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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2019)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2019 Battling the spruce aphid on the North Coast IN BRIEF Pest attacks Sitka spruce Airport receives FAA grant The Astoria Regional Airport received $900,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration’s airport improve- ment program for apron reconstruction. The Port of Astoria’s airport, largely because of its military traffi c through the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army, regularly receives grants from the program to keep up runways, taxiways and the surrounding apron. It most recently received nearly $3.2 million in August to extend a taxiway and add lighting. “This grant funds the fi rst phase of much-needed rehabilitation of the airport apron,” Gary Kobes, The Port’s airport manager, said in a news release about the $900,000 grant. “The original was constructed in the early 1940s and has served well but is approaching the end of its useful life. The Port of Astoria and the aviation community are grateful for the federal support in sus- taining this regionally important infrastructure.” A rendering of The Lodge in Seaside. Groundbreaking for new Seaside hotel SEASIDE — Construction has started on The Lodge at Seaside, a 65-room luxury hotel. For hospitality workers, construction workers, city and county offi cials, putting shovels to the ground was a way of marking the launch of the $11 million project. Seaside Lodging co-owner and managing director Masudur Khan called it a “dream come true,” 10 years in the making. “We are shooting for an upscale hotel,” Khan said. “It’s a new market in Seaside. We think everyone who comes to the hotel — young, middle-aged or older, regardless of their age — will have a good time.” Guests at the four-story property will have a swim- ming pool, game room, meeting room, ocean views and high-end amenities. — The Astorian DEATH Sept. 30, 2019 ABRAHAMS, Donald D., 90, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Ocean View Funeral & Cremation Service of Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. U.S. Forest Service The spruce aphid is a source of concern for trees on the North Coast. By KATHERINE LACAZE For The Astorian SEASIDE — In light of the spruce aphid outbreak this year, local landowners and community stakehold- ers came together to gather insight on the pesky insect and how to defend against the damage it is causing. “This is something that’s happening in our own back- yards, in our own neighbor- hoods,” said Oregon State University Extension For- ester Dan Stark, who orga- nized an informational meeting held at the Bob Chisholm Community Cen- ter in September . Christine Buhl, a forest entomologist for the Ore- gon Department of Forestry, gave a presentation at the meeting, which drew about 35 property owners, for- esters, m aster gGardeners and other individuals from across the North Coast . Buhl’s purpose was to both clear up misconcep- tions about the methods for dealing with the insect , which is most commonly hosted by Sitka spruce on the coast, and put the epi- demic into perspective. According to Buhl, the department started receiv- ing calls early in the sea- son from concerned citizens, park rangers and others who reported that a signifi cant number of spruce trees along the coast seemed to be in poor condition. Upon further investigation, she identifi ed the culprit of the noticeable defoliation to be the spruce aphid. While the insect has a continual presence along the W est C oast, from Canada to California, large-scale infes- tations — or outbreaks — only occur periodically, Buhl der their ability to rebound after an aphid attack. In addition to sharing ways to identify the signs and symptoms of a spruce aphid infestation, Buhl also discussed a few methods for controlling the pest insect. Natural controls ‘WE DO NEED TO KNOW HOW EXTENSIVE OF DAMAGE WE ACTUALLY CAN EXPECT TREES TO BOUNCE BACK FROM.’ Christine Buhl | forest entomologist for the Oregon Department of Forestry said. The most recent spruce aphid outbreaks occurred in Alaska from 2015 to 2016 and in Oregon in 1998 and 2005. The good news is they typically run their course in two to three years. Other extensive epidemics have not wiped out all spruce trees, which Buhl said gives her “hope we will make it through this one.” Damage lingers A single event of the inten- sity experienced this season, however, can create dam- age that lingers for several years. According to informa- tion from the Department of Forestry, aphids feed on the sap in needles, causing them to turn yellow, then brown, and fi nally fall from the tree prematurely. In many ways, spruce trees are resilient. As a type of conifer, they possess sev- eral years’ worth of nee- dles at a given time. Spruce aphids only feed on the foli- age produced in past years, not the current year foliage, because concentration of terpenes is too high in new growth. They tend to feed near the start of the growth season — or late winter and early spring — before the nitro- gen from older needles has been allocated to cultivate other growth. An outbreak that lasts for a single season is unlikely to lead to high tree mortal- ity rates, even if devastating defoliation occurs, because buds are unaffected by aphid infestations and new growth fl ushes normally. A couple of consecutive years of high-in- tensity infestation, however, exponentially increases the probability of issues such as reduced shoot growth, radial and height growth and root mass, as well as, potentially, tree mortality. The situation on the coast is further complicated, Buhl said, because of the state- wide drought that has per- sisted since 2012. While drought stress does not make spruce trees more desirable for consumption, it does hin- The best controls are nat- ural ones, including pred- ators such as ladybugs and patristic wasps. Addition- ally, a frost that drops tem- peratures to 14 degrees Fahr- enheit or below can wipe out a large portion of the aphid population. Property owners can also boost a tree’s natu- ral line of defense through irrigation, but it is a mea- sure that, once taken, must be sustained long term, Buhl said. Insecticides and other chemical controls are expen- sive alternatives that must be used in a certain way to be effective. Common con- trols for large spruce trees, such as a soil drench or stem injection, must be applied in the early spring. Accord- ing to Buhl, sprays are often ineffective as they easily drift and hit other insects and natural predators. She encouraged property owners with heritage trees or other spruce trees they are concerned about to speak with someone from Depart- ment of Forestry’s f orest h ealth program or a certifi ed arborist. She also invited attendees at the meeting to become citizen scientists and help collect data that the state can use to monitor the aphid outbreak and the dam- age to trees. “We do need to know how extensive of damage we actually can expect trees to bounce back from,” Buhl said. “If it’s a little bit lower than we thought, we need to take some added steps for preventative management, which is going to be really costly.” MEMORIAL Sunday, Oct. 6 PURTLE, Jacquetta Jean — Memorial at 1 p.m., Peace Lutheran Church, 565 12th St.; reception fol- lows at the church. Purtle, 84, of Warrenton, died Sat- urday, Sept. 28, 2019, in Portland. Springer and Son, of Aloha, is in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD DUII • Douglas Alan Portin, 65, was arrested Sunday on U.S. Highway 26 for driving under the infl u- ence of intoxicants. His blood alcohol content was 0.09% • Steavan Wade, 58, of Washington state, was arrested Saturday on the 500 block of Avenue A in Seaside for DUII. • Thomas Shaffer, 39, of Cannon Beach, was arrested Saturday on S. Roosevelt Drive in Sea- side for DUII. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Seaside Community Center Commission, 10:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Center, 1225 Avenue A. Port of Astoria Commis- sion, 4 p.m., Port offi ces, 10 Pier 1 Suite 209. Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m., Seaside Library, 1131 Broadway. Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., Clatsop Care Memory Community, 2219 Dolphin Ave., Warrenton. Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District, 5:15 p.m., workshop, Bob Chisholm Community Cen- ter, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Astoria Library Board, 5:30 p.m., Astoria Library Flag Room, 450 10th St. Miles Crossing Sanitary Sewer District Board, 6 p.m., 34583 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Seaside Planning Commis- sion, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. WEDNESDAY Seaside Improvement Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Gearhart City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 698 Pacifi c Way. THURSDAY Astoria Design Review Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Established July 1, 1873 Circulation phone number: 503-325-3211 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR (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 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. COPYRIGHT © Entire contents © Copyright, 2019 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. 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 Out of County Rates available at 800-781-3214 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.00 Judge overturns aerial spray ban Reversal for Lincoln County By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press A judge has invalidated Lincoln County’s prohibi- tion against aerial pesticide spraying because the ordi- nance is pre empted by state law. Voters narrowly approved the aerial spray ban in 2017, but two landowners fi led a lawsuit challenging the ordi- nance for overstepping the county’s authority. Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Sheryl Bachart has now ruled that Oregon’s Pesticide Control Act disal- lows local government reg- ulation of pesticides, includ- ing aerial spraying. “Since the ordinance seeks by its very terms to regulate pesticide use, the county is completely pre- empted under state law from adopting any ordinance regarding pesticide use,” the judge said. The judge rejected argu- ments by supporters of the ban who argued the ordi- nance’s legality was sup- Associated Press A helicopter prepares to apply pesticides. A judge has invalidated an ordinance banning aerial spraying in Lincoln County. ported by the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Consti- tution and Oregon Consti- tution, calling these claims “misplaced and without legal precedent.” “There is simply no authority for the proposi- tion that the people of Lin- coln County are granted an inalienable right of local self-government which pre- empts any authority of the state,” Bachart said. The plaintiffs in the CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS MULTI-STATE 6PM CL ASS ONLY! *The Multi-State Permit is TH valid in 35 States Best Western 555 Hamburg Ave including Astoria, OR WA Multi-State $80 Oregon Only $45 WEDNESDAY OCT 9 case, Rex Capri and Wake- fi eld Farms, rely on aerially applied herbicides to con- trol weeds on their land and asked that the prohibition be declared void. The ordinance amounts to an “attack on the rule of law” because it claims the “right of local community self-government” overrides Oregon’s overall system of government, according to the plaintiffs. It’s beyond the coun- ty’s power to adopt an ordi- nance that supersedes state and federal laws, and local restrictions on spraying are pre empted by the state’s Pesticide Control Act, For- est Practices Act and “right to farm and forest” law, the plaintiffs said. Supporters of the ordi- nance argued that all power is inherent in the people under the Oregon Consti- tution, which trumps the state’s pre emption of local regulations. Setting a “ceiling” on the protections from toxic chemicals violates the Ore- gon Constitution’s “fun- damental right” to local community self-govern- ment, according to Lincoln County Community Rights, a group of supporters who intervened in the case. The authority for the local ordinance is derived from the Oregon Constitution, rather than state statutes, and thus can’t be voided by the pre emption laws, the intervenors claimed. Lincoln County’s ordi- nance is immune from state pre emption laws, which were enacted at the behest of “corporate interests” to overrule the will of the people, according to the intervenors. Lincoln County Com- munity Rights has vowed to appeal the ruling and said the judge “did not substan- tively consider” its argu- ment that local self-govern- ment “must prevail against state pre emption when exercised to protect health, safety and welfare.” WKH &ROXPELD Sunday, October 13, 2019 10K Run/Walk across the Astoria-Megler Bridge GreatColumbiaCrossing.com g PRESENTING SPONSOR Registration: $40 per person. T-shirt: $15-$17 each. Chip-timing for all participants. Oregon included no-fee Firearm Training NW 360-921-2071 or email: FirearmrainingNW@gmail.com | www.FirearmTrainingNW.com Bridge will be closed to vehicles from 8:30 to 11 a.m. EVENT HOST