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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 Jellyfi sh wash up at Fort Stevens IN BRIEF Health advisory for Short Sand Beach A health advisory has been issued for Short Sand Beach in Oswald West State Park. State testing detected higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria in the water at the popular beach that can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses. People should avoid direct contact with the ocean and creek water and pools of water until the advisory is lifted. Children and the elderly may be especially vul- nerable to illness from waterborne bacteria. It is the fi rst advisory this season for Short Sand, and the fi rst advisory for the site in several years. The cause of the increased levels of fecal bacteria is not clear, but rangers with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Depart- ment say high water temperatures at this time of year can be a contributing factor. The beach is still open to other activities. Road access to Indian Beach will close for bridge construction Bridge repair work will limit access to Indian Beach at the end of September. A 1.5-mile segment of Ecola State Park Road in the popular Ecola State Park will close as early as Sept. 23 for a bridge construction project over Canyon Creek, shutting down road access to the Indian Beach day-use area. There is no other road access to the parking lot and the beach. The state anticipates the closure will last for about 10 weeks. The only hiking access to the beach will be from the north on the Tillamook Head Trail, which begins in Sea- side. A hiking trail from Ecola Point to the south remains closed due to a landslide. Road access to Ecola Point is expected to remain open during the bridge work, but there could be temporary road closures as the project begins and equipment is moved into place. Canyon Creek’s drainage was severely damaged during 2015 fl oods. The road failed and prevented access to Indian Beach. A temporary culvert was installed, but will now be removed and replaced with a new bridge. Final construction costs are undetermined — project bidding remains open until Tuesday — but the state esti- mates the work will cost around $500,0000. The project is eligible for a 75% Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement since the fl ooding was declared a disaster. — The Astorian BIRTHS Aug. 20, 2019 DUNCAN, Brooke and John, of Warrenton, a boy, Luca Kai Duncan, born at Columbia Memo- rial Hospital in Astoria. Grandparents are John and Michell Duncan, of Texas, Kathy Patterson, of Seaside, and Skip and Tina Roberts, of Portland. Aug. 8, 2019 BALLARD, Alyssa and MORGAN, Patrick, of Astoria, a boy, Grant James Morgan, born at Columbia Memorial Hos- pital. Grandparents are James and Konni Ballard, Sharon Olson, Kathy Morgan and Michael Olson. MEMORIALS Saturday, Sept. 7 UTTI, Harry Alan — Memorial and celebration of life at noon, 92146-92148 Wireless Road. ON THE RECORD DUII • Robin Lawton, 56, of Seaside, was arrested Saturday on U.S. High- way 101 near 17th Ave- nue in Seaside for driv- ing under the infl uence of intoxicants. Disorderly conduct • Christine Sage, 55, of Warrenton, was arrested Saturday in Warrenton for disorderly conduct. Eluding police • Nicholas Tyson Lem- mon, 29, of Warrenton, was cited Monday on S. Main Avenue and S.W. First Street for driving with a suspended license and arrested for attempting to elude a police offi cer. Reckless driving • Patricia Tewalt, 45, of Seaside, was arrested Monday for hit and run, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license and driving while unin- sured. Police said she struck a pedestrian on First Avenue and Edge- wood Street . The pedes- trian sustained minor injuries. • Steven Gonzales, 22, of Vancouver, Wash- ington, was arrested Fri- day for reckless driving. Police said an offi cer was on the Astoria B ridge patrolling when Gonza- les was seen speeding and doing a wheelie on his motorcycle. Police eventually stopped him on the New Youngs Bay Bridge. PUBLIC MEETINGS THURSDAY Astoria Design Review Committee, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Established July 1, 1873 (USPS 035-000) Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by EO Media Group, 949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-325-3211, 800-781-3211 or Fax 503-325-6573. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Astorian, PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103-0210 DailyAstorian.com Seaside Parks Adviso- ry Committee, 6 p.m., workshop, City Hall, 989 Broadway. Katie Frankowicz/The Astorian Beached jellyfi sh showed up en masse at Fort Stevens State Park over the Labor Day weekend. Razor clams thriving on the peninsula Surveys suggest robust harvest By LUKE WHITTAKER Chinook Observer LONG BEACH, Wash. — R azor clam surveys con- ducted by the Washing- ton Department of Fish and Wildlife reveal clams are thriving on the p eninsula. Early-season digging dates will be announced soon, based on a robust har- vest quota of 5.2 million clams. “Long Beach is look- ing really strong and there will be some super digging in the months ahead,” said Dan Ayres, the state coastal shellfi sh manager, upon completing the fi nal clam population survey of the summer with his four-man crew Friday in Ocean Park. “We had a lot of little guys last year and not a lot of big clams. We gave them a break to let them grow and that’s exactly what happened. We have a great population of harvestable clams. We’re going to get back this year what we lost last year.” There were only four digging days on the p enin- sula last season. There may be 25 times as many days of digging in the upcoming season. This season’s total p en- insula clam population esti- mate is about 13 million. “This year we’re going to target our harvest at 40 percent of the population estimate, ” Ayres said. The team of state tech- nicians collected and mea- sured razor clams on a remote stretch of beach north of the Ocean Park approach Friday . It was the fi nal survey of more than 50 conducted over the summer along the southwest coast. The random sur- veys revealed a bounty of big, healthy clams, with improved overall distribu- tion from Benson Beach in Cape Disappointment State Park to north of Oysterville. “The good news about Long Beach is our data is showing clams all along the Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR now they’re back,” Ayres said. “In 2016, we lost a lot of clams because of freshwater coming out of the Columbia River. The adult clams held up down below (the sand), but the little tiny guys on the beach that year, the stock for 2017, got wiped out by the freshwater. Conditions were way better this year. Right now the ocean con- ‘LONG BEACH IS LOOKING REALLY STRONG AND THERE WILL BE SOME SUPER DIGGING IN THE MONTHS AHEAD’ Dan Ayres | state coastal shellfi sh manager Pacifi c razor clams, ranging from California to Alaska, can produce up to 18 million spawn and live upward of fi ve years, reach- ing about 6 inches at full maturity. Specimens further north often grow slower and live longer. “Biologically, razor clams are really power- ful. They grow quickly and are prolifi c reproducers if we give them a chance and ocean conditions are right. We had a down year and ditions have been fi ne and the razor clams are doing great.” A pump-sampling method learned from man- agement offi cials in Alaska is now the preferred method in Washington and Oregon. The method is more sen- sitive to catching juvenile clams that may have been missed in the past, provid- ing a more accurate picture of the clam population . The same method was used to assess razor clam popula- tions to estimate how many clams were on each of the fi ve management beaches on Washington’s outer coast, Ayres said. Lead technician Clayton Parson, who’s logged nearly 30 years with the state’s shellfi sh department, said the recent razor clam survey for the p eninsula has been among the most promising he’s observed in years. “I would say this is among the highest I’ve seen. They’re not super big, but there’s a ton of them. This is probably one of the tops. Things are on the up and up for Long Beach,” Parson said. “We’re super excited about the volume of clams we’ve been seeing, espe- cially after losing all those clams a few years ago.” Threats to the clam sea- son still linger, including the potential for elevated levels of domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of algae, which has sometimes curtailed clam digging in recent years. “We’re looking forward to the harvest, hopefully we don’t have any toxin prob- lems,” Parson said. “That’s all we’re worried about at this point. The people who monitor the plankton in the surf say everything looks good right now.” • WATERPROOF LEATHER UPPER • UGGpure UGG ™ WOOL INSOLE WITH CUSHIONING FOAM • SEAM-SEALED WATERPROOF CONSTRUCTION • LADIES SIZES 6-10, 11, 12 COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Printed on recycled paper Subscription rates Eff ective May 1, 2019 MAIL (IN COUNTY) EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$11.25 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 beach,” Ayres said. “People can spread out and use the whole beach.” Spring digs are typi- cally the most popular, when tides and conditions are more favorable, draw- ing thousands in pursuit of their 15-clam daily limit. Throughout the October to April season, clam diggers are a crucial part of the local economy . BONHAM3 ADVERTISING OWNERSHIP All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by The Astorian become the property of The Astorian and may not be reproduced for any use without explicit prior approval. MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Luke Whittaker/Chinook Observer A pump-sampling method learned from management offi cials in Alaska is now the preferred survey method for razor clams in Oregon and Washington state. Follow us on $ 160 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 ASTORIA: 239 14th Street • (503) 325-3972 • www.gimresshoesastoria.com
