149TH YEAR, NO. 54
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
$1.50
New deal
sets course
for forest
management
wildlife, as well as eco-
nomic growth for our for-
est industry and rural com-
munities, for generations
to come. I would like to
thank everyone involved
for their role in making
By BRADLEY W.
this agreement a reality
PARKS
today.”
Oregon Public
Jim James with the
Broadcasting
Oregon Small Woodlands
Association
similarly
Timber and envi- praised the compromise.
ronmental groups have
“We were able to put
reached an agreement that down the contentious sit-
sets Oregon on a course to uations that we’ve had
overhaul management of in the past and we had a
10 million acres of private continuous agreement to
forestlands in the state.
move forward,” James
The deal, announced said. “I think that’s an
Saturday by Gov. Kate extreme positive for the
Brown’s offi ce, concludes state of Oregon.”
more than a year of nego-
In 2020, the sides each
tiations between often planned a series of com-
at-odds sides to
peting
bal-
develop a plan
lot
measures
to boost protec-
that could have
MORE
tions for vul-
turned into a
INSIDE
nerable fi sh and
costly political
New state
wildlife while
fi ght. Environ-
forester
shielding
the
mental groups
is from
timber indus-
sought, among
Coos Bay
try’s ability to
other
priori-
• A2
log.
ties, strict limits
Friday was
on spraying of
the deadline for
aerial pesticides
both sides to either reach and improved protection
consensus, abandon the for forest waters. Mean-
process or move the dead- while, the timber industry
line. Negotiators worked sought compensation for
through the day Friday private landowners when
and wrapped up business state regulations limited
shortly after 1 a.m. Satur- their ability to log.
day. Brown and her staff
Brown instead pushed
helped push the negotia- for the two sides to nego-
tions to completion.
tiate, and their agreement
“Today’s
historic to do so was hailed as his-
agreement is a perfect toric even then, though it
example of the Oregon was just a beginning.
Way –– coming together
Representatives from
at the table to fi nd com- the timber industry and
mon ground, to the mutual environmental
groups
benefi t of us all,” Brown were charged with setting
said in a press release. terms to pursue a state-
“Together, this agreement wide habitat conserva-
will help to ensure that tion plan to safeguard fi sh,
Oregon continues to have
See Deal, Page A2
healthy forests, fi sh and
Agreement
between timber,
environmental
interests
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
The Port of Astoria and the city are working together toward a waterfront master plan in Uniontown.
Port, city seek feedback
on waterfront master plan
By ETHAN MYERS
The Astorian
T
he Port of Astoria and the
city are looking to the com-
munity for feedback as they
sketch out a waterfront master
plan in Uniontown.
The property extends along
the Columbia River from Pier 1
to the Astoria Bridge. The Port’s
West Mooring Basin and the city’s
Uniontown corridor have long
been considered prime locations
for redevelopment.
Walker Macy, a landscape archi-
tecture, urban design and planning
fi rm hired to help develop the m as-
ter p lan, will present preliminary
concepts at a virtual meeting on
Wednesday evening .
While they have not identifi ed
specifi c projects or businesses , the
consultant has put together draw-
ings of locations that would make
sense for mixed-use development,
retail , hotels and restaurants.
The Port and the city hope to
hear public concerns, critiques
or suggestions . People who are
unable to participate in the meeting
can give input afterward online.
“This is such a focal point in
Astoria and a lot of the commu-
nity has a lot of in-depth knowl-
edge of this area and experience
interacting with it … Most peo-
ple have been down in this area.
T hey’ve been down to the marina.
T hey’ve been to the (Loft at the)
R ed B uilding,” said Will Isom,
the Port’s executive director . “So
I think there’s much more aware-
ness of the area and I think it’s
likely that we’re going to get a lot
better feedback than maybe we
would for other things that aren’t
as on the forefront of the general
public.”
ELECTION DAY
Voters in Cannon Beach on Tuesday will
decide on a 5% food tax for emergency
response and a new City Hall, while voters
in Knappa will weigh a $14 million bond
measure for school improvements. Follow
the results at dailyastorian.com and in
Thursday’s newspaper.
New mixed-use development, retail, hotels and restaurants could be
proposed in Uniontown.
WATERFRONT
MASTER PLAN
A virtual meeting on a water-
front master plan in Uniontown
will be held at 5:30 p.m. on
Wednesday.
People can participate via
Zoom at: https://us02web.
zoom.us/j/5033255821
‘It truly is unique’
The Port and the city have had
discussions over the years about
how to tackle development around
the West Mooring Basin. In 2007,
the Port spent six fi gures on a plan
that was never adopted.
“It truly is unique, and with its
location, in and around our marina,
we think this property has some of
the biggest opportunities of any-
where in town,” Isom said.
Isom considers it an opportune
time to move forward . It was cru-
cial to bring the city in as a partner
to help benefi t the community and
region, he said.
“Are there maybe some dif-
ferent focus areas that each entity
is looking for? Defi nitely,” City
Manager Brett Estes said. “But I’d
really say there is this shared level
of participation in wanting to fi nd
the right thing for that area. ”
An advisory committee made
up of Port and city staff , as well as
several residents , was put together
to help navigate the process.
An emphasis in discussions
with the committee is the need
for adaptability within the master
plan.
“Yes, we want to have a plan
for how we move forward. B ut we
also need to have some fl exibility
within that plan to react to changes
in the economy and market condi-
tion because that is just the reality
of the world and I think here in the
See Waterfront, Page A3
An Astoria student’s wild senior project
Rickenbach rode her
mustang at homecoming
By GARY HENLEY
The Astorian
T
Astoria School District
Alivia Rickenbach rides ‘Simba’ in front of the crowd at CMH Field.
he Denver Broncos have
“Thunder,” the Arabian horse
mascot. And the Kansas City
Chiefs used to have “Warpaint,” a
pinto that galloped around Arrow-
head Stadium after every score.
Even though it may have been
a one-night-only appearance, the
Astoria Fishermen were the latest
football team to have a horse trot-
ting around the fi eld.
“Simba” and his rider, Alivia
Rickenbach, had the honor of carry-
ing the American fl ag before Asto-
ria’s recent h omecoming game. It
was Simba’s fi rst public appear-
ance since Rickenbach and her wild
mustang competed in the Teens and
Oregon Mustangs competition in
McMinnville in early September.
Simba even received a fi rst-
class introduction at CMH Field ,
described to the crowd as a horse
coming from “a wild herd in the
Paisley Desert of central Oregon,”
and representing “one of America’s
oldest symbols, a wild mustang.”
Because of herd overpopulation
among wild mustangs, he faced
starvation and was part of an emer-
gency gather.
Rickenbach — who has another
horse named “Atheana” — took
on the 100-day wild mustang chal-
lenge when she obtained the horse
in May and went into training for
the competition.
Since then, Simba has gone
from wild to mild.
Rickenbach, a high school
senior, worked with Simba a few
hours a day . “I started just build-
ing the trust between me and him.
You can’t really train a horse with-
out having a trust, especially a wild
one,” she said. “He had never been
touched by a human.”
See Rickenbach, Page A2