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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 2018)
A7 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2018 Prairie: Sandy plains represent a very distinct challenge Continued from Page A1 Restoration work that has occurred or is ongo- ing at sites across the Clat- sop Plains — an area of wet- lands and sand dunes that stretches from the Columbia River south to roughly Tilla- mook Head near Seaside — will create pockets of poten- tial habitat. The bombs planted at Reed Ranch contain over a dozen different kinds of plant species native to coastal prairies, many of them nec- tar species important to sil- verspot butterfl ies and other pollinators. The seed was collected by hand by some of the same volunteers who also helped assemble the seed bombs and plant them in the sand this month. “The biggest limiting fac- tor for us to really move for- ward in large-scale resto- Katie Frankowicz/The Daily Astorian Eric Owen, land steward for the North Coast Land Conservancy, plants native seed at property the organization has conserved at Reed Ranch between Warrenton and Gearhart. ration work is the absence of large quantities of native seed for plants the butter- fl y is dependent on,” said Celeste Lebo, a natural resources specialist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. To really dig into a site, project managers need a lot of seed and plant material to play with. But it doesn’t help that there is no established method of how to success- fully restore coastal prairie habitat. “Even if we could fi nd something that works, and a magic combo of all these site treatments, we really need a large quantity of seed and plant materials to follow up,” said Carla Cole, the natural resources project manager at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. While Cole, Lebo and Reich have been able to fi nd seed and plants for smaller restoration sites so far, they have been unable to build up a real bank of plants. Lebo recently applied for funding to coordinate a regional effort to secure high-quality native seeds and plants to restore coastal prairie, grasslands, estuar- ies and other habitat and to create a coastal native seed partnership. Distinct challenge The funding Lebo applied for through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board would pay for a part- time coordinator at the Insti- tute for Applied Ecology, an organization that helped establish a similar partner- ship in the Willamette Val- ley. Besides overseeing the seed partnership, the coordi- nator’s job would also be to develop a best practices plan for how to restore coastal prairie land. “People have been at this for over 15 years, maybe two decades, and it is still not clear how to restore coastal prairie habitat,” Lebo said. “We really don’t have a good model of success.” One of the few successes Lebo, Reich and others can point to is prairie restoration work in Nestucca Bay near Pacifi c City. But it’s not clear how much of a hand the spe- cifi cs of the site, or particular treatments, might have had in that success. The sandy Clatsop Plains represent a very distinct challenge. This summer, 545 silver- spot caterpillars were placed on Saddle Mountain, the fi rst time the area has seen these insects since they disap- peared decades ago. Surveys conducted later counted 27 adult silverspot butterfl ies. When 1,000 caterpil- lars were released at a site in Nestucca Bay the year before, a contractor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice could only account for 9 percent of the caterpillars along his survey route. This does not mean only 9 per- cent became butterfl ies, he cautioned. Predation is a big prob- lem when butterfl ies are introduced to an area, Lebo noted. That people could see even 27 silverspot butter- fl ies at Saddle Mountain is a success. Still, Cole, Lebo and Reich fi nd it helpful to focus on the overall goal of restor- ing coastal prairie habitat rather than to concentrate only on the very diffi cult path of recovery for the sil- verspot butterfl y. With things like the seed partnership and a Clatsop Plains pollinator project in the works, Lebo is hope- ful their work will benefi t a wide variety of species and Clatsop County’s coastal prairies as a whole. Thief: ‘I was addicted. I am very good at hiding it’ Continued from Page A1 Deana Lynn Freauff, 55, was found guilty in 2016 of fi rst-degree theft, six counts of aggravated fi rst-degree theft and seven counts of aggravated identity theft after serving as the compa- ny’s fi nancial manager for nearly four years before abruptly quitting in 2014. Several of the crimes took place before the effec- tive date of state Measure 57, which increased prison sentences for some drug and property offenses. But the original sentence treated each count as if they took place after the law went into effect, leading to the appeals court decision. On Thursday, Freauff returned to Clatsop County Circuit Court for a new sen- tencing hearing in front of Judge Dawn McIntosh. Cit- ing numerous examples of case law, Thomas Freedman, Freauff’s Portland-based attorney, asked the judge for a sentence of between three and fi ve years, while Dep- uty District Attorney Beau Peterson asked that the origi- nal sentence remain in place. “Yes, it was an egregious situation, but it was just money,” Freedman said. “I know there’s this talk that she’s a serial predator and a horrible person. What we are really talking about here is an addiction.” On these key points, McIntosh largely disagreed. “I’ll admit, when I fi rst saw this case, I thought, ‘Really? That long for steal- ing money?’” McIntosh said. “But I took a look at both sides of this, and it’s not just about stealing money.” ‘How could you not know?’ Dan Nelson, the owner of Diamond Heat ing, spoke at the often-emotional hearing, along with Freauff and fi ve of her family and friends. When Nelson hired Freauff, she was on proba- tion after being convicted in 2009 for embezzling more than $300,000 from two title companies in the Port- land area. Freauff, posing as Nelson, forged a letter to her probation offi cer claim- ing that he knew of her legal status and wanted to hire her anyway. The probation offi cer never confi rmed the letter’s author, and the company relied on references, rather than background checks, at the time, Nelson said. “Do you know what a laughingstock I was when people have come up to me on the street and asked me, ‘How could you not know?’” Nelson asked Freauff . “I don’t want blood. I won’t get the money back. I just want to be an example, even though my pants were pulled down.” Freauff started scamming the company immediately after her hiring. During her employment, Freauff used the compa- ny’s ATM card to withdraw cash for clothing, food, her cable bill, her father’s car payments and furniture. She gambled with nearly $100,000 of the stolen money at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde and Palace Casino in La Center, Washington. An accountant who was updating the company’s fi nancial records discov- ered her crimes after ask- ing Freauff for passwords to the records. Freauff never shared them and quit days later. Diamond Heating The North Coast Chorale & Deac Guidi employs 21 people and has about a $1 million payroll, Nelson said. On top of the stolen money , the ordeal cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars more for things like legal fees and back taxes owed to the Inter- nal Revenue Service, nearly driving the company to bankruptcy. “This is a pretty good- sized business that offers family-wage jobs, and she put it on the brink of bank- ruptcy,” Peterson said. Nelson said he spent six months focusing only on tracing every transaction Freauff had made during her employment and will likely have to work well into his 70s to afford retirement. “You gave me cancer!” Nelson yelled at Freauff, a reference to an earlier state- ment of her cancer treatment in prison. “I am fi nancially dead. I have cancer — fi nan- cial cancer.” Freauff said a gambling addiction led her to steal from the company. “I regret what I did. It was wrong,” Freauff said. “I was addicted. I am very good at hiding it.” Nelson rejected the explanation. “Remember the sheep that was really a wolf? That’s Deana Freauff. She is absolutely a predator,” Nel- son said. “You just don’t have a gambling problem. You have a dark side.” During their character statements, Freauff’s friends explained their longtime perceptions of her: welcom- ing, outgoing, compassion- ate, full of integrity, genu- ine, kind and intelligent. “I have to say it was quite a shock,” said Matt Fitzner, a friend, about learning of Freauff’s crimes. “I think a lot of it happened after we drifted apart. The actions I heard today are not char- acteristic of the person I know.” Melanie Culp, Freauff’s sister, said she is a good per- son who has had to over- come an addiction. “I would never say that this was justifi able, but I would also say that prison is meant to be for the pro- tection of the public at large, and Deana has been more than rehabilitated,” Culp said. In her statement, Freauff also apologized to her fam- ily and friends. “My family and friends are everything in the world to me,” Freauff said. “Yes, I am a thief. But that’s not all I am.” ‘A predator’ By the end, though, the character statements seemed to result in more harm than good for Freauff. McIntosh said she didn’t buy Freauff’s demeanor in front of loved ones. The judge added that, had he not been the victim of the crime, she could see Nel- son, who was friends with Freauff when she worked for him, in her friends’ shoes. “I think you have the abil- ity to act like that, and I think you did that for much of your life,” McIntosh said. “It was proven not only by the state, but also because of the defense witnesses called.” McIntosh pointed to a shift in Freauff’s demeanor when Nelson testifi ed — eye rolls, leaning back in her chair — versus when the character witnesses spoke, when she cried into pieces of tissue. “It seems, you know, dia- bolical,” McIntosh said. “I think that you are a predator. I think that if I have you out long enough, you will do it again.” Freauff said she has held jobs while in prison and par- ticipated in a number of bet- terment groups. “I’m at peace most of the time,” Freauff said. “Life will not be easy whether or not I get out of prison, but I will have a good life.” Nelson, meanwhile, said it was sad that Freauff didn’t use her talent and intelli- gence for “great things.” He also forgave her. “I’m extremely hurt, angered and misled, but I feel a little vindication that her friends were mis- led, too,” Nelson said. “At the end of the day, it is only money, but it’s about other people’s money. It’s about integrity.” Liberty Presents & North Coast Symphonic Band Winter “ Festive Holiday ” pm DECEMBER 16 2:00 DOORS OPEN AT 1:15pm LIBERTY THEATER 1203 COMMERCIAL • ASTORIA 1:30 Prelude by NCSB Tombone Ensemble $15 ADMISSION, CHILDREN 18 & UNDER: FREE Dedicate a Handmade Heart Ornament Honor or remember a loved one. Help a Clatsop County neighbor in need. Columbia Memorial Hospital 2111 Exchange St., Astoria (503) 325-4321 off 20 Select www.columbiamemorial.org % Signature Series For a $ 10 donation, we will place a handmade heart ornament on a tree in memory or honor of the person you choose. In Memory of In Honor of Name on Ornament ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Send Acknowledgement to: Name and Address NAME : _______________________________ ADDRESS : _____________________________ NAME : _______________________________ ADDRESS : _____________________________ NAME : _______________________________ ADDRESS : _____________________________ Name: _______________________________________________ Trees are located in Address: _____________________________________________ Columbia Memorial City/State/Zip: ________________________________________ Hospital Mail form and donation to: Hearts for Hospice, 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, Oregon 97103 TAX DEDUCTIBLE: Make checks payable to Columbia Memorial Hospice To learn more or donate on-line, visit www.columbiamemorial.org/services/hospice
