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10A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016 Sisters: ‘They bonded immediately’ Continued from Page 1A professions, including com- mercial pilot and CEO of a machine shop — was raised by her grandparents, and Musante by an aunt. Two boys were placed in foster homes. A third brother died in infancy. “Mother had a way of get- ting rid of the kids,” said John- ston, an insurance broker and former paralegal. When Johnston was adopted, her new parents changed her birth name to prevent her bio- logical family from inding her. Family accounts paint Dar- ling as an abusive and unstable mother. Kibby declined to talk about her. An article in The Annis- ton Star in Alabama from April 1948 describes Darling drop- ping off the boys — then 10 and 8 — at a San Francisco bus sta- tion with a sack of clothes and a quarter and telling them to ind the adoption agency. After the brothers died later in life, Johnston thought she’d seen the last of her siblings. But rumors of two older sisters remained with her until she dug Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Ship tenders bring passengers, Patricia Kibby among them, to the shore. through court records several years ago and conirmed their existence. “That’s how I found out,” she said. “Then I didn’t know what to do about it.” Johnston put it out of her mind — until Musante’s resourceful daughter-in-law brought them all together. “This is something that should have happened a long time ago, for her to get acquainted with her sisters,” Bill Johnston said. “They bonded immediately.” Together at last Sitting side by side on a bench inside the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the sisters — who didn’t even know each other until two months ago — relected on their day, one of the most important in their long, eventful lives. How did it go? “Amazing,” Kibby said. “Yes — I inally have a big sister I can pick on,” Johnston added, putting her arm around Kibby. “And I do, too — it’s all I did, all day.” The Johnstons had taken Kibby out for breakfast at Pig ’N Pancake in Astoria. Down in Cannon Beach, they took pic- tures in front of Haystack Rock — the irst time Kibby had seen the iconic sea stack in real life. At the Seaside Carousel Mall, they bought each other gifts: Kibby got Johnston a sign that reads, “I smile because you’re my sister. I laugh because there’s nothing you can do about it.” And Johnston found Kibby a wooden carving of two sisters hugging with the inscription, “Sisters are forever.” “We tried not to tell every- body that we were sisters,” Johnston said. “Every store we went in …” “… We told them, over and over,” said Kibby, who lives in Pomona and Colfax, California. The Norwegian Jewel set sail at 5 p.m., but the women said they would meet up again in July in Idaho, where Musante lives, for a family reunion. Some of their own children may be present, giving the family’s younger generations a chance to know each other in a way their parents couldn’t until fairly late in life. “The whole family is very, very excited,” Johnston said. “You never know when you’re going to ind out something more about your family.” Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian Marti Johnston and Patricia Kibby stand for a portrait near the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Salmon: ‘These efforts have already cost billions of dollars’ Continued from Page 1A It was the ifth time since 2001 that the court has invali- dated the government’s plans, and rulings in the case show increasing impatience with fed- eral agencies, including NOAA Fisheries, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. In his 149-page opinion, Simon found that for the past 20 years, the agen- cies have focused on trying to revive the basin’s 13 endan- gered and threatened salmon and steelhead runs by restoring habitat without compromising the generation of electricity. “These efforts have already cost billions of dollars, yet they are failing,” he wrote. Meanwhile, he said, fed- eral agencies have “done their utmost” to avoid even consider- ing breaching the Snake River dams — despite strong sugges- tions to do so by Judge James Redden, who oversaw the case from 2001 to 2011. Among those who sued the government are the Nez Perce Tribe and the state of Oregon; conservation groups includ- ing the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Ameri- can Rivers and Columbia Riv- erkeeper; and ishing organi- zations including the Paciic University of Oregon Dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Coast Federation of Fisher- men’s Associations. The judge ordered the gov- ernment to come up with a new plan by March 2018, but he said the invalid 2014 plan could nevertheless remain in effect until then because it does provide some level of protec- tion for the salmon. He said he would not dictate what options the government must consider in the new plan, but he noted that a proper analysis under federal law “may well require consideration of the reason- able alternative of breaching, bypassing, or removing one or more of the four Lower Snake River Dams.” Many biologists say breach- ing the dams is a crucial step for bringing back populations of salmon and steelhead that were decimated when the dams blocked upriver passage to their breeding grounds. Allowing the water to low freely would also reduce its temperature, espe- cially important in the face of global warming. Last summer, hundreds of thousands of adult salmon died because of warm tempera- tures in the reservoirs behind the Columbia and Snake River dams, said Todd True, a law- yer with the environmental law irm Earthjustice who rep- resents some of the plaintiffs. “We need to seriously con- sider a plan that retires and removes the four lower Snake River dams,” he said in a writ- ten statement. “Only action on this scale has the potential to allow wild salmon to survive and recover in light of the vivid threat they face from a warm- ing climate.” Oregon oficials have sug- gested another approach: spill- ing more water over the dams to improve salmon survival rates. The federal agencies were disappointed in the ruling, NOAA spokesman Michael Milstein said in an emailed statement. “The decision will require time and effort to analyze and fully understand,” the state- ment said. “We sincerely appreciate the region’s unprec- edented collaboration and com- mitment on behalf of salmon, and the important progress that it has produced. We’ll continue our efforts with our partners to protect salmon and steelhead in the Basin and work toward their recovery.” The Bonneville Power Administration, which oper- ates the dams and has touted the habitat restoration efforts, declined to comment Wednes- day except to say it was review- ing the decision. Northwest RiverPartners, an alliance of farmers, utilities, ports and businesses, intervened in the lawsuit on the side of the government. In a written state- ment, spokesman Terry Flores said the government’s plan was “the most science-based, com- prehensive and expensive effort to restore an endangered species in the nation.” “The decision potentially unwinds years of collabora- tion between federal agencies, Northwest states and tribes, and other stakeholders,” Flores said. “The ruling does not pro- vide a path forward for the region, other than re-doing the plan’s analysis and conducting an evaluation of alternatives, including dam removal, under the National Environmental Policy Act.” In addition to suggesting the agencies consider breach- ing the dams, the judge found several aspects of the gov- ernment’s plan inadequate. It failed to properly consider the potentially catastrophic impact of climate change on the ish and was based on a dubious legal framework that allowed the agencies to conclude the species were “trending toward recovery” even with very little actual improvement in salmon numbers, he said. Awards: More than 60 employees honored Continued from Page 1A Superintendent Craig Hop- pes started the awards with a moment of silence among the teachers and staff packing the high school’s commons for Martha Moore, a former lan- guage arts teacher who had been battling illness and died Tuesday. “Over 85 people have worked for the district for 10 or more years, and that says a lot about our commitment to our kids and our commitment to our community,” said Hop- pes, who has been with the district 19 years. The award ceremony hon- ored about 60 employees who have been with the district between 10 and 19 years, and about 20 more with 20 to 29 years of service. Hollaway joined ive oth- ers with more than 30 years experience, including sec- ond-grade teacher Deb Nel- son, fourth-grade teacher Diana Lilley, special educa- tion teacher Dianna Young and former teacher and technology director Scott Holmstedt. Excellence awards The Collaboration Recog- nition Award, which honors a group of teachers working together to enhance student learning, went to the staff, vis- iting teachers and volunteers of the Gray Alternative High School. The program helps students in Clatsop County who, for whatever reason, do not it into a traditional high school, to earn their diploma from Astoria or pass a Gen- Court: ‘Warrenton is where we started. And we are coming home’ offers from other possible buyers. Judge A. Wallace Tashima In March, Paciic Seafood found that the ishermen — announced plans to rebuild including Dennis Rankin of a ish processing plant that Astoria — showed a sufi- burned down in Warrenton cient likelihood of success in 2013. State Sen. Betsy in their legal challenge and Johnson, D-Scappoose, demonstrated the potential helped secure $3 million in for irreparable harm from the state funds to help with the sale. project. The Oregon Attorney But Haglund continues to General’s Ofice question whether has called the Paciic Seafood potential merger would rebuild in of Paciic Seafood Warrenton if the and Ocean Gold company is able “presumptively to acquire Ocean unlawful given the Gold. degree of market “Fishermen concentration.” in Warrenton and “The decision Astoria have a this week was signiicant stake Daniel about where the in this battle,” Occhipinti dispute would be Haglund said. “If heard,” said Dan- Paciic Seafood iel Occhipinti, Paciic Sea- were successful in acquir- food’s general counsel and ing Ocean Gold, industry director of government sources tell us that the War- affairs. “We’re disappointed renton plant will never be with the ruling but we con- rebuilt and would be little tinue to maintain that the more than a landing station.” Occhipinti said the com- plaintiffs’ claims are merit- less, and we will prove that in pany has always intended to whatever forum we have to.” rebuild the plant. “Warrenton Michael Haglund, a Port- is where we started. That was land attorney for the ish- our irst processing plant,” ermen, said the ishermen he said. “And we are coming hope Ocean Gold entertains home.” Continued from Page 1A Edward Stratton/The Daily Astorian Annette Macareno, second from right, was awarded the Classified/Support Staff of the Year Award for translating and interpreting with Spanish-speaking families for the Asto- ria School District. John Jacob Astor Elementary School Principal Kate Gohr, left, gave Macareno the award, flanked by Astoria School Board members Shawn Helligso, second from left, Jenna Rickenbach, center and Jeanette Sampson. eral Educational Develop- ment tests. “I’ve watched this pro- gram grow probably the last eight or nine years to where we’ve graduated one or two kids, to last year, where we graduated 12 kids,” Hoppes said. And these are 12 kids who graduated, that if were not in this program, would not have graduated from any high school.” Annette Macareno, a bilin- gual teaching assistant, took home the Classiied/Sup- port Staff Member of the Year Award. Macareno often translates for Spanish-speak- ing families, and also works at Astoria’s Migrant Summer School. “She is what we call a connector, Hispanic families to our school, and also dis- trictwide” said Principal Kate Gohr of John Jacob Astor Ele- mentary School. “She trans- lates every document we send out at Astor School.” Gohr said Macareno helps the school district igure out transportation for Hispanic families, their contact informa- tion and where parents work, while also providing teach- ers language support in the classroom. The Certiied Staff Mem- ber of the Year Award went to Angela Calvin-Pederson, who teaches general music at Lewis and Clark, and orchestra at Astoria Middle School and the high school. “Mr. Hoppes emailed a month ago and asked us to play tonight,” said Calvin-Ped- erson, who conducted the high school’s orchestra during the awards. “I go to the high school class and I was joking with them like ‘Oh, they’re going to acknowledge me’ … But these kids, it’s pretty spe- cial, because I have them third to 12th grade, and I watch them grow up. I chaperone them at the dances. It’s crazy, but I do love them to death.”
