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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2018 Oyster growers to Old growth could be key appeal after state for native songbird species denies pesticide use Associated Press Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Wash. — A group of oyster growers say they’ll appeal after state regulators denied their request to use a pesticide to con- trol burrowing shrimp in oyster and clam beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. The Department of Ecology on Thursday denied the permit. They said mounting scientific research confirms that the insecticide imidacloprid poses “too great a risk” to the environment. The president of the Willapa Grays Harbor Oyster Growers Association, Ken Wiegardt, called the state’s deci- sion a blatantly political one and said the group would appeal. The group says in the meantime burrowing shrimp are destroying oys- ter beds and damaging an industry that contributes millions to the regional economy. State officials said the pesticide would harm invertebrates that live in the sediment, and affect fish and birds when their food sources are disrupted. It’s a reversal from 2015 when the agency approved a similar per- mit, saying the pesticide was unlikely to result in significant harm to the environment. The association withdrew that per- mit amid public outcry. In 2016, a smaller group of about a dozen oyster growers applied to reinstate the per- mit, triggering environmental review. Growers have said that failing to control the shrimp will have a signif- icant impact on the shellfish industry and local economy. BLUE RIVER — Hotter, drier summers are having an impact on some of the migrating songbirds that come to Oregon and Washington state to breed each spring. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that because of rising tem- peratures, the areas where hermit warblers can live and find food are shrinking by up to 4 percent each year. Now researchers with Oregon State University are developing an experiment to track the tiny song- birds through the Pacific Northwest. Oregon State researchers have already found that warbler popula- tions declined in areas with young forests but in some cases increased in old growth forests despite the warming climate. Researchers Han- kyu Kim and Adam Hadley are con- ducting a new experiment to deter- Greg Davis Oregon State’s Hankyu Kim set a decoy designed to trigger the territorial instinct of hermit war- blers. The small songbirds will be caught, tagged and released so their movements can be tracked. mine why the warblers are doing better in old growth areas. Kim has gotten inside the head of the hermit warbler. He knows what makes the tiny songbird tick. “These birds are territorial in the breeding ground, they set up their territories and they fight with each other to defend it,” he said. Kim uses a nearly invisible net strung between two fishing pools, a plastic warbler decoy and a loop- ing bird-call recording to lure hermit warblers so they can be captured, tagged and released. The tiny radio tag allows Kim and Hadley to track the birds through the dense forests of the Oregon Cascades. They hope to determine how the birds use the forests and whether they use the temperature variations between the top and the bottom of the forest canopies to mitigate the effects of climate change. Hadley says it’s possible that when it’s warmer, the birds stay to the bottom and more shady parts of the trees. Learning how the birds move could help explain how warblers and other species deal with rising temperatures. Graves: Morgan’s family does not plan on taking anything down Continued from Page 1A could remain in place through Morgan’s birthday on Sept. 22. The family now has until Oct. 5 to remove the items. “We’re hoping to get some resolution in the near future to either have the family remove it, or have our staff respectfully remove it and store it until the family can make arrangements to retrieve the items,” Dart-Mc- Lean said. But Morgan’s family does not plan on taking anything down. Jeanne Morgan-Reeves, Morgan’s mother, said the fam- ily has long maintained the gravesite themselves: mow- ing, weeding and even replac- ing sod. For a family that is still grieving, the decorations lend a sense of peacefulness. Morgan-Reeves believes the decor should stay in place and argues that the Parks and Recreation Department has not held up its end of the bargain in caring for gravesites. It is not the first time fami- lies have made this type of crit- icism against Astoria. Ocean View Cemetery is located in Warrenton, but owned and managed by Asto- ria. People with loved ones bur- ied in the cemetery, along with Warrenton city commissioners, have complained Astoria has not maintained the cemetery grounds to the standard of per- petual care. In the past, the Parks and Recreation Department said maintenance has been minimal at the cemetery due to budget cuts, thinly stretched resources and lack of staffing. This year, the department hired a tem- porary worker to focus solely on the cemetery. Volunteers from several groups, including the Coast Guard and Tongue Point Job Corps Center, also put in time at the cemetery this summer. “The cemetery is in pretty good shape for what can be done without significant addi- tional investment,” Dart-Mc- Lean said. Decorations like the ones on Morgan’s grave make it diffi- cult to maintain the grounds or, in some cases, perform burials at neighboring plots, he added. It is an uncomfortable and dif- ficult position, but the depart- ment cannot make any excep- tions to the rules, Dart-McLean said. Morgan’s family and friends, however, are not con- vinced. Morgan-Reeves intends to press the city on the issue. “Jade was so well-loved and touched so many lives,” she said. “That little bench out there is not hurting anyone.” Melissa Anne Westley The Astoria Parks and Recreation Department wants a family to remove decorations on a grave at Ocean View Cemetery. It gets the job done the first time. JEN HOMEOWNER OWEN st. louis, mo SAVE $ 20! SAVE $ 20! SAVE $ 60! BG 56 C-E HANDHELD BLOWER NOW JUST WAS $ 179.95 MS 250 CHAIN SAW NOW JUST WAS $ 359.95 299 95 $ SNW-SRP 159 $ Offer valid through 11/30/18 at participating dealers while supplies last. 95 SNW-SRP Offer valid through 11/30/18 at participating dealers while supplies last. HSA 45 BATTERY-POWERED HEDGE TRIMMER BGA 56 BATTERY-POWERED HANDHELD BLOWER SET Offer valid through 11/30/18 at 199.95 participating dealers SNW-SRP while supplies last. 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