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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2015)
12A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015 Plover:7KHELUGVERUQLQ2UHJRQODVW\HDUKDYHYLROHWEDQGV Continued from Page 1A KLGHEHKLQGGULIWZRRGWR¿QG shelter from the wind, accord- LQJWRSDUNRI¿FLDOV To nest successfully, the snowy plovers need the right conditions and to not be distrib- XWHGE\EHDFKJRHUV During their nesting season between March 15 and July 15, SDUN RI¿FLDOV UHVWULFW DFFHVV WR WKH KDOIPLOH PRQLWRULQJ DUHD No beachgoers can walk, bicy- cle, drive or take their dogs on the site, which is located only in WKHGU\VDQGDERYHWKHWLGHOLQH “We are not really out here to write a bunch of tickets,” 0XUSK\ VDLG ³:H DUH GRLQJ more of an interpretive ap- SURDFK´ Murphy is one of many RI¿FLDOV ZKR NHHS WDEV RQ WKH management area near Clatsop 6SLW 2WKHUV LQFOXGH %ODFN- VWRQH 12$$ ¿VKHUV RI¿FHUV and Clatsop County Sheriff’s 2I¿FHGHSXWLHV 7KH RI¿FLDOV PRQLWRU WKH site for disturbances like tire WUDFNVRUIRRWVWHSV,QDGGLWLRQ they look for the snowy plo- YHUVQHVWVDQGWUDFNV 6QRZ\ SORYHUV LQ 2UHJRQ have small bands around their legs, placed by wildlife biolo- JLVWIRUWUDFNLQJSXUSRVHV7KH bands are color-coordinated by ORFDWLRQDQGDJHRIWKHELUGV 6QRZ\SORYHUVERUQLQ2UH- JRQODVW\HDUKDYHYLROHWEDQGV “There are probably eye- EDOOV RQ WKLV VLWH IRXU RU ¿YH WLPHVSHUZHHN´0XUSK\VDLG ,I D QHVW LV IRXQG WKH UH- strictions on the monitoring site ZRXOG EH SXVKHG WR 6HSW the latest snowy plovers usual- O\EUHHG7KHUHVWULFWLRQVZRXOG also be increased to not allow any activity in the surrounding DUHD LQFOXGLQJ QR NLWHÀ\LQJ since kites imitate predatory ELUGV Photo by Michael “Mike” L. Baird Western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) birds on Morro Strand State Beach, in Morro Bay, Calif., 2010. JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian North Coast Beach Ranger Ken Murphy walks by animal tracks in the shorebird con- servation area at Fort Stevens State Park. Part of the job includes monitoring animal tracks in the conservation area to make sure the area is not being disturbed by people or predatory animals. Submitted Western snowy plover eggs. Why the decline? Multiple factors have led to snowy plovers becoming en- GDQJHUHG$QLQFUHDVHLQ(XUR- pean beach grass, urban devel- opment and human disturbance have all played a role in the de- FOLQLQJSRSXODWLRQ Mike Stein, North Coast district manager for Fort Ste- vens State Park, said the state park has never offered pro- tection to this degree for an endangered species, especially in a place like Clatsop Spit, which has high levels of ac- WLYLW\ $FWLYHO\ PDQDJLQJ WKH VH- lect locations rather than the entire beach area has created a fair balance between conserva- tion and recreation at the park, 6WHLQVDLG ³,W¶VEHHQDZLQQLQJIRUPX- ODWRGDWH´KHVDLG 2XWVLGH RI WKH KDOIPLOH management area, the rest of WKH SDUN LV EXVLQHVV DV XVXDO For the snowy plover conserva- tion to be successful, Murphy said, it will take community VXSSRUW ³%H DZDUH RI WKHVH DUHDV and what we are trying to ac- JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian complish and be a good stew- DUGIRULW´0XUSK\VDLG³7KH North Coast Beach Ranger Ken Murphy makes an example of what a snowy plover nest rest of the beach is just as open would look like in the sand. A nest looks like a shallow divot in the sand with approxi- mately three sand-colored eggs in the center. DVLWDOZD\VZDV´ Cormorants:$GYRFDWHVRI&RUSV¶SODQ VD\WKHELUGVFRXOGGHYDVWDWH¿VKUXQV Continued from Page 1A ³, GRQ¶W NQRZ H[DFWO\ where this is going to take XV´ VDLG $P\ (FKROV DV- sistant chief with the Corps’ public affairs office in Port- ODQGDERXWWKHFRPSODLQW %RE 6DOOLQJHU WKH VRFL- ety’s conservation director, is also concerned about the WLPLQJ RI WKH FXOOLQJ 3HDN nesting season is approach- LQJRQWKHLVODQG²2UHJRQ State University researchers on the island say the first eggs are usually laid between PLG$SULODQGHDUO\0D\² and the Corps estimates that DQDGGLWLRQDOQHVWOLQJV and eggs might die if their parents are shot and they are RUSKDQHG $ &RUSV VSRNHV- person said contractors are on the island now, erecting EO Media Group file fencing that will separate out nesting areas, but that it A double-crested cormorant rests atop of nest of eggs in the colony on East Sand Island. will be several more weeks before they begin killing the E\ D PRYH VXSSRUWHG and Wildlife went forward cies — the targeted dou- ELUGV by other groups, including with plans to haze cormo- ble-crested cormorants and commercial and recreation- rants this month, interrupt- %UDQGW¶V FRUPRUDQWV DFWXDO- Salmon eaters al fishing advocates and the ing their feeding patterns ly nest on the island while (DVW6DQG,VODQGFORVHWR &ROXPELD 5LYHU ,QWHU7ULE- by driving small boats at the the pelagic cormorants fly the mouth of the Columbia DO )LVK &RPPLVVLRQ (DFK birds and firing at them with by from time to time — are 5LYHU QHDU &KLQRRN :DVK year, the Corps will need to small pyrotechnics on the included in the depredation is a seasonal home to sev- reapply for a depredation 7LOODPRRN DQG $OVHD ED\V permit, in part because all eral bird species: cormo- permit since the birds are and at the mouths of the Co- three can easily be mistaken rants, pelicans and Caspian protected under the Migra- lumbia, Nehalem, Nestucca for each other when they are WHUQV :KLOH D PDQDJHPHQW WRU\%LUG7UHDW\$FW DQG &RTXLOOH ULYHUV WKURXJK IO\LQJRXWRYHUWKHZDWHU plan has long been in place “We are deeply disap- WKHHQGRI0D\ Researchers and bird ex- to deal with the fluctuating SRLQWHGLQWKH86)LVKDQG $GYRFDWHV RI WKH &RUSV¶ perts who have worked on tern population, the Corps Wildlife Service for issuing PDQDJHPHQW SODQ RQ (DVW the island and killed birds only this year established these permits,” Sallinger 6DQG,VODQGKDYHDUJXHGWKDW for research purposes in a management plan for the VDLG LQ D VWDWHPHQW ³7KH the birds are consuming too the past say they’ve even GRXEOHFUHVWHG FRUPRUDQWV public looks to Fish and many young salmon and, if FRQIXVHG WKH ELUGV EHIRUH That colony, along with the Wildlife Service to protect left unchecked, could dev- Though contractors will tern colony, the Corps says, wild birds, not to permit astate fish runs, especially QRW EH WDUJHWLQJ %UDQGW¶V consume millions of juve- ZDQWRQVODXJKWHU´ when combined with other and pelagic cormorants, QLOHVDOPRQLGVHYHU\\HDU 2SSRQHQWV RI WKH &RUSV¶ pressures in the environ- it is likely some could get 7R VDWLVI\ UHTXLUHPHQWV management plan have said ment: the large Caspian tern FDXJKW LQ WKH FURVVKDLUV by National Marine Fisher- (DVW 6DQG ,VODQG LV RQH colony and the record num- That “incidental take” must ies Service to protect these of the few places on the ber of fish-chomping sea be accounted for in the fish runs already impacted West Coast where the dou- lions and seals visiting the agency’s application for a by dams, the Corps plans to ble-crested cormorants are lower Columbia River this depredation permit, spokes- ultimately kill around 16,000 WKULYLQJ 0HDQZKLOH WKH \HDU people from the Corps said double-crested cormorants 2UHJRQ 'HSDUWPHQW RI )LVK $OO WKUHH FRUPRUDQW VSH- HDUOLHUWKLV\HDU Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard District 13 Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, stands with Capt. Charles G. Alcock (left), former commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast, and Cmdr. John R. Bitterman, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast, during a change-of-command ceremony at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry, after Bitterman as- sumed command from Alcock, July 15, 2014. Bitterman:&PGU John Pruitt has taken temporary command of the Steadfast Continued from Page 1A &PGU-RKQ3UXLWWIURP WKH &RDVW *XDUG 0RWLRQ 3LFWXUH 7HOHYLVLRQ 2I- ¿FH LQ /RV $QJHOHV KDV taken temporary command RIWKH6WHDGIDVW The 210-foot Steadfast SDWUROV IURP WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWKZHVWWR6RXWK$PHU- LFD 7KH FXWWHU FRPSOHWHG its last deployment in late )HEUXDU\ %LWWHUPDQ DFFRUGLQJ WR KLV &RDVW *XDUG ELRJ- raphy, is originally from *OHQZRRG 6SULQJV &ROR He enlisted in the Coast *XDUG LQ DQG JUDGX- DWHG IURP WKH 86 &RDVW *XDUG $FDGHP\ LQ 1HZ /RQGRQ&RQQ He has previously served on the cutters Clo- YHULQ(XUHND&DOLI5XVK LQ+RQROXOX$OHUWLQ$VWR- ULD (GLVWR LQ 6DQ 'LHJR DQG6WHDGIDVW %LWWHUPDQKDGEHHQWKH FRPPDQGLQJ RI¿FHU RI WKH(GLVWR+HDOVRVHUYHG ZLWKWKH/DZ(QIRUFHPHQW 7HDP * LQ *DOYHVWRQ Texas, and in the Coast *XDUG¶V KHDGTXDUWHUV LQ :DVKLQJWRQ'& %HIRUHWDNLQJFRQWURORI the Steadfast, he was the &RDVW *XDUG¶V 3ROLFH $W- WDFKpLQ%RJRWD&RORPELD “Returning to a ship WKDW,SUHYLRXVO\VHUYHGRQ is an outstanding opportu- QLW\´ %LWWHUPDQ VDLG ODVW year in an email to The 'DLO\$VWRULDQDIWHUWDNLQJ FRPPDQGRIWKH6WHDGIDVW ³, DP WKULOOHG WR EH D part of the Steadfast’s il- OXVWULRXVKLVWRU\DQG,ORRN forward to many adven- tures with our exceptional FUHZ´ Buckmaster:-RQ(QJOXQGZDVWKHODVWSHUVRQWRUHSUHVHQWWKHDUHDRQWKHFRPPLVVLRQ Continued from Page 1A WRUHSODFH%REE\/HY\ZKRVH term on the commission ended Committee on Rules, accord- -DQ$WNLQVRQLVDÀ\¿VKHU- ing to an email from Molly man, former state senator and Woon, communications di- Republican candidate for gov- rector for the Senate Majority HUQRU 2I¿FH The Kitzhaber administra- %URZQDOVRUHDSSRLQWHGWZR tion had already interviewed current commission members %XFNPDVWHU IRU WKH SRVLWLRQ ² +ROO\ $NHQVRQ RI (QWHU- %XFNPDVWHU VDLG LQ DQ LQWHU- prise, and Michael Finley of YLHZZLWKWKH(20HGLD*URXS Medford — and she appointed 3DPSOLQ0HGLD*URXSODVWIDOO -DVRQ$WNLQVRQRI-DFNVRQYLOOH %XFNPDVWHU SUHYLRXVO\ RZQHG a salmon feed company and served on the board of Salmon IRU$OODJURXSWKDWUHSUHVHQWV FRPPHUFLDO¿VKHUPHQSURFHV- sors and other businesses on the /RZHU&ROXPELD5LYHU The 1st Congressional Dis- trict seat on the commission sat empty since 2012 and during that time, the commission that normally has seven members KDV RSHUDWHG ZLWK RQO\ VL[ During the vacancy, the com- mission worked to implement Kitzhaber’s plan to ban gillnets on the main stem of the Co- lumbia River and move com- mercial use of the nets into side FKDQQHOV Kitzhaber had talked about subjecting his gillnet plan to “adaptive management,” which WR%XFNPDVWHUPHDQVRIIHULQJD suite of options and actions that could be taken to further the gillnet plan to offer an econom- ic win-win for commercial and VSRUW¿VKLQJ ³7KDWKDVQRWRFFXUUHG\HW We have not seen any suite of RSWLRQV´ %XFNPDVWHU VDLG ³$QG VRPH RI WKRVH ZRXOG certainly be favored by the VSRUWV¿VKLQJLQWHUHVW:HKDYH to look at what will actually be SURGXFHG´ The last person to represent WKH DUHD RQ WKH 2UHJRQ 'H- partment of Fish and Wildlife &RPPLVVLRQZDV-RQ(QJOXQG RI(QJOXQG0DULQH,QGXVWUL- DO6XSSO\LQ$VWRULDZKRZDV DSSRLQWHGE\IRUPHU*RY7HG .XORQJRVNL ³, ZRXOG PRGHO P\VHOI DI- ter the work and balance John (QJOXQG VKRZHG GXULQJ KLV tenured on the commission,” %XFNPDVWHU VDLG ³+H VKRZHG PHWKDWLWFRXOGEHGRQHZHOO´ Kyle Spurr of The Daily As- torian assisted with this article.
