A1
ENDING A 25 YEAR DROUGHT? TILLAMOOK CROSS COUNTRY TEAM SHOWS MAJOR IMPROVEMENT IN LAST TWO YEARS, EYES STATE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE 1980S , PAGE A9
Headlight Herald
TILLAMOOKHEADLIGHTHERALD.COM • OCTOBER 9, 2013
LONGEST RUNNING BUSINESS IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY • SINCE 1888
‘KILL PERMITS’ SPUR CONFUSION never been a problem with doing so. That’s until a farmer on Blaine Road in southern Tillamook County accidently shot and killed two branch bulls (kill permits restrict the slaughter to cows only). Since then, questions have arisen as to precisely which state agency should be responsible for kill permits, who is notified when the permits are issued, what records exist regarding the permits, and what happens if a permit is violated. On July 30 at 10:44 p.m., the Blaine Road farmer was cited by Hoodenpyle for unlawful possession of a bull elk. Hoodenpyle fined the farmer $435.
By Sayde Moser
smoser@countrymedia.net
Photo by Joe Wrabek
The Natural Resources Coversation Services, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hung this sign Oct. 1 at its office following the government shut down.
The federal shutdown: do you feel the pain? By Joe Wrabek
jwrabek@countrymedia.net
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a statuary obligation to address property damage, although there’s nothing in the law that specifies precisely how that’s to be done. In Tillamook County, one of those ways is by the state issuing “kill permits,” which allow a farmer to take a specified number of elk within a certain number of weeks if property has been damaged. Oregon State Police Sgt. Todd Hoodenpyle said ODFW has been issuing kill permits in Tillamook since the late 1990s. And to his recollection, there’s
Courtesy Photo
Elk herds, like the one pictured here, are causing property damage in southern Tillamook County, allowing Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue “kill permits.” However, the regulations surrounding these permits have created some confusion. But that fine later was dismissed in court. A repre-
sentative of Tillamook County Justice Court said the court’s
records indicate the farmer had no prior wildlife violations to speak of. When contacted by the Headlight Herald, ODFW wildlife communications coordinator Michele Dennehy said the state agency in Salem had no record of Hoodenpyle’s citation ever being issued. “We don’t communicate directly with [ODFW in Salem],” agreed Hoodenpyle. “It’s not so clean-cut that everyone knows what’s going on.” In fact, Salem doesn’t generally handle issuing kill permits. That’s the job of Herman Biederbeck, the wildlife
Shipwrecked! One hundred years later, the Glenesslin story still fascinates
At 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, the “panda cam” at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was turned off. Meantime, barricades went up around the nation’s federal monuments. Visitors to national parks were given 48 hours to pack up and leave. Across the country, federal employees shut down websites, put their phones on voicemail, and locked their offices. Thanks to stalled budget negotiations in Congress, the federal government had no budget – and therefore,
See SHUTDOWN, Page A2
INDEX Classified Ads...............B5-8 Crossword Puzzle............ B2 Fenceposts....................B3-4 Letters.............................. A4 Obituaries......................... A6 Opinions........................... A4 Sports...........................A8-9
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Photograph from the archive of Ward Meyer
The Glenesslin lies stranded on the rocks at the base of Neahkahnie Mountain. The ship’s captain, Owen Williams, had sailed the seas for 20 years without an accident, until that fateful day on Oct. 1, 1913.
Nagging questions linger about the sailing vessel’s last hours at sea By Dave Fisher
For the Headlight Herald
By most accounts, Oct. 1, 1913 was a beautiful fall day in Neahkahnie. Skies were generally clear dotted with a few white clouds, and the ocean was calm. Offshore that afternoon, a
ship in full sail was making its way north. To the astute observer, it might have appeared unusually close to the shoreline of Nehalem spit shore. Sailing ships off the coast were still a common sight in 1913, though the age of square-riggers was giving way to steam-powered
vessels. One can imagine it was a lazy fall afternoon at the Neahkahnie Tavern, a 30room hotel built in 1912 and home to Samuel Reed, his wife Beulah and their three daughters. Positioned just west of the present day intersection of Nehalem Road,
Ocean Road and Beulah Reed Road, the establishment had a signature view of Neahkahnie Mountain, which is why a glassed-in porch at the tavern’s northwest corner was included in its design so guests could
See SHIPWRECK, Page A7
See PERMITS, Page A3
No candidates, only measures on November local ballot By Joe Wrabek
jwrabek@countrymedia.net
There are no candidates for public office on Tillamook County’s November 2013 election ballot, said the county clerk’s office, and just two ballot measures. The only countywide measure, 29-133, would implement a 10-percent transient lodging tax on guests staying in local hotels, motels, bed-andbreakfasts, condos, RV parks, campgrounds and vacation rentals. A portion of the 10-percent county tax is offset by lodging taxes paid to cities, up to a maximum of 9 percent. The county tax would be in addition to the 1-percent “transient occupancy tax” already levied by the State of Oregon. The bulk of the tax is required by state law to be spent on tourism promotion (which can also include constructing tourist facilities). Tillamook County officials propose to dedicate the remaining 30 percent to the maintenance of county roads (after deducting the county’s costs of collection and enforcement of the tax). The second ballot measure, 29-134, asks voters in north Tillamook County to renew a
See VOTE, Page A3
Fate of local sand dollar bed still unknown By Sayde Moser
smoser@countrymedia.net
More than 100 comments have been submitted to the Oregon Department of Agriculture in response to an oyster plat application on Netarts Bay. The application, submitted by Shuckin’ Food Oyster Co., LLC, on June 24, is for a 32-acre plat over top a sand dollar bed. Hundreds of the little sea creatures live on the north end of the bay, which is unusual for low-salinity waters. Yet thanks to the limited fresh-water inlets, the sand dollar bed has been able to survive.
It’s the only one like it in the entire bay. The Department of Agriculture accepted public comment on the oyster company’s plat application until August 30. Department spokesman John Byers said the response was “overwhelming.” “We’re in the process of trying to come to some sort of conclusion,” said Byers, adding that he has no idea how long that could take. Similar applications usually take about three months to process, he said, although this one could well take longer. “We are trying to move as quickly as we can,” he said, “but with more
than 100 different comments, we’re making sure everyone’s concerns are considered.” Byer said that over the last six years, the Department of Agriculture has processed just two similar applications. “There’s been very little activity in that program for many years now,” he said. Shuckin’ Food Oyster Co. is owned by Karina Mayner of Netarts, who said her intention is to introduce native oysters back into the bay. Mayner said she isn’t looking to harvest oysters commercially, although eventually she would apply for a commercial oyster license if her current application is approved.
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Courtesy Photo
The sand dollar in Netarts Bay is in jeopardy after an application for an oyster plat right on top of the bed was submitted to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
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