4
The Columbia Press
November 13, 2020
Deer: Animals on runways pose safety risk
Continued from Page 1
probably do them at night
so they’re easier to spot and
when no one will be on the
trail late at night.”
In 2002, a Navy Learjet
struck an elk while landing at
the airport.
“Everybody got out, but the
plane and elk suffered pretty
badly,” Kobes said.
The crash led to taller fenc-
es and other measures to pre-
vent wildlife from walking
into the area. Yet somehow
a herd or at least a pregnant
doe managed to get in and
create a new group inside.
Commissioners were wor-
ried about jeopardizing peo-
ple who use a trail that runs
along a dike between the air-
port and some of the area’s
natural areas, and the possi-
bility of an errant bullet ric-
ocheting off a runway toward
traffic on Highway 101.
Kobes said he’ll coordinate
with Police Chief Matt Work-
man every time they go out to
cull the deer. Any deer that’s
shot or trapped will go to a Til-
lamook meat processor for dis-
tribution to nonprofit groups.
“I’m sure calls will come in,”
Workman said. “While the
volume of people is very min-
imal, the dike is not closed
and there could be people out
there.”
He suggested posting fluo-
rescent signs at both ends of
the trail warning of possible
nighttime shooting. And he
vowed to ensure hunters ar-
en’t positioned in a way that
bullets could fly toward the
highway.
Commissioners voted unan-
imously to adopt a resolution
authorizing the discharge of
firearms on Astoria Regional
Airport property for the pur-
pose of “wildlife mitigation
in compliance with Federal
Aviation Administration and
state of Oregon regulations.”
They also designated the
port as the city’s agent, plac-
ing the liability for public
safety on the agency.
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife also issued a
permit to the airport for the
culling of wildlife, deeming
it the best way to protect the
health, safety and welfare of
the traveling public.
The organized hunt is ex-
pected to begin within the
next week, Kobes said.
In other business Tuesday
night, city commissioners:
• Agreed to cooperate with
the Oregon Department of
Transportation on plans
for safety improvements on
Highway 101, at the southern
entrance to town. A couple
months ago, commissioners
had criticized plans to elim-
inate left-hand turns at Per-
kins Road and Highway 104,
saying the plan would create
safety hazards at other al-
ready taxed intersections.
• Gave final approval to
a citywide leash law. The
city’s current dog laws al-
low dogs to be off leash as
long as they are under voice
control of their owners. The
new law allows them to be off
leash only in their homes or
fenced yards, in designated
dog parks, under direct su-
pervision during a legal hunt,
while in use controlling or
protecting livestock, or while
engaged in a professional
training activity. The new law
goes into effect Dec. 10.
Abandoned: The high cost of derelict vehicles
Continued from Page 1
broke down or their useful
lifespans ended, their owners
pushed the hassle and cost
of disposing of the vehicle
onto the public,” ODF Astoria
District Forester Dan Goody
said, adding that the number
of abandoned vehicles had
steadily increased for the past
five years.
ODF has not typically bud-
geted for this type and volume
of cleanup. Like other state
forest management costs,
abandoned vehicle cleanup
costs are derived from the
roughly one-third share of net
revenue ODF receives from
timber harvests on Board of
Forestry lands.
When funds are used to re-
move abandoned vehicles, it
reduces the money available
for other public priorities,
such as improving recreation-
al facilities.
Not only are abandoned ve-
hicles unsightly and expensive
to clean up, they pose envi-
ronmental hazards and public
health risks. Oil, battery acid,
and other fluids can leach into
the soil and eventually reach
groundwater and bodies of
water.
The vehicles also represent
an attractive nuisance for
children and adults to use
drugs or engage in other illicit
activities. In the past, they’ve
been a target for arson – a
risk that becomes magnified
during fire season.
Violators can be charged
with offensive littering, which
carries up to $1,250 in fines,
said Deputy Shawn Copp of
the Clatsop County Sheriff’s
Office. But determining a vehi-
cle’s true owner can be tricky
by the time it’s found aban-
doned.
“Just because a named per-
son is registered as the owner
doesn’t necessarily mean they
are the person who actually
abandoned the vehicle,” Copp
said. “More often than not, the
registered owner on file with
Oregon DMV is two, three,
or even four owners ago, es-
pecially with the old vehicles
who have been scrapped and
left abandoned.”
Even when ownership is de-
termined, contact informa-
tion can be outdated, making
the owner difficult to find.