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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2016)
2015 Annual Photo Contest Junior sweeps into Hall of Fame COAST WEEKEND SPORTS • 7A 143rd YEAR, No. 131 THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 ONE DOLLAR CREST fallen at the Port? Commission looks at severing ties with estuary task force By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian A BIG BIRD Ken Chan/Wikimedia Commons Mike Patterson, organizer of the Columbia Estuary Christmas Bird Count, said birders spotted an American white pelican (like the one pictured here) at the Port of Ilwaco, Wash .’s, boat basin. DAY FOR HOLIDAY COUNT Locals ¿ nd more avian species this time than ever before By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren/Wikimedia Commons Lee Cain and Nick Baisley, science teachers at Astoria High School taking part late last month in the Columbia Estuary Christmas Bird Count, spotted a Wilson’s war- bler (like the one pictured here), identified by its yellow underparts and black cap. B irders with the 36th annual Columbia Estuary Christmas Bird Count had a big day. The 22 volunteers who gathered around the mouth of the Columbia River to watch birds Dec. 22 spotted 134 species, one more than the previous all-time record of 133 set in 2000 and about 10 above the average number of species counted, according to organizer Mike Patterson. The Columbia estuary event is part of the regional Christmas Bird Count, one of the lon- gest-running resident surveys of bird species in the Western Hemisphere. Volunteers at each event attempt to count all the birds in a 15-mile circle throughout a given day. The Columbia Estuary count, centered on a point in the Columbia River estuary halfway between Hammond and Chinook, Washington , started in 1979. Good weather David Maloney/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service According to Patterson, a central organizer and counter since 1987, the high numbers this year were more a factor of weather than any es- pecially deep variety of birds. “We had a good weather day,” he said. “When the weather’s bad, birders don’t want to get out of the car. When the weather gets cold, some of the birds tend to move out.” Wahkiakum Christmas Bird Count organizer Andrew Emlen said six of the endan- gered streaked horned larks (like the one pictured here) were found at their year- round colony site on White Island, off the eastern edge of Puget Island, Wash . The Port of Astoria Commission, following the lead of the Port of Il- waco, Washington , is asking whether membership in the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce is worth the $6,000 a year it pays in dues. The item was brought up by Commissioner Bill Hunsinger at Tuesday’s commission meeting. “I see things starting to happen, where people no longer want to be- long to CREST,” Hunsinger said. The task force was formed in 1974 by a council of governments in Washington and Oregon to gath- er background and develop a man- agement plan for the entire L ower Columbia River estuary, in response to growing conÀ icts over the use of estuarine areas and amid dwindling natural resources. See PORT, Page 10A DHS turned a blind eye to trouble No license, staff crime records went overlooked at foster care By HILLARY BORRUD Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon child welfare of¿ cials knew in 2009 the Portland foster care program Give Us This Day was operating without a license and was staffed entirely by people with criminal records. Still, the Oregon Department of Human Services allowed Give Us This Day to continue operating with- out the necessary residential care license. It was unclear from state re- cords how long the situation persist- ed, and DHS was unable to provide an answer Wednesday afternoon. Emails released by the Depart- ment of Human Services reveal top department of¿ cials knew of See BIRDS, Page 10A See DHS, Page 5A Finding happiness in the city of their dreams A new move and a career transition By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian SEASIDE — For Chris and Alexa Anderson, the chance to relocate to Seaside seemed like a dream come true. Chris was offered a chance to continue his 15-year career as an in- surance adjuster in a city they both had fallen in love with. They purchased a condo in Seaside, loaded up the truck and moved from Logan, Utah, in February 2014. OUR NEW NEIGHBORS HIGHLIGHTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE COMMUNITY All ready to start his new job here, corporate headquar- ters threw him a curveball. “They said, ‘Chris, we’ve just moved our ¿ eld jobs in-house. You can either move to Des Moines or Columbus.’” Today, he sees it as a bless- ing in disguise. “I wasn’t shocked, but I was hurt,” Chris said. “They could have han- dled it a whole lot better.” In love with the Oregon Coast, Chris decided to stay. It was the right decision. He soon forged a new career as a property manager and real es- tate broker. Alexa, who ran a salon in their former home , found a new role at Shear Pleasures in the Gilbert Building, where she is now cutting hair (full disclo- sure: including this reporter’s). R.J. Marx /The Daily Astorian See ANDERSONS, Page 10A Alexa and Chris Anderson relocated to Seaside from Lo- gan, Utah.