143RD YEAR, NO. 189
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2016
ONE DOLLAR
LADY FISHERMEN WIN
FOURTH STRAIGHT
BEAVERS REACH
FINAL FOUR
PAGE 4A
SPORTS • 7A
Criminal
justice
returns
to class
Program had
been victim
of budget cuts
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
Oregon Coast Aquarium
A rehab team at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport examines Thunder, an olive ridley sea turtle who washed ashore in Gearhart in December.
Thunder, Lightning go to SeaWorld
Happy ending
for endangered
sea turtles
See CLASS, Page 12A
Divers
recover
second
body
By LYRA FONTAINE and R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
S
EASIDE — It’s been a rough year for sea
turtles, especially for the endangered olive
ridleys. But for two turtles rescued after win-
ter storms, a happy ending is in sight.
After treatment at the Oregon Coast Aquar-
ium, Thunder and Lightning are headed to Sea-
World in San Diego. They will be escorted by
the U.S. Coast Guard and a rehabilitation team
Wednesday.
Thunder and Lightning were found coma-
tose, hypothermic and malnourished follow-
ing two large storms that hit the Oregon Coast in
December.
Lightning was found in Paci¿ c City and Thun-
der washed ashore in Gearhart.
”We had a series of strong winter storms and
they can strand for a number of reasons,” Lance
Beck of the Oregon Coast Aquarium said Mon-
day. “But typically when we see them, they’re
hypothermic.”
As turtles become hypothermic, their metabo-
lism slows and they go into a state where they’re
alive but would almost appear dead if found, Beck
said. “That’s why it’s critical that they get into care
as soon as possible.”
Beck said it’s a slow process of raising the ani-
mal’s temperature no more than 1 to 2 degrees per
day.
Thunder — the Gearhart turtle — is one of the
larger and stronger turtles to come through the
Newport aquarium, he said.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S.
Coast Guard will À y Thunder and Lightning back
After several years on hia-
tus, Clatsop Community College’s
criminal justice program of¿ cially
returned Monday with an intro-
ductory course — “Criminal Jus-
tice 111” — taught by Mary Jack-
son, a veteran of the corrections
profession.
Jackson said she started class
with 15 students, nearly equal parts
men and women and ages ranging
from teens to mid lifers. There are
several students interested in law
enforcement, she said, several in
corrections and one in white-collar
investigations.
“If you look at the community
that we’re in, and also Paci¿ c County
(Washington), there are quite a few
agencies that could bene¿ t from hav-
ing someone with a criminal justice
background,” she said.
Oregon Coast Aquarium
Thunder recovers in her rehabilitation pool at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.
to warmer waters as part of a training mission.
The trip was originally scheduled for earlier
this month, but had to be delayed due to aircraft
scheduling issues.
The mission to San Diego is being included in
Coast Guard drills as an opportunity to train for
other emergency situations that could involve
not only animals in distress, but also passengers
requiring critical care.
After Thunder and Lightning leave Newport,
they will complete their rehabilitation at SeaWorld
San Diego, preparing for release later this summer.
“Once they’re at good enough health, we like
to get them back down south where their native
waters are,” Beck said.
Beck said he anticipated Thunder and Light-
ning would spend three to four months at Sea-
World before being ready for release into the sea.
Two more turtles, including the renowned
“Tucker the Turtle” found in Tolovana and treated
at the Seaside Aquarium, are undergoing treat-
ment by the Seattle Aquarium and the Vancouver
Aquarium in Canada and will also be transported
south in the coming weeks.
At least six other sea turtles succumbed to the
elements and stranded on Oregon, Washington,
and northern California beaches this winter.
Many sea turtles are considered vulnerable to
changing climate and tidal patterns.
This year’s El Niño brought many more turtles
out of their traditional migration patterns, Laura
Todd, Newport ¿ eld supervisor for the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, said in December.
“It’s why there’s so much effort,” Beck said
Monday. “Because every one of them can still con-
tribute to the recovery of that species.”
Removal of
plane debris
planned today
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
Divers have recovered the body
of a 63-year-old Washington state
woman who died in a plane crash
that also claimed the life of the pilot
when their antique aircraft plunged
into the Columbia River last week,
the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Of¿ ce
announced Monday.
Irene Mustain, of Woodland,
Washington, wanted to scatter
her husband’s ashes at the coast
on Wednesday with the help of
69-year-old John McKibbin, of
Vancouver, Washington.
See PLANE, Page 12A
Ghostly gathering comes to Seaside this weekend
Organizer claims
town is haunted
By EVE MARX
For EO Media Group
SEASIDE — You don’t
have to be a believer in
spooks and spirits to enjoy the
Oregon Ghost Conference,
coming to the Seaside Civic
and Convention Center this
weekend .
7he event, now in its ¿ fth
year, got its start in Oregon
City, but grew so large, orga-
nizer Rocky Smith, had to
secure a bigger venue.
It didn’t hurt that Seaside
had a rich occult history.
GHOST HUNTERS
The 2016 Oregon Ghost Conference, presented by PartyLite by
Tina Ford, is the Northwest’s largest paranormal convention.
For more information , visit oregonghostconference.com.
Seaside, Smith allowed, is
known to be haunted.
“For the past year, I’ve
been researching Seaside,” he
said. “There are a couple of
places people talk about being
haunted. I had to weed through
the old stories to ¿ nd out
what’s accurate. After talking
to various business owners and
coming back here for research
a few times, I’ve learned some
new ghostly stories.”
There’s a strong connection
between Oregon City and Sea-
side, through the industrialist
and larger-than-life character
Ben Holladay, Smith said.
Smith is a local historian
and paranormal investigator .
In 2006, he combined his love
of history and knowledge of
the paranormal by founding
Northwest Ghost Tours offer-
ing paranormal tours in Ore-
gon City and Portland.
Submitted Photo
See HAUNTED, Page 12A
Conference Director Rocky Smith.