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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Flooding, landslides
rock the North Coast
Crews are
scrambling to
cover slides
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
Company
illegally filled
near airport
By EDWARD STRATTON
The Daily Astorian
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has final-
ized an agreement with prom-
inent local forester Martin
Nygaard and Nygaard Land
LLC to restore more than 70
acres of former woody wet-
lands illegally filled in for pas-
tures near the Astoria Regional
Airport. The company will
also pay a $62,924 fine.
Nygaard Land filled a
northern portion of about 24
acres in 2014, and a second
parcel of about 50 acres in
2015, in both instances with-
out a federal Clean Water Act
permit. The fill destroyed the
wetlands and 3,500 feet worth
of tidal inlets, which the com-
pany will have to recreate.
The violations came to light
after the reopening of U.S.
Highway 101 Business, which
runs next to the property. The
highway had been closed for
repairs to the Lewis and Clark
Bridge.
“Work was originally
scheduled for last fall, but
heavy autumn rains pushed
the restoration activities back
until spring,” a release from
the Environmental Protection
Agency said. “Work at the site
will involve heavy equipment
working in the fragile wetland
habitat to remove culverts and
other structures, while also
restoring filled tidal channels.”
The company is required to
complete the restoration by the
end of May. Most of the land
The Daily Astorian/File Photo
Nygaard Land LLC’s violation of the Clean Water Act by filling wetlands without a permit
came to light after U.S. Highway 101 Business, which runs adjacent to the site, reopened
following repairs to the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
will be left to restore naturally,
while the company will reveg-
etate more than 2 acres, includ-
ing the tidal inlet connecting to
the Lewis and Clark River.
“The river is home to bot-
tom-feeding sturgeon, which
is a popular sport fish in the
area,” the EPA’s release said.
“It is also home to an exten-
sive salmon repopulation pro-
gram. The river also supports
runs of wild steelhead and cut-
throat trout. Each of these spe-
cies depend on cold, clean,
oxygen-rich water to survive
and use tidal channels and wet-
lands for feeding and rearing
their young.”
Yvonne Vallette, a wetlands
coordinator for the EPA in Port-
land, said the company will
be allowed to remove several
more trees near the border with
the airport because of air traffic
concerns, leaving them on site
as habitat features. She said the
EPA will require the company
to submit annual monitoring
reports, and will keep watch on
the site over the next decade.
Nygaard and his companies
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Cannon Beach officers honored for Goodding response
Police chief,
officers receive
commendations
By R.J. MARX
The Daily Astorian
CANNON BEACH —
Police Chief Jason Schermer-
horn and Cannon Beach Police
officers were among those
honored at a ceremony for first
responders this week at the
Seaside Civic and Convention
Center.
Schermerhorn, a former
Seaside police officer, was
among the hundreds of first
responders who attended a pri-
vate memorial on Monday for
Goodding, who was shot and
killed in the line of duty try-
ing to apprehend Phillip Max
Ferry on a felony warrant one
year ago.
Goodding’s death brought
an outpouring of support from
the community and emer-
gency responders around the
nation, including members of
the Cannon Beach Police, who
assisted Seaside Police in the
aftermath.
Schermerhorn and officers
were honored for their “valued
contribution after the loss of
our beloved officer,” Seaside
Police Chief Dave Ham said.
Lt. Chris Wilbur, Officer
Josh Gregory, Officer Seth Col-
lins and Cpl. Joseph Bowman
also received commendations.
At Tuesday’s City Council
meeting, Wilbur received spe-
cial recognition for his work
as the liaison with agents from
the federal Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explo-
sives to track down the source
of the handgun used to kill
Goodding. As a result of that
investigation, Jamie Lee Jones
pleaded guilty to possession
with intent to distribute meth-
amphetamine and possession
of a firearm in furtherance of a
drug trafficking crime. Jones’s
sentencing is set for March 27.
On Wednesday, Seaside’s
chief thanked Schermerhorn
for his “continuing support,
not only to the Seaside Police
Department, but the Goodding
family,” Ham said. “He and his
wife have both been tremen-
dous liaison and support and
friends of the family. I know
Amy (Goodding) is apprecia-
tive of that, as we are at the
department.”
“We were honored to help
C ELTIC M USIC BY
THE PRESS GANG
FRI · FEB 10 · 7PM
them and we’d certainly do
anything to help them in the
future,” Schermerhorn said. “It
was a pretty dark time for all of
us. I was proud of the commu-
nity and all the support we got
from the different agencies.”
have previously run afoul of
the Department of State Lands
and U.S. Army Corps of Engi-
neers for filling wetlands in
Hammond in 2009 and Sea-
side in 2007. The agencies
deferred the case to the EPA
based on the past violations.
t s ”
Stormy weather is caus-
ing landslides and disrupt-
ing traffic on the North
Coast.
Beerman Creek has
flooded U.S. Highway
101 in Seaside, prompting
the Oregon Department of
Transportation to close the
highway this morning to
all vehicles.
Department crews are
also clearing away several
landslides, according to
Mark Buffington, ODOT
District 1 manager.
A landslide on U.S.
Highway 103, in a woodsy
area about 100 feet from
Highway 26, has closed
traffic at milepost 8.78.
The slide caused trees to
fall on power lines. Wit-
nesses reported smoking
and flames. The depart-
ment doesn’t yet know the
status of the incident and
is waiting for the public
utility district to shut off
the power.
The biggest landslide
the department is working
on closed Oregon High-
way 47 at milepost 2, just
outside Clatskanie.
Another slide on Ore-
gon Highway 47 at mile-
post 50, near Pittsburg,
briefly closed the high-
way there. It has since
reopened.
A slide on Oregon
Highway 202 is blocking
the road at milepost 22.
ODOT has closed the road
and the public utility dis-
trict is heading there now
to shut the power off. The
trees are smoking there as
well, Buffington said.
“Generally what hap-
pens is, when we get 3 1/2
inches of rain all at once,
this is pretty much what
we do, is we run around
and we chase these slides,”
Buffington said.
A coastal flood advi-
sory will be in effect for
the north Oregon and
south Washington coasts
today. The advisory will
be in effect for minor tidal
flow in low-lying coastal
areas.
A flood warning is cur-
rently in effect for the
Nehalem River near Foss
until Saturday morn-
ing. The river is expected
to crest at 19 feet, the
National Weather Ser-
vice said. Once the river
rises above 18 feet, wide-
spread flooding of low-ly-
ing areas will begin. The
town of Nehalem likely
will see street flooding
later tonight.
Tides could reach close
to 12 feet beginning at 11
a.m., the weather service
said. Rivers draining the
coastal range also will rise
significantly, which will
exacerbate the high tides.
Low-lying areas along
Highway 101 and the
lower reaches of coastal
rivers may experience
minor overflow. Seaside
and Nehalem may see
some of the most flooding,
the weather service said.
High winds are also
posing danger on the
North Coast.
EPA finalizes agreement with
Nygaard’s on wetlands violations
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