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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018 West Coast officials tell tourists NOT TO WORRY about wildfires AP Photo/Noah Berger Hannah Whyatt poses for a friend’s photo as smoke from the Ferguson Fire fills Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, Calif., in July. tion takes a backseat,” said Caroline Beteta, president of Visit California. In a survey by the tour- ist agency, about 11 percent of 1,000 travelers polled said wildfires prompted them to cancel their trips to California in July, a $20 million loss in that month alone, she said, noting tour- ists are dissuaded by fire images. Nearly half said they would choose another state to visit, given active wildfires. But officials from the three states stressed that less than 1 percent of land in the three states has been affected by fires. “The real crisis for the tourism industry isn’t the fire itself but the news coverage and conversation around the fire,” Beteta said. “Videos can be alarming and cause people to cancel their trip, States fear lost revenue By LORIN ELENI GILL Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Alarmed by as much as $20 million in lost tourism rev- enue in July due to visitors’ fear of wildfires, Califor- nia’s state tourism agency said Thursday it is teaming up with Oregon and Wash- ington state to reassure tourists it’s safe to visit. The states formed the West Coast Tourism Recov- ery Coalition to remind tourists that the fires have hit mostly rural areas, so will likely not affect their vacations, despite recent blazes that have clogged skies with smoke. “As we shift into crisis recovery mode, competi- particularly international trips.” Hospitality businesses in and near California parks, such as popular Yosemite National Park, are still reel- ing from a three-week clo- sure during the park’s peak visitor season. The park reopened on Aug. 14 and the fire that threatened Yosemite Valley is fully contained. In nearby Madera County, offi- cials estimate they’ll lose $10 million this year due to the prolonged closure of a main artery into the park. Oregon also lost $51 mil- lion in tourism revenue last year, according to a 2017 wildfire study by Travel Oregon. “Fire and smoke may not care much about state lines, but we do care about the experience and the percep- tion that it’s inaccessible due to the fires,” Travel Oregon AP Photo/Elaine Thompson A girl works on a drawing next to an unused viewing scope as a smoky haze obscures the Space Needle and downtown Seattle in August. CEO Todd Davidson said. The group says it will work together to commu- nicate with tourism busi- nesses, residents and visi- tors, but officials said there is no ad campaign planned yet. Washington state tourism officials said the number of trips canceled to their state has not been severe, rather, most tourists are adjust- ing their schedules. But tour companies have can- celed trips to protect cus- tomers’ health from poor air quality, said Shiloh Bur- gess, co-chair of Washington Tourism Alliance. Air quality conditions are improving in the Seat- tle region after days of unhealthy smoke and haze. Air quality was also a con- cern in eastern Washington, as the state has endured a second straight summer of unhealthy, smoky air from wildfires. In California, Cal Fire firefighters are gaining ground in the battle against fires in Northern Califor- nia affecting the counties of Shasta, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Colusa and Glenn. The fires have burned more than 1,000 square miles combined to date this year. Air quality in San Francisco, Oakland, and Yreka contin- ued to be at unhealthy lev- els as of Thursday after- noon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Associated Press writer Chris Grygiel in Seattle also contributed to this report. Measure requiring voter approval of tolls moves forward Capital Bureau Backers of a proposed bal- lot initiative that would require voter approval for tolls on existing roadways, bridges or freeways say they’ve turned in 1,465 signatures on petitions to qualify for a ballot title for 2020. The signatures were sub- mitted Thursday to the Secre- tary of State’s Office. Initiative Petition 10, amending the state Consti- tution, would require voter approval for tolling exist- ing roadways but would not require it if the tolls are used to pay for “new net capacity” on the road or bridge on which the toll is assessed. For exam- ple, under the initiative, the state could toll new lanes on Interstate 5 without seeking approval from voters, but if the state wants to toll the existing lanes, voter approval would be required. The language in IP 10 defines “new net capacity” as the “expansion of transporta- tion infrastructure which did not exist prior to Jan. 1, 2018, and which has not been con- verted from a previous form of transportation infrastruc- ture which has already been built and or operates with pub- lic dollars.” The Oregon Transporta- tion Commission voted unan- imously this month to seek federal approval for tolling Interstates 5 and 205 through the Portland area and to study creating a seamless loop of tollways around the city. Commissioners autho- rized the Oregon Department of Transportation to analyze the feasibility of tolling I-5, I-205, Interstate 405, Interstate 84, U.S. Route 26, State High- way 217 and sections of U.S. Route 30. The tolled segments of each interstate would form a loop around the city to pre- vent diversion onto neighbor- hood streets and to maximize the reduction of congestion, Commissioner Sean O’Hol- laren said. Backers of IP 10 say the process needs more accountability. “There are too many spe- cial interest groups that see tolling as a new revenue-rais- ing mechanism, a giant piggy bank for uses unrelated to building new freeway capac- ity,” state Rep. Julie Parrish, R-Tualatin/West Linn, said in a prepared statement. “IP 10 as written ensures that roads get built, and revenues collected beyond building new infra- structure remains for future maintenance of the roads.” Qualifying for a ballot title is the first step in the process of putting the measure before voters. There will be a gathering at the 4Z Ranch Saturday September 8th @ 2 pm to bless April’s soul RE: SUMMER BREEZE FISHERIES Has Sushi Quality Albacore Economically priced @ $3 per pound Call Pat at 360-957-0841 One Night Only in Astoria at the Jeffrey ELVIS Liberty Adopt a Pet Harvey Theatre Friday, August 31 7:00pm For info & Tickets Call (503)325-5922 4 1/2 year old Doxie/Jack Russell Terrier Blend Risk happiness. 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