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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2021)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021 IN BRIEF Tribes call for dam removals Tribes across the Northwest are calling for immedi- ate action to remove the four Lower Snake River dams. During a two-day salmon and orca summit in western Washington last week, the group called on President Joe Biden and congressional members to “take bold action, now.” Many tribal leaders placed support behind Idaho Republican Congressman Mike Simpson’s broad con- cept to breach the dams while still fi nding ways to sup- port the resulting holes in industries like energy develop- ment and agricultural irrigation. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee spoke on the second day of the conference, connected virtually from off site. He continued to call for more talks on how to move forward — at one point jumping in to tell Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman, “We should have daily discussions.” Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, have not signed on to Simpson’s $33.5 bil- lion dollar concept. In May, they said solutions for the Snake River dams controversy need more work. During the conference, Inslee called this a “critical” moment. Climate change, and the recent heat wave, make the urgency even more apparent, he said. “I believe we should be — and have to be — com- mitted to getting down to business to defi ne what can provide the services that these dams provide, so we can take the next steps in this regional discussion ... to defi ne how to replace these services so that we can build more support in our communities to taking the next step in the dam breaching discussion,” Inslee said. He said that should happen “in the months ahead.” — Oregon Public Broadcasting DEATHS July 12, 2021 In HANSEN, Brief Eliza- beth Jane “Bettie,” 99, of Astoria, died in Astoria. Deaths Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. July 10, 2021 KOSKELA, Lempi Katri, 96, of Warren- ton, died in Warrenton. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. July 9, 2021 DANIELS, John, 82, of Astoria, died in Asto- ria. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. WHISLER, Samuel Thomas, 26, of Warren- ton, died in Warrenton. Caldwell’s Luce-Lay- ton Mortuary of Asto- ria is in charge of the arrangements. June 24, 2021 GROGAN, Merry, 67, of Astoria, died in Asto- ria. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. SHIPLEY, Henry, 67, of Seaside, died in Sea- side. Hughes-Ransom Mortuary is in charge of the arrangements. MEMORIALS Saturday, July 17 Memorials FREESE, Eugene (Gene) William — Memorial service at 11 a.m., Bethany Free Lutheran Church, 451 34th St. For questions, call or text 541-213-7763 or 949-462-4396. LYONS, Raphael ‘Stubby’ Jr. — Celebra- tion of life at 11 a.m., at the Seaside High School football fi eld in Broad- way Park. SHOOP, Phillip (Phil) George Sr. — Celebration of life at 2 p.m., Clatsop Post 12 American Legion, 1132 Exchange St. Sunday, July 18 HUBLER, Esther Inga — Memorial at 3 p.m., Westport Christian Cen- ter, 91104 Hungry Hol- low Loop in Westport. ON THE RECORD Theft 31, of Meridian, Idaho, On the Record • Terrance D. Ford Jr., was arrested Sunday near of Santa Cruz, Califor- nia, was arrested Satur- day at Walmart in War- renton for theft in the second degree, crimi- nal mischief in the third degree and possession of methamphetamine. Disorderly conduct • Madyson Lee Sower, the entrance of the Astoria Bridge for disorderly con- duct in the second degree. DUII • Dereck Allen Batson, 40, of East Wenatchee, Washington, was arrested Sunday in Seaside for driving under the infl u- ence of intoxicants. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Port of Astoria Commission, 4 p.m., Suite 209, 10 Pier 1. Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., work session, (elec- tronic meeting). Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 6 p.m., main fi re station, 34571 U.S. Highway 101 Business. Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main Ave. Clatsop Community College Board of Education, 6:30 p.m., (electronic meeting). WEDNESDAY Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District Board, 10 a.m., (electronic meeting). Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, 6 p.m., (elec- tronic 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 A SUNDAY SAIL Griffi n Reilly/The Astorian Boats of a diff erent size were on display outside the Columbia River Maritime Museum on Sunday, as the Astoria Yacht Club hosted remote control sailboat racing at the pond. Astoria police offi cer remembered as ‘over-the-top friendly guy’ Family, friends say Whisler wanted to help people By KATIE FRANKOWICZ The Astorian An Astoria police offi cer died at home Friday. Sam Whisler, 26, had worked the graveyard shift and returned home early in the morning. His wife found him dead in the home later that day. Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spalding said it appears Whisler died of natural causes, though the exact rea- son is still unknown. Fam- ily members say Whisler suf- fered from seizures as a child. “It’s just a tremendous loss for the department and his family, and his law enforce- ment family,” Spalding said. Whisler was an “over-the- top friendly guy,” the police chief said. The youngest in a large family, Whisler was known for both his genuine kindness but also the pranks he liked to pull on older siblings. From an early age, he felt drawn to a life in service. His father, Mark Whisler, worked for the Clatsop County Sher- iff ’s Offi ce for decades, assigned for some time to the county’s n arcotics t ask f orce. Others in his extended fam- ily had served in law enforce- ment and the military. When he was 13 , Sam Whisler started volunteer- ing with the s heriff ’s o ffi ce search and rescue team. He became an enforce- ment cadet with the sheriff ’s offi ce in 2013 and a reserve deputy in 2017. He joined the Astoria Police Department in January 2020. He was also Sam Whisler, shown at left, with his family, died at home on Friday. a volunteer with the Gear- hart Fire Department and a lifeguard and rescue swim- mer for the Seaside Fire Department. “We always knew he would wear a uniform,” his mother, Lisa Whisler, said. “We just weren’t sure which one.” Whisler himself didn’t seem to know. He thought about pursuing a career as a medic, fi refi ghter or police offi cer. He told his father , “I want to help people. I’m just not sure how yet.” When the Astoria Police Department hired him, every- thing seemed to have come together for him: wife, kids, home and career. “His life, in his eyes, was complete,” said Amanda Laird, his sister. “He had everything he wanted.” Whisler and his father had brief conversations nearly every day while he was driv- ing to work. They would talk about the previous day, the calls he had responded to as a police offi cer. It had become a conversation between peers. With the hiring of Whis- ler and two other offi cers in the p ast year and a half, the Astoria Police Department Marbled murrelet gets endangered status in Oregon Climate change among the factors By DAVID STEVES Oregon Public Broadcasting A seabird that depends on coastal old growth forests has been designated for greater endangered species protec- tions in Oregon. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to reclassify the mar- bled murrelet’s status from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endan- gered Species Act. The deci- sion comes fi ve years after a 2016 petition to uplist it from its 1995 classifi cation as threatened. While it signals Oregon’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The marbled murrelet has been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1992. The latest studies by federal researchers show signifi cant population decline in one range of its habitat. offi cial position that the bird needs greater protections to avoid extinction, the com- mission’s 4-2 vote triggers only voluntary conservation measures on the part of pri- vate landowners. Marbled murrelets spend 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 was on its way to being at full strength with 17 sworn offi - cers for the fi rst time in years. The department had lost offi cers to retirement or other job opportunities. All posi- tive, normal things, Spalding said, but he and Deputy Chief Eric Halverson had just been talking about how nice it was to be up to the department’s full strength. Whisler was out of train- ing and patrolling on his own by the end of last year. Though Whisler’s time with the department was brief, the community already loved him and his upbeat, positive personality, Spalding said. A GoFundMe campaign Laird organized to help sup- port Whisler’s wife, Chris- tin, and the couple’s children hit its goal of $10,000 within hours of launching. The cam- paign had raised just over $20,000 as of Monday. Christin called “Sammy” — her nickname for her hus- band — the most compas- sionate, non judgmental per- son she had ever met. She felt she could tell him anything, even her darkest thoughts. “I knew I would just receive love,” she said. “No matter what I was saying, I just got back love.” They would have been married two years this August and had one daughter together. Whisler was also a devoted and engaged stepfa- ther for Christin’s 5-year-old son. In the days since Sam Whisler died, Christin has considered if she wants to move away. She said she’s already dismissed the thought. “To leave is to leave his memory,” she said. She wants to stay in the home they shared, take a shower in the same bath- room, sleep in the same bedroom. The loss is fresh. Many of the memories Sam Whisler’s family reach for are more sensory than story — simple, even mundane moments, as if his life has only paused. Lisa Whisler thinks of his smiles, his hugs, his face, how he always loved to be home and around his family. “Let’s stay home sweet home,” he used to tell her when he was very young. She sees his eyes when she looks at his 2-year-old daughter’s face. Christin thinks about the quiet weekends spent at home, just her and Sam and the kids hanging out in the backyard, doing nothing together. “We could be sitting nowhere with nothing going on,” she said, “and we’d just have the best time.” The memory Mark Whis- ler keeps thinking about is being at his son’s house and watching Sam walk down a hallway. He’s watching Sam at an angle from behind — “just looking at this young man, big and burly and friendly as can be” — as he’s walking away from him. WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 much of their lives at sea, just off the coast. But they nest in the canopy of coastal, old growth. That places the birds among the Northwest’s more controversy-stirring species, caught between the drive to conserve the region’s diver- sity of wildlife and their nat- ural habitat and the economic benefi ts of resource-extract- ing industries. The commission, how- ever, was barred from con- sidering economics in deter- mining whether to reclassify the marbled murrelet. Fri- day’s action represents an acknowledgment that mar- bled murrelets are in danger of extinction within Oregon, and that coastal, state-owned and managed forests can help with their conservation. The vote also signals the need for greater protections for the murrelets than those in place at the state and federal levels. Commissioner Greg Wolley said the decision “shouldn’t strike fear in peo- ple’s hearts,” given that all it does is require the Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife to work collaboratively with other state land management agencies to develop and agree on guidelines to prevent mar- bled murrelet extinction. “It’s not like some rules or regulations are coming down on high from somewhere and telling everyone what to do,” said Wolley, a program man- ager with the city of Portland. Most of the robin-sized seabird’s population is lim- ited to the northernmost reaches of its historic breed- ing range, which extends south along the Pacifi c coast- line from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to c entral California. Murrelets’ survival depends on old growth; they build their nests in mossy depressions in the branches of large trees — the kind of trees the logging indus- try prizes. Densely-packed, smaller trees in replanted for- ests have not provided the kind of habitat that murrelets need to survive.