August 3, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 5A
The silver lining from the Great Coastal Gale of 2007
I
n late July I had the opportunity
to attend an Oregon Recreation
Trails Advisory Council
meeting, which was regionally
held in Tillamook. These quarterly
meetings are designed to highlight
and network current trail work
throughout the state as well as
designate state significant trails to
highlight the best urban and scenic
trails in Oregon.
The meeting in Tillamook high-
lighted important work on equestri-
an trails and some significant work
underway at the Siuslaw National
Forest, south of Tillamook. But the
highlight of the meeting was the
update on the Salmonberry Trail,
provided by Dennis Wiley.
Wiley, an employee of Oregon
Parks and Recreation Department,
is managing the Salmonberry Trail
Project and if you haven’t heard of
this amazing work, please allow me
to explain.
The Port of Tillamook Bay
Railroad is a 101 mile stretch of
rail that spans from Tillamook to
SKY BOX
SKYLER ARCHIBALD
Hillsboro. For nearly 100 years, the
line was an important aspect of life
in Tillamook County as the railroad
transported the important agricultur-
al products of those communities —
timber and agricultural yields — to
the Portland area.
But in 2007, the Great Coastal
Gale of 2007 changed the rail line
and many of the communities along
it in an ominous and unpredictable
fashion. Damage to multiple stretch-
es of the line was extensive and
it was expected to cost more than
$20 million to repair initially, only
to have those costs increase to $80
million upon full surveillance of the
damage.
The decision was made to not
repair the rail line and while you
cannot fault the decision makers due
SALMONBERRY TRAIL
Salmonberry Trail
to the steep costs, the passage no
longer could play an important role
in connecting both goods and Ore-
gonians with the natural resources
that are so abundant in this state.
But as you’ve probably come to
expect, a silver lining emerged in
the aftermath of 2007. A talented
and dedicated set of volunteers
and staff from many government
and nonprofit agencies blended
their voice to begin the process of
converting what once was a produc-
tive railroad line into an 86-mile,
mixed-use, nonmotorized path that
stretches from Banks to Tillamook.
While the trail still has signifi-
cant work ahead, including finding
a way for users to traverse many
of the canyons whose bridges were
destroyed by the storm, the work
is progressing rapidly, and some
sections of the trail are already at or
near completion.
I was deeply moved by the work
of the individuals involved with
this project and will closely moni-
tor and participate in the next steps.
As I’ve stated previously, we live
in one of the most beautiful parts of
the world and this trail would high-
light much of what our region has
to offer as it winds from the rich
fertile Willamette Valley through
the majestic Tillamook Forest
partly along the Nehalem River and
concludes along the scenic stretch
of Highway 101 from Wheeler to
Tillamook.
The Salmonberry Trail would
also offer connections from the
greater Portland area to the coast
for outdoor enthusiasts and provide
a safer option than navigating the
current highways for travelers not in
a vehicle.
While we have abundant outdoor
recreation opportunities available in
our region, the Salmonberry Trail
has the potential to be transcendent
in its benefits to all Oregonians and
visitors.
Finding strategies to overcome an irrational fear of dogs
I
f you’re a dog lover, it may be
hard to imagine that some people
despise dogs. Who could hate
a dog? Just as what many people
may perceive as “aggression” in
dogs is often nothing more than fear
and self-protection, fear of dogs —
cynophobia — often appears, to us
dog lovers, as hatred of our beloved
canine companions. (This is not to
excuse those who act out of malice
— something quite different.)
After the fear of snakes and
spiders, cynophobia is the most
common animal phobia. Cynopho-
bia usually begins in childhood and
may be experiential, observational,
or learned. A cynophobic person
may, for example, have in the past
been bitten or chased (experiential),
have witnessed someone else being
attacked (observational), or her/his
fear may have been shaped (taught)
by others in her/his life, who passed
down their own fears, or told ugly
stories, about mean dogs; fears or
imaginations may be activated by
parents or other family members,
television, or even children’s books
like Little Red Riding Hood. It may
be argued that learned cynophobia is
perpetuated by misconceptions and
myths about breeds and colors, e.g.,
“black dog syndrome.” For those
suffering from cynophobia who do
CANINE CORNER
RAIN JORDAN
& DAHLIA
not fall into any of these causal cat-
egories, evolutionary psychologists
offer another theory, that fear and
avoidance of dogs is a holdover from
our distant history when humans
were prey, and thus the irrational
fear may be rooted in genetics and
ancestral experience.
Those who spend a lot of time
with dogs and do not avoid them are
less likely to develop the phobia. But
that does not help those who already
have it. It is unfortunate that only 12
to 30 percent of those suffering from
the illness seek treatment — espe-
cially given that, as therapists work-
ing in this field have said, and as all
dog owners know, most dogs are all
bark and no bite. There are nearly
90 million dogs in the United States.
That’s a lot of needless, treatable
anxiety for cynophobics.
Ironically, those who love and
live with dogs will confirm that,
among other things, they help keep
stress and anxiety levels at bay.
Many dog owners will also say that
dogs keep them active, playful, joy-
ful, calm, positive, attentive, careful, upset that the dogs growled at him,
humble, and kind. I think this is often from their own property.
true, though it doesn’t mean we’re
Many people bring home dogs
perfect. I’m one example, in that I’m to protect them and their property
not immune to taking offense, even
— there was a time not so long ago
though dogs have definitely made
when that was the standard, accept-
ed reason, so I’m not sure why a
me a better person. I’m not immune,
growl when a stranger, especially an
especially when it comes to the
welfare of dogs — who are innocent, angry stranger, approaches a dog’s
property is such
at the whim and
a shock. But as a
mercy of their
AFTER THE FEAR
canine behavior
humans, and of
professional,
other humans.
OF SNAKES
what I do know
My hus-
AND SPIDERS,
band attended a
is that growling
meeting recently CYNOPHOBIA — FEAR is normal and a
where people
respected form
OF DOGS — IS THE
were angry and
of communica-
tion. Growling
venting. Dogs
MOST COMMON
says, “Hey, I
were not the
ANIMAL PHOBIA.
tried to tell you
problem at hand
nicely before,
but became a
but you ignored
scapegoat for
their owner, the true topic of conten- me. You are making me uncomfort-
able. Please stop it.”
tion. The dogs had hurt no one and
If a dog is growling at you,
really, had done nothing wrong; it
was the owner who had misbehaved, here’s advice that would normally
cost around $100 an hour: First ask
which resulted in his dogs doing
yourself What am I doing to scare
what dogs do naturally. Suddenly
the dog? Second, stop doing it im-
there was a call to limit everyone’s
mediately. Third, do not do it again.
rights to have dogs in their homes,
then someone declared that in Alaska Fourth, don’t blame a dog for being
a dog, or for communicating in the
you can shoot a dog, no questions
peaceful one of at least two peaceful
asked for the natural behavior
aforementioned. Another person was language modes a dog has.
Guardians of dogs have come
to expect kindness for them. I think
most would expect a person upset by
a dog to act humanely and take it up
with the dog’s humans rather than
take it out on the dog. To do other-
wise would be rather like a stranger
threatening children for whispering
about him in their yard as he walked
by it.
If you are struggling with cy-
nophobia, those who care for dogs
would surely return your kindness by
offering empathy and support; I’m
sure many would be happy to help
you get accustomed to a dog if you
wished — desensitization being part
of learning to navigate a world full
of dogs, just as many dogs who are
afraid of humans must learn to be
comfortable with humans. For those
who’ve been caught up in something
unpleasant, in which a dog happened
to be a bystander, consider giving a
responsible dog owner a chance to
show you what dogs — not irrespon-
sible owners — are really about.
There is much to love and learn in
the wonderful world of woofers.
(And by the way, they actually can
be trained to not bark!)
Rain Jordan of Elevate Dog
Training & Behavior is a certified,
professional dog trainer. Contact her
at ElevateDogTraining@gmail.com.
Signal wins awards at annual Local youth theater
publishers association contest group to present
‘Sherlock Holmes’
Seaside Signal
R.J. MARX
David Russell, Lisa Cerveny
and Katie Voelke at a house
party for the North Coast
Land Conservancy.
Conservancy
supporters
gather in
Gearhart
By R.J. Marx
Seaside Signal
Gearhart homeowner and
supporter of the North Coast
Land Conservancy Lisa
Cerveny and David Russell
opened up their gardens on
Saturday to show support for
the conservancy’s efforts.
Thanking the “incredible vol-
unteers and amazing work on
a daily basis,” she introduced
the orgenization’s executive
director Katie Voelke.
In Oregon, the effect of
land conservation is more
than four times the land base
of Oregon’s state parks. “It’s
making a huge difference in
holding lands together, and
making it possible for ani-
mals, plants and people — all
of us — to survive out there
right now.”
Voelke said the conservan-
cy was active throughout Sea-
side and the South County, in-
cluding the ongoing efforts of
conservation of the 3,500-acre
Rainforest Reserve above Os-
wald West State Park, a $10
million project including land
purchase, stewardship and
project costs.
Journalists at The Seaside
Signal and its sister publica-
tions recently earned a num-
ber of honors in the annual
Oregon Newspaper Publish-
ers Association contest.
• R.J. Marx, editor of the
Seaside Signal and Cannon
Beach Gazette, won second
place for his editorials and
columns. The Gazette won
second place for design, and
the Signal third.
• Colin Murphey won two
first-place awards, for best
news photo and best sports
photo.
• Elleda Wilson won first
place, best local column, for
In One Ear.
• Erick Bengel won sec-
ond place, best local column,
for Scratch Pad.
• Brenna Visser and Ka-
tie Frankowicz won second
place in business coverage
for Help Wanted, about the
struggle of North Coast em-
ployers to find workers.
• Frankowicz won third
place, general feature story,
for Trail of Discovery, about
hikers ditching the Pacific
Crest Trail in favor of the Or-
egon Coast Trail.
• Frankowicz also took
third place in lifestyle cov-
erage for Sturgeon Bonanza,
about fishermen flocking to
the river for a rare short sea-
son.
• The Daily Astorian staff
won first place, special sec-
tion or issue, for the 2017
edition of Our Coast Maga-
zine, and second place in the
same category for its com-
memoration of the 10th anni-
versary of the Great Coastal
Gale of 2007.
Newspapers belonging to
the EO Media Group — the
parent company of The Dai-
Join the Clatsop Chil-
dren’s Theater Company as
they bring to life the story of
“Sherlock Holmes: The Bak-
er Street Irregulars” at the
Coaster Theatre Playhouse
in Cannon Beach.
The company of young
actors, sponsored by Jere-
my Mills State Farm and
the Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District, will per-
form the play at 2 p.m. Sat-
urdays and Sundays, Aug.
11, 12, 18 and 19.
Sherlock Holmes is miss-
ing, and the streets of Lon-
don are awash with crime.
Who will save the day? The
Baker Street Irregulars—a
gang of street kids hired by
Sherlock himself to help
solve cases. Now they must
band together to prove not
only that Sherlock is not
dead but also to find the
mayor’s missing daughter,
untangle a murder mystery
from their own past, and face
the masked criminal master-
mind behind it all—a bandit
who just may be the brilliant
evil Moriarty, the man who
killed Sherlock himself! Can
a group of orphans, pick-
pockets, inventors and artists
rescue the people of Lon-
don? The game is afoot!
This production, adapt-
ed by Eric Coble from the
graphic novels by Tony
Lee and Dan Boultwood, is
also sponsored by the Inn
at Seaside and River Inn at
Seaside, and made possible
through a grant from the
Clatsop County Cultural Co-
alition.
Events are free and open
to the public. Donations to
support the children’s theater
are welcome. During inter-
mission, refreshments will
be available for purchase.
There also will be drawings
for prizes donated by local
businesses.
For more information,
contact director Katherine
Lacaze at 503-741-5668 or
katherine.lacaze@yahoo.
com.
powered by
ly Astorian — took home
dozens of ONPA honors.
The East Oregonian, Blue
Mountain Eagle and Capi-
tal Press all won the general
excellence awards in their
respective divisions, and the
Wallowa County Chieftain
third.
Another local Clatsop
County newspaper, the Co-
lumbia Press, won four sec-
ond-place awards in a dif-
ferent circulation category
— best coverage of business
and economic news, best local
column, best government cov-
erage and best overall writing.
music fi rst