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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2015 NORTH COAST 3A Swimming with the stars Gearhart’s elk herd will be featured on OPB By ANDREW R. TONRY For EO Media Group The elk that roam through Gearhart are about to become the stars of their very own television program. Well, at least a segment of a program. They will be featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s show, “Ore- gon Field Guide” at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 5. “One of the things that attracted me to the story was that I know these animals to be very majestic and beautiful to look at,” said the program’s SURGXFHU-XOH*LO¿OODQ ,Q *LO¿OODQ¶V LQLWLDO UH- search, she was inspired by a video on YouTube showing the elk bathing and frolicking in the Necanicum River estu- ary and ocean surf. “It’s beautiful footage,” VDLG *LO¿OODQ ³, ZDV OLNH ‘Wow, this is really some- thing.’” “So I just kept research- ing it and realized also that there was somewhat of a controversy in that area,” she added. “Some people think the elk are just fantas- tic, and other people think they’re a nuisance. Some people are worried about safety. There were just vari- ous issues that came up, so I grabbed a photographer, and we went down last August and interviewed folks.” The elk herd that visits Photo courtesy of Neal Maine Nature photographer Neal Maine captured another shot of elk strolling on the beach near Gearhart. The elk will be featured in a segment on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Oregon Field Guide” Feb. 5. Photo courtesy of Neal Maine The sight of an elk herd in the Necanicum estuary inspired a producer from Oregon Pub- lic Broadcasting’s “Oregon Field Guide” program to shoot a segment on the phenome- non in Gearhart. This photo of the elk herd, shot by Neal Maine of PacificLight Images, is on exhibit at Fairweather House and Garden, along with several more images by the local nature photographer. Gearhart sparked enough discussion last spring to warrant a town hall meeting where residents discussed possible methods of dissuad- ing the elk from coming to town. So far, they haven’t been dissuaded. “We were kind of rolling the dice,” Gilfillan said. “I was like, gosh, I wonder if we’re going to see the herd. But we need not have wor- ried, because they were right there.” Gilfillan was taken aback, however, by the Gearhart herd’s comfort in proximity to humans. “I have crawled along the pumice plain inside Mount St. Helens to try to get cov- ered with elk urine so that I’m not smelling like a hu- man in order to get close to elk,” she said. “They’re very skittish. They’re very aware. They have great senses of smell, and they know when a human is around.” The Gearhart herd was different. “These elk, I guess, are habituated enough to being in the midst of human ac- tivity that they really didn’t scare at all,” said Gilfillan. “And that was so unusual, according to my experi- ence.” Along with a cameraman, Gilfillan followed the herd closely for two days last Au- gust. “They were in the dunes area, then they made their way into a neighborhood and then made themselves at home on a golf course,” said Gilfillan. “We just got amaz- ing footage.” “We met one poor woman who was chasing them out of her yard,” Gilfillan added. The incident presented the issue in a nutshell. “There are legitimate safety concerns, I just feel that way personally,” said Gilfillan. “I think I wanted to honor all the opinions that I did hear, because I want to represent the community’s Sunset Empire Transportation District offers funds, free day Sunset Empire Trans- portation District recently announced the opportunity for eligible parties in Clat- sop County to apply for two funding programs allocated by the Oregon Department of Transportation for the 2015- 17 biennium. Eligible parties include counties, cities, transporta- tion districts, public or private agencies, Indian tribes, indi- viduals or any of these joined in cooperative agreements. Only applications that provide transportation ser- vices for older adults and people with disabilities will be considered. The two transportation program funds — the Special Transportation Fund and the 5310 Program Grant — are separate programs requiring separate applications. For more information,, visit the SETD website at www.ridethebus.org or con- tact Diane Moody at 503- 861-5363 or DianeM@ride- thebus.org. Application packs may be picked up at the Astoria Tran- sit Center, 900 Marine Drive, open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be mailed upon request. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 6. In addition, Sunset Empire Transportation Services will host its annual “Ridership Appreciation Day” Thursday to show appreciation to bus riders and the community for their support. The Ridership Apprecia- tion Day coincides with the Project Homeless Connect event at the Seaside Conven- tion Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. For more information about Ridership Apprecia- tion Day or Project Homeless Connect, contact Elisabeth Pietila at 503-861-7433 or go to www.ridethebus.org The public is also invit- ed to attend an open house at the Astoria Transit Cen- ter from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Refreshments, prizes and transit information will be available. Eager to relive one of the most beloved coming- of-age stories of the 1980s, fans will flock to historic Astoria and surrounding area to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the cult clas- sic film “The Goonies,” June 4 to 7. During the four-day event, Goonies fans can tour iconic film locations, bowl at “Chunk’s Bowling Al- ley,” attend costumed quote- a-long film screenings, sip Truffle Shuffle Stout from local Fort George Brewery and adventure on a scaven- ger hunt supported by Geo- caching.com Using Lego blocks, the Virtua-LUG builders group recreated iconic scenes from “The Goonies,” which will be on display. In the spirit of One Eyed Willie’s trea- sure-filled ship in the film, the tall ships Lady Washing- ton and Hawaiian Chieftain will be offering tours and sails in Astoria during the celebration. Official mem- orabilia, including T-shirts, hats, glassware, collectibles and more, will be available at the event, primarily in Astoria and Cannon Beach. The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Com- merce will sell weekend passes as well as individual tickets for specific events. Tickets are anticipated to go on sale March 1. The detailed event schedule and prices will be announced early this year. The chamber offers sev- eral sponsorship options, including placement on the event website and social media, signs at the events and ways to get products into people’s hands. Spon- sorships enable the cham- ber to keep costs for at- tendees down. Sponsorship funds also boost its ability to bring in cast members and other special guests, which will further increase excitement around the event. Businesses can partici- pate in celebration activities like ’80s Night Out, or sim- ply by offering a themed ex- perience to visitors during the celebration (or all year long). Individuals who would like to assist during the cel- ebration as a volunteer will be able to sign up online this spring when details on those roles and shifts are available. Contact Marketing Man- ager Regina Willkie at 503-836-5147 or regina@ oldoregon.com for more in- formation. By The Daily Astorian Prepare for Goonies in June Portland Chamber Orchestra’s Photo courtesy of Gail Como Gail Como, Gearhart city treasurer and administrative as- sistant, shot this photo of the elk herd as it marched down Pacific Way in front of City Hall. opinion authentically. So we found people with lots of different views.” “I don’t think we take a stand,” she added. “But we explore the issue of how the community is going to grap- ple with it. I have a feeling this is not an uncommon experience in communities all over, particularly in the American West, and likely to become more so, because wildlife is more protected in some areas and that has allowed them to reproduce more, and we are also build- ing in habitat.” After the initial airing Thursday, the episode will be repeated at 1:30 a.m. and at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 8, on OPB. Seaside PD prepares for seatbelt enforcement blitz SEASIDE — Oregon law enforcement agencies are teaming up across the state Feb. 9 through 22 to SXW H[WUD SROLFH RI¿FHUV RQ WKH URDG WR VSHFL¿FDOO\ ORRNIRUWUDI¿FYLRODWLRQV 3DWURO RI¿FHUV ZLOO EH looking for seatbelt and child-restraint violations, using mobile devices (cell- phones) without a hands-free device and speed violators. In the 100-car surveys conducted in 2014, Sea- VLGHRI¿FHUVIRXQGSHU- cent of drivers are buck- ling up. The goal remains to have 100 percent of all occupants buckling up. Statewide, among those killed or injured were 938 child passengers under the age of 8, and a third of those were riding un- restrained or in the wrong type of safety restraint for their size. Child seats re- duce the likelihood of in- fants under 1 being killed in a crash by 71 percent, and the fatal risk for tod- dlers age 1 to 4 by 54 percent, and 58 percent for infants and toddlers in SUVs, pickups and vans. Oregon law requires children less than 40 pounds be restrained in a child seat. Children under the age of 1 or weighing less than 20 pounds must be restrained in a rear-fac- ing child seat. A child over 40 pounds must be restrained in either a child seat or a booster seat ap- propriate for their size un- til they reach age 8 or are 4-feet, 9-inches tall and the DGXOW UHVWUDLQW V\VWHP ¿WV them correctly. A couple rules of thumb: is the restraint going across the child’s waist and not the abdom- inal area. In the event of a crash, you want the re- straint to hold the child in their seat and not cut into their internal organs. Is the restraint going across the child’s shoulder and not on their neck. We look to see if the child is elevated in the booster to the level of being able to see out the side window to give us an idea they are in a proper booster for their size. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 BROADWAY’S BEST BOYS February 14 at 7:30 pm !# #*" ' &# # !# ! !"#! How I wish I had gone to Columbia Travel... !#" ' $ , %*" &# !# # #! !&' !%& Third Thursday Comedy Series !# ' &" 1).. ! /2 + !" ! "' ! /0 + #! $"# ' !(! Anthony Kearns Daily Astorian file Goonies fans Steve Simmang, right, of Hemet, California, dressed as Brand, and Kelly Doule, left, of Brooklyn, New York, dressed as Chunk, pose for a photo taken by Doule’s wife, Kasia, following the Truffle Shuffle gathering at John Warren Field during the 2013 Goonies Day. ' /0 # 1).. Call us to schedule your next vacation! 433 13th St., Astoria 503-325-1531