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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015
Ilwaco port watches for furry invaders
Will driving
sea lions from
Astoria send
them to Ilwaco?
By KATIE WILSON
EO Media Group
ILWACO, Wash. — Boat
owners and marina staff at the
Port of Ilwaco have invasion
on their minds.
What will happen, they
wonder, if the sea lions tak-
ing over docks and piling up
under piers in Astoria begin to
feel crowded? Will they come
to Ilwaco?
“At this point, we’re mon-
itoring any activity,” said Guy
Glenn Jr., manager for the
Port of Ilwaco. “Our primary
concern is trying to keep any
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would potentially attract them
to the port.”
“We’re a pretty active port
here,” he added. “From my
understanding, they don’t like
a lot of activity. Hopefully, it
doesn’t become a problem.”
Daily counts of sea lions
at the Port of Astoria’s East
Mooring Basin have record-
ed well over 2,000 animals
on certain days — a mix of
California sea lions and stel-
lar sea lions. The noise they
make is deafening. Until this
year, average counts had been
closer to 100 to 300 animals.
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that something was about to
change when a count record-
ed more than 1,000 sea lions
at the mooring basin.
Massive runs of smelt in
the past two months have also
attracted large numbers of
harbor seals as well as more
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life biologists said. Elsewhere
on the West Coast, warm-
er waters in California and
crashing sardine populations
have made the Lower Colum-
bia River region even more
attractive to sea lions.
The Port of Astoria has
JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian
Sea lions and seals rest on the docks of the East Mooring Basin.
‘At this point, we’re monitoring any activity. Our primary concern is
trying to keep any fish waste out of the water that would potentially
attract them to the port.’
— Guy Glenn Jr.
manager for the Port of Ilwaco
tested various ways of hazing
the animals off the docks, but
with little success. The huge
sea lions — male Califor-
nia sea lions can weigh over
1,000 pounds, male stellar
sea lions over 2,000 pounds
— are protected: California
sea lions under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act and
stellar sea lions under the fed-
eral Endangered Species Act.
This limits what ports can do
to keep them at bay.
Also, said Jim Knight, ex-
ecutive director for the Port
of Astoria, there is a real con-
cern about where the sea lions
would go if they were suc-
cessfully hazed out of the East
Mooring Basin.
Sea lions do occasionally
explore the marina at the Port
of Ilwaco. One adventurous
animal was actually photo-
graphed contentedly scooting
down a city street near the
port one day. One could be
heard barking last Saturday
morning somewhere near the
mooring basin. At the Cape
Disappointment Coast Guard
station, Coast Guardsmen on
duty see sea lions every now
and then near their dock. But,
in all these cases, the sea lions
don’t stick around for long.
The port has been careful
to emphasize rules that forbid
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remains into the marina; all
things that foul up the marina
and could attract hungry sea
lions, Glenn said.
A recent bill co-sponsored
by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beut-
ler, R-Wash., the Endangered
Salmon and Fisheries Preda-
tion Prevention Act, would
change the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and allow trib-
al members to kill sea lions
and harbor seals. Currently,
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identify and kill trouble sea li-
ons at Bonneville Dam.
Fish and wildlife managers
are waiting to see how many
animals stick around for the
return run of spring salmon.
For online updates: www.dailyastorian.com
AP Photo/The Oregonian, Stephanie Yao Long
Rob Saxton, then the Tigard-Tualatin School District su-
perintendent, visited a school on his way into work in
Tigard in 2006. Saxton, who was chosen by former Gov.
John Kitzhaber to head Oregon’s public school system,
announced his resignation Wednesday.
State education
head resigns to
go to district job
fessional development, ad-
ministration and other areas.
Sager, for instance, stood in
Rob Saxton, the sec- as an interim superintendent
ond-highest ranking educa- in Jewell in 2013.
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The NWRESD board in
leave the Oregon Department February decided to suspend
of Education to replace James its superintendent search and
Sager as superintendent of the instead select an interim to
Northwest Regional Educa- start July 1. Saxton will work
tion Service District.
with the board, staff and dis-
Saxton, the deputy superin- trict superintendents to assess
tendent of public instruction, the ESD’s strengths, chal-
announced the job change in lenges and to make recom-
an email Wednesday morning, mendations that will inform
stating that his last day with the search for a permanent
ODE would be June 30.
replacement.
“Last night, the board of the
Sager, who’s led the
Northwest Regional Education NWRESD since 2011, an-
Service District approved a nounced his retirement late
two-year contract hiring me last year. He’s been in educa-
as superintendent there, and tion for more than 30 years.
I have accepted their offer,”
Saxton was appointed
Saxton wrote today. “I look Deputy Superintendent of
forward to continuing to sup- Public Instruction by then-
port our students and schools Gov. John Kitzhaber in July
in this new role, as I have for RI +H ZDV FRQ¿UPHG
the past 33 years.”
by the Oregon Senate on Sept.
The NWRESD covers 20 6D[WRQZDV2UHJRQ¶V¿UVW
school districts in Clatsop, appointed head of ODE, fol-
Columbia, Tillamook and lowing 2011 legislation that
Washington counties, includ- made the governor the super-
ing Astoria, Warrenton-Ham- intendent of schools, with the
mond, Seaside, Knappa and authority to appoint a deputy
Jewell school districts. It to run the department.
provides various supports for
Gov. Kate Brown, Saxton
special education, instruction, said, will soon start the pro-
information technology, pro- cess of replacing Saxton.
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THESE TWO HOMES?
HINT: IT HAS TO DO WITH SAVING ENERGY AND MONEY.
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