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FRIDAY EXTRA • 1C
IN ONE EAR • 1B
143rd YEAR, No. 98
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 • WEEKEND EDITION
ONE DOLLAR
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B\ PHUONG LE
Associated Press
San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf
typically bustles this time of year as
workers prepare to haul millions of
pounds of Dungeness crab that are a
tradition at Thanksgiving and other
holiday meals.
But crab pots are sitting empty on
docks, boats are idled and ¿ shermen
are anxiously waiting for Califor-
nia authorities to open the lucrative
Dungeness crab season.
California has delayed the Nov. 15
start of its commercial crab season af-
ter ¿ nding dangerous levels of a tox-
in in crabs. Of¿ cials in Oregon and
Washington are testing crab samples
and will decide soon whether to open
its coastal season by Dec. 1 as planned.
A massive bloom of microscop-
ic algae — which produced a natural
toxin called domoic acid that is harm-
ful to wildlife and ¿ sh — in the 3aci¿ c
Ocean is threatening the crab industry
during a time when many ¿ shing out-
¿ ts make their most money. ,t’s also
roiling coastal tourism and marine
ecosystems.
A closure along the entire West
Coast would be a blow to the industry,
which harvested nearly $170 million
worth of Dungeness crab in 2014.
“Everybody is counting on crab to
make it, so this is pretty disappoint-
ing,” said Larry Collins, president of
the San Francisco Crab Boat Own-
ers Association. “Whenever they test
clean, we’ll go get them. ,’m very
hopeful that it’s sooner than later.”
No Fr\VWDO EDOO
Experts say the warm conditions
that set up the toxic algae bloom —
while not attributed to climate change
— does offer a picture of what’s to
come as ocean temperatures are pro-
jected to warm. Already, warmer
ocean temperatures off New England
have shaken up ¿ sheries there, con-
tributing to the collapse of the region’s
cod ¿ shery and the shift northward in
See ALGAE, Page 9A
SHINING LIGHT ON DISMAL NITCH
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Jim Sayce points to Eagle Cliff, a weathered cliff that shows up in the journals during the Corps of Discovery ’s five-day stay in November 1805 at Dismal Nitch. The sounds of falling
pebbles along the cliff, the tidal patterns of the Columbia River and the location of two adjacent streams led Sayce to this conclusion.
Local historian believes we are closer to ¿ nding the explorers’ site
D
B\ KYLE SPURR
The Daily Astorian
,SMAL N,TCH, Wash. —
Historians know the Lewis and
Clark expedition weathered
brutal storms two centuries ago
when they reached the rocky
cliffs off the Lower Columbia
River, described as Dismal Nitch in
Capt. William Clark’s journal.
The 33-person expedition was
pinned down Nov. 10 to 15, 1805,
along the north shore east of 3oint El-
lice.
The exact location of the expedi-
tion’s stay is still up for debate.
Historian Jim Sayce, the Wash-
ington State Historical Society’s liai-
son to the Lewis and Clark National
Historical 3ark, has studied the loca-
tion for nearly two decades collecting
clues from journals, maps, tidal charts
and photographs to pinpoint the loca-
tion.
Sayce, and many other historians,
have faced challenges visually recon-
structing the area since State Route
401 was built in 158. ,n addition, few
maps and photographs exist showing
how the shoreline appeared in the early
1800s.
“The trick is to ¿ nd those features
that don’t change,” Sayce said.
Through his research, Sayce be-
lieves the Corps of Discovery camped
in Hungry Harbor, east of the Dismal
Nitch Rest Area. Other historians put
the campsite closer to rest area near
3oint Ellice.
Sayce will discuss the research and
debate of Dismal Nitch during a talk at
1 p.m. Sunday in the Netel River Room
of the Fort Clatsop visitor center. The
talk, “Dismal Nitch: Shining a Bright
Light into the Dark Coves of History,”
is part of the ,n Their Footsteps series,
sponsored by Lewis and Clark Nation-
al Historical 3ark.
For the program, Sayce said, he
plans to describe the early research into
the expedition’s stay in the Lower Co-
lumbia region. He will segue into how
there is no unanimous opinion about
Dismal Nitch, although historians have
analyzed the area for at least 60 years.
“When you don’t have collective
opinion, it hasn’t been fully analyzed,”
Sayce said. “,’m trying to look at it like
, have never seen it before, admitting
it’s been 200 years.”
See SITE, Page 7A
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Jim Sayce stands on a rock that he believes was in place
when Lewis and Clark made their stay at Dismal Nitch in
1805. The introduction of added rock and the construction
of U.S. Highway 101 has made it difficult at times to find
landmarks that help identify where Lewis and Clark stayed.
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FFA opens door
to world of
agriculture
for students
B\ TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
Emily Kraxberger didn’t
grow up on a farm. Her fam-
ily had 2 acres in Canby near
3ortland, where they had a
small vegetable garden.
But as a teenager in high
school, Kraxberger was
drawn to agriculture class-
es such as À oral science and
landscaping.
Through those classes, she
was introduced to FFA.
,t changed her life.
“,n my sophomore year,
, had an instructor who told
me , should come to a leader-
ship camp,” she said. “That’s
how , became involved. Then
, got some chickens, and on
our small piece of property ,
raised chickens.”
Kraxberger stayed in-
volved after high school, in-
terning in FFA’s state of¿ ce
while earning an agricultural
See FFA, Page 9A
B\ HILLARY BORRUD
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Gov. Kate
Brown wants the Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion to hire a consultant to
review the agency’s man-
agement practices. The
review is supposed to reas-
sure lawmakers the agency
is doing everything it can
to operate efficiently, as
the Legislature gears up to
pass a transportation fund-
ing package in 2017.
Earlier this year, law-
makers called for a perfor-
mance audit of the agency
and wanted to re purpose
some of its budget,
mission’s meeting
as part of a trans-
in Silverton on
portation funding
Thursday. Howev-
plan that ultimate-
er, Oregon Depart-
ly died. One law-
ment of Transpor-
maker who raised
tation employees
concerns was Sen.
are handling the
Betsy
Johnson,
process of recruit-
D-Scappoose,
ing consultants to
who questioned
examine the agen-
why the state
cy’s management.
State Sen.
spent thousands Betsy Johnson ODOT has asked
16 different firms
of dollars to send
a staffer abroad to research that conduct this type of
work to weigh in on what
alternatives to the gas tax.
Brown asked the Ore- a review should look like,
gon Transportation Com- ahead of an eventual re-
mission to oversee the quest for proposals.
“independent third-party
See REVIEW, Page 7A
review” during the com-