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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 Western snowy plover chick hatches at Nehalem Bay First in more than three decades By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian The first western snowy plo- ver chick to hatch on a beach at Nehalem Bay State Park in more than 30 years could be a sign of better times to come for the threatened species. Oregon Parks and Recre- ation Department wildlife biol- ogists recently learned about the hatchling, a press release announced today, and the event follows three years of increased sightings and evidence of nest- ing attempts by snowy plovers at this particular beach. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice says older records sug- gest there may have been nest- ing activity in Nehalem back in the 1950s and ’60s, “but you have to go back to 1921 to find a reference that’s solid,” said Chris Havel, associate director Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The western snowy plover is a threatened species. with the Parks and Recreation Department. “But you never can tell what will happen next,” said Havel, “and this could be the start of a more wild, more natu- ral Nehalem Spit, or something could interrupt the process and we’ll need to reset our sights on next year.” Still, it’s an encouraging sign. State biologist Vanessa Blackstone says plovers have “high site fidelity.” The pres- ence of this chick mean the par- ents are very likely to come back to Nehalem again next year, she says. The department monitors portions of beach in and around Clatsop County where the hab- itat plovers prefer for nesting exists: Necanicum Spit, Clat- sop Spit near Fort Stevens and Nehalem Spit. In Tilla- mook County, the department monitors Sitka Sedge Natural Area and Netarts Spit at Cape Lookout. “The Nehalem Spit used to have nesting plovers, so we picked this area knowing it had potential,” Havel said. The birds are a threatened species, listed under the fed- eral Endangered Species Act. They are protected in all West Coast states. In Long Beach, Washington, biologists with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice require vehicles, dogs and people to stay on the wet sand, away from the dunes during the plover’s nesting period. Cali- fornia also closes portions of its beaches during this period. Plovers can be hard to spot — they are small, about the size of a sparrow, and their light brown and white plumage is a perfect camouflage against the sand. Their nests are even eas- ier to miss: shallow scrapes in the dry sand that are almost invisible. The Parks and Recreation Department asks beachgoers to keep a “cautious eye out” for nesting birds, saying plo- vers will abandon their eggs if they are repeatedly disturbed from their nests. Chicks are mobile soon after they hatch. If they perceive danger, they will freeze in place or hide in small depressions such as footprints. The nesting area at Nehalem Spit is marked with signs and remains off-limits until the nesting season ends. Oregon Air National Guard The Oregon Air National Guard is proposing an expanded training area for F-15 Eagles along the Oregon Coast. Review proposed for coastal air training sites The Daily Astorian The Oregon Air National Guard has released the final version of the environmental impact statement on the Ore- gon Airspace Initiative, which includes expanded training areas above the North Coast. The proposed initiative expands and creates new train- ing areas for the Air National Guard’s F-15s. One of those expanded training sites would be the Eel Military Operations Area from 11,000 to 18,000 feet along the Oregon Coast from Astoria to Lincoln City. The National Guard argues that the expanded training areas are necessary because of frequent foul weather ham- pering training. The coastal training area would be for the 142nd Fighter Wing based in Portland, which is respon- sible for missions from the Canadian border to Northern California. Two Port of Astoria com- missioners raised concerns in 2015 about potential conflicts with private aircraft. The final environmen- tal impact statement is avail- able for public viewing over the next month at www.142fw. ang.af.mil or at the Astoria Library and Astoria Masonic Temple. Bill to expand self-service gas heads to governor’s desk By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau County jobless rate at 3.7 percent in April SALEM — A bill to expand the hours of self-serve gas stations in rural counties in Eastern Oregon is headed to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk, after the state Senate passed it Tues- day with a 26-1 vote. Oregon is one of only two states that prohibits customers from pumping their own fuel at gas stations. New Jersey is the other state. State Senate Major- ity Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, voted against the proposal. “She is a strong believer in the Oregon way when it comes to gasoline service,” said Rick Osborn, a spokesman in the Senate Democrats’ Office. Two years ago, the Leg- islature passed a bill to allow self-fueling between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in certain rural counties to prevent trav- elers from being stranded overnight. “In many of these smaller communities, people would get stuck without a full tank of gas” because no gas sta- tions were open, said Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, who car- ried the bill to the floor. The bill passed Tues- day expands that period to 24 hours in 15 counties with populations of less than 40,000. Stations would still be required to have at least one attendant between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., but customers could pump their own gas if the attendant is busy and a card- lock machine is available. In Eastern Oregon, some locally owned gas stations have been at risk of closure due to the expense of hiring fueling attendants to pump customers’ gas, said Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, the bill’s chief sponsor. “We are trying to preserve these stations out in the mid- dle of nowhere so that we have fuel available,” Bentz said during a hearing on the bill in March. The proposed change affects 15 counties in East- ern Oregon: Malhuer, Union, Wasco, Hood River, Jefferson, Crook, Baker, Morrow, Lake, Grant, Harney, Wallowa, Gil- liam, Sherman and Wheeler. The original proposal included Clatsop, Curry and Tillamook counties. How- ever, opposition to expanding self-service hours prompted coastal areas. The Capital Bureau is a col- laboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Consult a P ROFESSIONAL distinguishes you Q: What from your competitors? Service! A: AT NO CHARGE, with any LEO FINZI The Daily Astorian Clatsop County’s sea- sonally adjusted unemploy- ment rate in April was 3.7 percent, down slightly from March and more than 1 per- cent from a year ago. Clatsop and Wasco counties are tied for the ninth-lowest unemploy- ment rates in the state. The counties matched the state’s unemployment, and were significantly lower than the 4.4 percent national average. State economists had expected a gain of 530 jobs in April, but Clatsop County only added 290. Over April, the leisure and hospitality industry gained 280 jobs; and professional and business services added 80. “The lack of employ- ment growth for the month may have been related to the wet weather, and it suggests a slow start to the summer travel season,” a release from the state Employment Department said. The lackluster change left nonfarm payroll employment at 18,160, 30 less than the year prior for a -0.2 percent growth rate. Regional Economist Erik Knoder said it was the first negative yearly growth rate recorded since Sep- tember 2014. He said the lackluster growth can be attributed to the economy reaching full employment, with little room for upward movement. Over the past year, lei- sure and hospitality has added 120 positions, and construction 80. Retail trade is down 120 positions over the past year, manufactur- ing 90 and local government education 110. proponents to carve out those coastal counties. Opponents feared the change would threaten the jobs of those who pump fuel for a living in those Astorias Best.com 1 F ree with computer purchase - t ransFer oF your documents , photos , etc . From your old computer to your new one . 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