T he C olumbia P ress
1
C latsop C ounty ’ s I ndependent W eekly n eWspaper
www.thecolumbiapress.com
December 21, 2018
Vol. 2, Issue 51
Farm and garden
store gets go-ahead
from city planners
Living like Lewis
and Clark...
but more comfortably
B y C indy y ingst
The Columbia Press
The Columbia Press
If it feels like nothing is open the week
between Christmas and New Year, think
again.
Fort Clatsop has scheduled a variety of
activities that week about the Corps of Dis-
covery and their stay here, including mov-
ies, guided walks, hands-on programs and
demonstrations of jobs and other activities
undertaken by members of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition.
“Visit these sites during the time of year
the expedition stayed on the coast,” urged
park ranger Sally Freeman.
Members of the party were pretty misera-
ble during their stay here – it rained nearly
every day during the winter of 1805-06.
Welcome to Oregon, right?
Visitors these days have a warm visitor
center and other amenities at the fort.
Fort Clatsop’s “Holiday Happenings” be-
gins Dec 26 and runs through Jan. 1.
Above: Ranger Susan
Rhoads explains the
action of a flintlock rifle to
visitors.
Right: Volunteer Jim
Wilson prepares visitors
for a Netul River Walk.
Photos courtesy Fort Clatsop
See ‘Fort Clatsop’ on Page 6
Prepare ye the way for the upcoming king tides
Volunteer photographers are invit-
ed to participate in the first round of
this winter’s King Tide Project, which
documents the highest reach of the
year’s highest tides.
The current focus is on the set of
extreme high tides — known as “king
tides” — arriving this weekend.
Two additional series of high tides
take place Jan. 19-21, and Feb. 18-20.
It’s the ninth year Oregon has par-
ticipated in the international citi-
zen-science effort. The project began
in Australia. King tides arrive when
the sun, moon and earth are in align-
ment, causing a stronger-than-usual
50 ¢
gravitational pull.
The project in Oregon is most con-
cerned with how sea level rise affects
Oregon’s coastline. Local sponsors
are the CoastWatch Program of the
Oregon Shores Conservation Coali-
tion, the Oregon Coastal Management
Program of the Department of Land
Conservation and Development.
While the King Tide Project can help
identify areas threatened by flooding,
the more important purpose is to gain
a preview of sea level rise.
The king tides, while extreme to-
day, are expected to become the “new
normal” as the sea level continues to
rise and storm surges increase due to
global warming, scientists say.
Gaining a glimpse of tidal inun-
dation likely to become common
decades into the future will benefit
planners, resource agencies, conser-
vationists, and coastal citizens in pre-
paring for these changes.
Speakers at a Dec. 14 preview event
included Sally Hacker, a professor
in Oregon State University’s Depart-
ment of Integrative Biology, and Steve
Dundas, and OSU economist studying
the economic implications of shore-
line management and protection.
See ‘King tides’ on Page 7
A farm and garden store visible from
Highway 101 received approval with
conditions from the city’s Planning
Department.
The project initially was rejected by
the city’s Community Development
director as having “fatal flaws” when
developers seemed unwilling to make
concessions to their plans.
But at two Planning Commission
meetings this month, commissioners
instructed both parties to work out
their differences so the project could
go through.
The proposed 19,000-square-foot
Tractor Supply Co. store is slated for
a portion of the large cleared piece of
land behind Les Schwab Tire Center,
at the corner of Highway 101 Business
and Southeast King Street.
The Nygaard family, which has
owned the property for years, has
struggled to attract a major tenant
willing to come to Warrenton, said
Wes Giesbricht, a partner in the proj-
ect. At one time they’d been negoti-
ating with Walmart before Walmart
chose a site in the North Coast Busi-
ness Park.
See ‘Farm store’ on Page 6