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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 10, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015 Inspiring story Wonders of Oregon U .S. Sen Ron Wyden completed his Won- ders of Oregon tour on the Oregon Coast in Astoria, and it was my pleasure to accompany him throughout the state. Wyden is a cham- pion of Oregon’s public lands and access to them. He appropriately calls them “treasures.” The seven Wonders of Oregon are natural trea- sures, created without help from us. However, they would not be what they are today if it were not for programs and policies that Americans have put in place to protect public lands. The Oregon coast is a magnet. People are drawn here by the beauty of its rugged beaches and its nat- ural wonders. It contains hundreds of places that have been protected by a little-known program called the Land and Water Conser- vation Fund (LWCF). From local ballfields and city parks, to the Lew- is and Clark National His- toric Park, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Yaquina Head, and Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, LWCF has invest- ed millions of dollars into public lands on the Oregon Coast, helping protect and keep them accessible to all for generations to come. LWCF uses no taxpayer money — only offshore gas royalty fees. It expires in September, and we need Congress to reauthorize it in its current form if we’re to continue investing in pub- lic lands. America’s public lands are the envy of the world. They are available to all. It’s crucial to hunters, anglers, hikers, birdwatch- ers, and all outdoor enthusi- asts that they stay that way. 5A Reserved parking means just that I enjoyed reading the in- spiring article about Drew Lynch (“Indiana na- tive chases new dream after injury derails plans,” The Daily Astorian, June 21)). I have heard of other people started to stutter after an injury. In my own personal opinion, I think that some people carry the stuttering genes without having any difficulty; sometimes an in- jury can trigger those genes which have been recessive, in my own view. If Drew Lynch makes it as an actor/comedian, he will be in good company. The wesbite of the non- profit Stuttering Founda- tion (www.stutteringhelp. org) has a list of “Famous People Who Stutter” which features prominent names such as Bruce Willis, Mari- lyn Monroe, Tom Sizemore, Nicole Kidman, James Earl Jones, Eric Roberts and many others. EDWARD HERRINGTON Longmeadow, Mass. FRIDAY EXCHANGE I know parking in the downtown area is tight, that is why I rent a parking spot. It is aggravating to find someone in my parking spot, especially when I am trying to get to work. Almost every time it is a local, not a visitor. I have to go into all the surrounding businesses to try to find that person, to not have them towed. Some in Congress have proposed selling our public lands to pay off the deficit, but public lands support lo- cal economies and our out- door heritage. In Oregon alone, Travel Oregon esti- mates outdoor recreation supports over 100,000 jobs. Public lands are the heart of that economy. We need to keep public lands in public hands. Some in Congress have also proposed amending the Antiquities Act to limit the president’s authority to establish national monu- ments. Presidents from both parties have used this law to establish some of America’s most notable public lands and any compromise would be a disservice to Ameri- cans now, and in the future. We thank Sen. Wyden for being a champion of public lands. BRIAN JENNINGS State coordinator, Back- country Hunters & Anglers Bend Need a bypass O pen letter to the Sea- side City Council, the Seaside Planning Depart- ment, the Seaside Down- town Business Association, the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, Clatsop County, and the Oregon Department of Transportation: Shame on you. You have consis- tently abused the very peo- ple who supply the income for the city. The primary source of money for the city of Sea- side is the tourist, most of whom travel over U.S. Highways 26 and 101 to bring their cash to you. I live about three miles out on Highway 26, or sev- en miles from the center of Seaside. On any given holiday weekend, or when a special event is happen- ing in the area, traffic gets backed up all the way out past my house. I just experi- enced the backup first hand, trying to get from Astoria to my home, it took over 2.5 hours to get from the Great Wall restaurant in Gearhart to my house, a total of about 10 miles. To the best of my knowl- edge, there is currently no plan, or even discussion, of building a bypass east of Seaside so that the people who wish to get to Fort Ste- vens, Long Beach, Wash., So I thought I should inform ev- eryone what a reserved space means. These are not inexpensive to rent, and those who rent the parking spots work long hard hours to afford these spaces. We rent them for 24 hours a day — some of us work nights and weekends. I repeat, the reserved spaces are for 24 hours a day. Every day. You do not get to park in them after 6 p.m., or on the weekends. Please have some respect for the locals who rent these spots. Please. You know who you are. Yesterday, I had a girl in a Regatta princess costume inform me (she was in my parking spot) that she parks in the parking lot all the time. Sigh. VICKI MCAFEE Astoria or other points beyond Sea- side, can avoid the horren- dous gridlock. I have heard some local business people say that they want the extra traf- fic. Trust me; people who are stuck in a lineup, liter- ally for hours, are not go- ing to stop at your place of business, unless that is their primary destination. I can imagine the family emo- tional atmosphere, after they have endured 2 mph travel for an hour or two. Several years ago they built a bypass around down- town Cannon Beach. That town is flourishing. Is there really a logical reason that there is not at least a de- sign on the drawing board to build a new highway, east of Seaside, with three to four access exits to the city? I do not live within the city limits of Seaside, so I have no say in your planning, but it amazes me how poorly you con- tinually treat the tourists travel- ing to and through your city. CLEVE ROLFE Seaside would go on for pages — however, suffice it to say that if you are looking for anything from an Allen wrench to a xylophone (not currently in stock), chanc- es are that it has been do- nated. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the many loyal cus- tomers who make us their first go-to location when seeking out items for their remodel or update. Addi- tionally, people, even with- in our own community, are continually finding our shop. We receive visitors from as far away as Maine and even some from England, Germany, and Japan. For those within the commu- nity who are still unaware, PennyWise Thrift Store, a 501(c)(3) charitable orga- nization supporting those living with mental illness- es, is located at 737A E. Harbor Drive in Warrenton. We would like to thank Bethany Lutheran Church for allowing us to distrib- ute the lunches that they prepare for the homeless and underserved youth in the local community. We Not a success feel that we are truly bless- hil Knight is no exem- ed to be able to provide plar of “success” in my this important resource to book (“Nike co-founder those we serve. Knight will step down as We would also like to chairman,” The Daily Asto- thank the many who make rian, June 30). If he’d made cash donations of from 50 his fortune manufacturing cents to more than $100 to cool shoes in Baltimore, help support our transition- Detroit, Cleveland or Port- al housing (also located in land, then he would be. And Warrenton) and our mental maybe then an internation- illness support group, the al trade deal modeled upon Depression and Bipolar Nike would deserve our Support Alliance of North support. Oregon and South Wash- He didn’t, and it ington Coast, a local chap- GRHVQ¶W*HWWLQJ¿OWK\ULFKLQ ter of the DBSA. It is heart- this country doesn’t require ening to see that our local or connote character or even community is recognizing brains. For further proof, the fact that there is a lack there’s Donald Trump. of adequate mental health JOSEPH WEBB facilities and services Astoria within our county, and are willing to step up and say “enough is enough.” Great support PETER AND PATRICIA e would, once again, FESSLER like to thank the Co-owners, PennyWise many supporters that we Thrift Store have within the local com- Co-facilitators DBSA of munity. We are continually North Oregon and South in receipt of many great Washington Coast items that have been gently Astoria used by the previous own- ers, and then donated to our shop for resale to someone Sympathy and ideas just finished reading the else in need of that item at article about the young reasonable prices. The list of people who girl who drowned last year have made these donations off the Bolstad approach P W I and would like to offer my heartfelt sympathy to this family. The beach can be such a fun place that some- times it is easy to overlook the dangers that go along with such beauty. As I try to imagine how I would feel if I lost my 10-year-old daughter to a tragedy like this, it just makes me numb to think of what these people are going through. I have spent my entire life recreating in the area and my parents warned me about the dangers as a child some 45 years ago as a child, I passed those warnings to my child and when we are at our place in Surfside and my daughter wants to play in the surf I keep a close eye on her and am always on the alert for dangers. I have said things to people on the beach about swimming and watching their kids and have been met with less than appreciative comments,it does not stop me from trying to educate people on the dangers of playing in the surf. I think it would be ben- eficial to put some sort of information with check in hotel info and maybe some bigger signs for people who are not as tuned in to the dangers of our coast. To the family of the girl who drowned, I sincerely hope things get better for you and though I am sure it has been suggested maybe join a support group or seek out help from your local church so you don’t have to shoulder this alone. Again I am truly sorry for your loss. PAUL PETTIGREW Surfside/Vancouver Cleanup the cleanup S ince joining the Long Beach (Wash.) Peninsula community a few years ago I have been involved with the Grass Roots Beach Cleanup gang, most recently with the Friends of Willapa Refuge, helping to keep their designat- ed section of beach off Cran- berry approach clean. Every July 5, we dutifully sweep be- hind the visitors from the val- ley and clean up after them, content that our small effort contributes to overall health of our beach, and continued livability for us locals. This year, I have my doubts. I think our efforts are only encouraging an in- crease in the illegal activ- ity that local agencies say they cannot enforce. Like my neighbors who sell fire- wood when fires are neces- sarily banned, and those who sell both legal and illegal fireworks, we are sending a message that says “Come to our beach and do whatever you want. By gosh, we need your money so bad we will let you trash our environment and dis- turb our peace. Don’t wor- ry, we will clean up after you, and be sure and bring more friends next year.” A real eye opener oc- curred for me when, at the request of a friend, I took my new aerial camera to the Long Beach Bols- tad approach in hopes of taking some pictures of trash, before the cleanup began. The sight shocked me to the bone. Tents and campfires for as far as the eye can see laid before my elevated lens. I posted the photos on Facebook and discovered that my dis- may was shared. Many of us who live on the north- ern half of the peninsula were surprised at the ex- tent our complacency has progressed. I know this isn’t original, but “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” And everyone who saw this should feel the same way. I think that if all of us who clean the beach after visitors trash it put in as much effort opposing ille- gal activities, and possibly banning fireworks all to- gether, we wouldn’t have to clean the beach. There are two main rea- sons nothing gets done Lo- cal merchants, including the nonprofits who prof- it from fireworks sales, cry they will lose money, people won’t come to the beach. And local officials insist they do not have the manpower to enforce the laws. When I lived in West- lake, south of Florence, the local merchants passed the hat and put on a tremen- dous public fireworks dis- play that attracted tourists from all over. If we were to do the same thing, and donate the money to the nonprofits who sell fire- works, they could put on a display that would attract the crowds they desire. We must realize and ac- cept that we are part of a delicate ecological system here on the peninsula, and people will come here for that reason alone. Lets in- vite the world to come to the peninsula and celebrate our ecological uniqueness with the best fireworks dis- play ins outhwest Washing- ton, and the cleanest beach on the entire West Coast. BOB DUKE Nahcotta In defense of Madonna and her farm in the Hamptons M adonna, the Queen of Pop, is a farmer. As with most of her ventures, her entry into agriculture is not without controversy. There’s a 24-acre plot next to the Material Girl’s estate in the Hamptons, the chic enclave for the rich and famous at the outer end of New York’s Long Island. She bought it for $2.2 million. Which would have been a steal in those environs, had local governments not purchased the development rights from the Grabows- ki family, who once grew potatoes there, in 2010 for $10 million. The land came with restrictions that keep Madonna from building, and require that the property be used for “production for commercial purposes of ag- ricultural products.” /DVW \HDU SODQQLQJ RI¿- cials approved her plans to create a nursery, and recently crews have been planting Ley- land Cypress, eastern white pines and Robusta juniper. That crop will reduce the tax bill on the parcel to less than $2,300. If she has $10,000 in sales over two years, the bill drops to under $300. So Madonna is a nursery- man and her neighbors don’t like it. According to the tabloids, critics around Suffolk Coun- ty, including some farmers, think it’s all a sham. They note that had the original owners sold the property with all rights in tact, the acreage would have sold for $17.5 million and the tax bill would have been north of $150,000 a year. Madonna, they say, is stealing from local taxpayers — her fellow millionaires. Besides, they claim she isn’t really planting a nursery, she’s building a forest to block the view from the road to her estate. Here we rise to Madonna’s defense. These development easements are a common tool that has become ever more popular in the West to keep land in farm or forest. The town made the original deal to keep the land from being sliced up for more mansions. The Grabowski family ac- cepted the town’s offer and must have agreed with its goals. Whether she’s an hon- est farmer or a wealthy star who can afford to guard her privacy, Madonna paid the Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File Photo by John Shearer/Invision for iHeartRadio/AP Images Madonna arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cos- tume Institute benefit gala celebrating “China: Through the Looking Glass,” in New York May 4. Madonna performs on stage at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Shrine Auditorium March 29 in Los An- geles. family a bundle for a piece of land that came with some fair- ly restrictive covenants that prevent her from exploiting its true economic potential. As long as all parties make their choice freely, we think tax breaks should go only to “real” farmers producing true commercial crops. We could go for that. But until then, Madonna and thousands of other landed gentry who meet the statutory requirements are these type of deals are a per- fect way for farmers to real- ize the value of their property while keeping it in some type of productive use. One might legitimately ar- gue that agriculture property entitled to whatever tax bene- ¿WWKHLUVWDWHDOORZV A thin premise on which to base an editorial, but likely our only chance to feature Madon- na on these pages. — Capital Press