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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2016)
February 26, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A Nicholson hearing could be final one Nicholson from Page 1A would include rebuilding the 100-year-old home on the property. This week, Nicholson said that the 3lanning Com- mission¶s unanimous rec- ommendation is unlikely to sway the City Council be- cause the commission has “no decision-making capa- bility.” “Me spending half a mil- lion dollars is not so some- body else can¶t make a Mc- Mansion,” he said. “I¶m Must trying to get it so I can build, on these lots, normal-sized houses.” A city staff report issued this week responded to con- cerns raised at the 3lanning Commission hearing by stat- ing that the City Council has the “ultimate authority to approve or deny this request for ¿nal approval.” Among the more con- tentious issues during the council¶s deliberations was whether the property qual- i¿ed for a “planned devel- opment overlay zone,” a tool that allows for zoning changes on a parcel of land based on the land¶s natural features. In this case, the overlay allows for greater housing density on proper- ty that, because of its slope, would otherwise allow for only one structure, which the property already has. Additional conditions for the building include measuring building height, compensation for repairs should construction work cause damage and shared driveway plans, among oth- ers. The city¶s decision to place a 3lanned Develop- ment and overlay zone des- ignation on this property re- mains in effect, the city said this week. The city recommended a decision at the March 8 meeting of the council, af- ter the closing of the public hearing. Since the city determined the application was com- plete in November, it must make a ¿nal decision within 120 days, or by March 17. Chamber hopes new marketing will draw ‘shoulder’ season tourism Tax increase to fund $72,000 marketing campaign By Lyra Fontaine Cannon Beach Gazette Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce members un- veiled a new destination mar- keting campaign, to the tune of $72,000, that aims to bring more overnight visitors to the city during between Septem- ber and mid-June. “We¶ve assembled a great group of people over the last year, stronger than I¶ve ever seen,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Direc- tor Court Carrier said. “I¶m excited to work with them to make some progress on this new eventuality to bring Cannon Beach more business during the shoulder and the off-season.” The marketing contract that the chamber signed with the city includes larger ads on more platforms, attract- ing business conferences and meetings, and hiring a mar- keting specialist. The plan will use 70 per- cent of funds from the recent- ly added 1 percent transient room tax, designated for tour- ism development and promo- tion. At the Feb. 2 meeting of the Cannon Beach City Council, Carrier and Cham- ber of Commerce 3resident Steve Sinkler presented mar- keting and spending plans for the ¿scal year. Sinkler said the chamber has set aside $20,000 on des- tination advertising such as larger ads across more plat- forms; $15,000 for marketing to conferences and meetings; $13,000 for “more robust” web content with images and up-to-date information; and $6,000 for a branding guide for businesses with consistent colors, words and imagery. The chamber also plans to spend $5,800 on expand Cannon Beach¶s social media presence to Instagram and eventually 3interest, $5,000 on familiarization trips for travel writers, and $3,900 on email marketing. There is a $2,800 reserve for future op- portunities that may come up, Sinkler said. In addition to marketing, the chamber will spend mon- ey on staf¿ng and facilities. The chamber is recruiting a destination marketing spe- cialist and expects the full- time position, which includes bene¿ts and “comparable” pay, to be ¿lled within the next 45 days. The specialist would help promote meetings and conferences. The chamber plans to add new resources to the 9isitor¶s Center, such as streaming video and a self-service kiosk for guests to eliminate wait- ing times. The 9isitors¶ Cen- ter currently has an improved lobby and accolades wall, Carrier said. “We¶ve done a great Mob of bringing leisure travelers to Cannon Beach,” Carrier said, “but the primary time that business travelers hold their meetings and confer- ences for both associations and corporations is during the fall through the spring.” The goal is to drive peo- ple to the chamber¶s website “with the expectation that they¶ll come to visit Cannon Beach,” Sinkler said. The chamber will hold a meeting to discuss how to reach marketing goals and obMectives. Marine mammal strandings on North Coast concern experts By Lyra Fontaine Cannon Beach Gazette The humpback whale stranded in Seaside in January may have become entangled or struck by a boat, according to 'ebbie 'uI¿eld, a 3ortland State University biology pro- fessor. More than 30 people gath- ered for a lecture, “Marine Mammals, the Marine Mam- mal Stranding Network and Marine Reserves,” Feb. 10 at the Cannon Beach Library. The topic was particularly timely. In the past few weeks, a humpback whale washed ashore in Seaside, and a har- bor porpoise and two striped dolphins were found on the North Coast. Experts are still waiting on necropsy results for the whale to see whether it was infected or if it had an accident. The humpback has bruis- ing that could have been from entanglement or a boat strike, 'uf¿eld said. It also carried a fairly heavy parasite load for a whale not more than 2 years old. The presentation — a part- nership between 'uf¿eld and Keith Chandler, the Seaside Aquarium general manager — was part of Haystack Rock Awareness 3rogram¶s lecture series. The Oregon Marine Mam- mal Stranding Network, which 'uf¿eld and Chandler belong to, responds to mam- mal strandings from Tilla- mook to Long Beach, Wash- ington. They see 149 stranded animals a year on average. The most common animals include California sea lions, harbor seals and Steller sea lions. Strandings allow research- ers to evaluate otherwise inaccessible animals, and necropsies tell scientists vital physiological and biological information. Marine mam- mals¶ tissues are sampled and used for studies on ocean pol- lution, biotoxins and other en- vironmental changes. Once they evaluate a stranded animal, research- ers take samples back to the university to study it in a controlled area and test for in- fections. After they ¿nish the necropsies, they might pre- pare the bones for students to piece together. “Every once in awhile we have species that, because of their charismatic value, are of great interest to everybody,” 'uf¿eld said. For example, a killer whale was stranded in Long Beach several years ago, drawing veterinaries, researchers and onlookers alike. 'uf¿eld also recalls when a Baird¶s beaked whale came in live in Seaside during a volleyball tournament. “Luckily, peo- ple weren¶t around it when it started to die and thrash, because it could have killed somebody,” she said. Why do these animals appear on shores? Seals, sea lions, whales, dolphins and porpoises are primarily stranded due to human in- teraction, such as gunshots, ¿sheries interaction and net entanglement. Bacterial dis- ease, cancer and infections also cause strandings. Sometimes the human-re- lated interactions are extreme. 'uf¿eld displayed a Marring photo of a California sea lion that had part of its face de- stroyed by an explosive de- vice. She also showed a picture of plastics and debris on the Seaside beach. Sea lions get entangled in plastic bands, but since they bite, it¶s dif¿- cult for humans to help them remove bands and recover from wounds. In 2010, a dead whale stranded in Washing- ton¶s 3uget Sound beach had 50 gallons of material in its stomach that was mostly al- gae, but also human debris, such as sweatpants, plastic bags, duct tape and towels. The Oregon Marine Mam- mal Stranding Network works to improve treatment and dis- PIG ‘N PANCAKE Live Music • Wine Tasting 102.3 fm 271 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach 503.436.1539 • www.cafesweetbasils.com the Classic Rock Station Cannon Beach’s Largest Selection of Oregon and Washington Wine! 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Oregon state policy aims to minimize dis- turbance from humans and let nature take its course. However, in cases like As- toria, sea lions are crowding ports, perhaps drawn to food like smelt ¿sh in the Colum- bia River. “We¶ve gone from having a few sea lions to having a lot, from 100 or 200 sea lions to over 2,000 last year,” she said as the crowd murmured in agreement. “It will be inter- esting to see if their numbers get quite as high this year, and they should.” From hashbrown potatoes ground fresh daily and award-winning sourdough pancakes to homemade soups and clam chowder, you’ll fi nd delicious family friendly dining at the Pig ‘N Pancake. Over 35 breakfast varieties and a complete lunch menu, too. Our dining area overlooks a beautiful wetland area and downtown Cannon Beach. March 4 - April 16, 2016 Coaster Construction entangle marine mammals from debris and ¿shery gear. 'uf¿eld said that the an- imals are resilient. Seals and sea lions often carry worms in their stomach that can form ulcers. “They Must live with that,” she said. “Their parasite loads are tremendous.” The strandings may also point to larger forces at work. The El Niño climate pat- tern that¶s increasing coastal temperatures, along with the warm “blob” of water in the north 3aci¿c Ocean, affect the animals¶ prey. “We¶re at the apex of these changes that we can actually follow annually,” 'uf¿eld said. “It¶s a fascinating change that we¶re living through.” Last year, in California, increasing water tempera- tures affected sea lions and their pups in California. The animals normally feed on an- chovies and sardines, which disappeared to another loca- tion due to warming water. 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