September 23, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A
Arch Cape committee still facing dissolution
Planning
Commission
urges end to
panel
By Kyle Spurr
EO Media Group
Arch Cape residents who
want to save their citizen advi-
sory committee took a hit this
week.
The Clatsop County Plan-
ning Commission sent a rec-
ommendation Tuesday to the
Board of Commissioners to
dissolve the Arch Cape Design
Review Committee.
The Board of Commis-
sioners originally discontin-
ued Arch Cape’s committee
in February, calling the group
unnecessary, time-consuming,
expensive and a potential legal
liability.
Former interim County
Manager Rich Mays accused
the committee of harassing a
county employee about her
disability. Despite her re-
quests, Mays claims, the group
voted to move its meetings to
a building that is not a feder-
al Americans with Disabilities
Act-approved facility.
Supporters of the commit-
tee challenged the county’s de-
cision with the state Land Use
Board of Appeals, which sent
the issue back to the county.
The county still plans to
discontinue the design re-
Alternatives
County Manager Cameron Moore
advised that there is no point in staff
spending time exploring options for
retaining the (committee).
Planning Commission staff report
view committee, but this time
through a process that includes
public hearings before the
committee, Planning Commis-
sion and Board of Commis-
sioners.
“County Manager Camer-
on Moore advised that there is
no point in staff spending time
exploring options for retaining
the (committee),” according to
a Planning Commission staff
report.
Moore pointed out the
county is still liable for the
committee’s actions and is re-
quired to spend staff time en-
suring the committee follows
public records and meetings
laws.
The Arch Cape Design Re-
view Committee, also known
as the Southwest Coastal Cit-
izens Advisory Committee, is
one of a kind in Clatsop Coun-
ty.
Other county residents
bring proposals directly to the
planning staff, without input
of a local committee.
Supporters in Arch Cape
say the local input is critical
to maintaining the liv ability of
the unincorporated town south
of Cannon Beach. The county
is concerned the committee re-
quires an extra layer for peo-
ple who want to build or sell
homes in Arch Cape.
In addition to dissolving
the committee, the Planning
Commission recommended
alternatives to encourage citi-
zen involvement.
One idea is appli-
cant-neighborhood meetings
for certain applications, such
as large subdivisions or rezon-
ing requests. A meeting would
be scheduled for the applicant
to present their concept to
neighbors.
“Usually, it’s to the appli-
cant’s benefi t,” Community
Development Director Heath-
er Hansen said. “They are
hearing what people are con-
cerned about before they turn
in their application.”
The Board of Commission-
ers is expected to vote on the
Planning Commission’s rec-
ommendation later this month.
Whale unlikely to move again
Whale from Page 1A
unable to access the whale Saturday.
By their return the next day, the
whale had washed back into the ocean.
“Where it washed ashore at Arch
Cape, it was on a cobble beach,” Cox
said. “With no sand there to create that
extra friction, it fl oated out to sea.”
“When whales come to shore, they
have often been dead for weeks,” said
Jim Rice, Oregon State University
Marine Mammal Stranding Network
coordinator. “Natural mortality can be
harder to determine when the carcass
has been fl oating at sea for awhile.”
Chandler noted the mammal had
been dead for some time and its tis-
sues likely rotting, which could make
understanding its cause of death more
diffi cult.
A necropsy’s purpose is both to
determine why the animal died and to
gather tissues that can be used for future
studies on the animal’s nutrition and
other research topics, Rice said. Poten-
tial reasons for whale deaths in general
include lack of prey, diseases, biotoxins
and trauma through fi shery gear entan-
glement or collisions with vessels.
Humpbacks are less common than
gray whales, and occasionally wash up
on the North Coast.
Oregon State Parks and Recreation
staff will be on Short Sand Beach Sat-
urday and Sunday to present free inter-
pretive talks, whether the whale washes
back out or not. Staff will talk about the
importance of whales in the marine en-
vironment and the food source they pro-
vide when they wash ashore, Cox said.
Visitors are advised to park at North
Short Sand Trailhead on U.S. Highway
101. Follow trail signs to Short Sand
Beach, then walk north.
According to the parks department,
visitors should not take any pieces of
the whale or touch it and pets should be
kept away from the shore. Researchers
with required federal permits can col-
lect tissue from the mammal.
FILE PHOTO
Beach cleanup in Cannon Beach 2015.
The tale of the whale
The day it rained whale
On Friday night, the approximately 38-foot humpback
whale veered around Arch Cape toward the Falcon Cove
community.
As night fell Friday, the whale washed up on Cove
Beach.
On Saturday morning, the whale could be seen with
its stomach inverted and distended. Experts feared the
stomach could explode.
Researchers were blocked by high tides as gas from the
whale’s stomach was naturally released during the day.
As researchers arrived to determine the cause of death,
the whale washed back out to sea.
Tuesday, the whale’s body returned to land, this time at
Short Sand Beach in Oswald West State Park.
In 1970, a large dead sperm whale washed ashore near
Florence, Ore. Engineers from the Oregon Highway Division
were tasked with removing the dead whale.
Their plan? Half a ton of dynamite.
All seemed to go well until chunks of whale parts and
blubber started raining down from the sky, splattering TV
news crewmen and onlookers as far as 800 feet away.
One unfortunate bystander had a large chunk of blubber
smash his car.
In his commentary, TV reporter Paul Linnman said, “It
might be concluded that should a whale ever was ashore in
Lane County again, those in charge will not only remember
what to do. They’ll certainly remember what not to do.”
—Compiled by Corey Fisher
Tolovana Wayside beach
cleanup slated on Saturday
Join SOLVE and Pacifi Corp
for a beach cleanup at Tolova-
na Wayside on Saturday, Sept.
24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Volunteers are encouraged
to never turn their backs on
the ocean and to wear and
bring appropriate gear for rain
or shine. Bags and gloves will
be provided. Recycling ser-
vices are donated by Recology
Western Oregon, and refresh-
ments and setup at City Hall
are provided by Pacifi c Alarm
Systems.
For more information and
to register, go to solveoregon.
org.
Dining on the
No touching!
The twice-daily high
tides predicted over the
next few weeks are not ex-
pected to be high enough
to take it back out to sea,
though it is still possible
for it to wash out.
Researchers have the
required federal permits
to collect tissue from dead
whales. All other visitors
are encouraged to come
see the humpback, but are
not allowed to take any
pieces and are discour-
aged from touching it.
When visiting, keep
pets away from the
corpse, and keep an eye
TARA ERBEN/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
on the ocean for safety’s
sake.
By late Saturday, neighbors reported the whale had defl ated signifi cantly.
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