Friday, June 21, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
Help protect young seal pups by giving them distance
S
pring is in the air and seal
pups are being born along
the Pacifi c Northwest coast.
Harbor seals often leave young
pups safely on beaches, docks, and
rocky outcrops with the mother
close by.
However the mother may not
return if humans are too close
or touch the pup. Thus wildlife
experts suggest “don’t touch seal
pups!”
Oregon and Washington typ-
ically see harbor seals born
throughout spring into summer,
while California may see pups
early as February. These young
animals use time on land to reg-
ulate body temperature and rest
while their mothers hunt nearby.
Female seals birth annually
after an 11-month gestation and
utilize familiar coastal shores or
estuary areas with easy access
to water to have their pups. New
seals can immediately swim but
stay close and ride on their moth-
ers back while they mature.
Seal milk has an incredible 40%
SEASIDE
AQUARIUM
WENDI
AGALZOFF
fat content. From birth young seals
can double in size during the four
to six weeks they nurse then wean
and learn to hunt. Pups depend on
the stored body fat gained through
nursing to survive foraging on
their own. Thus, any interference
from humans that would cause
premature separation between pup
and mother would be detrimental
to the pups expected survival.
Marine mammals are protected
under the Marine Mammal Pro-
tection Act. Under this federal
law it is illegal to move, touch,
harass, feed or kill marine mam-
mals including seal pups. Harbor
seals live on land for nearly half
their lives breeding, molting, rest-
ing and raising their offspring.
Molting occurs after pups are
Tiff any Boothe/Seaside Aquarium
Harbor seal pup in Seaside.
weaned and in order to retain
warmth and energy molting seals
often stay on land for extended
periods of time. Human encroach-
ment and domestic dog interaction
are big challenges for the health
and well-being of both young and
mature seals.
If a seal pup is seen on the
beach or docks please contact the
Marine Mammal Stranding Net-
work. Local wildlife offi cials will
post educational signs that encour-
age the public to keep a safe dis-
tance away from the animal while
the situation is monitored by
experts. Most of the time the ani-
mal is healthy and in need of a rest
before it rejoins with its mother or
re-enters the water.
The Marine Mammal Strand-
ing Network is able to respond to
sightings of seal pups and other
injured or dead marine mammals,
including whales or dolphins.
Responders will act as quickly as
possible to assess the situation and
obtain information and observa-
tions about the animal in question.
For the northern Oregon and
Southern Washington Coast the
Seaside Aquarium is the local
responder for the Marine Mam-
mal Stranding Network and can
be contacted at 503-738-6211. If a
stranded marine mammal is found
elsewhere the Oregon State Police
reporting line can be called 800-
452-7888 and they will contact
the appropriate stranding network
responder for the area.
Seaside grant winners make our city a welcoming place
easide’s annual Tourism
Grant Program awarded
$50,000 in funding to seven
different organizations for the
2019-2020 fi scal cycle.
Here are the events and attrac-
tions the Tourism Advisory Com-
mittee funded and what that will
mean for Seaside as a destination.
Fourth of July Fireworks.
While this holiday can certainly
inspire bad behavior in some, it’s
also one of the busiest periods of
the year for hotels, restaurants,
shops, and — well — literally
every inch of Seaside. The Cham-
ber of Commerce project man-
ages Seaside’s fi reworks display,
which is one of the largest and
most-impressive in the state and
along the coast. Thanks to the
impressive dedication of Public
Works, police, fi re, and countless
citizens and volunteers, the vast
majority of visitors to Seaside
during the Fourth of July holiday
leave with a new or renewed love
for all this community offers.
Pickleball Tournament. Now
in its second year, the Beaches &
Breakers Pickleball Classic holds
a lot of promise for developing
into a regular staple for Sunset
Empire Park and Recreation Dis-
trict. A cross between tennis and
ping-pong, Pickleball is the fast-
est growing sport in the U.S. The
tournament promises to bring
approximately 100 players (plus
their families and fans) to Seaside
S
DIRECTOR’S
CHAIR
JOSHUA
HEINEMAN
for a three-day weekend in April
2020.
Jump Rope Tournament.
This grant program is a longtime
supporter of the Tsunami Skip-
pers jump rope team and this year
is no different. We’d encourage
anyone to attend the April 2020
Oregon Coast Classic, the only
jump rope competition in Ore-
gon. Look for teams from Cali-
fornia and Idaho to join this year.
Halloween Happenin’s. Sea-
side Downtown Development
Association puts on this annual
family-friendly event spread
across a holiday week in Octo-
ber 2019. From games and craft
stations at downtown businesses
to a haunted surrey contest and
parade, this event — as always
— promises to be a memora-
ble time for visitors and residents
alike.
Jazz Festival. After 35 years,
the 2018 Seaside Jazz Festival
was the last… or so we thought.
Three industrious souls have
formed a committee to explore
bringing back the jazz festival in
February 2020 in response to the
universal feeling that something
was just not quite right with-
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
The North Coast Trail Alliance was among Seaside groups to receive
tourism grant funds.
out the festival this year. In order
to build a stable foundation for
future developments, the com-
mittee will limit venues and scale
back to two full days instead of
four. Small steps to big things.
Salt Makers. In that sweet
spot between high summer and
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thank you from the
history center
We would like to thank the com-
munity of Cannon Beach and the
Seaside School District for being
so supportive of the Cannon Beach
History Center & Museum and our
decision to purchase the former
Cannon Beach Elementary School
property.
The museum had hoped to
restore the gymnasium and create
a cultural event center for the com-
munity of Cannon Beach. Over the
past few months it has become clear
that our timeline for this purchase
must be pushed back. We hope to
approach the school district in the
future, but for now, we must focus
our energy on the museum and its
collections.
We can’t believe the amount of
support we’ve received from area
non-profits, the Clatsop-Nehalem
tribes, the National Parks, the North
Coast Land Conservancy, and the
Tourism and Arts commission.
Thank you all,
From all of us at the Cannon
Beach History Center & Museum
Elaine Trucke
Executive Director
Author explores the Oregon Coast
Seaside Signal
Join the Angi D. Wildt Gallery on
Saturday, June 29, at 4:30 p.m. to cel-
ebrate the opening of the gallery and
hear Oregon author Andre’ GW Hag-
estedt’s talk, “Ten Ways to Better
Enjoy The Beach.”
Hagestedt, author of the Ultimate
Oregon Coast Travel book series,
delves into a variety of surprises the
coastline has waiting. Each of the four
books also feature deep insider’s tips
and historical accounts often not found
elsewhere.
our spectacular fall, the Sea-
side Museum & Historical Soci-
ety will host several living his-
tory interpreters at the south
Prom to re-enact the salt-making
camp of the Lewis & Clark expe-
dition. Free and open to the gen-
eral public, this September 2019
event rounds out a busy weekend
in Seaside with the Wheels and
Waves Car Show downtown.
Mountain Bike Trails. If you
get a chance to hear the all-vol-
unteer North Coast Trail Alli-
ance discuss their vision for the
Klootchy Creek trail system,
don’t miss it. They’re building an
all-skill, all-season mountain bik-
ing attraction in the hills above
Seaside that will eventually con-
nect the city to Klootchy Creek
via Twin Peaks. The trails are
poised to become an especially
signifi cant draw to serious moun-
tain bikers in the winter and early
spring when inland trails are
snowed out. According to avail-
able data, mountain bikers aver-
age $491 in local spending for
just a weekend biking trip.
Complete details on the
grant program are available
at www.SeasideOR.com/tour-
ism-grant-program and the appli-
cation window for the next cycle
will open in early 2020.
Got a tourism-related com-
ment or question? I’d love to
hear from you. Write me at jhe-
ineman@cityofseaside.us.
DINING
on the
NORTH COAST
Great Restaurants in:
GEARHART • SEASIDE
CANNON BEACH
WANNA KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO?
The Angi D Wildt Gallery opened
earlier this year and is located in the
newly-renovated Beacon Building in
the Historical Gilbert District of Sea-
side. It features original and unique
works of art by primarily Pacifi c North-
west Artists, and comes from eight
years of Wildt’s experience with other
galleries. This space and approach was
inspired from a famed gallery in Car-
mel, California.
The talk is free; meet-and-greet fol-
lows with books available for sale at
the gallery. The Angi Wildt Gallery is
located at 737 Broadway, #2; 541- 961-
1229; www.angidwildtgallery.com.
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
BEST
BREAKFAST
IN TOWN!
• Lighter
appetite
menu
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Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak
Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib
Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight
All Oregon Lottery products available
1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am
MAZATLAN
M E X I C A N R E S TA U R A N T
EO Media Group to purchase La Grande, Baker City papers
East Oregonian
SALEM — EO Media
Group’s presence in Oregon
is set to get even stronger.
Pending court approval,
the company will be add-
ing two more newspapers to
the fold with the expected
additions of the La Grande
Observer and the Baker
City Herald, Heidi Wright,
chief operating offi cer of EO
Media Group, announced on
Tuesday, June 4.
“We’re excited to wel-
come the La Grande
Observer and Baker City
Herald into the EO Media
Group family,” Wright said.
“Our family-held company
has deep roots in Eastern
Oregon since 1908.”
The reported purchase
price was $775,000 for the
two papers. Fourth-genera-
tion EO Media Group owner
Kathryn Brown, of Pendle-
ton, said she is excited about
the purchase.
“My cousins and I are
committed to keeping local
journalism alive in the rural
communities we serve,” she
said. “We look forward to
providing credible and rel-
evant news to Union and
Baker counties for many
years to come.”
Wright said that if all
goes well, the sale will be
completed July 1.
Western
Communica-
tions Inc. owns the two
Eastern Oregon newspapers,
along with the Bend Bulle-
tin and a few other publi-
cations in Oregon and Cal-
ifornia. The corporation
fi led for Chapter 11 bank-
ruptcy protection in January.
Lawyers for Western Com-
munications told the bank-
ruptcy court the plan was to
sell property and buildings,
according to court records,
and in a hearing last week
said all the newspapers had
offers.
“A few weeks ago, the
(EOMG) put in a bid to take
over ownership of the papers
in La Grande and Baker
City,” Wright said. “These
towns are in close proxim-
ity to the company’s other
publications on the east side
of Oregon, which makes
this a great opportunity to
strengthen news coverage
for all of Eastern Oregon.”
Phone 503-738-9678
1445 S. Roosevelt Drive • Seaside
Excellence in family dining found
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Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days)
Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily)
Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144