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THE ASTORIAN • THuRSdAy, JuNE 13, 2019
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
JEREMY FELDMAN
Circulation Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN
Production Manager
CARL EARL
Systems Manager
GUEST COLUMN
A living lab and boon to coastal economy
H
ere on the North Coast, we live in
such a rich area for diverse scien-
tific opportunities, from forestry
to wetland restoration to maritime science.
Our varied landscapes inform and inspire
the ways we live, play, and earn a living.
We believe that ensuring that this way of
life continues for our coastal communities
means investing in education, job opportu-
nities, and in the care and management of
our lands and waters.
That’s why four years
ago, Columbia Land
Trust and the Colum-
bia River Estuary Study
Taskforce (CREST)
came to Clatsop Commu-
nity College with a plan
for purchasing and con-
GLENN
serving 82 acres of wet-
LAMB
land at South Tongue
Point. The property sits
adjacent to the college’s
Marine and Environmen-
tal Research and Train-
ing Station (MERTS)
campus and features tidal
wetlands with tremen-
dous habitat potential for
CHRIS
BREITMEYER salmon as well as migra-
tory birds and other wild-
life. The point is a haven
of biodiversity, lush with willows, alder,
and cottonwoods.
Together we set out to realize a vision
for this land to serve as a living laboratory,
part of a new campus for the MERTS pro-
gram. Students of the program could use
the living lab to practice long-term field
research and gather real world data that
would be of value to the scientific com-
munity, while also learning land manage-
ment and restoration practices.
Austin Tomlinson, Columbia Land
Trust’s coastal land steward who went to
Seaside High School, notes that he might
not have had to leave the state to study
environmental science if this kind of
opportunity had been available at the time.
Stories like Austin’s are part of why the
The Columbia Land Trust plans to buy around 90 acres of South Tongue Point for wetland
habitat and turn it over to Clatsop Community College.
college is developing relationships with
local environmental groups to create job
pathways for students coming out of the
program with certifications in environ-
mental science.
To make this vision a reality, $1.41 mil-
lion was needed. To date, Columbia Land
Trust has already raised 90%, with just
$141,000 left to complete the goal.
Afterwards, our partners at CREST
will help restore the wetland habitat. With
these funds, the Land Trust can fully pay
for the South Tongue Point property and
transfer it to the college.
For the land trust, this partnership
embodies our approach to conserve and
restore important wetlands and flood-
plains in the estuary, while partnering to
inspire and educate the next generation of
conservationists and land stewards. The
land trust serves the lower 250 miles of
the Columbia River in both Oregon and
Washington. We have invested in common
ground conservation in the Columbia estu-
ary and the coast for more than 20 years.
From the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary
and Kerry Island in Clatskanie to the Wal-
lacut River and Grays Bay in Washing-
ton, we’ve worked to conserve and restore
thousands of acres of wetlands along the
Columbia River Estuary and the rivers
that drain into it. Restoring these wetland
habitats means reviving a vital ecosystem
at the nexus of vast salmon migrations and
awe-inspiring bird migrations along the
Pacific Flyway. South Tongue Point rep-
resents another important piece in broader
restoration picture, and the educational
opportunity makes it even more valuable.
Both as conservationists and educa-
tors, we are excited about all the good a
MERTS campus with a living laboratory
could do for the communities of the North
Coast, both today and for years to come.
This project represents an investment in
a thriving future — a hub for 21st cen-
tury education and training in land man-
agement, maritime science, and environ-
mental science. A program with hands-on
training on the land that will ultimately
provide a home-grown boon to the coastal
economy.
We invite everyone in support of edu-
cational opportunity, career pathways and
a healthy environment in the North Coast
to invest in this shared vision for South
Tongue Point. If you would like to support
the project, please reach out to kdaly@
columbialandtrust.org or call Columbia
Land Trust at 360-213-1203.
Glenn Lamb has been active with
Columbia Land Trust since its founding
in 1990 and became executive director in
1999. He serves on the Leadership Coun-
cil for the Land Trust Alliance, and is a
past board member of the Alliance and
the Washington State Parks Foundation,
among many other groups.
Chris Breitmeyer has been president
at Clatsop Community College since July
2016. He started his academic career at
yavapai College in Arizona, where he
taught environmental biology for more
than 10 years.
LETTERS
Gallery fills void
en years ago, Michael and Chelsea
Granger opened the doors of a busi-
ness here in Astoria for which any reason-
able person would have predicted failure
within two years. An art gallery show-
ing only photographs seemed dead in the
water. Launched during a recession, to
boot.
Now here we are, a decade later, Light-
Box Photographic Gallery & Fine Printing
has mounted more than 100 exhibitions,
and the gallery has a reputation for show-
ing high-quality photographic art that has
put them on the radar of many photogra-
phers nationally, as well a internationally.
Amazing.
As a local photographer, LightBox
filled a void that I worried about when we
decide to move here from Portland. It has
provided a community meeting place for
like-minded folks to exchange ideas and
share their passion for photography.
A core group meets twice a month at
the gallery to show our work and hear
speakers on education night. It provides
the networking with other photographers
that has been important to me, and has
produced a close bond among those who
attend.
Much of the credit for LightBox’s
10-year run is due to Michael’s mastery
of the Internet. LightBox has a beautiful
webpage (lightbox-photographic.com) on
which you can read about current exhib-
its as well as view all of the photographs
from the exhibits going back to LightBox’s
opening exhibition. Check it out. Congrat-
ulations, LightBox.
ROGER DORBAND
Astoria
T
Sea lions still here
n Astoria, we have a huge problem
with overpopulated California sea
lions. These sea lions have raised many
issues, from people not being able to get to
their boats, to putting a strain on our fish
populations.
These sea lions have raised many
issues, and despite many attempts to
combat this problem, they’re still here.
I believe we need to keep working on
returning these sea lions home.
KATIE PATTERSON
Astoria
I
Abortion rights
n May 21, there was a demonstra-
tion in downtown Astoria for abortion
rights. While driving by, I have noticed a
O
few of these demonstrations, and am so
proud of these people who want to have
their voices heard.
I believe that everyone should have
their voices heard, especially when there is
a problem that affects so many lives. Abor-
tion should always be an option, and the
fact that some states do not agree with this
is extremely baffling to me.
By taking away abortion rights, you
are taking away one of the most important
rights a woman can have. Every woman
deserves the right to their own body, and
what to do with it.
I am glad that I live in a state that is for
abortions, but am extremely saddened that
women in other states aren’t as lucky as I
am. I am so glad that people are speaking
out about this issue more and more, and
that locals are even demonstrating, too.
MADISON NEILL
Astoria
Green New Deal
am 25 years old, and I am motivated.
The latest climate report from the
UN says we only have 12 years to trans-
form our economy and preserve the stabil-
ity of our climate that human civilization
depends on to survive.
It is not alarmist and it is not about poli-
I
tics. It is about survival.
A Green New Deal is the only via-
ble proposal on the table. It would create
millions of decent jobs and mobilize our
society to change for the better by tack-
ling issues of social injustice. It is an over-
whelmingly popular initiative. Any pres-
idential candidate who wants to be taken
seriously by young people needs to sup-
port the resolution.
When our grandkids ask us what we
did to change our ways, what will we tell
them?
This is a chance to take action and be
on the right side of history. It’s not about
right vs. left, it’s about prioritizing people
over money.
FAYTH BLACKWELL
Astoria
A rational approach
oolishly I attended a recent town
hall meeting conducted by state Rep.
Tiffiny Mitchell. Wow, it was spend-
ing over an hour on only one topic —
her betrayal of progressives on the recent
changes to the Public Employees Retire-
ment System (PERS).
Now Rep. Mitchell, a former state of
Oregon employee, campaigned hard that
she would be a champion of the progres-
F
sive-dominated Democratic Party, and yet
when a PERS vote came up, she finally did
her research, and voted to take a moderate
approach to controlling costs.
I, for one, as a 65-year member of
what used to be the Democratic Party, am
extremely glad someone is trying to do
something rational, even if it means hav-
ing to modify one’s position. And yes, I’m
glad that state Sen. Betsy Johnson is also
taking a rational position on controlling
costs.
There are literally hundreds of changes
which an informed electorate could dis-
cuss that would devote more funds to our
real collective needs rather than the I want
approach voiced by the progressives at this
meeting.
I would hope that future town hall
meetings might draw a few moderate cit-
izens who would have an opportunity to
discuss rational approaches to our com-
mon interests.
You know, Rep. Mitchell, you have a
commitment to all Clatsop County vot-
ers, not to just the fringe group which has
seized control of the Democratic Party in
Clatsop County. Are you up to it, or will
you let your progressive base dictate that
you must not seek, or discuss, alternative
approaches?
JOHN DUNZER
Seaside