. "We've known about them for years," said department biologist Terry Farrell. "Many people have seen them. They can't all be hallucinating." In one of the most recent sightings, Oregon State Police game officer Steve Callaway glimpsed a wolverine north of Mount Bailey. Since 1997, Oregon state officials have sought out wolverines using snowmobiles and motion detecting cameras. They have also flown helicopter surveys over the high altitude and remote wilderness areas wolverines prefer at Mount Thielsen, the Rogue-Umpqua Divide and the Boulder Creek Wilderness. The department has taken an aerial photo of what they believe to be a den on the northeast face of Mount Thielsen. State to close Pitchford Boys Ranch ROSEBURG - The state has decided to close the Pitchford Boys Ranch, the highly regarded residential treatment program for young lawbreakers. The Oregon Youth Authority notified Douglas County officials last week that it could not continue operating the program after the county withdrew its financial support. The move came after the agency learned it would have to eliminate 32 beds statewide to deal with budget cuts ordered by the Oregon Legislature. Pitchford is the oldest residential treatment facility for teen-agers in Oregon. In operation for nearly 40 years, it handles about 16 teen-age boys at a time. The population includes youths convicted of fairly low level crimes to those who have done time in a juvenile prison. A report issued earlier this year by a team of OYA administrators called it one of the top programs in the state. Over the next month, workers will attempt to place the Pitchford boys in other treatment programs. - Associated Press Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing