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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2016)
4A • September 9, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Views from the Rock From when land confl ict reigned, alliances emerged T here’s something magical about the huge swaths of land stretching for miles, mountain and sea. That’s what the North Coast is all about: a stunning and unique visual scenery. This summer, a 360-acre land parcel on Tilla- mook Head was transferred from timber property to con- servation corridor. The North Coast Land Conservancy and GreenWood Resources closed on the Boneyard Ridge prop- erty for $1.3 million. The purchase creates 3,500 connected acres from the summit of Tillamook Head to the Necanicum River Valley. Boneyard Ridge — named because of elk bones found on the property —serves as a link between Ecola State Park, stretches along the Tillamook Head shoreline and land conservancy’s Circle Creek Habitat Reserve in the Necan- icum River fl oodplain CANNON SHOTS west of U.S. Highway 101 at the south end of R.J. MARX Seaside. The conservancy’s Executive Director Ka- tie Voelke calls the Boneyard Ridge acquisition “the last piece of the puzzle,” connecting Ecola State Park\to Circle Creek and the corridor of protected lands along the Neawanna and the Necanicum. Such a transaction might have been unthinkable half a centu- ry ago, when timber companies and environmental groups were sworn enemies in city offi ces, courtrooms and in the fi eld. Th e endangered marbled murrelet benefi ted from land protection. The public estate North Coast Land Conservancy founder Neal Maine de- scribed the frustration environmentalists felt in the early 1980s, when conservation came as a result of a gavel from the courts, with two hostile sides pitted against each other — maybe that’s where we get the word loggerheads. Private landowners, loggers and ranchers argued that efforts to protect wildlife that result in restrictions on land usage consti- tute a “taking” of private property requiring compensation. Environmentalists posited that wildlife, water and air are held in trust by the government for the public benefi t. Oregon passed the Forest Practices Act in 1971 to ensure the continued growing and harvesting of trees while protecting soil, air, water and wildlife habitat. The Endangered Species Act in 1973 — signed by Richard M. Nixon — and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctu- aries Act of 1988 were enacted to oppose wanton private use of natural resources that destroy the “public estate.” The laws soon showed effects on land-use decisions in Ore- gon and locally. In 1986, property then known as “Gearhart Ranch” — later developed into the Highlands — was delayed by environmental- ists by the silverspot butterfl y, a threatened species at home on the Clatsop Plains. The Northwest Forest Plan, created in 1994, established a system of reserves across the range of the spotted owl — sym- bol of the 1980s federal timber wars — to provide long-term nesting habitat. Sixteen beaches in Oregon, including two in Clatsop County, were protected as management areas for the endangered snowy plover. A change in approach With encouragement from heightened public awareness and new federal and state rules, the Seattle-based Trust for Public Lands encouraged the development of local land trusts in the Pacifi c Northwest. The North Coast Land Conservancy emerged from this call. “In 1985 a group of people from Cannon Beach, Astoria, and points between — all veterans of the environmental battles of the 1970s and early ’80s — assembled to consider a new way to approach conservation on the Oregon Coast,” the conservancy states on its website. In its fi rst year, the conservancy started with a modest 3-acre marsh to mitigate the impacts of a new Little League fi eld in Seaside. By 1987, Cavenham Forest Industries — which had pur- chased Crown Zellerbach — was conferring with the Cannon Beach Planning Commission to manage ridgeline development as part of urban growth planning. Between 1999 and 2003, Washington’s Nature Conservancy acquired most of the 8,000 acres that now make up the Ells- worth Creek Preserve in nearby Willapa. Parcels were added as SUBMITTED PHOTOS Map of North Coast Land Conservancy properties. the Nature Conservancy worked primarily with the Campbell Group and John Hancock, each a major lumber consoyium. In 1991, the North Coast Land Conservancy preserved 140 acres on Saddle Mountain, protecting the Copes salamander and marbled murrelet, both endangered species threatened by logging, without a court order. In 2003, the conservancy acquired Circle Creek, a strategi- cally located 364-acre parcel in Seaside, with Sitka spruce, an historic fl ood plain, wetlands and waterways. The purchase delivered “a vision that dealt with connectiv- ity, that dealt with the community and the pulse of the region,” Maine said. Beyond Boneyard Ridge It’s fair to say that 30 years ago a school district superinten- dent would not have been writing a logging company to thank them for a gift of 80 acres for a new campus to move schools out of the tsunami danger zone. “We want to convey our heartfelt appreciation to you for Weyerhaeuser Company’s generous donation of 80 acres to the Seaside School District,” Superintendent-emeritus Doug Dougherty wrote in August. “We applaud your community spirit and corporate philanthropy.” The land conservancy’s Maine and subsequent leadership rely on cooperation, mutual benefi t and community engagement to achieve their goals. Purchasing land is a “much better way to go” than litigating for it, Maine said. Voelke said she hopes to learn from the Boneyard Ridge purchase as a model for future conservation. “Right now we see opportunities to do meaningful forest conservation,” Voelke said. The conservancy is seeking to fi ll the “puzzle pieces” be- tween Tillamook Head and Neahkahnie Mountain. “We are specifi cally looking at the areas around the state parks,” Voelke said. “Areas we can make a huge contiguous cor- ridor. That’s the kind of thing we see as a very good role for us.” It used to be the conservancy battled timber companies in courtrooms; now they sign partnerships in those same buildings. “I think it’s a little bit like the tortoise and the hare,” Maine said at the conservancy’s 30th anniversary picnic. “Let oppor- tunities come to you, let others do some dreaming — and help them be successful.” Which type of wine drinker are you? W ine drinkers come in every shape and size. They also come with every type of opinion and knowledge level as well. I have now survived fi ve summers as owner of The Wine Shack and have come to the conclusion that wine drinkers come in a couple of categories. My guess is that you’ll fi nd yourself in here somewhere. “I’m not a wine afi cionado.” The most honest wine drinkers are also the newest to the UNCORKED world of wine. RAMBLINGS This group is STEVE SINKLER just starting out, don’t know much and are usually willing to talk about what they like, what they’re looking for and gasp … try something new. I enjoy working with this type of wine drinker and I typically steer them to an affordable, yet easy drinking bottle of wine. “Where are your sweet wines?” This group is also a beginner’s group as they have started drinking wine, but still fi nd red wines to be too big, too tannic or too dry for their taste buds. Dessert wines, sweet rieslings and moscatos are this wine drinker’s safe zone. In the future, I’ll get them to pick up a bottle of pinot gris or off-dry riesling, but for now, bring on the sugar. “I drink anything but …” The exclusionary wine drinkers are an interesting group. These wine drinkers have had a bad experience with a bottle (or two) and have written off that grape entirely. These wine drink- ers usually fi nish the “anything but” sentence with either “chardonnay” or “merlot.” Chardonnay typically makes this list because the customer has tried a cheap California chardonnay that tastes like a buttery piece of lumber. I can’t say I blame them. These bulk manufactured wines don’t help the cause of the world’s best-selling wine. Merlot, a delicious soft red wine makes the list for a completely different reason. In the 2004 movie “Side- ways,” one of the main characters announces his total dislike and refusal to drink merlot. This single movie scene has sent merlot sales into a nosedive. Fortunately for those of us in Oregon, the same movie praised pinot noir and has resulted in a surge in sales over the past 10 years. It’s not easy to combat the Sideways effect, so I usually steer the customer to a red blend (which may be mostly merlot). Don’t tell them. “I only drink …” Another type of “exclusionary” wine drinker, the “I only drink” group is a bit pecu- liar. The sentence usually ends with “red wine,” but it could also end with “cabernet sauvignon.” Very rarely does the sentence end with “white wine.” This group is trapped in a very small box, yet tends to wear their statement as some sort of status symbol, as if one wine was more prestigious than another. I often wonder if this wine drinker is similar to the brilliant scientist who wears the same style of cloth- ing every day, so he (or she) can spend more time thinking about important things. Or, does this person eat the same food every day, as in “I only eat pork chops”? It’s a bit strange. Typically, when a customer proudly exclaims they only drink red wine, I’ll ask them what they have when it’s 85 degrees outside. Of course, they say ”red wine” and give me the “what part of I only drink red wine don’t you understand?” look. Oh well, I don’t try to change this group, but I will talk to them about trying a lighter red wine, such as gamay, grenache or pinot noir during summer. “I never spend more than $20 for a bottle of wine.” I love the frugal wine drinker and consider myself a member of this group. This wine drinker will go through my store in search of the best bang for the buck. They aren’t usually looking for a specifi c wine, just a great wine at a great price. We’re happy to oblige and have a great selection for the frugal wine drinker to choose from. I’ll show them our “2 for $20” wines and the wines which are second labels See Uncorked, Page 5A Change is the only constant in Cannon Beach REFLECTIONS ELAINE TRUCKE A s we say goodbye to the summer, we say goodbye to warm summer nights spent around a bonfi re. Goodbye cool summer treats, shorts, sleeveless shirts, and days spent at the river. As sad as we are to see these things go, I’m sure that many of us are ready to welcome the quiet eve- nings walking the beach, the spec- tacular fall sunsets, and sweaters! Who hasn’t pulled out their fl annels in preparation? The summers are why we live here, but the winters are why we stay. It’s hard to believe how much has changed in our community. We lament the loss of historic hangouts Publisher David F. Pero Editor R.J. Marx Reporter Lyra Fontaine Sales/Advertising Manager Betty Smith like the Round Table Restaurant or the Whaler, but don’t mind bellying up to the bar of the Public House, or Driftwood. Change is the only constant, and that includes this small town. While our favorite places change, other things remain the same. You might fi nd a group gathered around a bonfi re on the beach in 1903, just as you would in 2016. The conver- sation might be a bit different, the clothing slightly more synthetic, but pretty much the same. The camaraderie of winter is another thing that remains the same. We survive them, and we sure do enjoy remembering them. We un- abashedly tell the horrors of going weeks without power, without a thought of ever leaving. This is why we are here. We are here to perch along the Pacifi c Ocean and to survey one of the most pristine coastal beaches. (I’m Production Manager John D. Bruijn Circulation Manager Heather Ramsdell Classifi ed Sales Jamie Ramsdell Advertising Sales Holly Larkins Brandy Stewart So, residents, and courageous Cannon Beach visitors, are you ready for what winter brings? SUBMITTED PHOTO A boy at the beach enjoying a hot dog, most likely in the 1940s in Cannon Beach. not the only one who thinks so. See National Geographic, Coastal Living, and so many others that CANNON BEACH GAZETTE The Cannon Beach Gazette is published every other week by EO Media Group. 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, Oregon 97138 503-738-5561 • Fax 503-738-9285 www.cannonbeachgazette.com • email: editor@cannonbeachgazette.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Annually: $40.50 in county, $58.00 in and out of county. Postage Paid at: Cannon Beach, OR 97110 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cannon Beach Gazette, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Copyright 2015 © Cannon Beach Gazette. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. talk about the beauty of Cannon Beach.) These days, Cannon Beach is a hop, skip and a jump from Portland, but it wasn’t always this way. There was a time that getting to Cannon Beach was something of a challenge. There was a trip by steamboat along the Columbia River, then a train ride, then a trip by horseback, buggy, or by foot. The train wasn’t extended to Sea- side until 1890. The “road” from Seaside was nothing more than a muddy winding trail. Until 1904 the only road to Cannon Beach was a toll road. The Elk Creek toll road cost 25 cents for a single horse or mule, a buggy with a single horse or mule was 50 cents, and the prices jumped from there. The fi rst hotel in Cannon Beach was the Elk Creek Hotel, which was constructed in 1892. The fi rst article to gush about the town was written in 1891 and claimed the town was a “sportsman’s paradise.” In 1904, the county took over management of the road and began a decades long project to rid it of the 111 curves. The journey was quite time consuming, but the destination was worth it. Cannon Beach has been the perfect sojourn for those in need of respite. See Refl ections, Page 5A THE NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING
