Manzanita Tree Lighting & Holiday Bazaar Nov. 23
Volume 17, No. 23
November 15, 2012
northcoastcitizen.com • 75¢
With the election behind us, how did Tillamook County vote?
Inside
‘SMILEY’ BROS AT IT AGAIN Waterhouse Falls Coho Salmon Project takes on life of its own. Page 3
Business
Upwards of 125 farmers and growers gathered at the North County Recreation District for the Grow the Coast food conference in Nehalem. Dane Osis, Fort Stevens National Park Ranger, teaches a group about wild mushroom foraging. Photo by Mary Faith Bell
By Joe Wrabek and Dave Fisher
Grow the Coast draws 125 growers By Mary Faith Bell For the Citizen
Upwards of 125 people attended Grow the Coast – the north coast conference on growing food – held in Nehalem in early November. Grow the Coast was put on by Food Roots of Tillamook and Clatsop counties, and was designed to bring
small farmers and food producers and people who are interested in the local food movement together to learn about a wide range of topics from pasture management for healthy animals, to the specifics of the new Farm Direct law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2012. Conference attendees heard from a professional couple from Washington, D.C., Lori and Steven
Rutledge, who recently gave up university tenure and a law practice to try their hands at farming. Classes included how to identify and forage for wild mushrooms; how to choose crops best suited to the north coast climate, and how to combat pests with organic solutions. Attendees
In the 2012 general election, Tillamook County followed the rest of the country in voting to re-elect President Barack Obama, and the rest of the 5th Congressional District in re-electing Rep. Kurt Schrader. In statewide races, Tillamook County voted for the incumbent Secretary of State, State Treasurer, state Attorney General, and Commissioner of Labor and Industries—as did voters statewide. In the countywide contest for County Commissioner, Position 1, where Tillamook CPA (and Port of Tillamook Bay President) Bill Baertlein faced Tillamook Estuaries Partnership executive director (and former Rockaway Beach Mayor) Lisa Phipps, Baertlein won, 60% (6831 votes) to Phipps’ 40% (4487 votes). Phipps carried six of the county’s 30 precincts, those that covered Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway, Oceanside and Neskowin and their environs. Those precincts mostly voted heavily for Phipps. In
See GROW THE COAST, page 7
See ELECTION, page 5
Roy Creek fish passage project a ‘really big deal’
SHOP LOCAL A decade in the works, THIS HOLIDAY the bridge over Roy Creek is cause for SEASON! Local area merchants and holiday fairs offer a wide array of gift ideas. Pages 11 & 12
Index Classifieds.................. 8 Events calendar.......6-7 NBFR District Log....... 7 Public Safety Log........ 9 Golightly Gourmet..... 10
celebration
By Dave Fisher The Citizen
A drenching downpour, although problematic, didn’t stop upwards of 50 local, county and state officials from gathering at Roy Creek Oct. 30 to celebrate the successful completion of the bridge on Foss Road over the Nehalem River tributary, which will vastly improve fish migration. “This is really a big deal,” said Sen. Betsy Johnson of the decade old effort. Johnson praised the agencies and governmental entities for their collaboration, saying, “This goes to show what we can accomplish when we work together.” The quest to improve fish passage at Roy Creek underneath Foss Road and the railroad tracks that run
alongside had been on the agenda of the Lower Nehalem Watershed Council (LNWC) for nearly a decade. In 2001, the LNWC was awarded a technical assistance grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) to design the Roy Creek crossing to help facilitate fish migration. The existing culverts were beginning to decay and became misaligned over the years changing the flow rates and making it impossible for fish to get upstream to spawn, according to George Hemingway, board president of the LNWC. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife had rated the replacement of the Roy Creek/Foss Road crossing as one of the highest priority restoration projects in Tillamook County. The culverts blocked access of high potential spawning and rearing habitat for endangered and threatened salmon species in the Lower Nehalem. The crossing consisted of two six-foot diameter culverts, stacked on top of
George Hemingway, president of the Lower Nehalem Watershed Council, delivers his remarks at the dedication of the new bridge at Roy Creek. Photo by Dave Fisher multiple smashed and derelict culverts. The undersized culverts perched at lower river flows impeded sediment
transport and presented a velocity barrier. Interestingly, the new 40-foot span is “a modern-
day version of what existed in 1941,” when a railroad
See ROY CREEK, page 5
It’s beginning to look a lot like… Nehalem city
manager resigns By Dave Fisher The Citizen
Michael Nitzsche, city manager for the City of Nehalem the past 13 years has resigned. His last day was Friday, Nov. 2. Hired in June 1999, Nitzsche came to Nehalem from eastern Washington. Nitzsche told the Citizen his resignation was due to non-life threatening health concerns. “I’ve dealt with allergies here since day one and it hasn’t gotten any better,” said Nitzsche, who plans on
See MANAGER, page 5
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The tree located in the parking lot of Kamali/ Sotheby Real Estate at the corner of Fifth St. and Laneda Ave. got some special attention with the help of arborists who trimmed branches and hung Christmas lights in anticipation of the annual Manzanita Tree Lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving – Friday, Nov. 23, at 6:30 p.m. Following the tree lighting, the Three Village Market will take place at the Pine Grove Community Center at 225 Laneda, featuring the crafts and goods of local artisans and merchants. Meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, listen to carols sung by the Neah-Kah-Nie High School choir and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa along with holiday treats.
After 13 years on the job as city manager for the City of Nehalem, Michael Nitzsche is moving on.