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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2018)
July 27, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 7A Don’t fly your drone near Haystack Rock A visitor to Hug Point films a sunset using a drone. EDWARD STRATTON/THE DAILY ASTORIAN Drones can pose conflicts with wildlife By Hannah Sievert The Daily Astorian When Melissa Keyser start- ed working at the Haystack Rock Awareness Program in 2014, man- aging drones around the famous sea stack wasn’t in her job descrip- tion. Over the past few years, though, the number of drones buzzing around the rock has jumped from around one a week to one or two flights a day. Scientists are using drones more and more for research, tracking all kinds of wildlife. But as drones be- come more popular with people as playthings and high-flying cameras, they can cause nesting birds to fly away and leave chicks and eggs sus- ceptible to predators. Sometimes, birds mistake drones for rivals and attack. On crowded days, drones can be a hazard when flown too close to people enjoying the beach. “I’ve seen a drone 5, 10 feet above my head, which to me is too low when you’re at the beach,” Key- ser said. The Haystack Rock Awareness Program and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department are looking at new strategies to balance the technology with wildlife protection. The emphasis is on education. Drones are prohibited near Hay- stack Rock because it is part of a national wildlife refuge, and drone operators can face fines for disturb- ing wildlife. Keyser said most drone opera- tors are unaware of the restrictions, so the awareness program typically does not report them immediately. In some instances, staff can’t even find a drone operator causing a disturbance because drones can be controlled from remote loca- tions. One time, a drone that flushed birds from the rock was being flown from a nearby hotel room. “Whenever we approach some- one who has violated a rule, it’s not like they’re a criminal,” she said. “It’s really just a lack of knowledge. We totally understand this technology has grown so rapidly but the educa- tion hasn’t kept up.” New signs on the beach explain that drones must stay 2,000 feet from Haystack Rock. The aware- ness program has also provided guidance to staff on how to handle drone encounters, and has taken to social media and newsletters to re- mind people of proper drone use. Still, the effort doesn’t seem to be enough. Apps for drones don’t list Haystack Rock as a national wild- life refuge, although they do mark other no-fly zones like airports. Awareness program staff only work at the rock during low tide, leaving much of the day without anyone to manage drones. Keyser hopes drone apps will eventually include wildlife refuges. Greater knowledge of the possibili- ty of fines could help prevent wild- life disturbances. “(The fines) would deter a lot of people, but they don’t even have that knowledge,” Keyser said. “It’s still totally insufficient even with the people we talk to and the messages we put out. It’s still not enough.” The state Parks and Recreation Department has also had to devel- op new policies. Drones are gener- ally legal to use in most state parks, except in areas where flights could endanger wildlife or pose risks to people or property. A drone policy development group is working on an umbrella policy for all recreational drone use that will be easy for park visitors to understand. Katie Gauthier, the legislative and policy coordinator for state parks, who serves on the drone policy group, said the policy will be flexible enough to meet the unique needs of each park. “We wouldn’t have drones in ev- ery park for sure based on the park’s conditions,” she said. “But it’s those conditions that we’re still looking at developing.” A draft policy should be complet- ed this fall, with the goal of having the policy in place by 2019. Right now, it is up to park man- agers to decide whether drones are allowed. Nehalem Bay State Park was ruled a drone no-fly zone because of the nearby airport and the nesting birds in the area. Ben Cox, park manager for the Nehalem Bay Management Unit, may rule Short Sand Beach in Os- wald West State Park a no-fly zone because of the high concentration of people who visit. Still, Cox tries to make drone use happen safely when possible. “I try to figure out how to make this happen for the person so they can have an experience and not be bound up in regulations,” he said. “Oftentimes there’s a misconcep- tion that the government looks to limit or hinder. I look to allow unless I can’t. I want to make sure I’m not saying ‘no’ for no good reason.” PAINTING STORAGE AVAILABLE CANNON BEACH BUSINESS PARK 10’ x 10’ Heated Contact Holly at 503-436-2235 LAWN CARE Free Estimates • Storm Clean-Up JIM’S LAWN CARE 503-325-2445 LAWNS • SHRUBS • GUTTER CLEANING BARK • BRUSH CLEARING & REMOVAL WEEDING • HAULING • MONTHLY RATES CONSTRUCTION “Helping shape the character of Cannon Beach since 1973” Residential • Commercial • Remodeling New Construction • Storm Damage Repair Full Service Custom Cabinet Shop 503.436.2235 www.coasterconstruction.com • CCB# 150126 TREE REMOVAL HIGH CLIMBING DANGER TREES PRUNING STUMP GRINDING JUSTIN J. DAY F REE E STIMATES (503) 338-5780 Warrenton, Oregon Licensed Bonded Insured CCB# 214256 WA#QUALITR831PO PAINTING Randy Anderson Licensed • Bonded • Insured CCB# 89453 36 Years Experience Anderson Painting HANNAH SIEVERT/THE DAILY ASTORIAN (503) 738-9989 • Cell (503) 440-2411 • Fax (503) 738-9337 PO Box 140 Seaside, Oregon 97138 Signs posted at Haystack Rock indicate the drone policy. www.andersonpainting.biz “Custom Finishing” LANDSCAPING Hoping to expand with more kid-friendly options Fitness from Page 1A BRENNA VISSER/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE New location of Cannon Beach Fitness. C oast G allery and n umismatiCs “a different kind of gallery” But actually owning a gym didn’t come across their mind until Baker was on the phone with Nofield for an unrelated reason, before he flippantly asked if she’d be interested in owning his gym. With Baker running the spa full time and Molyneux working as a tech consultant for Global Reach Pacific, neither had the bandwidth to go in the project alone and decided to pursue a partner- ship. With both owners having kids enrolled in the academy, Molyneux said she hopes ex- panding the gym to incorpo- rate more kid-friendly oppor- tunities and play a piece in the larger puzzle to attract more families in Cannon Beach. “This is truly a passion project for us,” Molyneux said. “We wanted to give back to the community.” Laurelwood Compost • Mulch • Planting MacMix Soil Amendments YARD DEBRIS DROP-OFF (no Scotch Broom) 503-717-1454 34154 HIGHWAY 26 SEASIDE, OR Laurelwood Farm CONSTRUCTION B oB M c E wan c onstruction , inc . E xcavation • u ndErground u tiitiEs r oad w ork • F ill M atErial s itE P rEParation • r ock owned and operated by M ike and C eline M C e wan 503-738-3569 34154 Hwy 26, Seaside, OR P.O. Box 2845, Gearhart, OR S erving the p aCifiC n orthweSt S inCe 1956 • CC48302 FLOORING CCB# 205283 Coast Gallery and Numismatics is the northwest coast newest gallery. Opened June 1, 2018, Coast Gallery and Numismatics exclusively features original oil paintings and wood fired ceramics by Jeff Whyman MFA University California Berkeley 1981. Jeff Whyman lived in Cannon Beach for over 10 years and taught at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon. From around the world we also offer exotic shells and choice world coins. Regards coins we offer complimentary appraisals on Saturdays. 3350 N Hwy 101 Suite D, Gearhart, Oregon Wed. thru Sat. 9 am to 4 pm www.coastgallerynumismatics.com y ou ou r r w ep alk ut o at n io n Flooring Installation 3470 Hwy 101 Suite 102 • Gearhart, Oregon 503.739.7577 • carpetcornergearhart.com
