CHINOOK ONE DOLLAR
111TH Year - No. 16
O BSERVER Week of Wednesday, March 28, 2012
WWW.CHINOOKOBSERVER.COM
National Park big economic plus for area Middle Village unit now nearing completion will attract up to 175,000 a year By TYLER GRAF For the Observer
DAMIAN MULINIX/dmulinix@chinookobserver.com
LONG BEACH RALLIES FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Inspired by, or perhaps more fittingly, fueled by the controversial comments recently made by Rush Limbaugh regarding birth control, 13 local women and two men held a peaceful protest in Long Beach last Friday. Recent college graduate and Observer intern Maddie Dickerson organized the event. “This is not about whether you believe birth control is right or wrong, but whether you believe it is everyoneʼs right to choose for themselves,” she said.
Local sardines on downward slide Scientists seeing signs of collapse in Pacific sardine populations
small airplanes and harvested with purse seine nets. Two fishery scientists have predicted a collapse in the West Coast sardine population based on several factors that parallel the fishery’s dramatic collapse in the mid-1900s.
By CASSANDRA PROFITA Oregon Public Broadcasting
See SARDINES, Page A6
PACIFIC OCEAN — Two scientists say they see signs the Pacific sardine population is on its way to collapse — in part because of the Pacific Northwest fisheries that catch the oldest and largest fish. Sardines arrived back in local waters near the mouth of Columbia starting in 2000, but coast-wide harvest guidelines have been trending downward. The 2011 harvest guideline was 50,526 metric tons (mt) and the 2010 guideline of 76,021 mt represented a 61 percent decline from the first harvest guideline in 2000. From 2000 to 2007 the harvest guideline averaged 135,049 mt. The state of Washington issued its first 16 commercial licenses for sardines in July 2009, after allowing catches on an experimental basis until then. Sardines are largely landed in Ilwaco and across the river in Warrenton-Hammond. Enormous schools of sardines are spotted using
EDITOR’S NOTE: In an effort to explore every aspect of Ocean Beach Hospital’s ongoing financial crisis and facilitate communication between OBH and the community, the Observer has offered interim CEO Terry Finklein an opportunity to answer your questions in print. Send questions to editor@chinookobserver.com and we’ll forward them to the hospital for consideration. By TERRY FINKLEIN Interim Chief Executive Officer Ocean Beach Hospital ILWACO — Contrary to some recent reports, Ocean Beach Hospital is alive and its heart is beating strong. Are there significant problems? Yes. But they need not be fatal. The hospital Board of Commissioners is committed to providing leadership and counsel as we face the issues and address our financial problems. Here are some observations I have made that I would like to share with the community:
See OBH Page A6
History-minded Reed makes farewell visit Outgoing secretary of state swaps praise with Sid Snyder Observer staff report editor@chinookobserver.com ILWACO — In a state where Democrats dominate most top-tier elective offices, Sam Reed is exceptional in every sense, a popular and twice re-elected secretary of state. Retiring after 12 years of overseeing Washington elections, official records and other key responsibilities, Reed hosted an Ilwaco dinner last Thursday to thank several of Pacific County’s major elected Democrats for their help and friendship over the years. He began his remarks at Pelicano Restaurant by lauding guest Sid Snyder for “civility, moderation in politics and bipartisanship.” Reed, who embodies the same traits, said that Snyder is part of a generation of Washington Democrats and Republicans who worked together to achieve great things for the state. Some others in the same group include Republican Gov. Dan Evans and Democratic U.S. Sens. Warren Magnuson and Henry “Scoop” Jackson, Reed noted. Reed, who previously served as Thurston County auditor, also praised attendees Pacific County Auditor Pat Gardner and County Clerk Virginia Leach. They along with their peers in other counties have been tremendously professional in running elections and maintaining records at the local level, he said. Reed has run state elections during a turbulent time in state history, overseeing the bitterly contested, razor-thin 2004 gubernatorial race between Gov. Chris Gregoire and her two-time GOP
opponent Dino Rossi. His refusal to comply with all his party leadership’s wishes to swing the election recount for Rossi came at some political cost within the party, but he said that one of his fiercest Republican critics later became an ally on another issue, preserving the Washington State Library. This willingness to let bygones be bygones and seek out partnerships
whenever possible embodies another of Snyder’s and Reed’s guiding philosophies: “Let’s agree to disagree agreeably.” Reed played a role in formulating and defending the state’s “Top 2 Primary” that minimizes rigid party affiliations in selecting general-election candidates.
See REED, Page A6
DAMIAN MULINIX/dmulinix@chinookobserver.com
TURKEY CATCH-UP In the Long Beach neighborhood of 66th and V Place, an unusual visitor was found knocking on doors last week, looking for handouts. A very large and unusually friendly turkey has seemingly taken up residence after finding a homeowner that is happy to feed him. Call 642-4378 if heʼs your long-lost gobbler.
See PARKS, Page A6
ongoing whale deaths generate research By KEVIN HEIMBIGNER kheimbigner@chinookobserver.com
LONG BEACH — The Pacific Ocean and nearby mouth of the Columbia River have long been known as the Graveyard of the Pacific because of shipwrecks. But this winter the Long Beach Peninsula has been the graveyard for an unusual number of whales. The latest carcass washed up March 9 and the first came ashore Nov. 14 of last year. In that 115-day period, an adult and newborn orca, a sperm whale, and two Pacific gray whales have all washed ashore. A regional expert hasn’t identified any underlying causes the deaths have in common, but does wonder about why so many are turning up this season. “All five whales died while in the ocean and their carcasses washed onto the beach in separate and apparently unrelated instances. All of these are species that we do indeed occasionally see in the area. I don’t think that these five particular cases pinpoint a common cause or (environmental) change at this point. They recently have occurred in greater numbers, however and more analysis is needed to reach that level of conclusion,” said Dr. Debbie Duffield, biology professor at Portland State University. Duffield is in charge of all necropsies for marine mammals (including sea lions) from Tillamook Bay to Leadbetter Point. “We do necropsies just like one would do an autopsy on a person. We send in samples to pathologists and also check for pollution affects, genetics information, and if the animal is small enough we use the skeleton for educational purposes,” Duffield said.
See WHALES, Page A6
INSIDE PENINSULA LIFE
OPINION It is transition time for Chinook Tribe
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Interim OBH boss looks for hospital to find path to survival
WIKICOMMONS photo
A school of Pacific sardines swim off the coast.
McGOWAN — A new National Park site here honoring Chinook tribal life will attract up to 175,000 new annual visitors, the park superintendent predicts. Middle Village was an important seasonal home for part of the diverse Chinook Indian Tribe, but achieved more recent fame as the location where Lewis and Clark achieved their goal of reaching the West Coast. Archaeologists discovered richly interesting layers of history there, resulting in a park that explores a fascinating crosssection of Pacific Rim exploration and trade. A new report released by the National Park Service looks at local economic benefits conferred by Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, which until recently was primarily based around Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark’s winter camp near Warrenton, Ore. Park visitation crested at 245,000 in 2005, the bicentennial of the explorers’ 180506 visit. But visits have remained strong. More than 220,000 people toured the park in 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available. Their spending amounted to $10.8 million for the local economy, which supported 164 jobs near the park, according to the peer-reviewed report. The report was
conducted by Daniel Stynes of Michigan State University. More than half of the spending went to the restaurant and lodging industries, the report says. When broken down, the report indicates that each person visiting the park spent around $40. Knowing exactly how that money flowed from people’s wallets to business’ cash registers is unclear from the report, said park Superintendent David Szymanski. “Even though the model has been peer-reviewed, capturing things locally is always a bit difficult,” he said. “One thing we feel comfortable with is the people who visit Fort Clatsop come specifically to visit it.”
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OUR GREAT OUTDOORS
A NIGHT OF MUSICAL MEMORIES
Do April showers indeed bring May flowers? ASK A MASTER GARDENER
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Calendar..........................A10 Cops ..................................A2
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BUSINESS BEAT Hardin writes hard-hitting book on Viet Nam veterans
Life ..................................B1-3 Opinions ........................A4-5
People ......................A8-9, 11 Outdoors ..........................A14
Schools ..............................A7 Sports ..........................A12-13
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