SWIMMING THE MOUTH
OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER
WEEKEND BREAK • PAGE 1C
145TH YEAR, NO. 15
ONE DOLLAR
WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017
Burn-o-meter: Threat checked for fi re season
Forestry preps
as fi re season
gets underway
Protection Unit Forester
Neal Bond points out
locations of concern for
firefighters . Bond and
all other personnel at the
district headquarters in
Astoria are busy prepar-
ing for what they say
could be an above -aver-
age fire season.
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
The state Department of Forestry
continues to add fuel to its preven-
tion efforts after offi cially declaring
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
fi re season last week.
The district typically prepares its
11 seasonal fi refi ghters by June at
the latest. As warmer, drier condi-
tions begin to negate the effects of an
unusually wet winter, the district has
placed restrictions — including a few
additions this week — on open fi res.
“This year’s threat is growing,”
Astoria District Forester Dan Goody
said. “We haven’t had real rain in a
month.”
A LIFESAVING TRADITION
Goody pointed to an incident
Wednesday on the side of Lewis
and Clark Road, roughly 10 miles
south of Warrenton, in which a vehi-
cle crashed into the hillside, causing
a small fi re that spread through the
nearby brush.
“When you have fi res starting by
the road side, you’re getting into fi re
season proper,” he said.
See FIRE SEASON, Page 6A
Sunday
Market
ponies up
for parks
Downtown event gives
$5,000 to ailing agency
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Daily Astorian
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Cannon Beach lifeguard Jesse Willyard keeps a close eye on the surf and the sand from his perch atop a lifeguard stand
last week near Haystack Rock. He is one of eight lifeguards protecting thousands of visitors to the beach.
Cannon Beach lifeguards share
moments of reward, exhilaration
By BRENNA VISSER
The Daily Astorian
C
ANNON BEACH — When Jesse
Willyard was growing up in Cannon
Beach, he didn’t have much interest in
becoming a lifeguard.
But his career as one started before he
was even offi cially hired to join the Cannon
Beach lifeguard team 11 years ago during his
15th birthday party.
“I was skim boarding north of Haystack
Rock when a kid ran up and said his brother
had been swept up in the ocean,” Willyard
said. He said he saw the child’s head bob-
bing up and down in the waves and decided
See LIFEGUARDS, Page 7A
‘I’VE NEVER
BEEN AFRAID
OF THE OCEAN. I
SUPPOSE THAT’S
A GOOD QUALITY
TO HAVE IN THIS
LINE OF WORK.’
Jesse Willyard
Cannon Beach lifeguard
The fi rst donation to Astoria’s Parks and
Recreation Department is in.
The Astoria Sunday Market, celebrat-
ing one of its biggest fi nancial years so far,
donated $5,000 to the department Thursday.
The donation comes on the heels of a City
Council meeting where councilors voted to
increase the lodging tax and accept dona-
tions to raise money for parks and avoid
drastic cost-cutting measures, such as clos-
ing the Astoria Aquatic Center.
“We’re just really happy to have the
funds to do this, this year,” said Market
Director Cyndi Mudge, adding, “We would
love to see our donation dwarfed.”
“Well, three cheers for the market,” said
Mayor Arline LaMear. She and Council-
ors Bruce Jones and Cindy Price met with
Mudge, parks board members and staff and
market board members to present the $5,000
check at the Garden of Surging Waves
across from City Hall.
“The core of our mission is to revitalize
downtown,” said Jack Ficken, the market’s
board president. “The Astoria p arks and
its many assets that improve the quality
of life for the community are vital to our
success.”
Echoing Mudge, he said, “We are proud
to be in a position this year to make this
donation. The need is clear and we hope
our donation encourages others to step
forward.”
See SUNDAY MARKET, Page 7A
Warning signs posted after shark sightings
Dorsal fi ns
spotted off
Cannon Beach
By JACK HEFFERNAN
The Daily Astorian
Offi cials are not sure what
to make of recent possible
shark sightings off Cannon
Beach , but they have adopted
a cautious approach.
On Tuesday, both a surfer
near Haystack Rock, as well
as a person on the shore in
Cannon Beach, reported see-
ing dorsal fi ns. Since then,
the state Parks and Recre-
ation Department has posted
upward of 10 signs along
beaches and are hoping to
acquire more. It is not known
exactly what type of shark
may have been spotted.
“It’s always hard to be 100
percent sure of what someone
saw,” Parks and Recreation
Department Associate Direc-
tor Chris Havel said. “There
are lots of things that can look
like a dorsal fi n.”
The caution signs will
be taken down after several
weeks unless another sight-
ing is reported. Small and
easily removable, the signs
may need to be continually
replaced over the summer.
“We know it’s tempting
to take a shark sign because
they look cool,” Havel said,
“but we encourage people to
keep other peoples’ safety in
mind.”
The Oregon C oast has
had eight shark attacks since
2000, but no one has died
as a result. Most recently, a
29-year-old man was bitten
twice in the leg while surfi ng
off the coast of Ecola State
Park in October.
Havel said possible shark
sightings have come in waves
recently and that it would take
years to determine whether or
not shark attacks and sight-
ings off the coast are becom-
ing a trend.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
Brenna Visser/ The Daily Astorian
See SHARKS, Page 7A
Signs in Seaside warn beachgoers of the potential danger.
Astoria Ford
Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce
Clatsop Community Bank –
Astoria & Seaside
Fultano’s Pizza - Astoria
Fultano’s Pizza - Warrenton
West Mart Store - Westport
and at:
ClatsopCoFairExpo.com