Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2017)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2017 144TH YEAR, NO. 168 BRINGING BACK THE WETLANDS Study looks at invasive species in Youngs Bay watershed A See WETLANDS, Page 4A Cascadia Day 7: Be prepared Editor’s note: This is part two of a fi ve- part series about a possible 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake in the Pacifi c Northwest. By JADE McDOWELL EO Media Group By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian stern-looking older man pulled up in his truck on Whiskey Road in Warren- ton in 2014 to speak with Sarah Kidd, who was standing on the side of the road. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked her. Kidd, a National Science Foundation f el- low, told him she was surveying a wetland in the area as part of her six-year study of non-native, inva- sive species in the Youngs Bay w atershed. ONE DOLLAR Photos by Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian ABOVE: Chris Clatterbuck, c hief of n atural and c ultural r esources at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, points to the Colewort Creek wetlands area on Thursday . BELOW: A lone hiker strides into the South Slough Trail overlooking the Colewort Creek restoration area, left, on Thursday in Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. PENDLETON — If a 9.0 Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake hits the west- ern half of Oregon, Umatilla County resi- dents could still be ducking and covering a week later. The initial earthquake’s damage to the eastern side of the state is expected to be light to moderate. But Larry Givens, Uma- tilla County commissioner and former chair of the state Department of Geology and Mineral Industries board, said the after- shocks will move differently, possibly cre- ating earthquakes up to a 6.0 magnitude in parts of Eastern Oregon for weeks after the initial event. The 2010 magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile, for example, created 19 aftershocks larger than a magnitude 6.0 — some hun- dreds of miles away — for a month after the main event. The state’s Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake and Tsunami Operations Plan assumes the impacts to Eastern Oregon will be indirect, leaving eastern counties free to serve as staging areas for sending resources west and receiving evacuees. “I’m hoping we don’t underestimate what the damage will be on the east side,” Giv- ens said. Aftershocks or not, Eastern Oregon residents could still be without electric- ity, internet, phone service, natural gas, vehicle fuel and groceries a week after the event. Steve Eberline, preparedness presenter for the Red Cross, said in those conditions families should have a plan in place and review it twice a year. He and his wife, for example, plan for her to wait two hours at home for him to show up before setting out to pick up their young- est child at school, while he would work to get to the oldest two. They have a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C for where to camp out after. All of their extended family in the Pacifi c Northwest also have a relative in Chicago that they have designated to each check in with should they have an opportu- nity at a shelter to make a phone call or send a message. See CASCADIA, Page 4A Thousands of protesters across US say ‘Not My President’ In Astoria, about 50 demonstrators gather Associated Press and The Daily Astorian About 50 local residents joined the thousands protesting against President Donald Trump on issues including immi- gration, climate change and the environ- ment rallied in cities around the U.S. on Presidents Day, calling their opposition outpouring Not My President’s Day. The protests on Monday’s federal holi- day didn’t draw nearly as many people as the million-plus who thronged the streets following the Republican president’s inau- guration a month earlier, but the message was similar. In Astoria, the rally was organized by Indivisible North Coast Oregon “Our message is positive,” said Lau- rie Caplan, an organizer. “We want to keep our democracy strong.” As part of the national Not My President’s Day protests, about 50 people gathered at Commercial and Eighth streets Mon- day. Indivisible North Coast Oregon plans to host another “peaceful rally” at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Tapiola Park. Afterward, they will attend U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s town hall at 11:30 at the Astoria High School auditorium. National protests Thousands of fl ag-waving protesters lined up outside Central Park in Manhat- tan. Many in the crowd chanted “No ban, no wall. The Trump regime has got to fall.” They held aloft signs saying “Impeach the Liar.” Edward Stratton The Daily Astorian See PROTESTS, Page 4A Organic farming is at a crossroads By ERIC MORTENSON EO Media Group At this point, maybe organic pro- ducers and processors should just declare victory. They’ve won, haven’t they? Sales of organic products show double-digit growth year after year. Consumers increasingly associate organics with safer food and better nutrition, health, soil and plants, not to mention more humane treatment of livestock and better conditions for farmworkers. That little green U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic symbol on a package says this costs more because it’s special. And it’s all delivered by a chemical-free small farm worked by a smiling couple and their beautiful brood of happy children. Eric Mortenson/EO Media Group A producer sells jars of organic, raw milk feta cheese at a Port- land farmers’ market in this 2015 photo. Despite fears of “Big Ag” taking over organics, industry observers believe small produc- ers will continue to find a niche. nity, some worry the movement — and that’s how many see it, as a move- ment — will lose its soul as “Big Ag” takes over organic production and snaps up small organic processors. “If we continue to mainstream, is there anything left of what was organic, or do we just become prod- uct manufacturers?” asked Oregon organic pioneer David Lively. As the Costcos, Wal-Marts and Krogers of the world continue to enter the organic market, “Are they really concerned with what we’re doing, or is it a marketing opportu- nity?” Lively said. Main disagreements Right? Well, sure, to a certain extent. But within the organic commu- There are other issues out there, See ORGANIC, Page 9A Organically Grown Co. Oregon organics pioneer David Lively questions whether organic farming will become just another manufacturing process if its founding principles are distorted by big producers.
