Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 2018)
DailyAstorian.com // WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018 145TH YEAR, NO. 212 ONE DOLLAR Strolling for strength Cancer survivors look to new county walking program for exercise Cougar sightings have unsettled neigh- borhoods in Oregon this year. Cougar? Neighbors report strange noises Details were sparse By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian People make their way around the track at Patriot Hall on the Clatsop Community College campus as part of the ‘Step it Up!’ walking program. By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian A typical Astoria wind gust caused the hatchback on Teri Keippe- la’s car to jolt upward as she was holding it. She had recently undergone treatment for a form of cancer that doctors believed would kill her within a year or two, and the strain from the sudden movement caused Keippela — 61 at the time — to hurt her back. “Who would’ve thought about such a little thing? But after cancer sometimes, small problems can be more sensitive,” Keippela said. To remedy the pain and prevent future accidents, she forced herself to walk. Seven years later, and in good shape despite the original prognosis, she is helping others with cancer do the same. See WALKING, Page 7A Walkers with the program — designed to support cancer survivors — admire the view from the track at Patriot Hall. A rustling in the bushes, harsh growls, sounds of a struggle and a chorus of dogs losing their minds left some Astorians con- vinced a cougar passed through their neigh- borhood Monday night. Astoria police received a report of a pos- sible cougar sighting on the 500 block of Duane Street the next day, but absent anyone laying eyes on an actual big cat or snapping a photo, the police are not sure if the animal people heard was a cougar or something else. The report they received was sparse on details, Deputy Chief Eric Halverson said. The people who reported the incident acknowledged they did not see the animal. They told police they heard something in the bushes that they believed was a large pred- ator and also thought they heard another animal being attacked. On Facebook, sev- eral residents of the neighborhood described hearing similar noises, and other people chimed in about possible sightings elsewhere in Astoria. So far, police have only received the one call. “We live in an area where we have for- ested areas up against the city,” Halverson noted. There are regular wildlife encounters police respond to, from more routine calls about injured deer to much rarer sightings of cougars. The last confirmed cougar sighting in Astoria occurred in 2012, and before that in 2009, according to police records. Astoria police conferred with the Oregon State Police’s fish and game unit as well as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild- life, but said the agencies have not had any reports of recent cougar activity in Astoria. “Obviously we’d want to know if some- body believes one of these animals is creat- ing an imminent threat,” Halverson said. The state’s Fish and Wildlife Depart- ment devotes several webpages to educat- ing people about how to live with wildlife. When it comes to living with cougars, the state recommends keeping pets indoors at dawn and dusk and also feeding those pets indoors. People should not feed wildlife, since this may attract cougars as well. They should be aware of places where deer or elk concentrate. Organizers of the ‘Step it Up!’ program encourage family and friends of cancer survivors to participate. See COUGAR, Page 7A Alderbrook residents petition to keep Birch Field City wants to sell the park By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Daily Astorian Alderbrook wants its park back. Dozens of residents of the east side neighborhood plan to petition the Astoria City Coun- cil at a May 7 meeting to keep Birch Field as a city park. The city has provided time for them to make a presentation about their hopes for the marshy baseball field at the corner of 49th Street and Birch Street. In February, the City Council asked staff to begin taking steps to delist the park, an action that would ultimately include a hear- ing and opportunities for public input. The councilors hoped delisting Birch Field might pave the way for hous- ing at the site and relieve the Parks and Recreation Depart- ment of the responsibility of caring for a park that is underused. Alderbrook res- idents, who gathered for a community meeting over the weekend, disagree. They said the park is an important green space in the neighborhood and should be improved as a park, not as a place to build houses. Led by Lisa Morley, the residents plan to form the Friends of Birch Field and Park and convince the city to keep the site as a park. They want to take over mainte- nance and, eventually, turn it from a barren site into a mul- tiuse park. While there is some disagreement about what such a park might include in the future, the group was united in their desire to keep Birch Field a park. Friends groups exist for other parks around the city, See PARK, Page 7A Katie Frankowicz/The Daily Astorian Astoria City Councilor Bruce Jones and Alderbrook resident Lisa Morley talk to neighbors about options for Birch Field, a park in Alderbrook the City Council plans to put up for sale.
