Osprey gets a lift from human helpers

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THE DAILYASTORIAN
141st YEAR, No. 20
FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2013
ONE DOLLAR
What about John?
TED SHORACK — The Daily Astorian
A juvenile osprey in Warrenton, that
fell from its platform nest and was
unable to fly, was returned to its nest
by members of Wildlife Center of the
North Coast and arborists with Arbor
Care Tree Specialists Wednesday.
CHASE ALLGOOD — The News Times
John Wedell, in his red helmet, gives the peace sign in Forest Grove. He is a fixture there and also in Astoria.
Demystifying the most public private
citizen in two communities
The following story first appeared in
the News-Times in Forest Grove. It is
reprinted with permission
By STEPHANIE HAUGEN
The News-Times
His name is John Wedell.
He is simultaneously the most recognized and least understood resident of Forest Grove.
He’s standing in front of the NewsTimes office on Pacific Avenue, wearing
red oven mitts, three wristwatches, two
coats, binoculars and a toothbrush – the
latter propped in a paper cup that’s
strapped to his belt.
He’s also wearing his helmet.
A staple in winter, summer, rain or shine,
the red helmet is one of Wedell’s most
identifying features. The other is the puzzling, possession-packed carts he herds back
and forth across Forest Grove.
It’s easy for people who’ve never talked
with Wedell to make erroneous assumptions or feel uncomfortable when they see
him. Some have called police to complain
about his carts blocking the sidewalk, or
about how “someone needs to do something about this person,” said former Forest Grove police Capt. Jeff Williams.
Williams makes a case for compassion.
“People have different needs,” he says. “A
lot of the time we’re too busy to find out
someone’s life story, but if you take that
time, you find out there’s a whole story
there.”
Wedell’s story is difficult to piece togeth-
Osprey gets
a lift from
human
helpers
By TED S HORACK
The Daily Astorian
Born this spring, a juvenile osprey in
Warrenton needed a little help getting
back to its nest Wednesday.
The young bird of prey was discovered
Tuesday in a yard near Alder Avenue and
Southwest 16th Street, not far from its
parents’ platform nest.
Sharnelle Fee, director of Wildlife Center of the North Coast, was contacted to
come and take a look. She discovered that
the bird’s feathers were just growing in and
likely had glided to the ground in an
attempt to fly. She and others monitored
the osprey to see if it could take off.
“We were hoping he would fly, but his
feathers haven’t grown out yet,” Fee said.
“This one is a little behind.”
S ee OSPREY, Page 3A
COMING MONDAY
Artwork courtesy NOEL THOMAS/RIVERSEA GALLERY
This watercolor, painted by Noel Thomas of RiverSea Gallery in Astoria, is one of
several works inspired by John Wedell, whose brother, Steve, owns one. Thomas,
who once helped Wedell pick up overturned barrels of trash, has been fascinated
by him over the years. “Heʼs definitely marching to his own drummer, and I kind of
admire that,” says Thomas.
er for many reasons, including his selectiveness about what he reveals. He details
jobs and college degrees, for example, while
remaining vague about “health problems”
and sleeping arrangements.
Despite such limitations, Wedell’s story
still includes not only a surprising person-
al history but an impressive amount of
empathy from his 21,500 neighbors.
For every business that “blacklists” him,
as Wedell says, others find creative, generous ways to support him. For every person
S ee WEDELL, Page 8A
Fair volunteer
In EVERYDAY PEOPLE
People love Gearhart, but is that a mixed blessing?
Could publicity attract more development?
By AARON FIEDLER
EO Media Group
GEAR HAR T
— Longtime
Gearhart resident Tom Thies is so
worried about development in Gearhart
that he went to some Gearhart City
Council and Planning Commission
meetings to express his concerns.
“A lot of big companies like to
come in when towns are small,” he
said. “I want to make sure we have our
codes set up so that doesn’t happen.”
While some communities may
savor the national attention Gearhart
has been receiving recently, Gearhart
residents aren’t especially happy about
it. A piece on CNN’s Travel and
Leisure website that talked about
Gearhart being the fifth of 11 “Great
American Beach Towns” was met
with some consternation.
“With its antiques shops and picturesque hiking trails, Gearhart – just
north of the renowned, more-bustling
Cannon Beach – is an in-the-know
haven for Portland hipsters like Paige
Powell and Gus Van Sant. In the
evenings, people drive onto the hardpacked sand for wine and stargazing
parties,” the story said. It mentioned
the Gearhart Ocean Inn and the Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe as places to
check out.
A resident since 1982, Thies said
he does not want the more residential
Gearhart to turn into a more trafficked
community like Seaside.
“Once you start getting those (big
box stores in), even if it’s on the outside of town, you get more people in,”
Thies said. “Gearhart has never wanted to be a destination resort.”
Gearhart City Manager Chad Sweet
AARON FIEDLER — EO Media Group
Although Gearhart resident Tom Thies expressed concern about future
development in Gearhart, city officials say they are working to control
development and keep the community predominantly residential.
understands Thies’ worry.
“He is just concerned and wants to
make sure we keep that top of mind,”
Sweet said. “It’s a struggle to keep a
small town small.”
Thies said he plans to meet with
Sweet to discuss the city’s zoning
regulations – something Sweet offered
S ee GEARHART, Page 3A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN
NORTH COAST
3A
FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2013
Gearhart: Concerns
Continued from Page 1A
TED SHORACK — The Daily Astorian
Sharnelle Fee, director of Wildlife Center of the North Coast, and Melisa Colvin, a volunteer for 21⁄2 years, fed
a juvenile osprey in Warrenton Wednesday with an electrolyte solution and fish after days without eating. The
osprey had been unable fly, but was returned to its 50-foot platform nest by Colvin and her husband, Luke Colvin,
in a spider lift.
Osprey: Spider lift put into action
Continued from Page 1A
The osprey’s sibling and parents
paid little attention to the situation. In
an effort to keep the bird safe, it was
placed on a woodshed over night. After
the other ospreys continued to ignore
the juvenile Wednesday, Fee said people decided to take action.
Melisa Colvin, a volunteer with the
wildlife center for nearly three years, settled down the juvenile while Fee fed it
an electrolyte solution and small whole
fish. She suspected that it hadn’t eaten
anything since Monday morning. However, they wanted to make sure it was
able to still eat something.
“We fed him before he went up,
but we wanted him to be a little hungry because we wanted him to call to
his parents,” said Fee.
At 50 feet up, the nest could only
be reached with a spider lift, which
was provided by Melisa’s husband,
Luke, who owns Arbor Care Tree Specialists. The two squeezed into the aerial bucket and were raised up to return
the osprey back home.
While they made sure the young
bird was secure, its parents began
swooping down on the couple and
hovering within feet of them. Once
back on the ground, Luke Colvin
described the experience as terrifying
and amazing.
The platform nest is one of many
that have been put up for ospreys in
Seaside and Warrenton. The fish-eating
birds have a tendency to construct nests
on power line poles, Fee said, and the
platforms nearby power lines have been
used as an alternative.
AR C H C AP E — F ire
Mountain School, 6505 Elk
Flat Road in Arch Cape, will
hold an open house from 3 to
6 p.m. Aug. 3. Faculty will
be available to answer questions and give tours of school
and grounds.
Following the open house
at 6 p.m. there will be a
potluck dinner to celebrate the
school’s 30th anniversary.
Included will be musical performers as well as a hike over
the Arch Cape tunnel the following day.
For information, call 503717-2530.
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TH E CLA TS O P C A R E CE N TE R
w ould like
to thank Van D usen Beverages,Franz Bakery ,Fred
M ey er,Safew ay & C ostco for their generous donations
to our recentcar w ash & hotdog sale. TED SHORACK — The Daily Astorian
A free seminar will be
offered to assist veterans and
their dependents in understanding the various benefits
available from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The seminar takes place
at 6 p.m. Aug. 13 at the
Judge Guy B oyi ngt on
Building, 857 Commercial
St., Astoria.
Understanding the eligibility criteria and applying
for benefits from the VA can
be challenging. The rules that
govern eligibility are complex and change regularly.
Clatsop County Veterans
Services will provide information on the requirements
of the application process and
discuss the various types of
benefits available, including:
• Disability compensation;
income for injuries incident in
service
• Pension, a needs based
supplement available to veterans and their dependents
• Health care benefits
• Educational benefits
For more information contact Phil Simmons 503-4408310.
School sets open house
Where Safety Begins
RIGHT: An adult osprey swoops
down on its platform nest in Warrenton as Luke Colvin, owner of
Arbor Care, and his wife, Melisa, a
volunteer with Wildlife Center of
the North Coast, return a juvenile
osprey who is unable to fly.
Seminar
planned to
help veterans
to do with him at the meetings Thies attended.
Gearhart’s comprehensive
plan and zoning regulations
help the city maintain its
character.
“The code is written to
limit development downtown
to things residents want,”
Sweet said.
The city has two commercial development zones – C1
and C2. The C1 zones make
up the small downtown corridor and are especially limiting, according to Gearhart
City Councilor Joy Sigler.
The C2 zone, which makes
up the commercial area along
U.S. Highway 101, provides
more opportunities for businesses.
“Our commercial is commercial, and there is not a lot
of it,” said Gearhart Mayor
Dianne Widdop.
Another big factor in the
limitation of development is
that the city does not have
municipal sewer service –
every building is on a septic
tank.
“That in and of itself is
going to intrinsically limit
business development, ”
Sigler said.
She pointed to that as a
challenge for even existing
businesses that deal in food
service.
“Quite honestly, we’re not
a big metropolis here – we
don’t have the people who
would warrant (major commercial development),” Widdop said. “And we have the
residents who would hate it
and are very vocal about
things like that. I don’t particularly see anything like
that.”
Widdop said she has heard
from Gearhart residents –
including Thies – that they
would rather not be getting
accolades from national news
outlets.
“Do you know what the
comment was? ” Widdop
asked. “Not ‘How do we
become No. 1?’ (They say)
‘How do we get off of here?
What do we have to do?’
“It’s because it’s so residential that we are No. 5 –
that we are such a neat place
to be,” Widdop added. “But
we almost want to be the
unknown destination.”
Sweet said Gearhart plays
a very particular role in the
larger North Coast community.
“Cannon Beach is beautiful and wonderful – it has
resorts and restaurants,” he
said. “Seaside is great – what
a wonderful place to bring a
family. Warrenton has industry. Astoria has history and
food. Gearhart’s part in that is
being residential.”
Thank y ou to D esiree and the H om e H ealth students
from Tongue Pointfor their hard w ork,and a big
Thank y ou to the com m unity for their support. Check for online updates:
wwwdailyastorian.com
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Top Story
It isn’t “Swan Lake” or the “Nutcracker.”
“The Rite of Spring” is a visceral experience and fans of the Astoria Music Festival
are still buzzing about the performance,
which helped close out the 11th annual
festival at the Liberty Theater.
NOW – SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
THIS WEEK:
KMUN, KTCB and KCPB
All the coast sports
Check out sports online.
dailyastorian.com/sports
Matt Winters talks with hospital
CEO Kendall Sowa, left, about
the Ocean Beach Hospital in
Ilwaco, Wash., and other topics.
dailyastorian.com/afterdeadline