The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, May 16, 2017, Image 2

Historic Oregon Newspapers

The daily Astorian., May 16, 2017, Page 2A, Image 2

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2017)

Prev Page of 10 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 10 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page Text2A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 Public lands could face brunt of solar eclipse visitors As many as a million visitors are expected By AMANDA PEACHER Oregon Public Broadcasting Smith Rock State Park naturalist Dave Vick peered through his spotting scope perched on a red rock cliff. He pointed the scope toward a tall ponderosa pine, spotting a downy mass in the middle of a 6-foot-wide nest. Inside was a 2-week-old bald eagle, or eaglet, named Solo because he was the only hatchling in this year’s brood. The ﬂ oppy little bird was guarded by a stately adult bald eagle — one of the two in a nesting pair that lives here year-round. Solo then stared expectantly at the parent bird, opening his beak slightly. It was a typical quiet, spring day for these raptors and the many other species in the park. But come August, Solo and the other park wild- life will experience a rare celestial event — a total solar eclipse that will travel across the entire midsection of Ore- gon. For two minutes, the park will go dark. Nocturnal crea- tures will stir, daytime animals will fall asleep, and the tem- perature will drop dramatically and suddenly. Thousands of human vis- itors are expected to visit the state park, and many other wild places within the eclipse’s path, to experience the rare event. And land managers are expect- ing still more people who want to experience the eclipse in a memorable, wild setting to ﬂ ock to rivers, wilderness areas, mountain peaks and lakes. Amanda Peacher/OPB Smith Park naturalist Dave Vick is concerned that ex- pected crowds during the solar eclipse could impact wildlife like the park’s resi- dent bald eagles. Potential problems All those people amount to a huge amount of planning for public lands agencies — and potential problems. All reservable campsites at Smith Rock are booked for the eclipse. The same goes for pretty much every other state park, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management campsite, as well as cabins, vacation rentals and motels within the path of totality. With all bookable lodging taken, eclipse watchers are expected to spill over onto public lands to see the event. Estimates of as many as 1 million visitors means land managers are working hard to protect the many sensitive, wild places within the 70-mile belt of the eclipse. That includes educat- ing visitors on how to pro- tect wildlife. In addition to bald eagles and other raptors at Smith Rock, there are river otters, nesting golden eagles, mule deer, snakes and more. Huge crowds of human visi- tors can interrupt critters that are hunting, sleeping or caring for their young. Takeshi Kuboki/Flickr A solar eclipse in Hyogo, Japan, is pictured in this May 21, 2012, photo. “The biggest issue is just stress for the wildlife,” Vick said. Stress can lead to sickness, weakness or even death for sensitive species. He’s particu- larly worried about bald eagles being harassed by drone users. Drones are banned in Smith Rock park, in part because of their noise. But during a special event such as the eclipse, there might be some rule-breakers who want photos of the celestial event. “All these sheer cliffs really amplify and echo that noise,” he said. Also within the park are delicate, ground-dwelling mosses and lichens that can be easily crushed. Land managers are con- cerned about potential dam- age to places like the John Day Fossil Beds, where one FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TONIGHT WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 58 47 46 Mostly cloudy with a couple of showers A morning shower; otherwise, some sun ALMANAC Low clouds New Salem 46/62 Newport 45/55 May 25 Coos Bay 46/58 Full June 1 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI TOMORROW'S TIDES Astoria / Port Docks Time 12:00 a.m. 12:32 p.m. Low 3.3 ft. 0.5 ft. Ontario 38/58 Burns 30/52 Klamath Falls 26/58 Lakeview 27/57 Ashland 36/63 REGIONAL CITIES City Baker City Bend Brookings Eugene Ilwaco Klamath Falls Medford Newberg Newport North Bend Hi 52 52 54 57 53 49 59 56 53 56 Today Lo 32 33 42 43 49 26 39 46 45 46 W r r r sh sh r r sh sh sh Hi 52 55 58 61 55 58 66 60 55 58 Wed. Lo 35 31 45 39 48 29 42 43 43 45 W c pc pc pc pc pc pc pc sh pc City Olympia Pendleton Portland Roseburg Salem Seaside Spokane Springfi eld Vancouver Yakima Hi 57 52 56 58 57 52 51 57 55 60 Today Lo 43 41 48 44 46 48 41 44 48 41 W t sh sh r sh sh r sh sh sh Hi 60 59 61 64 62 55 57 61 60 71 Wed. Lo 43 43 48 43 43 47 42 41 46 42 W pc c sh pc sh pc c sh sh pc TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER NATIONAL CITIES Hi 90 77 87 73 88 85 78 71 84 85 84 79 68 88 87 90 86 79 80 80 90 65 63 54 82 Baker 32/52 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 Tonight's Sky: Corona Borealis the Northern Crown will soar high across the sky tonight. Today Lo 65 57 67 43 67 66 54 44 73 66 66 62 55 68 78 68 70 63 61 60 72 40 51 47 65 La Grande 36/51 Roseburg 44/64 Brookings 42/60 June 9 John Day 35/49 Bend 33/55 Medford 39/66 UNDER THE SKY High 7.7 ft. 6.9 ft. Prineville 35/57 Lebanon 45/60 Eugene 43/61 First Pendleton 41/59 The Dalles 48/66 Portland 48/61 Sunset tonight ........................... 8:43 p.m. Sunrise Wednesday .................... 5:40 a.m. Moonrise today ......................... 12:45 a.m. Moonset today .......................... 10:24 a.m. City Atlanta Boston Chicago Denver Des Moines Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Honolulu Indianapolis Kansas City Las Vegas Los Angeles Memphis Miami Nashville New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia St. Louis Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Washington, DC Sunshine and patchy clouds Tillamook 46/55 SUN AND MOON Time 5:29 a.m. 7:32 p.m. Intervals of clouds and sunshine 62 48 Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs. ASTORIA 46/58 Precipitation Monday ............................................ 0.76" Month to date ................................... 4.88" Normal month to date ....................... 1.74" Year to date .................................... 46.12" Normal year to date ........................ 31.78" May 18 SATURDAY 63 49 REGIONAL WEATHER Astoria through Monday. Temperatures High/low ....................................... 52°/44° Normal high/low ........................... 60°/46° Record high ............................ 85° in 1895 Record low ............................. 35° in 1985 Last FRIDAY 61 46 W s s s pc pc pc pc s sh s pc pc pc s t s pc s pc s pc sh c t s Hi 89 84 85 68 77 87 85 70 84 85 79 79 70 87 88 90 86 86 85 90 85 50 67 61 94 Wed. Lo 68 67 67 34 57 68 59 46 73 68 60 59 55 70 79 71 72 69 61 70 71 37 49 49 73 By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — State econo- mists say the state may have nearly $200 million more than expected in net available resources, narrowing Ore- gon’s projected budget gap to about $1.4 billion. The May economic and revenue forecast provides the best estimate of how much the state can expect to realize in revenue before the Legislature adjourns in July. Legislators are busy trying to resolve the gap between what it expects to bring in and how much it would cost to maintain state services at current levels. Today’s higher than expected revenue forecast also brings Oregon closer to triggering the kicker, although that’s not a sure bet, said state economist Mark McMullen. Overall, the state’s rate of economic growth is slowing, although “Oregon’s economy is bigger than ever and getting bigger every day,” McMullen said. Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement that the fore- cast included good news about revenue growth and the state’s economy, but cuts to key services remained possible. “ … This doesn’t change the fact that Oregon still has a structural deﬁ cit,” Brown said. “This means in the long term, whether the economy is good or bad, the state will struggle to pay for education, public safety, child welfare and health care.” The governor said she was meeting with business and labor leaders every week to prevent signiﬁ cant cuts to such services, which may be required in order to close the budget gap without new revenues. Patrick Criteser, chairman of the Oregon Business Plan and the CEO of the Tillamook County Creamery Associa- tion, reiterated the Oregon Business Plan’s stance in a written statement today , say- ing that new revenues alone “will not ﬁ x the state’s basic budget problems.” However, Criteser said the coalition of businesses behind the Oregon Business Plan “remained optimistic” and “encouraged” by engagement from the L egislature and the governor. State Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, said the reve- nue outlook does not change what he has characterized as the need for changes to the state’s tax system, a sentiment echoed by Senate Major- ity Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland: “We can’t dig out of this hole with cuts alone,” Bur- dick said in a statement. “We need to reform and stabilize our revenue system as well.” Burdick said legislators were examining “both sides of the ledger.” Meanwhile, Republi- can leaders in the L egisla- ture said higher than expected tax revenues were evidence in favor of spending cuts. House Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, called the forecast “more evi- dence that Oregon needs to tighten its belt and get serious about the unsustainable rate of spending in Salem.” The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. LOTTERIES May 14, 2017 HORD, John Dalton II, 73, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mor- tuary of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. May 13, 2017 MASSEY, Peggy Ann, 76, of Warrenton, died in Portland. Ocean View Funeral & Cre- mation Service of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. PUBLIC MEETINGS PACKAGE DEALS APPLIANCE AND HOME FURNISHINGS 529 SE MARLIN, WARRENTON 503-861-0929 O VER Mattresses, Furniture 3 A 0 RS TSOP C LA U Y C O NT Taxpayers could get kicker DEATHS APPLIANCE YE Cash-strapped Budget-strapped agencies like the Forest Service already face challenges with hiring an adequate number of wilder- ness rangers and law enforce- ment ofﬁ cers. Smith Rock State Park has only ﬁ ve full- time staffers plus a few vol- unteers. Rangers from other parks will be on site for the eclipse, but that’s still just a handful of employees for thou- sands of visitors. Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s pc pc pc t pc s pc sh pc t s pc pc pc pc pc s pc s pc sh s pc s Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. IN misstep can destroy irreplace- able fossils, and pristine spots within the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area that could be overrun with illegal ﬁ res, trash and human waste. Land agencies teamed up to create a special blog where campers and other visitors can get information about the eclipse and public lands. That equation will be about the same at Forest Service and BLM campgrounds, trails and dirt roads. And with the eclipse happening during one of the hottest months of the year, there’s one topic that comes up at every eclipse planning meet- ing: wildﬁ re. “We’re concerned about ﬁ re danger,” said Josie Bar- num, another Smith Rock ranger. She’s hoping visitors obey the parks’ bans on campﬁ res and smoking. “The idea of evacuating all those people on a normal day in a ﬁ re is very frightening,” Barnum said. “To think about it happening when there’s dou- ble or triple volume of people in the park would be really, really terrifying.” With so many people in these wild spaces, the likeli- hood of serious injuries requir- ing search and rescue teams goes up. Rescues gobble up time and resources. “That takes staff away from other priorities happening up here,” Barnum said. And that’s assuming rescue crews can even get to an injured hiker. Highways and roads are expected to be clogged on the day of the eclipse. To limit crowding, ofﬁ cials will close the road into the park once it’s full. Latecomers will have to walk 1/2 mile or more to reach the entrance. Sheriff’s deputies and ﬁ re crews will be staged nearby. The park will have emergency medics at the ready on the canyon rim. There will be education and interpre- tive sites about “Leave No Trace” ethics and parks rules banning drones, smoking and ﬁ re. Agencies all across Oregon are taking similar precautions to protect places in the eclipse path, including the Painted Hills and the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. But despite all the extra work and necessary precau- tions that go into planning for a day like this, Barnum is excited to experience the eclipse in the place where she works. “Smith Rock is deﬁ nitely a very special place,” Bar- num said. “If we can pre- serve it and give people an amazing experience watching the eclipse when they come out here, that’s pretty cool. It makes me feel good about what we do.” NASA map of eclipse’s path & More! HOURS OPEN: MON-FRI 8-6 • SATURDAY 9-5 • SUNDAY 10-4 We Service What We Sell TUESDAY Sunset Empire Parks and Rec- reation District, 4 p.m., 1225 Ave. A, Seaside. Clatsop County Human Services Advisory Council, 4 to 5:30 p.m., 800 Exchange St., Room 430. Astoria Historic Landmarks Commission, 5:15 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Clatsop County Board of Commissioners joint work session with city councils, 5:30 p.m., McMenamins Hotel and Sand Trap Pub, 1157 North Marion Ave., Gearhart. Seaside School District, 6 p.m., 1810 S. Franklin, Seaside. Port of Astoria Commission, 6 p.m., 10 Pier 1 Suite 209. Shoreline Sanitary District Board, 7 p.m., Gearhart Hertig Station, 33496 West Lake Lane, Warrenton. Seaside Planning Commis- sion, 7 p.m., work session, City Hall, 989 Broadway. WEDNESDAY Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee, 3 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Cannon Beach Budget Meet- ing, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St. The Daily Astorian Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503- 325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 www.dailyastorian.com MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper. SUBSCRIBER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. OREGON Monday’s Pick 4: 1 p.m.: 7-7-8-2 4 p.m.: 4-4-0-5 7 p.m.: 0-0-5-8 10 p.m.: 2-1-1-1 Monday’s Megabucks: 1-15-17-24-33-39 Estimated jackpot: $6 million WASHINGTON Monday’s Daily Game: 7-8-6 Monday’s Hit 5: 08-26-27- 32-37 Estimated jackpot: $100,000 Monday’s Keno: 02-03- 07-13-19-22-31-33-35-37- 38-42-51-53-54-67-70-71- 75-76 Monday’s Lotto: 04-05-16- 27-29-39 Estimated jackpot: $6.6 million Monday’s Match 4: 02-04- 10-23 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Effective July 1, 2015 HOME DELIVERY MAIL EZpay (per month) ................$11.25 EZpay (per month) ............... $16.60 13 weeks in advance ........... $36.79 13 weeks in advance ........... $51.98 26 weeks in advance ........... $70.82 26 weeks in advance ......... $102.63 52 weeks in advance ......... $135.05 52 weeks in advance ......... $199.90 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Daily Astorian become the property of The Daily Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2017 by The Daily Astorian. Printed on recycled paper