Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 2022)
A2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 IN BRIEF CRUSHING Astoria Armory to suspend regular Friday skate night Debris from the historic Tourist No. 2 ferry was piled on a barge near the Sixth Street viewing platform. The Astoria Armory will suspend the regular Friday skate night in September. Mike Davies, the president of the Friends of the Asto- ria Armory, said the nonprofi t will prepare for the future during the closure. Regular Friday and Saturday skate nights will return in early October, he said. Lydia Ely/The Astorian Firefi ghters knock down grass fi re at Little Beach GEARHART — A grass fi re near the Little Beach shoreline was started by burning debris. Fire crews had the call under control around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Gearhart Fire Division Chief James Hutchinson said, but with a south-southeast wind combined with extended dry weather, the fi re picked up. Shortly after 2:30 a.m., a second alarm at the same location brought units from the Seaside, Warrenton, Lewis and Clark, Cannon Beach, Hamlet, Astoria and Knappa fi re departments, along with the Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry. The fi re grew from about 20 feet by 50 feet to an esti- mated 50 feet by 400 feet. Using the Wellington Beach trail for access, fi refi ght- ers removed some trees and shrubbery to ensure safe turnarounds and an escape route if needed. During fi re season, debris and pile burning is prohib- ited, as well as the burning of driftwood, Hutchinson said. Moda Health, Portland Trail Blazers to visit Astoria as part of statewide tour The Portland Trail Blazers and Moda Health will visit Astoria on Sept. 14 as part of an annual statewide tour to promote healthy and active lifestyles. Representatives from the Trail Blazers and Moda will visit area schools and engage students through career pan- els, school assemblies and physical education activities. The day will be concluded with a ribbon-cutting with city offi cials and a free outdoor community fair at the Astoria Aquatic Center from 4 to 6 p.m. Road closure extended near Soapstone Lake Trail The road that leads to the head of Soapstone Lake Trail off state Highway 53 will remain closed until Fri- day, the Oregon Department of Forestry announced. In August, the department closed the road to the pub- lic on weekdays for felling and logging operations. Once felling is completed, log hauling will continue on the road between 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., the department said. — The Astorian Oregonians could start getting bivalent COVID boosters Federal health authorities have approved new “biva- lent” COVID-19 boosters for people 12 and older. Oregon has preordered more than 77,000 doses that could be available soon. “With fall and winter approaching with circulation of COVID-19 anticipated to increase, when most of us will spend more time indoors, the availability of safe and eff ective vaccine boosters off ers us strong protec- tion against the worst outcomes of COVID-19, includ- ing severe illness, hospitalizations and death,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist. The new boosters target both the original strain of the coronavirus and two omicron subvariants. Sidelinger said they also help simplify the current recommenda- tions for boosters. The Moderna bivalent booster is for people 18 and over, and the Pfi zer booster is for people 12 and up. Both should be administered at least two months after a per- son’s last vaccine dose or booster. The CDC advisory committee is no longer recom- mending the old, “monovalent” boosters. — Oregon Public Broadcasting ON THE RECORD Animal abuse animal abuse. On the Francis Record • William Mail theft O’Connor, 50, of Can- yonville, was arrested on Wednesday at the Pig ’N Pancake parking lot in Astoria for fi rst-degree • Meggan Breeana Bartlett, 28, of Astoria, was arrested on Thursday on Cedar Street in Astoria for mail theft. PUBLIC MEETINGS TUESDAY Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m., Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A. Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m., 1131 Broadway. Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., Clatsop Com- munity College, Patriot Hall, Room 207, 1651 Lexington Ave. Astoria Library Board, 5:30 p.m., Flag Room, 450 10th St. Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower Ave. Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane St. 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, 2022 by The Astorian. MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MEMBER CERTIFIED AUDIT OF CIRCULATIONS, INC. Printed on recycled paper Biologists abruptly shut down recreational salmon fi shing Closure from Buoy 10 to Bonneville Dam By BILL MONROE For The Oregonian Ambushed by unexpect- edly high returns of fall C hi- nook salmon into the Colum- bia River, but handcuff ed by federal regulations to protect some of them, Oregon and Washington state biologists took unprecedented action Thursday to shut down all salmon and steelhead fi sh- ing on the lower river, from its mouth at Buoy 10 to Bon- neville Dam. No fi shing for any salmon or steelhead downriver of the dam will be allowed until further notice. Fishing remains open upriver from the Bonneville Dam and, for hatchery coho salmon, in the ocean off the river’s mouth. Sport catches of C hi- nook at Buoy 10 after fi shing began in early August were among the highest on record. They included protected wild tule C hinook from lower river tributaries, listed as threatened under the Endan- gered Species Act and thus subject to angling restric- tions. Tules are important as an ocean caught fi sh from Oregon to Alaska, but use up fat reserves quickly as they enter freshwater and spawn Anglers and managers were frustrated Thursday by the need to close recreational salmon fi shing in the Columbia River from popular Buoy 10 upriver to Bonneville Dam. earlier than other C hinook. So they aren’t considered as desirable by many anglers as their fat-laden upriver cousins. Those that are caught and kept, hatchery and wild, are monitored within federal sideboards. Those parame- ters have been exceeded by what most believe will be a much larger run than pre- dicted earlier this year. Chi- nook also seem to have lin- gered in the lower river rather than continue their usual trek to spawning grounds by late August. Federal and state manag- ers, however, can’t specu- late and must set regulations for the lower river and take in-season actions based on forecasts. There’s no method of updating the lower river C hinook run during the fi shing season; just weigh catches against allowances. Upriver runs can be reas- 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 sessed based upon both catches and physical counts of each fi sh at Bonneville Dam. The action Thursday came on the threshold of a predicted abundant arrival of coho salmon . Frustration — from anglers and managers alike — dominated Thursday’s telephone conference call of the Columbia River Com- pact, which sets sport and commercial seasons on the jointly managed Columbia. Anglers and fi shing guides among more than 150 listening in on the call — also an unusually high number — said they’d planned vaca- tions and have friends and clients arriving from across the nation who will have to be told they can’t fi sh. “I’m not happy,” said Tucker Jones, Columbia River program manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “I believe in these fi sheries ... I view them as part of the conserva- tion solution ... keeping peo- ple engaged in the resource. It kills me to have to do this. I want to keep people fi shing.” Staff biologists on both sides of the river are scram- bling to gather more data with an eye to meeting again — after Labor Day weekend — and possibly reopening the coho season. Coho dom- inate Buoy 10 catches from late August through most of October. Please ADOPT A PET! PURR-SEPHONE Special needs female American Short Hair You could be the special person to reteach this kitty in words and in kindness she is lovely. See more on Petfinder.com CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER • 861-PETS 1315 SE 19th St. • Warrenton | Tues-Sat 12-4pm www.dogsncats.org THIS SPACE SPONSORED BY A-TOWN COFFEE
