Citizen North Coast
Serving North Tillamook County since 1996
July 7, 2016
northcoastcitizen.com
Rollin’ on the river...
Relay for Life a 24-hour event
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he Astoria-based Maritime Archaeological Society wants to discover more about shipwrecks along the North Coast, including the Beeswax Wreck, believed to be along the Manzanita beach. So they built a robot. Specifically, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from OpenROV, a company that manufactures open-source robotic submersibles. Essentially, it is an underwater drone equipped with a GoPro camera. Chris Dewey, president of MAS, said he typically can send divers to four target-areas in a day to analyze places of interest underwater. With the ROV, he can do 10 a day. “We can quickly move from target to target to target [with the ROV] and let divers check out what we find.”
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NORTH COUNTY NEWS ONLINE
Submersible to hunt for shipwrecks along coast By Jordan Wolfe
By Jordan Wolfe
n See, RELAY, Page A3
Volume 21, No. 13
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
ancer never sleeps. That is the idea being conveyed this weekend, as Relay For Life of Tillamook County prepares for twenty-four hours of events in support of those affected by cancer, according to Stephanie Butcher, first-year chairperson for the event. Held at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds, this year’s event, “The Wonderful World of Relay,” is Disney-themed and begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 10 a.m. on Sunday. “Come. Just come,” said Butcher, offering a reminder that the event is free to attend. “We don’t want people to feel financially obligated to come and learn.” Liberally sprinkled throughout the day will be live entertainment as well as various family entertainment, according to Butcher. And keeping with the Dis-
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Citizen photo by Jordan Wolfe The Wasabi TideRunners of Nehalem Bay, the only dragon boat team on the north coast, are a group of women from Netarts to Astoria and the Portland metro area. This September, they will be traveling to Ireland to race.
n See ROV, Page A8
TideRunners prep for first international race By Jordan Wolfe
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
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beautiful, quiet Saturday morning on the Nehalem river was punctuated by calls of “paddles up”, “let it run” and the synchronized slicing of paddles through the water. The North Coast’s own dragon boat team, the Wasabi TideRunners of Nehalem Bay are preparing for their first international race. Currently in their fourth season, the TideRunners are heading to Ireland in September.
“I love being out on the water,” said Char vonAhlefeld, coach of the TideRunners, “We get to see bald eagles, seals and herons. It’s lovely to be out. What’s not to like about it?” As a blue heron flew overhead, Barb Edwardson, one of the steerers for the TideRunners, said, “That one’s name is Cranky. Or that one might be Cantankerous.” Courtesy Photo
n See PADDLE, Page A2
The submersible could discover undocumented shipwrecks and explore areas along the coast that divers and small boats cannot.
Manzanita celebrates July 4th with a bang Manzanita is decorated in patriotic red, white and blue during the annual July 4th Parade. Crowds gathered in town to take in the festivities during the popular celebration commemorating Independence Day in style. A fireworks display was the grand finale to a busy day at the beach.
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New book destroys Manzanita By Jordan Wolfe
jwolfe@countrymedia.net
T
he Cascadia subduction zone will rupture this weekend. At least, in novel form. H.W. “Buzz” Bernard’s new book “Cascadia,” releasing on Monday, is a fictional thriller about the earthquake the Pacific Northwest is long overdue for. And it prominently features a little town called Manzanita. “It makes a great setting,” said Bernard. “It’s a beautiful area. Ruggedly beautiful.” A native Oregonian, Bernard now lives in Roswell, GA, outside of Atlanta. With his brother as a part-time Manzanita resident, Bernard has ties to the North Coast. “Manzanita became a focal point because I knew it well,” Bernard said. “I always like visiting, It’s a cool little town. I talk a lot [in “Cascadia”] about Laneda Avenue and the Big Wave Cafe and the Fourth of July parade.” He added, scenes take place in Cannon Beach and Neahkahnie Mountain as well. “In the end, it all gets wiped out.”
Bernard said about 10 years ago he saw the blue Tsunami Evacuation Route signs, while visiting the area. “They look just like the east and gulf coast signs that show hurricane evacuation routes. I thought ‘tsunami evacuation. Really? Why do they need evacuation routes?’” He said the idea rested in the back of his mind until his interest piqued after reading more about the Cascadia subduction zone. “Oh my God. This is a really big deal,” said Bernard. He began thinking about a novel. “You can’t have just the event,” he said, “You have to populate it with characters. They are what really drive a novel.” Unfortunately for Manzanita residents hoping to make the cut for the novel, Bernard said all characters are fully fictional. With a background as a meteorologist and atmospheric scientist, Bernard said he tries to bring authentic information into the books he writes.
n See BOOK, Page A3