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www.cannonbeachgazette.com

Legislative update from Senator Weber

Like many legislators in Salem, Weber is supportive of efforts to recriminalize certain drugs and is also prioritizing maintaining local control of schools, conducting a study of issues with Highway 30 and restoring recreational immunity across the state.

Weber, who sits on the senate’s education committee, said that one of her focuses in that committee has been opposing senate bill 1583, which aims to stop school boards from using discriminatory policies when selecting books. Weber said that the bill was redundant with other state laws already on the books and that it raised concerns about diminishing local control of schools, which she opposes.

“We still have small school districts, people who are interested in the people who live in their school districts and the people that come to their school districts and I think they need to be acknowledged,” Weber said. “I think that local control needs to be maintained in a lot of different areas, how do you get buy in if you don’t have local control?”

Regarding Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in 2020, Weber said that she agrees with her fellow Republican lawmakers’ desire to reinstate criminal penalties. Weber said that she was “completely in line” with law enforcement and district attorneys who wanted to see possession recriminalized.

“I think that we have to take a stand rather than just fluff this up and I the way to go is a class A misdemeanor,” Weber said. She also acknowledged that continuing to bolster treatment options for those with substance use disorders was critical. “We have got to continue to build the facilities for addiction,” Weber said.

Weber mentioned that she was working to advance a bill to fund a study of Highway 30 that would mirror one conducted last year for Highway 6 to identify issues with the roadway.

Restoring recreational immunity was also a priority mentioned by Weber, who said she favored a bill that applied statewide to one that would require municipalities to update their ordinances to fix the issue.

Weber also said that she has been trying to impress upon her colleagues the need for infrastructure improvements on the coast to pave the way for new housing to be developed.

Sandcastle Contest Poster Unveiled

The House of Orange Gallery Opens in Former Miska Studio Gallery

WILL CHAPPELL Gazette Editor

The Forest Trust Lands Advisory Committee met on February 23, to discuss their testimony at an upcoming board of forestry meeting and hear a presentation about the development of the habitat conservation plan for western Oregon state forests.

Oregon Department of Forestry staff detailed the reasons for pursuing the new conservation plan, which they say will give more certainty to the department’s harvest sales and reduce the risk of lawsuits.

The meeting began with State Forester Cal Mukumoto briefly addressing the assembled committee members. Mukumoto told them that he was in the final stages of developing his recommendation on approval of the habitat conservation plan (HCP), which he plans to share next week ahead of the board of forestry’s meeting on March 6 and 7.

Mukumoto said that during three recent listening sessions he had held with the public to gather feedback on the HCP, responses divided generally into two groups: conservationists in support of the HCP and those who depended on timber revenues and opposed it.

Coos County Commissioner John Sweet said that he felt conservationists’ pleasure with the proposed plan signaled that it was not a good compromise and that it should be revised with more consideration given to economic impacts.

Mukumoto did not give any indication as to what he was planning to recommend but said that he would share a copy of his recommendation with county commissioners when it is complete.

Following the opening remarks, State Forest Division Chief Mike Wilson and Resource Support Unit Manager Nick Palazotto began their presentation about the history of the HCP.

Wilson shared a brief timeline of conservational lawsuits and developments that have affected the state forests since the 1980s. HCPs have been a contentious subject throughout that period and there have been three distinct processes involving them, including the current one.

An HCP was adopted and in force in the Elliott State Forest in southern Oregon from 1995-2001, before updates to the list of protected species rendered it moot. A proposed HCP was developed for all western Oregon state forests between 1998 and 2009 before its passage eventually failed.

That failure left the department operating under employing take-avoidance management style on the forests, which Wilson said leads to significant costs.

Take avoidance entails performing regular surveys of forestlands to determine the location of endangered species and create plans to avoid incidentally taking, or harming, them.

Increasing protections for the two terrestrial species of

The House of Orange Gallery has opened on the corner of Sunset and Hemlock and is now being

former

residents Ginger Gordon-Brownlow and Greg Scott Brownlow in the space formerly

by Miska Studio Gallery.

Welcome Firefly to downtown Cannon Beach

DEB

for the Gazette

Firefly is a new retail store located in Sandpiper Square on Hemlock Street in downtown Cannon Beach. Firefly was created with a love and appreciation for the outdoors, changing seasons and gardening, and their inspiration is to bring a touch of nature indoors.

Firefly offers both functional and decorative items for the home, outdoor garden and living spaces. Working with both local and national artists, they offer their customers

Firefly is a new retail store located in Sandpiper Square on Hemlock Street in downtown Cannon Beach.

when the retail space in downtown Cannon Beach became available.

Erica and Brett signed the lease in November and opened the doors to their new store in January. The

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concern in western Oregon state forests, the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet, have caused increased surveying costs for those species. Wilson said that updates to the marbled murrelet survey protocol in 2003 and spotted owl survey protocol in 2013 had doubled costs, and that a new protocol coming for murrelets in 2026 was expected to double those costs again. Wilson said that the current approach left de-

feel of the ocean and the forest is reflected in the products they carry; with all their products made in America by a variety of nature-inspired artists.

partment staff “constantly chasing things over the landscape” and that it led to uncertainty in future harvest levels should more species be listed or protections change. “Without an HCP it (harvest) is unknown,” Wilson said. Wilson also gave a brief overview of lawsuits that had been brought to pressure enforcement, including a 2001 Portland Audubon suit that had led to a conservation agreement for Strum Creek in the Astoria district and the 2018 Centers for Biological Diversity suit that was settled last year when the department agreed to follow riparian and aquatic pro-

SALE

Firefly will be a great new addition to Cannon Beach, as their store celebrates the beauty of the north Oregon coast. A warm welcome to Firefly.

tections put forth in the draft HCP. Wilson also mentioned a case involving land that used to be in the Elliott State Forest, which was recently enjoined from harvest due to a lawsuit regarding marbled murrelets.

Wilson stressed that these legal actions carried injunctive relief, meaning that harvest would be forced to cease should similar suits succeed in state forests.

Palozatto then described the process that had been used to develop the HCP, beginning with the setting of biological goals and objectives which were then used to develop conservation strategies.

Since our beginning in 1990 we at Duane Johnson Real Estate have welcomed all of our clients into this community with respect, appreciation, and genuine interest in who you are.

We are friendly, knowledgeable, approachable and committed to helping our clients fulfill their dreams of living at the beach.

We are thrilled to connect with you, share our passion for this place and help you find your coastal home.

The goals and objectives included increasing the habitat available to both terrestrial and aquatic species in the forest, and to increase passage for fish. Strategies to reach these goals for aquatic species included the institution of riparian conservation areas around the streams, better management of the road system, enhancement of streams and removal of barriers to fish passage. For terrestrial species, the goals will be accomplished by creating habitat conservation areas, where forestry activities are proscribed or limited.

Of the almost 300,000 acres in western Oregon

state forests, approximately 43% of the total permit area would fall into conservation areas, with 37% for upland species and 6% for riparian protection areas.

A further 10% of the forest is inoperable for geographic or other reasons, which would leave around 47% of the land available and operable, according to Palozatto, while 12% of the forest falling inside the habitat conservation areas would be open to limited management.

Following the presentation committee members asked questions of Wilson and Palozatto and began to discuss the testimony they

will offer at the March board meeting.

Several commissioners asked about the process of changing the proposed HCP and how much change would require review by the federal agencies involved in the process. Wilson said that he was not certain what would trigger a new review but said that should that happen, the delay would be “significant.”

Clatsop County Commissioner Courtney Bangs said that she was still skeptical of the science being used to craft the HCP and that she wanted the committee to renew its opposition to the plan’s passage.

Storytelling with Peter Lindsey and Friends

Stop by the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 4 p.m. for a potluck community gathering and benefit night featuring local Cannon Beach historian and storyteller, Peter Lindsey. Peter will be joined by some long-time Cannon Beach locals, and they will share stories and memories of their time spent in Cannon Beach. Those that are attending are welcome to bring their favorite food dish to share for this potluck community event. Attendees will also get the opportunity to support Lindsey with a donation to help get his cherished book, ‘Comin’ In Over the Rock’ reprinted. Lindsey’s charming book shares the anecdotal history of Cannon Beach from Lindsey’s perspective of living here for over sixty years and has garnered widespread

enthusiasm from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond. While this event is free, donations are strongly encouraged. All donations received from this event will go to Peter Lindsey towards the reprinting of his book, Comin’ In Over the Rock. Join us in a com-

munity gathering just like the good ol’ days and to help support one of Cannon Beach’s most beloved authors. This event will be held at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum, located at 1387 South Spruce Street, Cannon Beach, OR. Seating for this event is at a limited capacity of 50 people, however people are welcome to stop by to donate. This lecture starts promptly at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, at 4p.m. Parking for this event is extremely limited and it is encouraged to arrive early to find parking. This event is part of the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum’s John Williams Lecture Series that occurs every February through June. For more information about this event, visit www. cbhistory.org or call 503-4369301.

Cannon Beach historian and storyteller, Peter Lindsey

OBITUARY

Pamela Mary Rowden (Harris) Richardson

February 6, 1929 – January 18, 2024

In Loving Memory of Pamela Mary Rowden (Harris) Richardson, February 6, 1929 – January 18, 2024

Pamela, like a bloom in her cherished garden, graced the lives of others with her beautiful spirit. Genuine, and engaging until the end, Pamela passed away in Northridge, CA just shy of her 95th birthday. She was the epitome of British wit and resilience.

Born and raised in Berkshire, England, Pamela blossomed into a woman of ability and ambition. Her studies in chemistry at Oxford Polytechnic led her to her future husband, Ronald. Newly married in 1956, they emigrated to Canada, where their first child was born in 1957. In 1960, they moved to the US, where their second child was born. Throughout many relocations, Pamela remained a pillar of strength. Whether raising their children, nurturing her gardens, or excelling in various roles – substitute teacher, medical librarian, real estate agent – her enthusiasm never faltered. She never forgot her English heritage, retaining her delightful British accent, celebrating holidays with traditional

foods and activities, and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Upon settling in Cannon Beach (1989 – 2021), Pamela focused on creating her garden, which became a masterpiece of color and texture — a testament to her tireless love and green thumb. Her knowledge of Latin and common plant names was admirable.

Following Ron’s passing (2002), she found solace in listening to music, feeding her birds, and tending to her blooms. She embraced the internet age, mastered her cell phone, and programming her VCR. Between long walks on the beach and pampering her cats, Pamela volunteered at

local libraries, garden clubs and arts associations. She rarely sat still — except to devour a good book.

As health challenges arose, Pamela never lost her radiant smile or contagious energy, brightening every room she entered, leaving an indelible mark on all who encountered her.

Pamela leaves behind a legacy of love and laughter. She loved life and lived it fully. Her memory will forever bloom in the hearts of her sister, Anne; children, Rhoda and Phil; grandson, PMatt; and countless others whose lives she touched. She will always be remembered as a devoted sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

A memorial tea will be held on Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Cannon Beach, a fitting celebration of her life. Contact her daughter, Rhoda, (206) 457-7871 for additional information.

Memorial Donations may be made to:

Clatsop Animal Assistance

Friends of Haystack Rock Crawford Lorenzen Mortuary in Northridge, CA, provided the cremation services.

NCCWP holds outreach about Jetty Creek watershed

WILL CHAPPELL Gazette Editor North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection hosted Chuck Willer, director of the Coast Range Association, at St. Mary’s by the Sea Catholic Church in Rockaway Beach on February 3, to discuss the current state and future of the Jetty Creek watershed. Willer detailed different ways to protect the watershed as well as some of the difficulties that could face the City of Rockaway Beach should its leaders move forward with a potential plan to purchase the watershed.

Nancy Webster, president of North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection (NCCWP), addressed the assembled crowd before Willer. Webster told the crowd that she had started NCCWP in 2012 after loggers clear cutting the forest across Highway 101 from her house in Nedonna Beach told her their work would have negative impacts on her drinking water.

NCCWP aims to end logging and pesticide spraying in drinking watersheds across Oregon and has a petition with more than a thousand signatures in support of that goal. Webster said that the city’s recent formation of a task force to discuss the future of the watershed and its purchase was a great step and noted that applications to participate were still open.

Willer then began his presentation, sharing more specific information about the possibilities for protecting the watershed. Jetty Creek’s watershed is 26 square miles of forested land, of which 2.1 square miles is protected while the remainder is owned by private logging companies.

Willer said that when considering ways to protect the quality and quantity of the water, there were two possible approaches, outright ownership or a conservation easement. Either of those overarching options comes with a further range of possibilities.

Conservation easements could range from one that would allow limited forestry work to continue in the watershed to one that would see it devoted entirely to conservation.

Willer suggested that NCCWP might want to consider working with the Lower Nehalem Community Land Trust on an easement and noted that any easement would be in

Public voices support for HCP

WILL CHAPPELL Gazette Editor

More than 20 public commenters appeared virtually at a listening session hosted by Oregon State Forester Cal Mukumoto to encourage the adoption of a new habitat conservation plan for western Oregon state forests on January 29.

Many of the commenters spoke on behalf of or were members of conservation groups and said that while they would like to see more protections for endangered species, they felt the proposed plan was a good compromise.

Mukumoto scheduled the series of three listening sessions to gather public feedback in advance of making a recommendation on the adoption of a new habitat conservation plan (HCP) to the Oregon Board of Forestry at their March meeting. In addition to the virtual session, two in-person sessions were held in Eugene and Astoria.

Mukumoto started the meeting by addressing the commenters who had signed up in advance, thanking them for taking time to participate in the process. He reminded the audience that the department of forestry must work within the framework of state and federal laws when developing the HCP.

their answers to those questions.

A trend quickly emerged, with all but a handful of commenters calling for passage of a strong HCP, with many voicing support for scenario three, which would prioritize net present value over harvest levels.

Commenters represent -

ing Oregon Trout Unlimited, Portland Audubon and the Wild Salmon Center all said that the plan was a step in the right direction towards cold, clear streams but noted that they would like to see more protections added. They mentioned a desire to see larger riparian protection areas around streams and buffers added to headwater streams.

Other public commenters echoed these sentiments and many also mentioned the impacts of

KIARA

force in perpetuity.

The options for purchasing the watershed are more varied and complex and would require significant capital support, with square-mile parcels of the forest valued in excess of half a million dollars.

First, the city would need to contract for an appraisal of the watershed, considering the value of timber growing in future sales as well as liabilities like the risk posed by roads on the land.

Then, the city would need to determine how it would pay for the purchase. Willer said that the federal government has a community forest program and that the city could issue bonds to pay for the purchase but noted that no other city in Oregon had done so.

After Willer’s presentation, members of the audience were invited to ask questions. Several asked questions about the ongoing work at

the city surrounding the watershed, and Webster said that all the landowners were participating in the working group formed to investigate the issue.

Webster also said that they seemed amenable to possibly selling their land in the watershed but that the group had considered the possibility of asking the city to use eminent domain to purchase the land, should they change their mind.

Webster also clarified that there were currently no laws that would allow timber companies to be sued for the deleterious impacts their operations had on communities’ drinking water. She said that citizens needed to take the issue seriously and speak up in support of stronger regulations and community control of watersheds.

“It’s time to protect our drinking water,” Webster said, “this is a call to action.”

Three questions were provided to help guide the discussion, asking how new modeling information released in December impacted perceptions of the HCP, what recommendations commenters would make to improve outcomes and what they thought the most important consideration was for a new HCP.

After that, public commenters were given two minutes apiece to share

clearcut logging on local watersheds as another concern.

Several mentioned the economic impacts timber harvest reductions under the new plan would have on counties and said that their budgets should be secure and not reliant on timber revenues, but no alternatives were mentioned.

Laura Wilkeson, Hampton Lumber’s state forest policy director, was one of the few dissenting voices at the meeting, calling on Mukumoto to consider the plan’s economic impacts more carefully before recommending passage.

Tillamook County Commissioner Doug Olson asked Mukumoto to try to find a balance between the conservational goals of the plan and the economic impacts on the counties.

This medium-size shepherd mix is almost a yearand-a half old and still very puppylike. Kiara loves to run and play, and has been having loads of fun in play groups with some of the other dogs at the shelter. She is very sweet and affectionate and will wash your face with a million kisses. Not surprisingly, she has a lot of fans at the shelter. Kiara will need a fully fenced yard. https://clatsopcounty.animalshelternet.com/adoption_ animal_details.cfm?AnimalUID=298616

Pet meet and greets are by appointment, so if you’d like to meet Kiara. call the shelter at 503-861-7387 or stop by the lobby to set up a time. The shelter is open 9:30 to 4:00 Tuesday through Saturday, closed 12:30 to 1:30 for lunch. You can also fill out an application here: https://www.clatsopcounty.gov/media/16441. Be sure to date it next to the signature line (applications are reviewed in the order they are received) and put the name of the animal you are interested in at the top. You can then save the application to your computer and email it to ac@ClatsopCounty.gov or print it and deliver it directly to the shelter. H23316

Oregon Coast Visitors Association releases economic assessment for coast

Study: Clatsop County is trending toward greater reliance on retirees.

The Clatsop County economy has become more reliant on retirement and other public benefit programs for income over the past nearly two decades, according to a recent study commissioned by the Oregon Coast Visitors Association.

Overall, transfers from public programs such as Social Security, medical benefits, income maintenance and other programs made up 32 percent of the population’s total income in the county.

Another 52 percent of the county population’s income was derived from traditional employment. Identified industries in the employment category included commercial fishing, agriculture, timber, travel tourism and others. The other 16 percent of economic income in the county was derived from private investments.

The study, which investigates the drivers of coastal economies and economic benefit, uses 2021 data and compares it to numbers from 2003. Reports are available coastwide, as well as on a county-by-county basis. The research was conducted by Shannon Davis of The Research Group LLC, a Corvallis-based company and assisted by Hans Radtke, Ph.D. from Yachats.

The report is designed as a resource to help coastal communities with useful information that informs planning and recommendations to planners and policymakers.

The study updates the indicators and analysis first used in a 1994 study report sponsored by the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association (OCZMA). That organization sponsored several updates to the original study ending with a 2006 report using 2003 data. “Efforts for determining

desired economic goals, objectives and programs, through the use of this report, can be more focused, rather than having to generate background information,” Oregon Coast Visitors Association Executive Director Marcus Hinz said. “The information can support and help us understand the implications of change and how proper planning can sustain and acceptably grow coastal economies, protect coastal livability and manage human and environmental resources. Because this study replicates the methodology of previous OCZMA studies, it offers us all longitudinal perspective allowing us to see what has changed in the past two decades and it is comparable data across all coastal counties which will allow us to collaborate and plan our future together.”

In the period from 2003 to 2021, the proportion of earnings from traditional em-

The Stories We Tell: Myth and Science on a Restless Coast

DEB ATIYEH for the Gazette

Scientists first identified the existence of a faultline off the Pacific Northwest coast— what we now call the Cascadia Subduction Zone—in the mid-1960s. It took another 20 years before geologists found evidence that this fault routinely launches massive earthquakes that spawn huge tsunamis. Only then did academics start re-examining stories told by native people from Vancouver Island to Humboldt Bay and collected by anthropologists beginning in the 1800s; realizing that what had long been considered by anthropologists to be myths were, in fact, closer to oral history.

Bonnie Henderson is the author of two nonfiction books from Oregon State University Press: the critically acclaimed “The Next Tsunami: Living on a Restless Coast” and “Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris”, which was listed as a “Best Book of 2008” by the Seattle Times and was a finalist for the 2009 Oregon Book Awards. Henderson is also the author of three hiking guidebooks for Mountaineers Books: “Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail”, “Best Hikes

with Kids: Oregon” (with co-author Zach Urness), and “Day Hiking: Oregon Coast.” Currently residing in Eugene, Henderson is a former newspaper and magazine writer and editor and has provided communications for a variety of nonprofits, including the North Coast Land Conservancy.

The Stories We Tell: Myth and Science on a Restless Coast is Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 4 p.m.

ployment in Clatsop County diminished, providing nearly 9 percent less relative to total personal income. In the meantime, transfer income jumped from just over 13 percent of the county population’s income in 2003 to 32 percent in 2021. This signals greater presence of retirees and potentially families receiving medical and public assistance benefits.

“The growth of transfer payments income – particularly from retirees – represents a major and increasing source of purchasing power in many coastal areas,” Radtke said. “Coastal areas that capture an increasing share of economic benefit from retirement income could see some employment stability. However, we don’t know enough yet about these retirees’ spending patterns, effects on infrastructure and public services, or living needs.”

Coastwide, 44 percent of earnings came from work in

one of the coastal industries in 2021, while 18 percent were derived from personal investments and 38 percent came from transfers. Between 2003 and 2021, income from Social Security, medical benefits and public assistance more than doubled, rising from $1.8 billion in 2003 (inflation adjusted to 2021 dollars) to about $4.8 billion in 2021. This is due to the increasing population as well as shifts in the sources of income.

Information for the report was gleaned from statewide studies authored by others and census data, in addition to unique industry category economic base modeling. The categories are particular to coastal local economies.

Modeling results for each income measurement include multiplier effects, so that all economic contributions from household spending are taken into account. Results are interpreted for the challenges and comparative

advantages the Coast has for economic development.

For purposes of the study, the coastwide area includes seven counties fronting the Pacific Ocean, and information also is provided separately in the report for Columbia County. Of the seven counties included in the study, two – Douglas and Lane – are split by zip code so that only the coastal portions are represented.

“The study reports were well received, as they showed the importance of industry categories displayed side-by-side,” Hinz said. “This puts in perspective the business types that drive local economies. This is a crucial consideration when advocates are vying for scarce funds and priorities for their own projects and programs.”

Report documents can be accessed online at https:// visittheoregoncoast.com/ industry/industry-planningdocuments/.

People gather at the grand opening of The House of Orange Gallery.

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literally and figuratively like drinking from a firehose.” With her head above water,

Ginger will be kicking off Spring Unveiling with an exciting one-month show called ‘See Creatures’; an artistic exploration of creatures from the sea, land and air, and the imagination, with over 10 invited artists.

“We intend to make our midtown location a must-stop for any collector doing the gallery tour scene.” Information about classes, workshops and events can be found at https://houseoforange.gallery.

Bonnie Henderson

PHYLLIS BERNT Library Board President

Welcoming Spring with Books, Plays & Songs

The second two weeks of March are eagerly awaited because they mark the beginning of spring. This year those last two weeks of March are especially worth waiting for because of all the events offered at the library, 131 N. Hemlock in downtown Cannon Beach,

right up to the end of the month.

For example, the Cannon Beach Reads book club will meet at 7 p.m. on the second day of spring, Wednesday, March 20, to discuss “The Bean Trees,” by award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver. This will be a hybrid meeting with participants able to take part in the discussion in-person at the library or virtually from home.

“The Bean Trees” is the story of Taylor Greer, a young woman who decides to find a new and better life by leaving rural Pittman County, Kentucky, and heading west in her rickety, old Volkswagen bug. Along the way, when she stops in the middle of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, she is given an abused, traumatized Native American toddler whom she names Turtle and decides to raise as her own. Taylor and Turtle eventually reach Tucson, where they meet Lou Ann Ruiz, a new mother who has been abandoned by her husband;

Mattie, the owner of the Jesus Is Lord Used Tires auto-repair shop; and Esperanza and Estevan, an illegal immigrant couple from Guatemala. This unlikely assortment of friends support and help one another, working around bureaucracies, economic hardship and abusive characters as they seek to improve their lives.

Critics have called “The

Bean Trees,” which was Kingsolver’s first novel, “an astonishing literary debut,” “idealistic and exhilarating” and “(a)n overwhelming delight, as random and unexpected as real life.”

Barbara Kingsolver was raised in rural Kentucky, spent two years in the Congo as a young child and now lives in southern Appalachia, where she has a large vegetable garden and raises Icelandic sheep. She holds degrees in biology, ecology and evolutionary biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona.. Her 15 books include “The Poisonwood Bible,” “Pigs in Heaven,” “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” and “Demon Copperhead,” for which she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023.

Lauren Wilson will lead the discussion, which will begin at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, March 20, at the library. The Zoom link for those wishing to participate from

home is available by emailing Joe Bernt at berntj@ ohio.edu. Coffee and cookies will be provided at the library. New members, whether in person or online, are always welcome.

A mere two days later, everyone can enjoy literature created closer to home during the Writers Read Celebration at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 22. This will be a hybrid event, with audience members able to enjoy the Celebration in-person at the library or online by accessing the library website (www.cannonbeachlibrary. org).

This is the sixth year the library’s Northwest Authors Speaker Series has sponsored the Writers Read Celebration, which asks authors to write on a specific theme. Past themes have included “Life on the North Coast,” “Pandemic” and “What Would Hemingway Say?” This year’s theme is “Beach Noir.”

Noir is a style found in film and literature; it involves a dark, moody atmosphere, with cynical characters who are sometimes corrupt and always passionate and tragic. The noir style is usually associated with gritty urban settings, so moving noir to the beach gave this year’s authors a chance to be creative and to have fun with the theme.

And that is exactly what

58 writers did when they submitted 79 short stories, poems and essays to be considered for this year’s Celebration—a record number of submissions. A panel of judges selected 16 works, written by 15 authors, to be read at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 22. This is a free event. Refreshments will be provided to those attending in-person.

Literary events continue into the weekend, when everyone can learn how to create his or her own literary masterpiece from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 23, during playwright Ron Urbinati’s playwriting workshop at the library. Urbinati will discuss the craft of playwriting, focusing on coming up with ideas for plays and adapting material from other sources for the stage. Participants will write a 10-minute play. The free workshop is open to all.

Aspiring playwrights can learn more from Urbinati the next day, Sunday, March 24, by attending a 3 p.m. matinee performance of his play “Death by Design,” which is being produced at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse (108 N. Hemlock) from March 15 through April 13. Urbinati and the play’s director, Deanna Duplechain, will give a post-show talk and answer questions after the matinee.

Ron Urbinati, who is

TENDER AND PRAGMATIC

LIANNE THOMPSON Clatsop County Commissioner

If you had to pick two words to describe yourself, what would they be? You might not spend much time in mental exercises like this, but when my birthday rolls around? I do. It’s an exercise in self-awareness. This year, my two words are “tender” and “pragmatic.”

Once upon a time, long ago and far away, I came home from school with a little prayer, a grace to say before eating meals. We thanked our “tender Father” for “all Thy world so fair.” It expressed gratitude for the generosity of a kindly deity. Maybe if I said it often enough, my own father would be kinder and more tender. Worthwhile trying to be that way myself, too.

On February 21, 2024, at a meeting of the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners, I listened to the Clatsop County Sheriff and community mental health and social service providers describe the developing network of support available to a variety of people in need who live in Clatsop County. The speakers expressed tender compassion, but they also expressed a pragmatic view of the world.

Pragmatism relates to facts, the realities of the material world. It implies truth-telling, not lying about or avoiding reality. It’s not kind or cruel; it’s actual. Pragmatism can be empowering or disempowering, depending on the parts of reality we notice and respond to. All perception is selective, and we choose what we no-

tice. There’s a whole, more complicated conversation to have about that concept. Let me know if you’re interested in having a chat about it!

In Clatsop County, we have an effective and inspiring collaboration between law enforcement, mental health providers, and social service workers. What makes it work is a balance of tenderness and a pragmatic appraisal of the hard work and challenges in healing and reclaiming human lives. It’s essential that we do this healing work together as a community if we are to reclaim and save our world, but it’s no easy thing to do.

Most of us struggle. Nobody succeeds at every single thing they try. How we deal with our life’s experience of success and failure defines our individual growth and

based in New York City, is the director of New Play Development at Queens Theatre. In addition to “Death by Design,” which has been described as a “mash-up of Agatha Christie and Noel Coward,” his other plays include “Hazelwood Jr. High,” “Murder on West Moon Street,” “Mama’s Boy” and “Jane Austen’s Lady Susan.” In addition to being a playwright, he is a director and the author of “Play Readings: A Complete Guide for Theatre Practitioners.”

The literary fun continues the next week, from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, March 29, during Literary Trivia Night at the library. All are welcome, whether playing as individuals or in teams, to show off their knowledge of literary minutiae during an evening of head-scratching questions, tasty snacks and all-around fun.

The first two weeks of spring will end on a musical note, as young readers are invited to a sing-along Story Time at 2 p.m., on Saturday, March 30, at the library. The theme will be “Sing Along for Spring.” In addition to singing songs and hearing stories about spring, children will receive a free activity book to take home. The target age is pre-k to 8 years, but everyone is welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

development. Some of us pass a tipping point in our lives that leaves us homeless or mentally ill or using drugs to numb pain, fear, or rage.

If I’m not describing you, maybe I’m describing someone you know.

So many factors such as accidents of birth or circumstances, a lucky break, a cultural bias that lifts us up or tears us down: all these and so much more go into the mix. And then we see what we can cook up. How we define ourselves and how we interact with each other creates the community and the world we live in, all together as part of a system.

Some of us like to put words onto our experience. Some only focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Both are valid, and we’re all in it together.

See Creatures to debut at Spring Unveiling

A one-month invitational show, See Creatures brings together over 10 talented Northwest artists in an exploration of creatures from the sea, the land and the imagination. Hosted by the new House of Orange Gallery, See Creatures will debut during Cannon Beach Spring Unveiling, May 3rd through 5th and will run through the month of May.

See Creatures will showcase artists from throughout the Pacific Northwest,

many of them introducing new compositions in ink, watercolor, acrylic, oils, clay, wood and steel. During the opening weekend collectors and art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to meet artists, engage in short educational workshops, witness demonstrations and experience a collaborative “creature build.”

House of Orange Gallery is one of Cannon Beach’s newest and most vibrant fine arts venues. Located in the

former Miska Studio Gallery space, House of Orange continues to feature the dynamic nature and landscape-inspired paintings of Miska Salemann as well as other talented regional artists. The trendy midtown location is home to a growing group of popular destinations, brewpubs, coffee shops, galleries and Restaurants.

House of Orange Gallery is located at 107 Sunset Blvd, Cannon Beach, OR 97110 and is open daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Rob Urbinati coming to the Coaster Theatre

Join the Coaster Theatre Playhouse and the Cannon Beach Library March 23 and 24 as they host Rob Urbinati, NYC-based

playwright, for an illuminating weekend of events in celebration of his much -produced play Death by Design.

Aspiring playwrights can attend a free event at the Cannon Beach Library, from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 23 when Urbinati will dis-

cuss the craft of playwriting, with a focus on coming up with ideas for plays, adapting for the stage from other sources, and getting started as a playwright by writing a 10-minute play. This event is open to anyone interested in theatre – artists and audiences alike.

Those attending the matinee of Death by Design at Coaster Theatre at 3 p.m. March 24 can join a postshow talk with Urbinati and the play’s director, Deanna Duplechain who will discuss the play, its origins and current production. This is a reunion 25 years in the making for Urbanati and Duplechain, who met in New York City.

Urbinati wrote Death by Design, a hilarious mystery and a mash-up of Agatha Christie and Noel Coward.

When the play found its way through the play Coaster Theatre’s selection team and landed on Duplechain’s lap for directorial consideration at the theatre, Duplechain said, “Hey, I know this guy.”

After a flurry of emails, Urbanati agreed to be in residence in Cannon Beach to complement the second weekend of Death by Design at the Coaster Theatre.