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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 9, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2017 Timber counties cut costs as logging, federal aid evaporate Rural counties struggling with basic services By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press ROSEBURG — So much timber money once flowed into this rural county that its leaders set up committees to find ways to spend it. Today, Douglas County’s li- brary system is on life support, and its sheriff’s department is on track to lose funding. Nearly 30 years after envi- ronmental protections slashed logging in federal forests, coun- ties like this one that thrived on timber revenues for decades are struggling to provide basic ser- vices. These so-called timber counties received hundreds of millions of dollars during log- ging’s long heyday, and since then the federal government has continued to pour money in to make up for timber’s downfall. Now the money has dried up and people are reluctant to tax themselves, leaving leaders scrambling and public institu- tions in free fall. Commissioners in Doug- las County, which once re- ceived $50 million in annual profits from logging on federal lands, have slashed health ser- vices, cut nearly 300 jobs and started charging for landfill use and parking at parks. The coun- ty’s main library will close June 1 because voters rejected a tax, and voters in nearby Josephine County must decide May 16 whether to restore limited tax dollars to libraries and fund county response to 911 calls. AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus Children’s librarian Chere Brown reads to toddlers during a story time at the main Josephine County library branch in Grants Pass. vices nearly a dozen times be- fore, including for public safety and libraries. Many residents feel county leaders are quick to come to voters and must do more to bring back timber dollars, said Jim Rafferty, who opposes rais- ing taxes in Josephine County. “I’m not saying that we’re op- posed to public safety. That’s not the message,” he said. “The mes- sage is for the county commis- sioners to roll up their sleeves and fund the sheriff when they can, rather than give us this rhetoric.” The economic spiral playing out in western Oregon is inter- woven with themes that have emerged across the American West: Anger over federal land policy, debate about the limits of environmental regulation and the question of who has the right to benefit from federal lands. Quirk of history Communities across the American West have long received revenues from logging on federal land, but a quirk of history made the timber wealth of more than a dozen counties in Oregon even greater — and makes their current plight unique. These 18 timber counties stretch from Portland to the Cal- ifornia line. They contain 3,281 square miles of densely forested territory that is the central char- acter in a tale of rapid West- ern expansion and century-old corruption. The Oregon & California Railroad got the lands in the 1860s for a rail line. The proj- ect spurred growth in Oregon but also inspired large-scale land fraud that led to the indict- ment of a U.S. senator and two congressmen. In the scandal’s wake, the federal government in 1916 took back the land, but locals argued that cheated them of a tax base on land ripe for logging. Federal legislation tailored to compensate the counties cre- ated a cash cow: 75 percent of the logging receipts from those lands go to the counties, with no restrictions. During the 1980s, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management was selling 1 billion board feet of timber a year, producing so much money that some of the counties did not assess property taxes. Most also get 25 percent of timber receipts from national forests within their borders under a separate program. But in the early 1990s, con- servation groups won lawsuits to protect spotted owl and salmon habitat, and logging on federal land dropped by 90 percent. Fed- eral dollars to ease the counties’ transition has been shrinking for years and was not renewed this year. Submitted Photo Gearhart and Seaside firefighters responded to a blaze Sunday in Gearhart. Gearhart fire claims life of family dog Blaze started in kitchen By R.J. MARX The Daily Astorian GEARHART — A kitchen fire Sunday afternoon led to the death of a family dog, a Rhodesian ridgeback, most likely from smoke inhalation, Gearhart Fire Chief Bill Eddy said Monday morning. Fire officials received a call at a single-story home at 1368 Garden Terrace Road at 2:10 p.m. Sunday. Upon arrival, flames were showing in the front window. After a quick knockdown of the main fire by the first crew, teams fought the blaze until 3:20 p.m. A wooden cutting board caught fire atop a gas stove, starting the blaze, Eddy said. Seaside Fire assisted with coverage. No firefighters were injured and no one was home at the time of the fire. Attempts to resuscitate the dog were unsuccessful. The home, a full-time family residence, is unlivable as a result of smoke and heat damage. Damage could reach $50,000 to $80,000, Eddy said. You r Ticket TO THE The Oregon Coast $ 7-Day Pass... ONLY 30 For Astoria Port Commission #2 Every voter in Clatsop County has three votes to cast for the Port Commission. I ask for your vote and to join me in voting for Last-ditch effort Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden recently joined other Western lawmakers in a last- ditch effort to restore federal assistance — but local officials aren’t optimistic. “Most of the citizens have become accustomed to receiv- ing that outside money, and now that that money is gone, we have to be self-sufficient — or at least more self-sufficient,” Josephine County Sheriff Dave Daniel said. Yet anti-tax sentiment is strong here, where President Donald Trump dominated in November. Voters in these counties have rejected tax levies for public ser- J AMES C AMPBELL and F RANK S PENCE . The NW Connector is your ticket to the Oregon Coast. No car, no problem. Bike the coast?...why not! Short stay long stay... okay! Explore the scenic Oregon Coast with the NW Connector’s daily, round trip buses running from Astoria to Yachats. Affordable three and seven-day passes with unlimited FREE transfers all along our beautiful coast. Plan your trip at: www. nwconnector .net (Oh yeah...did we mention we’ve got bike racks?) DirkForPort.org Paid for by the Committee to Elect Dirk Rohne Mother ’ s Day brunch buffet Sunday, May 14th Served from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. • Seafood Eggs Benedict • Eggs Benedict • Belgian Waffles Potatoes O’Brien • Bacon • Honey Glazed Ham • German Sausage Pork Sausage • Blackened Salmon w/ Southwest Aioli • Salmon Olympic Tortellini Alfredo • Chicken Breast al Pesto • Award Winning Clam Chowder Assorted Salads • Fresh Fruit • Assorted Pastries and Cookies • Fruit Crisp Flambé Fruit Crepes ~ Made to Order! Adults $24.00 • Children under 12 $14.00 Add a bottomless glass of champagne for $4 50 per person Mother’s Day Dinner • 3:00pm-9:00pm Regular menu as well as: HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY W ILD S ALMON O SCAR & H ALIBUT P ISTACHIO PRESENT THIS AD AND M OTHER’S RECEIVE 1 ⁄ 2 OFF THEIR ENTREE Reservations Recommended 1105 COMMERCIAL ST • ASTORIA • 503.338.6640 Buy 1 Entree & Get 2nd er’s Day Tea and Scone h t o M s ⁄ 2 PRICE 1 Fine Dining Casual, yet elegant valid 5/15/17- forever Lunch or Dinner www.silversalmongrille.com Mother’s Day Brunch Sunday, May 14 th 9 am to 2 pm She has always been there so make it a celebration with brunch. Flowers for all Moms... Breakfast Breads & Pastries, Fresh Fruit, Peel & Eat Shrimp, Roasted Potatoes, Vodka Cured Wild Salmon, Mini Crab Cakes, Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, House Made Patty Sausage and Applewood Smoked Bacon, Oregon Honey Glazed Ham, Caesar Salad, Spinach Strawberry Salad, Oregon Pink Shrimp Salad, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries & Assorted Desserts Adults: $ 35 • Kids 5-12: $ 15 • 4 & Under Crowd: FREE! Reservations Required Port of Call - Astoria Events Center 894 Commercial St. • Astoria Oregon 503-325-4356 in the Flavel House Museum A Clatsop County Historical Society Event Sponsored by Seaside Providence Hospital Saturday, May 13 th 1-4 pm Flavel House Museum 441 8th Street Astoria MAKE MOM FEEL SPECIAL Celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday at Plaza Jalisco A UTHENTIC M EXICAN C UISINE Special Mother’s Day pricing for Mother’s Day Only $ 12 $ 8 per person CCHS members Child’s Plate 1 $ 9 5 Dine -in only For One Who Deserves Only Beautiful Things Complimentary rose for all moms OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK DINE IN OR ORDERS TO GO FAMILY DAYS Sunday and Monday 212 8TH AVE., ASTORIA 503-338-4440
