Pacific City
SUN
And the band plays on
Firefighters extinguish blaze in the Beaver area.................................................. 4 Drivers reminded of speed limit change................................................ 8
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Scientists say climate change is causing destabilization of coast’s ecosystem...........11
Vol. 15, No. 386 • January 14, 2022 • FREE!
Photo couresy of Nestucca, Neskowin and Sand Lake Watersheds Council
THE SAND LAKE WOOD PLACEMENT PROJECT now has a finalized grant agreement from the Oregon Water Enhancement Board in place. Instream work will start in July.
Restoration to improve rearing and spawning salmon habitat By TIM HIRSCH of the Sun
P
Escaping the Winter
Doldrums
Pacific City boasts a number of indoor exercise opportunities Planning Commission to consider campground proposal in Tierra Del Mar Tillamook County may soon have another campground to host its evergrowing tourist trade if a new proposal in Tierra Del Mar goes forward. The Tillamook County Planning Commission will hold two hearings — one on Thursday, Jan. 27 and the second on Feb. 24, both starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Tillamook County Courthouse, to consider a request for a conditional use approval for a 19-site recreation campground in Tierra Del Mar. The development is being proposed by property owner and applicant Oregon Treehouse Partners LLC. In their application, they are proposing to build the campground on an 18-acre portion of a 58.51-acre parcel accessed via Floyd Venue in Tierra Del Mar. The proposal is located
within Rural Residential 2-Acre zoned land, with the subject property split zoned RR-2 and Small Farm and Woodlot-20. According to the submitted application, the conditional use permit is for a yearround recreational campground that will be “environmentally focused” and will retain “the beauty and integrity of the forest and fauna” of the property. Proposed plans call for a 3,630 square foot recreational support building that will include bathrooms, showers, a small sundries/convenience/gift shop, small prep kitchen, inside seating and outside seating on a deck. The campground sites will feature four recreational cabins/ tiny homes on wheels, six tent camping areas, nine owner-provided camping tents on decks, a common area bathhouse, a multi-use picnic area, and a viewing deck.
The application can be viewed by visiting co.tillamook.or.us/commdev/ landuseapps. The hearing will take place virtually with a livestream. In-person attendees will be required to wear a mask. Oral testimony will be taken at the Jan. 27 hearing. Those that wish to provide such testimony can visit co.tillamook.or.us/bc-pc or email Lynn Tone, office specialist 2, at ltone@ co.tillamook.or.us. Written testimony, which is due by 4 p.m. on Jan. 27, may be submitted to: Tillamook County Department of Community Development, 1510-B Third St., Tillamook, OR 97141. If submitted by 4 p.m. on Jan. 18, the testimony will be included in the packet mailed to the Planning Commission prior to the first hearing.
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reliminary site work is underway for a new restoration project in Sand Lake as three different waterways — Sand Creek, Andy Creek and Jewel Creek will see their salmon habitat improved this summer with 47 locations along those three creeks set to have large woody debris structures placed. With a finalized grant agreement from the Oregon Water Enhancement Board now in hand, the Sand Lake Wood Placement Project, which is being spearheaded by the Nestucca, Neskowin and Sand Lake Watersheds Council, will see each of the 47 spots featuring three to seven pieces of wood, each of which will be at least 18 inches in diameter and a minimum of 40 feet long. The project is being funded by the OWEB, which totals $84,573, together with $47,464 in-kind contributions from Stinson Lumber, the U.S. Forest Service and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. The work window is July 1 through Sept. 15. “The goal for all these placements is to improve the spawning and rearing habitat — particularly for coho — but others species will benefit as well,” said Dave Shively, executive director of the Watersheds Council. “In addition to coho (it could benefit) Chinook salmon, chum salmon, winter steelhead, cutthroat trout and Pacific lamprey.” In between now and July, Shively said the team will be lining up contractors, securing the wood that will be donated via in-kind contributions, and taking care of permitting. He added that the project is important because it will help eliminate limiting factors for coho rearing and spawning. “Large wood (deposits) are critical for providing complex structure in streams. That complex structure helps to connect the flood plain with channel processes. It’s important for good rearing habitat and also spawning. This wood has been missing from the system for decades.” For more information about the work and projects of the Nestucca, Neskowin and Sand Lakes Watershed Council, visit nestuccawaters.org.