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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2015)
9A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 Western snowy plover nest found in Nehalem Bay State Park spit A surprise sighting of a pair of western snowy plovers nesting on the spit south of Nehalem Bay State Park has Oregon State Parks staff on “bird alert.” It also means some changes for beachgoers on the two-mile stretch of beach south of the park’s day-use area. “This is early in the year for snowy plovers to be nest- ing,” said Oregon Parks and Recreation Wildlife Biologist Vanessa Blackstone, who dis- covered the nest Friday. “It’s H[FLWLQJQHZV7KLVLVWKH¿UVW time in 30 years that we have D FRQ¿UPHG QHVW KHUH DQG supports all the hard work Oregonians have done to help this species survive.” Other adult male and female plovers have been seen along the spit in recent days as well. The western snowy plover is a species protected by both federal and state statute. They nest in dry open sand, in tiny, shallow scrapes that are very Submitted Well-camouflaged eggs in a plover nest on the Nehalem Spit. ZHOOFDPRXÀDJHG1RWRQO\DUH nests easy to miss (or step on), but the bird will abandon its eggs if disturbed too frequently. Sightings of nests prompt special precautions in desig- nated snowy plover manage- ment areas such as the south- ern portion of the Nehalem spit. Visitors will see signs on the dry sand in these shorebird conservation areas. This also means that all activities on the dry sand will be curtailed until the end of the nesting season Sept. 15. People and horseback riders are welcome to walk along the wet sand on the entire spit, but dogs, even on leash, must use the three miles of beach north of the park’s day-use area. Driving is already prohibited on the spit. As with dogs, bicycles--a kind of nonmotorized vehi- cle under Oregon law — are only allowed north of the area during the nesting season. OPRD spokesman Chris Havel said, “We’re asking the public to respect any directions they may get from rangers, or from signs and designated areas.” He emphasized that public recreation restrictions happen only in those areas tar- geted as special plover habitat, and only in nesting season. “If a plover pair nests out- side the targeted beaches, we protect the nest, but public use of the beach doesn’t change.” On the north coast, approxi- mately 5 1/2 miles of riverside or ocean beach divided among three areas are part of a snowy plover management area. The Nehalem Spit management area is approximately two miles long. The other two areas are portions of the Necanicum and Submitted An adult western snowy plover on the Nehalem Spit. Clatsop spits. More details can be found at bit.ly/wsplover. Videos, photos, and other updates of the new nest will be posted online. The park will present interpretive pro- grams about plovers through the summer. OPRD is legally responsi- ble for managing recreation on Oregon’s ocean shore. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice oversees the Endangered Species Act, and thus the sta- tus of the western snowy plo- ver. OPRD’s legal agreement with the USFWS, the Habitat Conservation Plan, spells out how to help the plover popu- lation recover. In 2014, 338 adult plo- vers called Oregon home, an increase of approximately 10 percent over 2013’s estimate of 304 adults. 2014 was also a SURPLVLQJ\HDUIRUÀHGJOLQJV with 272 chicks surviving to OHDUQWRÀ\ City Lumber builds on 111 years of success in Astoria By MIKE WILLIAMS EO Media Group ASTORIA — At least one North Coast business has com- mitments 90 years in the future when the company will be more than 200 years old. City Lumber’s owners made the commitment as a gesture, but Jeff and Greg Newenhof say it’s a distinct possibility. “We’ve committed to 2105,” Jeff said. “City Lumber spon- sored the celebration for the grand opening (of the original Astoria City Hall in 1905). In the centennial in 2005, we spon- sored the celebration for the hundred-year anniversary of the building, and I think we com- mitted to sponsoring it in 2105.” The brothers joke that they don’t anticipate being around unless cryogenics makes some important advances, but City Lumber itself? Your descen- dants’ descendants should look for a banner or digital display or hologram or whatever technol- ogy comes up with bearing the City Lumber name and logo at the bicentennial celebration. The company was founded in 1904 as City Lumber and Box Co. by three different com- panies to sell lumber and boxes WRWKH¿VKLQJLQGXVWU\ The Newenhofs became the fourth owners in 1975 when Jeff and Greg’s parents, Jerry and Nancy, bought the business. “It basically started as a lumberyard and we added a lot of hardware stuff upstairs, light ¿[WXUHV DQG GHFRUDWRU LWHPV´ Greg said. “It comes from Dad’s background,” Jeff added. “He worked for a company called Pay ’n’ Pak stores. … He got KHUH DQG ¿JXUHG RXW ZD\V WR bring women into the store. So lighting, home decor, wallpaper — all that stuff helped bring women into the store.” They’ve also added rent- al tools and a boom truck and another with a forklift to make deliveries a little smoother. Competition There were 10 lumberyards when the Newenhofs bought City Lumber started in 1904 as City Lumber and Box Co. Technology Photos by JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Jeff and Greg Newenhof say the company’s future looks bright. City Lumber in 1975, now there are three. Asked how the company has managed to adapt to the changing environment and sur- vive where others have failed, Greg says simply, “Work hard.” “When Home Depot came into the marketplace, people were closing their stores be- cause they were so paranoid about it,” Jeff said. “Now the industry’s had some time to ¿JXUHRXWKRZWRDGDSW:KDW we did is change our suppliers. We went from buying from an independent distributor to Do It Best.” The lumberyard cooperative gives the store better depth of products to offer and other ad- vantages. They heard varying esti- mates of how Home Depot’s arrival would affect their busi- ness. ³7KH ¿UVW JX\ VDLG µ<RX¶G see a 25 percent drop in busi- ness for a year, then get it all back,’” Jeff said. “Second JX\VDLGµ<RX¶GVHHDSHU- cent drop in business for three months, then get it all back.’ 7KLUGJX\VDLGµ6HHDSHU- cent drop for a month, then get it all back.’ First month they opened, our sales went up.” Home Depot opened in Warrenton in September 2008; the recession hit shortly after. “It was like a light switch,” Jeff said. “It affected everybody throughout the Northwest. We just sucked it up. Hard work’s the key.” hanging it up though, because we enjoy it.” Jeff’s children, an 11-year- old and a 9-year-old, aren’t at the point of thinking about tak- ing over the business. Technology has already changed how the Newenhofs do business. “On my smartphone I can dial into the system and know what the sales were and get customer stuff,” Jeff said. “Ten years ago — we had no idea.” They’re not worried. Strong lumberyards survived the re- cession, Jeff said. There’s been a dramatic consolidation in the industry and there may be more to come. But houses will always need repair, and homeowners will continue to upgrade, and that’s good news for City Lumber, whatever form it takes in the future. “I think there’s always go- ing to be a place for a small- town, locally owned lumber- yard and hardware store,” Jeff said. “Do I see us here 40 years from now? Yeah. Probably.” Personnel power The company has 15 em- ployees and has added some recently. That’s a big issue for City Lumber. “One of our family’s leg- acies is that we’ve never laid anybody off for lack of work,” Jeff said. They’ve let employees go for other reasons, but the fam- ily sees quality workers as part of the key to long-term success. “We consistently have well- trained, knowledgeable em- ployees. We’ve always resisted the temptation to let people go when things are bad, because we know we need those guys back. It takes two years to get someone up to speed … so we suck it up and do it.” CMH Urgent Care in Warrenton Open daily, 9am-6:30pm 1639 SE Ensign Lane (near Staples and Petco) 503-338-4500 t www.cmhurgentcare.org Next generation? The Newenhofs have no plans to retire anytime soon. They haven’t really thought about the next step. “They’ll take us out on a stretcher, I guess,” Jeff quipped. “Should we do some- thing? Yeah. I don’t see us ever Urgent Care in Warrenton With shorter wait times. We’re here when you need care now When you need healthcare now, come to CMH Urgent Care in Warrenton and Astoria. With onsite x-ray and lab services, you’ll be on the road to recovery soon. $.)6SHFOU$BSF t Works with most insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid. t Provides onsite lab and x-ray services. t Cares for people of all ages. &YDIBOHF4USFFU"TUPSJB0SFHPOt XXXDPMVNCJBNFNPSJBMPSHt"1MBOFUSFF%FTJHOBUFE)PTQJUBM