12A • February 26, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Residents disappointed by the
decision to disband committee
Arch Cape from Page 1A
Marty Francis, of the Marty Francis Group
in Portland, spent a year “dealing with” the
Arch Cape Design Review Committee while
trying to build and sell a residential beach
house in Arch Cape, which he sold last fall.
“I was amazed that the county was not in
line with what the folks were doing in Arch
Cape,” Francis said. “I was approved by the
state and county. Then all of a sudden, Arch
Cape design review stopped me dead in my
tracks.”
Although he described Clatsop County
as “great,” Francis said it was frustrating to
get “chewed out” by the Arch Cape com-
mittee.
“I was surprised by how vehemently op-
posed they were to any development in any
wetland,” Francis said. “Frankly, they put
me through hell.”
Committee members
‘disappointed’
A reason given for disbanding the com-
mittee was its “hostile” attitude toward a
staff member with a disability. Committee
members said they were being portrayed in
a “false light,” and comments were taken
out of context.
“It’s tragic that the staff and commission
used one incident as an excuse to eliminate
something with that legacy,” Gardner said.
“It’s a real slap in the face to people who
have given much of their time and heart to
the county and community.”
Although the disability-related issue
played a role in the decision to disband the
committee, other concerns drove the deci-
sion, interim County Manager Rich Mays
said. According to Mays, commissioners
were responding to complaints of a “two-
step” review process and building delays as a
result of the advisory committee’s oversight.
HRAP from Page 1A
Volunteer duties include sharing marine life
information, answering visitor questions, sup-
porting conservation and stewardship of the
area, data collection and recording, and edu-
cating visitors to prevent prohibited activities,
such as collecting and climbing.
The program normally has about 100 to 200
volunteers, and hopes to have close to 200 this
season. Since people can volunteer just several
days out of the year, people come from all over
the North coast, Oregon and even from Washing-
ton. Many volunteers come to Cannon Beach from
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This year, the program will also provide two
tablet computers for volunteers to reference and
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on birds, intertidal animals, plants and geology
that volunteers can take to the rock.
Volunteers can RSVP for a training session at
the Cannon Beach City Hall on April 9 or June 11.
These sessions include training on plants and ge-
ology, bird ecology, intertidal animals and emer-
gency preparedness. Volunteers may also train on
the beach with experienced staff and volunteers.
Longer season with new
summer beach events
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Residents of Arch Cape hope to resurrect a committee dissolved by the county earlier
this month.
‘It’s tragic.… It’s a real slap in the face to
people who have given much of their time
and heart to the county and community.’
Nadia Gardner
Association to replace committee
While county commissioners dissolved
the Arch Cape Design Review Committee,
they agreed to formally recognize a neigh-
borhood association in Arch Cape. The as-
sociation could provide input on land use
projects, but would lack legal authority.
Gardner, Lundy and Seifer said the
neighborhood associations would be a far
cry from the role played by the former com-
mittee, and Arch Cape would no longer
have an official role in land use planning.
Moving forward, Lundy said that neigh-
borhood associations are “an opportunity,”
HRAP season is
extended this year
Arch Cape resident
but ultimately they have “no teeth.”
County Commissioner Lianne Thomp-
son, who represents Arch Cape and joined
other commissioners in voting to dissolve
the committee, said Arch Cape residents
were almost evenly divided on the commit-
tee.
Thompson said she attempted to delay
the commission’s vote and give neighbors
time to be heard, but was unsuccessful.
“People lost something that mattered to
them,” Thompson said. “I understand peo-
ple are disappointed and there’s a loss of
something precious. They put their heart
and soul in it.”
Thompson said she is optimistic about a
“fresh start.”
“Neighborhood associations are a way to
maintain positive relationships and resolve
differences,” she said. “It was a wonderful
tradition, but it’s time to evolve. I hope it’s
going to be better.”
The HRAP season, which ends in October,
was extended about three months this year, Key-
ser said.
“We’ll have more time to spend educating and
on the beach with visitors,” Keyser said.
Haystack Rock has attracted more visitors
than usual this February, she noted. The team has
consistently counted 40 to 50 people on the beach
every hour.
This year, HRAP will introduce a summer
speaker series on the beach, with monthly events
from May to September.
Dwindling sea stars
The Haystack Rock area has lost a majority of
its sea star population, which is still recovering.
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drome, possibly caused by “densovirus.” Recent-
ly, the sea star wasting system has been linked to
warmer temperatures, according to scientists in a
paper published in Philosophical Transactions of
the Royal Society.
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going to rebound,” Owen said.
However, Haystack Rock has a large, healthy
seabird population, and its intertidal species are
doing well, Keyser said.
Earlier in February, the program noticed a
huge population of common murre birds at the
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Those interested in volunteering can contact
volunteer coordinator Kelsey Brown at 503-436-
8095 or hrapvolunteer@ci.cannon-beach.or.us.
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