VOL. 43, ISSUE 26 FREE
CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
November 29, 2019
What’s new with Cannon Beach real estate T
Kathleen Stinson For The Gazette
he current and former presidents of the Clatsop Association of Realtors discussed some changes in the local real estate business with The Gazette during an interview on Sunday: Robin Risley, principal broker for Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty in Cannon
Michele Johnson.
Beach and a realtor for 30 years, served as president of the association for two terms in 2018 and 2019, Risley said in an email. The new president for 2020 and 2021, installed last Friday, is Michele Johnson, a realtor for 22 years. She’s with Windermere Realty Trust, also in Cannon Beach. “I’m very excited and positive about Michele being
our new president,” Risley said in an interview. “I just know we’re on to continuing in a very positive way.” Johnson said, “Robin has been a fabulous mentor to me. Having been past president, (Robin) with her knowledge and experience, going forward will be invaluable to me and to the success of the association.” One change in the home sales market in Cannon
Beach is that prices have been rising, Risley said. “I do think that prices are going up. Cannon Beach is a lot higher than any other place in the county.” She said Astoria, Warrenton and, in some instances, Seaside generally have more affordable homes for sale. Deb Morrow, executive officer of the Clatsop Associa-
n See NEW, Page 3
Robin Risley.
Oregon coast
Tracking gray whale behavior - and their poop Sean Nealon Oregon State University
U
sing drones deployed in the air and GoPros underwater, Oregon State University marine ecologist Leigh Torres has completed her fourth field season documenting previously unseen behaviors of gray whales – and gathering their poop – off the Oregon coast. Torres works at the Marine Mammal Institute, based at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Torres and her team use a 17-foot inflatable boat to track gray whales right off the shoreline, around Newport. Once they see a whale, they drop a GoPro underwater to see what the whale is eating. And they deploy a drone overhead to watch behaviors and gather data about the size of the whales, in an effort to understand more about their health. If they’re lucky, the researchers can spot and gather whale poop, which further helps them the creatures’ biology. “We are using these relatively new technologies
to do health checkups on the whales,” Torres said. “We’re able to see differences in individual whales and how those change over time.” This past season, Torres and her team captured drone footage of 102 gray whales, plus recordings from 105 GoPro camera drops. The behaviors they filmed included whales breaching, surface feeding, snaking through kelp in search of food, and feeding on the seafloor bottom. They also collected 58 fecal samples. After spotting whale poop, the team has about 20 to 30 seconds to swoop in with a fine mesh net and scoop up some of the material before it sinks to the ocean floor. The fecal samples are taken to a lab and analyzed for hormone levels and genetics. Every year, some 20,000 gray whales, which can be more than 40 feet long and weigh more than 30 tons, migrate between the breeding lagoons of Baja, Mexico and the feeding grounds off British Columbia and Alaska, often passing close to shore along the Northwest coast. For some reason, about 200
(Top) A gray whale peaks above the water. (Bottom) A gray whale dives into the ocean. Photos courtesy Oregon State University. of them annually cut short their northern migration, opting instead to stay along the coastline from northern California to Washington throughout much of the summer. Although they don’t live year-round off the Northwest coast, these are known informally as Oregon’s summer “resident” gray whales. Their near-shore migration has spawned a popular
whale-watching industry along the coast that in 2009 was worth an estimated $29 million – a figure likely higher today. When Torres arrived at Oregon State University in 2014, she said she was surprised there was not more research being conducted on Oregon’s resident gray whales. She
n See WHALE, Page 3
CB resident co-hosts NBC-TV dog show
Frei’s forte: TV shows and therapy dogs
Kathleen Stinson For The Gazette
C
annon Beach resident and Oregon native David Frei will co-host NBC’s “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” set to air Thursday after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” is hosted by TV personality, author and Broadway star John O’Hurley (“Seinfeld,” “Dancing with the Stars”), and analyst and American Kennel Club-licensed judge Frei, who has officiated at dog shows worldwide, according to a related press release. Frei has co-hosted the show since the beginning in 2002, according to the release. The show, which raises “money for canine-related causes,” drew 25 million viewers last year. In an interview last week, Frei told The Gazette that he and O’Hurley explain to the audience, among other things, “what these dogs were bred to do. If you are going to have a dog in the family, you want one that matches your family,” Frei said. He said the show is a “celebration of the dogs in our life.” These show dogs “are real dogs living in our house, just like other dogs… You want to relate to that and be a responsible owner.” Frei said viewers can watch the show, “sit there with their own dog and hug their own dog.” They can say, “You’re my best-of-show dog.” According to the press release: “In its unique format, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia offers an open environment for the esteemed event and remains one of the only ‘benched’ dog shows, displaying all 2,000 competing purebred canines to the visiting public.”
D
Kathleen Stinson For The Gazette
avid Frei, co-host of NBC’s “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” which will air Thanksgiving Day, started an organization several years ago to make it possible for therapy dogs to visit healthcare organizations around the country. In an interview last week, Frei, a Cannon Beach resident, talked about how he got into the world of dog shows and also therapy dogs. He said he grew up in Eugene and later lived in Seattle for about 20 years. While in Seattle, he would come to Cannon Beach “to play.” Later, while living in New York City, he and his wife, Cherilyn, talked about retiring to Cannon Beach someday. They moved here three and a half years ago. David Frei owned a public relations agency and two restaurants in Seattle, he said, and handled public relations for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. Although dogs have been a big part of his life, he said, he never had one while growing up. In college, a girlfriend suggested he get a dog. So, he did - an Afghan Hound. “Three weeks later, the girlfriend left and the dog stayed, which was the best thing for all of us,” said Frei. As the years passed, he became involved in “the dog show world” and bred Afghan Hounds for 30 years. “I David Frei will co-host NBC’s “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Courtesy photo.
n See DOGS, Page 8
Mimosa Madness and much more in Cannon Beach on Friday C
Hilary Dorsey For The Gazette
annon Beach is hosting Mimosa Madness from 8-11 a.m. Friday, celebrating Black Friday with personal service, small-town charm and refreshments while you shop. According to Kathy Kleczek of La Luna Loca, Mimosa Madness began in 2008 or 2009. Kleczek was
involved in the initial event, as well as Dena’s Shop on the Corner. “We thought it would be good to have a local shopping event, since there were people in town and they often lamented about the shops not being open and having to go to Fred Meyer or Portland to get in on Black Friday shopping,” Kleczek said. “We wanted to make it more ‘civil’ - no pushing or
shoving. And certainly not at 2 a.m.!” The first year’s Mimosa Madness started at 7 a.m., which turned out to be too early for the Cannon Beach crowds. “We thought, ‘Let’s serve mimosas. Ooh, yeah,’” Kleczek said. “’That would be madness!’ And that’s where the name came from.” Kleczek said they determined the cost of advertising,
flyers and posters would be, and divided that by how many businesses committed to open early and offer specials. Mimosa Madness was born. “Customers seem to love it and many now come every year to do their shopping during Mimosa Madness,” Kleczek said. Participating stores B. Boutique: 8-9 a.m.,
40% off storewide; 9-11 a.m., 30% off storewide; 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 20% off storewide. Basketcase: Treats and half-off Christmas Extravaganza, 8-11 a.m. only. Bruce’s Candy Kitchen: Open 8-10 a.m., offering 20% off entire purchase, with sweets and sips. Cannon Beach Bakery: 10% off purchases of $10 or more with the mention of Mimosa Madness; 12-ounce
gingerbread latte special for $3. Cannon Beach Makers: In-store specials, with mimosas and treats; discounted items from select artists. Cannon Beach Wine Shack: Free mimosas until 11 a.m.; 15% off all products from 9:30-11 a.m.; 10% off all products the rest of the
n See MIMOSA, Page 3