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10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2015 Gillnetting: ‘I would describe it as an adaptive plan’ Continued from Page 1A Brown’s appointment of Bruce Buckmaster of Asto- ria to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission also signaled an understanding RI FRPPHUFLDO ¿VKLQJ FRQ- cerns. Buckmaster, a former co-owner of Bio-Oregon, D ¿VK IHHG FRPSDQ\ LV D well-regarded voice on ¿VKLQJZKRKDVVHUYHGDVD board member for Salmon IRU $OO D FRPPHUFLDO ¿VK- ing advocacy group that has fought to preserve gillnet- WLQJRQWKHULYHU6SRUW¿VK- ing interests tried to block Buckmaster’s appointment, claiming he was too tied to WKH FRPPHUFLDO ¿VKLQJ LQ- GXVWU\EXWKHZDVFRQ¿UPHG by the state Senate in May. Brown said Buckmas- ter’s appointment came “at some political cost to myself, because I felt pretty strongly that — very strongly — that this community needed a voice on that commission. And that certain factions needed a voice on the com- mission.” But the governor said she made it clear to Buckmaster the policy on gillnetting is not changing at this point. “He committed to mov- ing forward with the cur- rent plan as it is,” she said. “I would describe it as an adaptive plan that, should we need to make changes, we will do that.” Brown did not close off discussion, however. “I’m coming to this issue with fresh eyes and certainly feel like I’m open to input and perspective from communi- ties all along the Columbia River,” she said. the state has a role to play in all of this,” she said. “There’s a number of permitting pro- cesses that need to be com- plied with.” Policy priorities With only a few weeks left in the state Legislature’s session, Brown believes sev- eral of her policy priorities still have a chance in Salem. The governor said she is reasonably optimistic for increased funding for early childhood education, afford- able housing and career and technical education. Brown has followed through on Kitzhaber’s call IRU D PLOOLRQ ERQG¿- nanced investment in af- fordable housing that would provide about 4,000 new housing units for low-in- come families with children. The lack of affordable housing is not just a problem in urban areas such as Port- land, or limited to families on the brink of homeless- ness. In Astoria, many mid- dle-class workers struggle to ¿QGKRXVLQJ “It’s a huge challenge, particularly for middle- to ORZLQFRPHIDPLOLHVWR¿QG housing in the communities that they’re working in,” Brown said. In the aftermath of Kitzhaber’s resignation, Brown quickly made ethics and government transpar- ency priorities, a move that, politically, could separate her from the disgraced former governor when she is up for election next year. Brown favors a bill that ZRXOG PDNH WKH ¿UVW SDUW- QHUDSXEOLFRI¿FLDOSURKLELW WKHJRYHUQRU¿UVWSDUWQHURU RWKHUWRSVWDWHRI¿FLDOVIURP receiving speaking fees, LNG project and expand the list of pub- Brown said she is aware OLFRI¿FLDOV²LQFOXGLQJWKH many on the North Coast are ¿UVW SDUWHU ² ZKR KDYH WR opposed to Oregon LNG’s ¿OH HFRQRPLF LQWHUHVW VWDWH- plan to build an export ter- ments. minal in Warrenton and a The governor also sup- pipeline through Clatsop, ports a bill that would ex- Tillamook and Columbia pand the Oregon Govern- counties into Washington ment Ethics Commission to state. nine members, up from sev- The Clatsop County en, and reduce the number Board of Commissioners has of commissioners appointed denied a permit for a portion solely at the discretion of the of the pipeline, a decision governor to one, instead of that was upheld by the state three. The bill would shorten Land Use Board of Appeals the time frame for the com- in April. mission to conduct prelimi- Oregon LNG has said nary reviews of complaints the $6 billion project, under to 30 days, down from 135 review by the Federal Ener- days. gy Regulatory Commission The bill with the potential and federal and state agen- for the biggest impact, the cies, does not require local governor believes, would di- approvals. rect Secretary of State Jeanne “I am in the position of Atkins to conduct a perfor- not being a decider on this mance audit of state agency issue at this point in time,” public records retention and Brown said. “I see our role in disclosure practices. The bill WKHJRYHUQRU¶VRI¿FHDQGP\ has passed the state House role as the governor as facil- and Senate and is awaiting itating the process, making the governor’s signature. sure that the feds don’t, shall The news media had we say, overrule or squash made public-records re- our very public and transpar- quests of emails and other ent process.” government documents to Asked whether she thinks help shine light on Kitzhaber the project is consistent with and Hayes. local land use law, Brown “I think this will provide said: “I am very aware of us with a thoughtful, fact- what Clatsop County has based approach to making said.” changes to Oregon’s pub- Brown said “there’s abso- lic-records laws that I hope lutely no question” the state will increase access and has oversight responsibility transparency for all Orego- for the project. “I believe that nians,” Brown said. All her siblings graduated from Astoria High School, Marju said, and although she dropped out after becoming pregnant, she earned her di- ploma through night school at the college shortly after giving birth. Marju pointed out the irony that her native Finland has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the world. Mikko’s grandfather, Heikki Jaakola, graduated from high school in Finland and joined its army before following Marju’s family Graduates:*DOL]LRJDYHKLV¿QDO President’s Award to Seaside grad Continued from Page 1A Overcoming challenges “I am very proud of each and every one of you for the VDFUL¿FHV \RX KDYH PDGH DQG the challenges you have over- come,” Brown said, noting many of the graduates from the college work full-time jobs, raise families, return from mili- tary duty and have to get by on little. Brown told the story of Mary Byes, 54, who graduat- ed Friday after overcoming an alcoholic family, dropping out Gael Marin, left, and Miguel Velasco, right, pose for a self- as a teenager to care for her ie in the McTavish Room the Clatsop Community College siblings and being kept out of graduation ceremony at the Liberty Theater Friday. college for years by a belittling ex-husband. “I think what always helped me is I always had to be a strong person,” Byes said. Byes now heads to Port- land State University to study human resource management, with 90 percent of her educa- tional costs covered by the Ford Family Foundation’s ReStart program for adults returning to school. Student awards The college staff and fac- ulty’s student awards largely KRQRUHG WKH VDFUL¿FH JURZWK and service to community by students. Byes took home several awards Friday, including de- partmental honors from art, business and the TRIO student support program. Others took home awards as the top de- Graduates wait to take their seats before the Clatsop Community College graduation ceremony at the Liberty Theater Friday. sign, criminal justice, health, Lives in Transition, medical assisting, nursing and welding students. Two Seaside High School Graduates — Jose Sosa of the class of 2013 and Daniel Ken- nedy from the class of 1991 — took home the Outstanding Student Scholar Awards Friday night. Their nomination by the faculty places them on the 2015 All-Oregon Academic Team representing CCC. *DOL]LR WKHQ JDYH KLV ¿QDO President’s Award to Sosa, a student who, he said, exem- SOL¿HV WKH DZDUG¶V SXUSRVH RI honoring a student’s impact on the college. Sosa came to America 10 years ago, Galizio said, a non- native speaker who faced bul- O\LQJ DQG VWUXJJOHG WR ¿W LQWR school. In college, Sosa main- tained a 3.94 GPA, was active in the college’s Latino Club, volunteered at the Cannon Beach Bible Church, translated and tutored in math and has tak- en home several awards. People immigrate to Amer- ica for different reasons, Sosa said. “But we’re here for the same thing: a better future.” Sosa thanked his parents for WKH VDFUL¿FHV WKH\ PDGH DQG the discrimination they faced as Hispanics, all to make his life better. He took a moment during his student marshal’s address to thank his mother and Spanish-speaking families. Sosa, who will attend West- ern Oregon University and hopes to parlay his love of math into a teaching career, ended his address with a quote from Cesar Chavez about building community: “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and pros- perity for our community. ... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspira- tions and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” Grave: Memorial used to be a geocache spot Continued from Page 1A “There’s a lonely grave on the ocean shore, near to the shadow of Tillamook Head, where there is sounding forev- ermore, the sullen surf with its stormy roar, requiem sung for the unknown dead,” the poem begins, continuing in a later stanza, “Was this the captain or one of the crew? Was it a pas- senger nearing home? Might it a lover be, brave and true? Fa- ther and husband with port in view and home ones waiting for him to come?” “Kind hands bore to the des- olate shore all that was left of the unknown dead; no requiem sung but the sea’s dull roar, and that is sounding forevermore where the green sod covers the stranger’s head,” the poem concludes. Another newspaper article, a ¿UVWSHUVRQ DFFRXQW IURP &: Shively, tells of the Industry’s journey in early 1865. The bark, or barque, experienced two from Kalajoki to Astoria at weeks of heavy weather before age 21. He too worked at the arriving at the mouth of the Co- plywood mill and later as a lumbia River around March 7 of roofer, Marju said, before that year. The ship capsized and retiring and moving back to seven people were rescued and Finland. 17 people, includingCapt. Lew- “I think about communi- is, were drowned. ty college, going to MERTS Jan Barber, who also takes to get a degree,” Mikko said. care of the grave, said people ³,¶YH WDNHQ D FRXSOH RI ¿HOG have honed in on the story of trips there.” the three sailors, but “then you While he would rather just start digging more, and you hear do welding like his father, different things.” What may Mikko said he understands possibly contribute to the “con- the purpose of continuing his ÀLFWLQJ´YHUVLRQVRIWKHJUDYH¶V education. “If you can’t do it origin, Barber said, is they could by experience, then you have all be true stories — just not as to do it by paper.” they relate to that particular site. — Edward Stratton Montero agreed, saying, “I Jaakola: ‘If you can’t do it by experience, then you have to do it by paper Continued from Page 1A Photos by JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian Jose Sosa tears up after learning he received the President’s Award at the Clatsop Community College graduation ceremony at the Liberty Theater Friday. See more photos of the graduates online at www.dailyastorian.com KATHERINE LACAZE — EO Media Group Robin Montero, left, and Jan Barber are part of an unof- ficial neighborhood group that has adopted the Grave of the Unknown Sailor in the cove in Seaside and sees to its care and maintenance. A marker at the site says the sailor, or sailors, depending on which version of the grave’s ori- gin is correct, were found April 25, 1865, making this year the site’s 150th anniversary. hate to say it — this whole area is a graveyard.” Several of the early residents, according to Hanson, remember incidents before the 1900s when the cove area near the sailors’ grave was used to bury other de- ceasedpeople, particularly sev- eral individuals who died from drowning accidents. “None of these spots were marked with any lasting marker, however, and no records were kept so their locations were soon lost to view,” Hanson writes. Neighborly care Before the neighborhood group adopted the Grave of the Unknown Sailor, it also was close to becoming a wholly ne- glected burial site, broken and overrun with weeds. Now it is bles, sand dollars or other knick- knacks at the grave as a way of paying homage to someone or something. Prior to the summer of 2011, the memorial was used as a geocache location, which was “totally inappropriate” and led to people climbing around the site and causing damage, Bar- ber said. Having the geocache removed immensely helped the state of the site, Montero said. Even now, however, some peo- ple do not seem to realize the monument is a grave site, and the neighbors have an idea for bringing more awareness. Marking the site Whatever the grave’s true or- igin story may be, the neighbor- hood group is leading an effort to get a historical information board placed on the northeast carefully maintained by Barber corner of the memorial where and her husband, Jay; Montero it would not obstruct any res- and her husband, Bill; Walt and ident’s ocean view. The sign, Denise Walthour; John Parks; as proposed by the cove resi- Walter Dagatt; and other neigh- dents at a Seaside City Council meeting in August 2011, would bors. “It’s just become a great way be 16-by-30 inches and include to meet your neighbors,” Mon- the lore of the three sailors, a tero said. “We just care deeply map of various shipwrecks in about it. It’s our history; it’s who the area and ocean safety infor- mation. While the City Council we are.” Together they weed the site, showed interest in the project WHQGWRÀRZHUVDQGSODQWVNHHS at that time, nothing came of it. the paint looking nice and occa- But Montero and Barber plan to sionally replace the U.S. Marine bring the proposal before City &RUSVÀDJWKDWZDYHVDERYHWKH Council again soon. “We need to honor the peo- unassuming plot that contains two small markers, one en- ple that have come before us, graved with the words, “Known and this board would do that,” Only to God,” and the other en- Barber said. Montero agreed. graved, “Found On the Beach “If we keep forgetting, eventu- April 25, 1965.” Sometimes SHRSOHZLOOOHDYHÀRZHUVPDU- ally it will be forgotten,” she said.