SCRATCHPAD
THE MONTHLY STACK
Th e Needles, Cannon Beach
By LISSA BREWER
COAST WEEKEND EDITOR
Home to a labyrinth of intertidal waters
containing ochre stars, green anemones,
nudibranchs and mussels, the Needles
rest in the southern shadow of Cannon
Beach’s best-known monolith, the 235-
foot Haystack Rock.
A close look at the set of towering sea
stacks, popular with photographers look-
ing to capture cascading sun rays and lay-
ers of mist, reveals a colony of nesting
cormorants and the resting silhouettes of
resident gulls.
ON THE
COVER
During summer’s lowest tides, the
closest of these shoreline towers is acces-
sible by foot – but not without careful
crossing. The seafl oor near these rocks is
a vast network teeming with marine life.
The lower the tide falls, the more lay-
ers of the Needles are revealed, with lay-
ers of kelp, shellfi sh and other tidepool
creatures.
As one sign, placed by the Haystack
Rock Awareness Program, puts it: “I’m
not just a rock, I’m a home.” They’re
referring to these rocks’ larger cousin, but
everything here is connected.
Lissa Brewer/The Astorian
The Needles are a set of sea stacks sitting just
south of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.
STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS
COAST WEEKEND EDITOR
LISSA BREWER
THURSDAY
AUG. 25
2022
A squadron of
pelicans, a sight
growing more
common in recent
years in wetlands
and rivers across
the Columbia-
Pacifi c region.
Columbia-Pacific pelicans
A BIRDWATCHER’S DREAM
PAGE 6
PENINSULA
RHYTHM
& BLUES
FESTIVAL
GROOVES ON
PAGE 8
NORWEGIAN
RESTAURANT, BAR
DEBUTS IN ASTORIA
PAGE 12
BERRY SEASON
HAS ARRIVED
CALENDAR COORDINATOR
SARAH SMITH
CONTRIBUTORS
ZOE BUCHLI
DAVID CAMPICHE
REBECCA LEXA
BARBARA LLOYD McMICHAEL
PATRICK WEBB
GREGORY ZSCHOMLER
PAGE 15
PHOTO BY
PAT WELLE
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 // 3