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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2017 Legislation would close gaps along the Oregon Coast Trail Hikers want to avoid highway By ZACH URNESS Statesman Journal SALEM — Few path- ways conjure up more conflict- ing emotions than the Oregon Coast Trail. One moment you’re hiking to the top of a rocky headland and looking upon a vast sweep of ocean. The next you’re risk- ing life and limb on the shoul- der of U.S. Highway 101 as cars and trucks scream past a few feet away. The 367-mile trail, which stretches from the California state line to Astoria, brings hik- ers to Oregon’s most beautiful coastal viewpoints and cliff- walled beaches. But it also forces them onto one of the state’s busiest highways, some- times for miles at a time. “It’s an incredibly beauti- ful trail — the only one of its kind in the nation,” said Connie Soper, an author and expert on hiking the Oregon Coast Trail. “Unfortunately, it’s unfinished. Having to walk on the highway is dangerous, unpleasant for hikers and drivers, and really stops the trail from reaching its potential.” Now a collection of hik- ers and lawmakers is hop- ing to change that. Legislation intended to help complete the pathway will have its first hear- ing Tuesday morning at the Capitol. An advocacy group, Friends of the Oregon Coast Trail, has been formed by Soper and Salem resident Dan Hilburn to spearhead the project. ‘Village-to-village’ They say making it possi- ble to hike the trail end-to-end — without long stretches on the highway — could make the trail a world-famous destination, providing a “village-to-village” experience unmatched in the United States. “It has the potential to allow people to hike the entire length of the coast without carrying a tent or stove,” Hilburn said. “It’s set up to let people hike from town-to-town, staying at hotels and eating at restaurants. That’s very popular in Europe, and it could be huge for Ore- gon’s coastal economy.” The first step has already been taken. A 2011 report by the Oregon Parks and Recre- ation Department identifies 33 “critical gaps” in the trail total- ing around 50 miles. The report even sets a date — 2021 — as a goal for connecting the entire route. House Bill 3149 is an attempt to keep the state AP Photo/Don Ryan Depoe Bay is one of the stops on the Oregon Coast Trail. focused on that goal. The bill, sponsored by Rep. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, and with 10 sponsors, requires the parks department to create a development plan that would get the project as close to shov- el-ready as possible. Parks officials said they’ve made some progress on clos- ing the gaps. But finishing the trail by 2021 — given com- plexities with private land, river crossings and other issues — will be a tall order. It would also require shifting resources away from other projects, such as repairing state park facilities. “With or without legisla- tion, it’s an ambitious goal,” said David Stipe, state parks planning and design manager. “That said, I love a challenge. If our state Legislature and the governor say this needs to be a priority, we’ll get to work.” … the best scenery is lost to a person who stays on the road. A trail will be necessary.” Dicken’s idea took root and in 1971 construction began. By 1988, the trail was deemed “hikeable.” Yet the trail never quite became a household name in Oregon. The trail is unsigned and confusing in many places, and the inherent danger of hik- ing along Highway 101 turns many people off, Soper said. In one particularly scary area, between Heceta Head and Baker Beach, hikers must travel through a highway tunnel with no sidewalk or guardrail. “I refused to do it,” said Soper, who hiked the entire trail for her book “Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail.” “But someone in my party tried it with us following him slowly in a car with our lights flashing so he wouldn’t get killed.” Two moments Two moments in Oregon’s history made the Oregon Coast Trail possible. The first is well known. In 1913, Gov. Oswald West des- ignated the ocean shoreline for the public. That concept was upheld and expanded with the 1967 Beach Bill that ensured every Oregonian would have access to the state’s sandy shores. The idea for a trail stretch- ing from the Columbia River to the California border came from Dr. Samuel N. Dicken, who hiked the coast and wrote about it in his book “Old Ore- gon,” published in 1959. “A traveler along Highway 101 has many opportunities to see spectacular scenery in turn- outs and from the highway,” he wrote. “But in many sections Mired in obscurity While the trail has remained mired in obscurity, the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs in one unbroken line through Ore- gon’s mountains, has ascended to superstar status. It was fea- tured in the movie “Wild” and hosts armies of hikers every year. The Oregon Coast Trail, meanwhile, isn’t even well known in its own state. “I’ve lived in Oregon for 25 years and consider myself an avid hiker,” Hilburn said. “But until last spring, I hadn’t even heard of the Oregon Coast Trail. The reason many people haven’t heard about it is that it was never finished.” For an example of what’s possible on the Oregon Coast, Hilburn pointed to the Camino de Santiago Trail in Spain. The 495-mile trail follows a historical pilgrimage route through countless small vil- lages. It’s hiked by upward of 278,000 people each year, most of whom stay in hotels and hos- tels and eat at restaurants along the way. “It was such a fun experi- ence,” said Hilburn, who hiked the Camino in fall of 2016. “It’s full of people from around the world, happy to shell out money for a mattress and roof every night.” Other village-to-village routes include the Queen Char- lotte Track in New Zealand, Coast to Coast Path in England, and 88 Temples Trail in Japan. Done right, supporters think the trail, which cuts through numerous small towns on the coast, could become the United States’ first village-to-village trek. Small towns “There are the beaches, capes and forest that are all wonderful,” Soper said. “But one of the highlights is that the trail passes through small towns. People get the chance to visit these coastal communities on foot and really get to know them. A connected trail would really give them the chance to shine.” Two good examples, Soper said, include Depoe Bay and Yachats. “I particularly love coming into Yachats from the beach, up the historic 804 Trail alongside a dramatic bluff and through town,” she said. The idea of long-dis- tance hikers arriving on the Oregon Coast and spending money appeals to Oregon’s lawmakers. Smith, the bill’s chief spon- sor, said as a former restaurant owner in Port Orford, he saw a major benefit from bicyclists who rode the length of High- way 101 and stopped to eat along the way. There would be even more customers for local businesses with a completed trail. “Anytime we can drive eco-tourism to rural Oregon, let’s do it,” Smith said. “There’s no downside to this for the coast and its communities.” More than 450,000 Oregonians could lose health coverage under GOP plan Medicaid costs would hit state By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — As many as 465,000 Oregonians would be unable to afford coverage and lose health insurance by 2026 under the U.S. House GOP health care proposal, accord- ing to an analysis released by the state. And it would cost the state an additional $2.6 bil- lion through 2023 to maintain Medicaid coverage extended to 375,000 Oregonians and subsidized by the federal government under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, the state anaylsis says. The Republican plan, known as the American Health Care Act, would also cost 42,000 jobs, the state says. “This bill is not about improving health care. This bill is about giving tax breaks to the wealthy,” Gov. Kate Brown said during a news conference Thursday where she took no questions. The Governor’s Office did not specifically address an emailed question about whether Brown intends to have Oregon make up the losses from the federal gov- ernment, if the GOP bill becomes law. However, Brown and her communica- tions director, Chris Pair, said she plans to share the report with federal officials and Congress to “influence their deliberations on the AHCA.” Most of those who would lose coverage now benefit from the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program. In addition to losses in Medicaid coverage, state offi- cials expect coverage pro- vided by employers also to decline because the proposal eliminates the tax penalty for employers who don’t provide insurance. Patrick Allen, director of Oregon Department of Con- sumer and Business Ser- vices, said he is concerned some insurers might drop out of the market as a result of the changes. That agency regulates commercial insur- ance companies and man- ages the state health insurance marketplace. Da Yang: Will pay civil penalties starting this month Continued from Page 1A “Oregon’s wage and hour protections help ensure the health and safety of our workforce,” Labor Commis- sioner Brad Avakian said in a release. “We’re committed to fair enforcement of worker protections so that employ- ees are treated fairly and other law-abiding businesses have a level playing field on which to compete.” Da Yang will pay the civil penalties in six monthly allotments of $10,000 start- ing this month. The state will suspend $24,000 in addi- tional civil penalties if Da Yang complies with wage and hour laws for at least three years. By signing a consent order, the company waived the right to a con- tested case hearing. Following the Da Yang investigation, the bureau’s new proactive investigation and enforcement unit audited other seafood processors to ensure compliance with wage and hour laws. In December 2015, the state Department of Envi- ronmental Quality fined Da Yang $85,319 for discharg- ing wastewater from its Pier 2 processing plant into the Columbia River between June 2008 and May 2015 without a federal permit. P LACE Y OUR W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Coming Wednesday in The Daily Astorian The award-winning magazine from the publishers of Coast Weekend A DS N OW ! Our Packages Include: • Daily Astorian • Chinook Observer • Coast Weekend • TMC Marketplace • Seaside Signal • CB Gazette • and online! Jamie Call Today (503) 325-3211 ext 231 Visitors will be arriving soon - Make sure your staff is ready! 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