Friday, February 11, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A5
Celebrate the ‘Maine Event’ at Seaside Aquarium
SEASIDE
AQUARIUM
TIFFANY
BOOTHE
C
ome visit the Seaside
Aquarium on Sunday, Feb.
27, and take part in cele-
brating the local legacy of Neal
and his’s late wife, Karen Maine.
The aquarium introduced The
Maine Event last year as a way to
honor the Maines—who spear-
headed marine awareness and
conservation along the north-
ern Oregon Coast and beyond
— and fundraise for causes close
to their heart. The Maines have
inspired countless educational
programs, such as Sea Week and
the Beach and Estuary Discovery
Program. Most notably, Karen
was responsible for what is now
the Haystack Rock Awareness
Program, while Neal is cred-
ited for co-founding North Coast
Land Conservancy.
All funds raised from admis-
sions to the aquarium during The
Maine Event will be split and
donated to NCLC and Friends of
Haystack Rock
Creating HRAP to protect
marine life
It all started with a camera
and an aquarium. Neal, an avid
photographer and former Sea-
side High School teacher, was
photographing intertidal ani-
mals found in the tide pools sur-
rounding Haystack Rock in Can-
non Beach. Karen noticed how
interested people were in what
Neal was doing and the marine
life involved. It was then that
Karen had a thought, “Wouldn’t
it be nice if there were volun-
teers down at the beach introduc-
ing and educating people about
marine life?”
With that thought, the Puf-
fi n Club was formed. This vol-
unteer group would go down to
Haystack Rock during the low-
est tides of the year to educate
and show off the abundant marine
life surrounding the site, includ-
ing the visiting seabirds, which
return every year to nest and raise
their young.
While the Puffi n Club loved
interacting and educating the pub-
lic, visitation to Cannon Beach
continued to increase, taking a
toll on the small, fragile marine
environment that happened to
be right in the heart of Cannon
Beach. Haystack Rock was being
“loved to death” and it was clear
that this highly traffi cked area
Seaside Aquarium
A skate, one of the many attractions at the Seaside Aquarium.
needed some protection.
In 1968, Haystack Rock
became part of the Oregon
Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
This prohibited all public entry to
the area above the high-tide line,
but it did nothing to help preserve
and protect the intertidal life sur-
rounding Haystack Rock. The
success and infl uence of the Puf-
fi n Club inspired the city of Can-
non Beach to create the Haystack
Rock Awareness Program, and in
1991, Haystack Rock was desig-
nated as one of seven protected
Oregon Marine Gardens on the
Oregon Coast.
To this day, not only does the
intertidal life surrounding Hay-
stack Rock continue to thrive,
but the program also has inspired
generations of marine scientists
and conservationists, along with
inspiring countless other marine
educational and conservation
programs.
Establishing a local land
trust
1991 was a big year for the
Maines. Karen’s vision came
into being, and Neal’s was just
beginning to. North Coast Land
Conservancy was created in
1986, centered on the concept of
approaching conservation coop-
eratively rather than confronta-
tionally. The idea was to engage
the whole community to do what
was best for people, plants and
wildlife. In 1991, the land con-
servancy completed a success-
ful land swap that conserved a
15-acre parcel of private timber-
land adjacent to Saddle Mountain
State Park, a park known for its
rare plant species.
This was the fi rst biodiversi-
ty-based conservation proposal
that state and federal agencies
involved in the negotiations had
ever seen.
Since then, NCLC has con-
served thousands of acres of land
in Clatsop, Tillamook and Lin-
coln counties, mainly by acquir-
ing land outright or by acquiring
conservation easements on pri-
vate land. They also have helped
transfer hundreds of acres of land
to public ownership.
Taking care of wildlife
So, what does this have to do
with the Seaside Aquarium?
As many of you may know,
the Seaside Aquarium has a long,
rich history. Established in 1937,
many people have participated in
the aquarium’s success over the
years, but few have dedicated as
much time, energy and love as
Neal Maine. Neal’s dedication to
the Seaside Aquarium, the com-
munity and nature is inspirational.
He was involved with the
aquarium for many years when he
decided to join the board of direc-
Seaside Aquarium
Pinni invites the community to “The Maine Event” fundraiser.
tors in 1995. He joined the board
in hopes of helping the aquarium
expand their educational outreach
and get more involved in both
the community and the scientifi c
world.
Neal spearheaded the begin-
ning of what is now the North-
ern Oregon/Southern Washington
Marine Mammal Stranding Net-
work, a successful partnership
with National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration, Portland
State University and the Seaside
Aquarium. In 1995, he brought an
idea to the board asking them to
participate in what he called the
Seaside Beach and Necanicum
Estuary Discovery Program.
This program was designed
to be a free tool for both locals
and visitors to discover and learn
about the local beach and estuary
environments. The goal was to get
people to view their recreational
sites in a slightly diff erent way:
as a living breathing ecosystem.
While the program has evolved
over the years, the mission is still
the same.
BRIEFS
Blodgett named
to dean’s list at
George Fox University
Elks celebrate
their 154th anniversary
Local Elks lodges throughout the
United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, the
Philippines, and the Panama Canal will
be celebrating 154 years of community
service on Feb. 16.
Annually, the Elks award college
scholarships across the nation totaling
more than $4.5 million.
The Elks community investment
program will award nearly $47 million
towards enriching local communities.
To learn more or to join in service,
visit www.elks.org. For membership
information visit Join.Elks.Org.
The “Feed the Starfi sh” fundraiser
is back for its 20th year. The Seaside
Downtown Development Association
has worked hard to beautify the streets
of downtown Seaside in the fall and
winter months decorated in beautiful
starfi sh lights.
On Thursday, Feb. 17, from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m., half of all crafted beverages
at Caff e Latte will be donated in sup-
port of downtown winter lighting, with
additional prizes and drawings.
Caff e Latte is located inside the Sea-
side Carousel Mall.
Assistance League
to donate books
to new teachers
The Assistance League of the
Columbia Pacifi c has helped to pro-
vide resources to students across Clat-
sop County.
At the end of February, they have
plans for a new deed.
Local members of the Assistance
League, a nationwide nonprofi t that
seeks to strengthen the community
through philanthropic programs, will
purchase books from local bookstores
and donate them to two dozen new kin-
dergarten-through-fi fth grade teachers.
The donations will help teachers
build their personal libraries in class-
rooms while they juggle the other costs
and challenges associated with being
new teachers.
The group will buy books from
Lucy’s Books, in Astoria, and Beach
Books, in Seaside.
After communicating with teach-
ers to fi gure out what books they are
interested in, they will post the lists
inside the bookstores to seek additional
donations from people in the commu-
nity. Mary Davies, the president of the
Assistance League, hopes to see sev-
eral hundred books donated.
The donations will take place during
the last week in February, also known
as Action Week, which is a time for
each chapter of the Assistance League
to develop a new program to benefi t the
community.
The Assistance League of the
Columbia Pacifi c has six major com-
munity-focused programs. Local mem-
bers have especially made their mark
with Operation School Bell, a program
that clothes hundreds of students from
the fi ve school districts each year.
Other outreach includes scholar-
ship opportunities for students exit-
ing high school, the donation of sports
and athletic gear to athletic programs
and resource contributions for foster
children.
In addition to assisting teachers,
the book donation program also aligns
with another mission of the group —
improving literacy among students.
Volunteers needed
for Seaside Kids Inc.
Seaside Kids Inc., a volunteer orga-
nization that has helped kids to be
involved with diff erent sports, needs
volunteers as softball and baseball pro-
grams are getting ready to start up soon.
Seaside Kids needs coaches,
umpires, concession stand volunteers
and fi eld maintenance.
No special talents or skills are necessary,
just a willing heart and caring for kids.
To volunteer call 503-758-4827.
When working with kids, a background
check is required.
City manager input wanted
Seaside invites community mem-
bers to share the attributes and experi-
ence they hope to see in the next city
manager at a facilitated virtual meet-
ing. The session will be conducted
online via Zoom by recruitment repre-
sentatives starting at 6 p.m. on Wednes-
day, Feb. 16.
To register for the meeting, go to
cityofseaside.us and click on the link.
The city would like input on what
skills, experience, and other attributes
you feel are important for the success-
ful candidate. Opinions will provide an
important perspective to develop the posi-
tion profi le and the recruitment materials.
Deadline for the online survey is Feb. 21.
DINING
on the
NORTH COAST
Great Restaurants in:
GEARHART • SEASIDE
CANNON BEACH
WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO?
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Junior Menu
RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
• Lighter appetite menu
E
RIL Y’
S
Caff e Latte benefi ts
downtown beautifi cation
Beach Books, along with Lucy’s Books
in Astoria, are one of two bookstores to
participate in the Assistance League program.
Niquilla Blodgett of Seaside was
among those who earned dean’s list
recognition at George Fox University
for the fall 2021 semester.
Traditional undergraduate students
must earn a 3.5 grade point average or
above on 12 or more hours of graded
work to earn a spot on the dean’s list.
Blodgett is a senior majoring in ele-
mentary education.
More than 4,000 students attend
classes on the university’s campus in
Newberg and at teaching centers in
Portland, Salem and Redmond.
After 25 years of dedication,
Neal thought it was time for some-
one else to take the reins, and he
resigned from the board of direc-
tors in early 2020. His time on the
board will never be forgotten and
he will be missed greatly.
So how do you thank a guy who
means the world to you? And what
do you give a man who gives back
so much to the community? You
do the same. The Seaside Aquar-
ium has decided to do a yearly
fundraiser, “The Maine Event.”
All the admissions collected on
the last Sunday in February will
go to an organization or organiza-
tions of Maine’s choosing.
Help us celebrate these two
amazing beings and show your
support for the programs they
started. We hope to see you all at
our “Maine Event.”
Not able to attend but still want
to support? Simply send a check
made out to the Seaside Aquarium
with a note indicating that it is for
the Maine Event. Seaside Aquar-
ium, 200 N. Prom Seaside, Ore-
gon 97138.
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