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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2015)
4A • March 27, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com CB Chamber honors its members Academy Awards ambience accompanies awards By Erick Bengel Cannon Beach Gazette If only because it offered the singular experience of seeing Cannon Beach Po- lice Chief Jason Schermer- horn in a tux — “tuxed up,” as Fire Captain Matt Gard- QHUÀDWWHULQJO\GXEEHGLW² the second annual Chamber of Commerce’s Member Awards ceremony, held at the Community Hall on March 20, will not soon be erased from local memory. Schermerhorn’s excuse is that he currently serves as vice president of the Cham- ber Board, working with board President Steven Sin- kler; Treasurer George Vet- ter; Secretary Sheri Russell; the chamber’s Executive Director Courtland Carrier; and its Administrative As- sistant Jim Paino. Against a glitzy Academy Awards-themed backdrop — awash in ruby-red lighting, bedecked in miniature gold- en statuettes and featuring an imposing life-size Oscar FXWRXWKROGLQJXSD¿OPUHHO He-Man-style — they and ERICK BENGEL PHOTO Nancy McCarthy, retiring editor of the Cannon Beach Ga- zette and Seaside Signal, snags a lemony treat at the Cham- ber of Commerce Membership Awards. McCarthy was nominated for the Excellence in Leadership Award. ERICK BENGEL PHOTO Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Courtland Carrier, dressed as a film director, reviews the chamber’s achievements from 2014 in the Cannon Beach Community Hall. The membership awards were handed out shortly thereafter. dozens of other members of the Cannon Beach commu- nity honored their fellow em- ployees and business leaders for everything they achieved during 2014. Sinkler and Russell, supported by a nostal- gia-inducing Disney mix compiled by DJ Dan Moe, KDQGHG RXW DZDUGV LQ ¿YH different categories. This year’s recipients were: Ex- cellence in Customer Ser- vice - The Ocean Lodge, accepted by Wendy Hig- At the Library gins, general manager; Excellence in Leadership - Tom Drumheller, accept- ed on his behalf by Patrick 1R¿HOG $QQXDO 6XSSRUWHU of the Year - Cannon Beach Vacation Rentals, accepted by Tanya Waddell, book- keeper, on behalf of owner Linda Beck-Sweeney, own- er; Volunteer of the Year - Tracy Abel, owner of Abel Management; and Member of the Year - Cannon Beach Yoga Arts, accepted by Christen Allsop, owner. ERICK BENGEL PHOTO Trinity Diak, 4, of Cannon Beach, gets into the spirit of the Academy Awards- themed Chamber of Com- merce Membership Awards ceremony while her mother, Katie Diak, stands behind her. ERICK BENGEL PHOTO Tracy Abel, center, accepts the award for Volunteer of the Year. Left: Sheri Russell, secretary of the chamber board. Right: Steven Sinkler, president of the chamber board. CARLA O’REILLY Collection features many books on marine, coastal wildlife Spring LV ¿QDOO\ XSRQ XV and most of us by now have noticed the booted, red-jacket- ed group in front of Haystack Rock pointing out various forms of life in the tidepools or setting up their telescopes on the beach – our hardy group of HRAP volunteers! What many may not re- alize is that in support of the Haystack Rock Awareness Program’s beach efforts, the Cannon Beach library has a special section of books about marine animals, seabirds, and other coastal wildlife. The col- lection of books is a reality due to the initial vision of two gen- erous local men – Bob Carey (now deceased) and Joe Hum- mell, who still lives actively among us. Samantha Ferber, HRAP’s wonderful program coordinator, says that as HRAP celebrates 30 years of service on our beach, she would like to see volunteers make more use of the collection at the li- brary. When asked why more volunteers do not make ad- equate use of the books, Fer- ber said, “Maybe they haven’t been made enough aware that the collection is available. As we celebrate the 30th year of HRAP, we’d like to make sure that all our staff and volunteers know that the books are at the library. By becoming more educated about the beach and its species, they will be better educators of the many people who come to the beach.” “The World of Haystack Boac’s Bird Notes lecture still on the schedule. On April 8, Ram Papish, wildlife artist, biologist, and author will focus on “Seabirds of the Falk- land Islands.” Children’s Programs CARLA O’REILLY Rock” lecture series is also a joint effort by beach folks and library folks. Co-sponsored by Friends of Haystack Rock and the library, this series of free community lectures is held at the library the second Wednes- day of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. There is only one During spring break, we at the library will make sure our little visitors are well provided with reasonably-priced books and fun entertainment. From March 21 through April 4, we are holding a book sale espe- cially for children and juniors. Each sale book will cost just 50 cents. At 1 p.m. Saturday, March 28, we will be offering a free children’s event – Twisty Bal- loons by Dean. Balloon art- ist Dean Deonier will delight children of all ages as he twists balloons into various shapes with a “Pirates and Princesses” theme! Each child will receive a balloon to take home – a not- to-be-missed event for local and visiting children! Northwest Author Series At 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, author Tony Wolk will be discussing his book The Par- able of You. Mr. Wolk is an English Professor at Portland State University. He is also au- thor of the Abraham Lincoln time travel trilogy. In this latest book, he presents a feast of sto- ries that challenge our assump- tions about history, reality, and what stories reveal about their tellers. Cannon Beach Reads The next book to be read and discussed by the library reading group, Cannon Beach Reads, will be Sinclair Lewis’s classic novel Babbitt. This event will be held at the library from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on April 15. The group welcomes new members. Upcoming 4th of July Blook Sale Finally, this is a good time for each of us to be weeding out our bookcases and storage areas for used books to donate to the library for the 4th of July Book Sale. The earlier we receive the books, the better – as there is much sorting and pricing in- volved. Get those books to us as soon as possible! SUSAN BOAC Be sure to take advantage of every birding opportunity SUSAN BOAC My mom was in town for a few days last week and we took every opportunity to look for birds. We kept a backyard bird count one day, and even though we were both gone for several hours, we broke the old record (36 species) with a whopping 40 species LGHQWL¿HG:KDWMR\VSHQGLQJ time like this with my original birding inspirational parental unit. During her stay, my work took me to Tillamook County and I talked her into accom- panying me. At about mid- day, we took a break from work and headed out to the $LU0XVHXPWR¿QGWKH6D\¶V phoebe that has been repeat- edly reported. After checking out my regular spot there, we went in search of the entrance to the museum. That’s when we saw the cemetery road. My children have me trained to turn into every cemetery, hence the detour. Much to our delight, we found the magical bird spot. With hundreds of widgeons, teal, ruddies, scaup and mallards in the settling pond (yep, a sewer lagoon) and several visits from raptors in the minutes we spent there, it was considered a highlight of Mom’s visit. We even saw a Red-tail hawk hack up a pellet! Sadly, the phoebe was no- where in sight, but there is al- ways next time. I know where I’ll be eating my lunch from now on. It was pure enchant- ment there by the Air Muse- um. Next time, we may even go in! Reminder: Coming up on April 11 is the North Oregon Coast Birdathon, a one day birding event in conjunc- tion with 12 Days of Earth Day and fund raiser for the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. Join us for birding or help by sponsoring a partici- pant. More information is on the birdathon Facebook page. After spending many plea- surable hours with her avid birder parents, Susan has taken up birding as a pas- sion, to the mixed emotions of her husband Scott. The Boacs reside on the Neawa- nna Creek in Seaside where their backyard is a birder’s paradise. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Saving Razor Clams I was much encouraged by testimony at recent public hear- ings in Cannon Beach expressing great concern for the population of razor clams along our beach- es. I have been asked to foster a greater awareness of their plight and to campaign on their behalf for better living conditions. So I formed a group, ‘Friends of Ra- zor Clams at Chapman Point.’ We have 18 members so far, and more are being encouraged to join. You may recall from recent coastal geology lessons that wind and water currents predom- inantly run northward along the beaches in winter and southward in summer. Tillamook Head is a barrier to sand transport in either direction but is also a barrier to the free-swimming razor clam larvae that result from the spring spawn. Those that would like to head north have a tough time against the southbound currents. Razor clam larvae can grow rapidly and by late summer to early fall they are ready to ‘set’ – that is, pick a spot on the san- dy bottom of shallow waters and dig in. It is during the set that juvenile razor clams are most vulnerable to being wounded and killed – by gun, by shovel, or by large boot. It is for this rea- son that ODFW prohibits razor clamming north of Tillamook Head from mid-July through the end of September. Such protec- tion is vital to achieving a sus- tainable population. I sense that our local population would like WR PLJUDWH QRUWK WR ¿QG D VDIH place to set, and have a chance to enjoy life, and to procreate a little. But as nature conspires to thwart their desires, I believe it is time for human intervention. Yes, I mean by having a closed season here, south of Tillamook Head. We do understand that ODFW will have to make a law to get the season closed here. We believe a city resolution to that effect would help (I have one avail- able but it requires the signature of the mayor and city manager). But we also have to send a peti- tion to ODFW before they will act, and for that we need more signatures. The other 17 current members are still free-swim- ming juveniles. They can’t vote yet, and therefore can’t sign a petition. When you see me with a clip- board at Whale Park this sum- mer, please stop by and lend the weight of your signature to this important conservation move- ment. I thank you. And my friends thank you. Ken McQuhae Cannon Beach ‘Disappointed’ in Cannon Beach Council To the editor: I am very disappointed that four members of the city coun- cil who were elected to uphold the ordinances of the city of Cannon Beach chose to over- ride the decision of the plan- ning commission to deny the application of Jeff Nichol- son to amend the city’s zone map, to obtain a variance to the slope-density requirement, and to build a planned unit de- velopment on his property at 532 N. Laurel. Municipal code 17.84.030 clearly states that variances should be granted only if a strict interpretation of the code would be inconsistent with the objectives of the comprehen- sive plan. The comprehensive plan calls for controlling de- velopment in areas with slopes exceeding 20 percent and ar- eas subject to potential geo- logic hazards so that potential adverse impacts can be mini- mized. The property in ques- tion exceeds the 20 percent criterion and is composed of the accretion of sand held to- gether with native vegetation. Since the councilors claim to have visited the site, I wonder why they were so im- pressed with the model the applicant presented of the pro- posed development which por- trayed the area as essentially flat. Much of the property is composed of a deep ravine. The applicant’s solution of building a wall 120 feet long and up to ten feet tall would add yet another wall to two others already in the area to support the building of Oak Street. My hope is that council- ors, if given the opportunity, will be willing to listen to ar- guments opposed to changing city requirements for the ben- efit of an applicant intending to build four houses and sell them for a profit. If the coun- cilors refuse to reverse their decision, they will in essence have subsidized a commercial venture rather than upholding the codes that were written for the good of the community. Diane Amos Cannon Beach
