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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 2021 IN BRIEF Saddle Mountain reopens to hikers Saddle Mountain, closed for more than a year in part because of the coronavirus pandemic, is open to hikers again. A small campground at the trailhead remains closed to overnight visitors, however, and ongoing mainte- nance issues mean there is not a functioning water system at the site. Hikers are encouraged to pack in their own water, said Ben Cox, Nehalem Bay Unit manager for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Chemical toilets are available at the parking lot. Saddle Mountain, with a summit of 3,290 feet, is the tallest peak in Clatsop County. Rare wildfl ow- ers grow on its slopes and there have been eff orts in recent years to reintroduce endangered Oregon silver- spot butterfl ies in the area. The natural area was heavily damaged in the ice storm that hit the North Coast in February. A team of rangers and an inmate work crew spent consid- erable time clearing the road to the parking lot and trailhead. Besides ongoing maintenance issues, the state has looked at problematic spots along the steep trail that leads up the mountain, though it is unlikely there will be a major overhaul of the trail anytime soon. — The Astorian EASTER MOMENTS Northwest agriculture groups say Simpson dam plan poses threat Representatives of Northwest agriculture believe U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson’s plan to tear down four dams on the Snake River is unlikely to go anywhere in Congress, but that it poses a particular threat to their industry. Simpson has fl oated a $33.5 billion plan to boost salmon recovery, remove four dams on the lower Snake River and impose a 35-year moratorium on dam-related environmental litigation. He said he would incorporate feedback from farm groups “where possible.” No legislation has been introduced. Simpson, an Idaho Republican, has suggested it could be included in President Joe Biden’s clean energy stimulus bill. The plan has drawn opposition from agricultural stakeholders, power companies and environmental groups. “Idaho Farm Bureau hopes it fades away for good,” said Sean Ellis, the farm bureau’s spokesman. “We will continue to vigorously oppose this plan, if it moves forward in the current language or diff erent language.” — Capital Press ABOVE: Lena Tilton struggles to hold her eggs from her overfl owing basket at an Easter egg hunt organized by Spruce Up Warrenton on Saturday. INSET: An Easter cross is laid outside of Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Warrenton. LEFT: Elijah Mesak and Jep Puckett go for the same egg. BELOW LEFT: Maci Stackhouse sprints to fi nd eggs. BELOW: Summer Burns hunts for eggs. Photos by Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian DEATHS March 30, 2021 In RAMSEY, Brief Rosalie, 88, of Warrenton, died in Warrenton. Caldwell’s Deaths Funeral & Cremation Arrangement Center of Seaside is in charge of the arrangements. March 15, 2021 CLARKE, Charles Michael “Mike,” 68, of Yuma, Arizona, formerly of Warrenton, died in Yuma. Smart Cremation of Yuma was in charge of the arrangements. ON THE RECORD DUII arrested Friday on U.S. On Record • Chloe the Stephanie Hoe- Highway 30 for DUII. lzel, 18, of Seaside, was arrested Saturday on U.S. Highway 101 in Gear- hart for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants. • Brandon Nicho- las Denmark, 27, was • Erick Matthew Mansell, 44, of Beaver- ton, was arrested Friday off of U.S. Highway 26 for DUII, reckless driv- ing and recklessly endan- gering another person. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m., Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Ave. A. Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, noon, work session, (electronic meeting). Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., (electronic meeting). Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., (electronic meeting). Astoria Library Board, 5:30 p.m., Library Flag Room, 450 10th St. Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway. WEDNESDAY Astoria City Council, 1 p.m., work session, City Hall, 1095 Duane St. Seaside Improvement Commission, 6 p.m., 989 Broad- way. Gearhart City Council, 6:30 p.m., (electronic meeting). THURSDAY Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m., Seaside Civic and Convention Center, 415 First Ave. Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). Warrenton Planning Commission, 6 p.m., (electronic meeting). PUBLIC MEETINGS 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 Circulation phone number: 800-781-3214 Periodicals postage paid at Astoria, OR 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, 2021 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper US sued over its inaction to protect threatened species By MONICA SAMAYOA Oregon Public Broadcasting Decisions by the Trump administration to withhold endangered species protec- tions for the northern spotted owl, monarch butterfl ies and other imperiled wildlife and plants could be set aside. That’s the goal of a con- servation group’s lawsuit Thursday, challenging inac- tion on petitions to extend Endangered Species Act pro- tections for several species that warranted them. The Center for Biological Diversity claims the Trump administration knowingly kept 10 species that needed immediate Endangered Spe- cies Act protections in wait- ing. All the species listed in the lawsuit were given “war- ranted but precluded” deci- sions, meaning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recog- nized the species needed fed- eral listing but did not have the resources to list them. In addition to the spotted owl and the monarch but- terfl y, other species covered by the lawsuit are the east- ern gopher tortoise, long- fi n smelt, magnifi cent rams- horn, Texas fatmucket, Texas pimple back, Texas fawns- foot mussels, peñasco least chipmunk and the bracted twistfl ower. “Continued delay of pro- tections for 10 species, including the northern spot- ted owl and the monarch butterfl y, is unlawful,” said Noah Greenwald, the endan- gered species director for the Center for Biological Diver- sity. “This relates to the Trump administration’s just abysmal record on protect- ing species under the Endan- gered Species Act.” Greenwald said the for- mer administration only listed 25 species as either threatened or endangered over the course of four years. He said it is the lowest num- ber of species that have been listed for federal protections since the law’s 1973 passage. Greenwald said conser- vationists had reached an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under former President Barack Obama to work through a backlog of 260 species that scientists and offi cials had determined to warrant pro- tections under the Endan- gered Species Act but pre- cluded them from the list of protected plants and ani- mals. That backlog had been reduced but persisted into 2017, when former President Subscription rates Eff ective January 12, 2021 MAIL EZpay (per month) ...............................................................................................................$10.75 13 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$37.00 26 weeks in advance ...........................................................................................................$71.00 52 weeks in advance ........................................................................................................ $135.00 DIGITAL EZpay (per month) .................................................................................................................$8.25 WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Todd Sonfl ieth/Oregon Public Broadcasting The northern spotted owl is on a slow but steady course toward extinction. Donald Trump entered the White House. “And of course didn’t make a whole lot of progress on it,” Greenwald said. The northern spotted owl’s status has been threat- ened since it was listed under the Endangered Spe- cies Act in 1990. Its num- bers in Pacifi c Northwest and Northern California for- ests continue to fall. Late last year, the Trump admin- istration denied a petition to increase protections by uplisting its status to endan- gered. Then, in the fi nal days before Trump left offi ce in January, his administration moved to lift restrictions on logging and road-build- ing on millions of acres of forests by removing critical habitat status that protected those forests in the name of the northern spotted owl’s survival. Democratic lawmakers have called for a delay in stripping critical habitat sta- tus for 3.4 million acres and an investigation into what, if any, scientifi c evidence exists to warrant the fi nal days decision. Conservation groups have gone to court to reverse the previous admin- istration’s actions. The timber industry has countered with a legal chal- lenge against eff orts to delay or overturn federal actions to strip away logging restric- tions in place for spotted owl-designated habitat. The monarch butterfl y’s range includes Washington state and Oregon, reaching into the intermountain states to the east and south to the U.S. border with Mexico. In December, the Fish and Wildlife Service rejected a petition to invoke the Endan- gered Species Act for the butterfl y, while acknowledg- ing it merited endangered species status. The monarch was fi rst proposed for protections in 2014. The western mon- arch butterfl ies have seen a drastic decline in their spe- cies and are on the brink of extinction, with more than 99% of their population hav- ing been wiped out.