VOL. 46, ISSUE 26
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CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
December 23, 2022
Operation Candy Cane keeps spirits bright O
Deb Atiyeh Reporter
n the evenings of December 10, 11th, and 12th, the Cannon Beach Fire District started a new tradition called “Operation Candy Cane.” Santa and his firefighter elves drove around local neighborhoods in Fire District vehicles collecting canned and non-perishable food, winter clothing and personal hygiene items for the Cannon Beach Food Pantry and the County Warming Center. Fire District personnel were impressed by the number of Cannon Beach residents who came out to offer Santa and his elves their donations when they heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights, adding that it was heartwarming to witness their generosity, and how all the kids loved seeing Santa on the fire truck. They are looking forward to doing it again next year, as it was fun for everyThe first Operation Candy Cane, organized by the Cannon Beach Fire District was a huge sucone involved in giving back to cess with outpouring support from the community. Photo by Deb Atiyeh their community and helping others. considered it a big success. Thank Chamber of Commerce for orgatradition and for Making Holiday The Fire District collected you to the Fire District and the nizing this successful new holiday Spirits Bright. 3 truck-loads of donations and
Ecola Point and Chapman Point gain OPAC approval D
Deb Atiyeh Reporter
uring a meeting on December 9th, the Oregon Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) voted to recommend Ecola Point as a Marine Conservation Area and Chapman Point as a Marine Education Area. These recommendations will be forwarded to the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) for final approval. In 2017, LCDC formed a working group to update the Rocky Shores Management chapter (Part Three) of the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan (TSP) which was originally written in 1994. The plan guides how the state manages rocky shores which make up 41% of the Oregon coast. Twelve site proposals
were submitted by the public for consideration of stronger protections in December 2020. In August 2020, north coast resident Margaret Treadwell began the North Coast Rocky Habitat Coalition (NCRHC) to put together site designation proposals to nominate Ecola Point and Chapman Point. Many members of the public, local organizations, and businesses in North Coast communities supported the designation of Chapman Point as a Marine Education Area and Ecola Point as a Marine Conservation Area. These designations provide new protections and will foster site stewardship efforts to help ensure these beautiful places can be enjoyed by current and future generations in balance with protecting the marine environment.
A view of the Rainforest Reserve—which includes Onion Peak and parts of the Angora Peak Complex—from Ecola Point.
Members of the North Coast Rocky Habitat Coalition, discusses a potential new site designation for Ecola Point with coalition volunteers, community members, and representatives from Haystack Rock Awareness Program in this Gazette file photo. In 2021, north coast resident Jesse Jones of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition took the reins from Margaret to lead the NCRHC and continues to guide the group towards their goal. North coast residents Mickey Moritz, Angela Reynolds, Deb Atiyeh and Tabea Goossen have been involved with the NCRHC since it formed in 2020. Cannon Beach resident Tabea Goossen, assisted by several dedicated local volunteers, has been coordinating the monitoring of Black Oystercatcher nests on the rocky habitat from Indian Beach to Chapman Point for Portland Audubon since 2015. Black Oystercatchers are a bird species of conservation concern that are an indicator of the health
of rocky habitats. Joe Liebezeit, Staff Scientist and Avian Conservation Manager for Portland Audubon, said there is concern about the recent high failure rate of Black Oystercatcher nests in these areas. Liebezeit works closely as an advisor to the North Coast Rocky Habitat Coalition (NCRHC). The North Coast Rocky Habitat Coalition facilitates cooperation and coordination with other nearby coastal conservation groups like Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP), North Coast Land Conservancy, Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, and the Wildlife Center of the North Coast to ensure that marine resources and habitats are holistically managed and protected.
Shaping the Future of Cannon Beach C
Deb Atiyeh Reporter
annon Beach residents, along with Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce Director Jim Paino and staff, gathered on the evening of Thursday, December 15th for a listening session with a team from Birdee Media, who have been hired by the Chamber to help identify community needs for an upcoming 2023-24 marketing campaign. The purpose of the meeting was to hear resident’s ideas on how to balance tourism with the needs of local businesses, residents, and environmental protection. Participants were asked in one word to describe Cannon Beach: “sanctuary, enchanting, contained, breathtaking, refuge, sublime and sacred” were some of the words used. Ideas about how to help local businesses thrive and how to encourage more people to
visit in the slower months was part of the discussion. One resident suggested focusing on the quality of what is already here and valuing the repeat visitors who regularly come to Cannon Beach. Other residents expressed concern about respect for the environment and wildlife, and feel more attention needs to be focused on greater education of visitors to protect Cannon Beach from too many people and their impact on the natural environment. When asked what type of visitors we want here, the word quality over quantity was a recurring theme; visitors that value the environment and wildlife. Because Cannon Beach is such a popular tourist destination, residents realize that visitor numbers will continue to rise and will be difficult to control. There was some discussion about attempting to limit available parking in the summer months using phone “apps” along with paid parking. Paid parking
will not be in the scope of the campaign that Birdee Media will be working on. The Hispanic population in Cannon Beach is a significant and valued part of the community, with residents expressing that they would like to include them and hear more of their ideas. Continuing stewardship of the beauty of Cannon Beach was an overriding concern. Business owners, residents and visitors all benefit from keeping Cannon Beach the place we know and love. Birdee Media values your input, as your opinion is important in helping to shape the future of Cannon Beach.
Google form in English and Spanish can be found here to take the survey: https://docs. google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrous2OYfnrgdRb41jTKyTnXL8zn8TZtJ0P4RqgnW0Ab4g/viewform
Elementary School project architects receive guidance Will Chappell
P
Gazette Reporter
lans for the Cannon Beach Elementary School rejuvenation project progressed on December 14, as City Council members gave architects guidance on how to proceed. After much trepidation from outgoing Mayor Sam Steidel, the council decided to proceed with planning, prioritizing a larger kitchen over a grander lobby entrance for the venue. The council meeting was attended by Mayor elect Barbara Knop and councilors elect Lisa Kerr and Gary Hayes, who also participated in the conversation. The architects from Cida Inc. who are overseeing the project presented the group with design options that they had developed with input from the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribe. The tribe is deeply involved with the development at the school site as it was previously home to a native village. For the tribe, an outdoor story-telling circle and emphasis on serving the community through the continued operation of the food pantry at the school are priorities. The disused school, purchased by the city in 2020, sits on the south side of Ecola Creek, near the beach. The project has a projected budget of $5.5 million, to be paid for by a loan that the city will repay with funds from Transient Lodging Tax (TLT). It features a 4,500 square foot classroom building situated on a north-south axis on the property intersecting the 7,000 square foot gym, housed in a repurposed World War 2 era Quonset hut, on an east-west axis at the south end of the property. At this meeting, the council needed to give input on which of two general design options for the property the firm should pursue. One would have seen the main lobby of the classroom building connected to that of the gym, with a small, separated kitchen also in the space with easy access to both. The other would have foregone the connected entry space in favor of a larger kitchen which could still serve either side of the venue. Both proposals would include refrigerators, sinks, hot plates and an ice machine in the kitchen, but the second would give more counter and work space. The group discussed the pros and cons of each option at length and a consensus eventually formed around favoring a larger kitchen. However, Steidel expressed deep misgivings about the project beyond the kitchen decision before the council. He said that he felt proposed designs missed the mark and the deliberations over specifics were masking larger underlying problems. Steidel said that he would favor asking the architects to present new options as neither matched what he envisioned for the project. The architects cautioned that such a step would delay the project and incur higher design costs, lowering the
n See SCHOOL, Page 2