In the Seattle Times, by Mark Yuasa

The fall and early winter coastal razor clam seasons are set to begin Oct. 17, and it appears that the clam abundance is decent on the southern beaches and bigger clams are to be had on the northern ones.

Evening digs are tentatively planned at Twin Harbors (Oct. 16-19); Long Beach and Copalis (Oct. 16, 17 and 18); and Mocrocks and Kalaloch Beach (Oct. 17 and 18). Digging at all beaches will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight.

“The results of our 2009 summer stock assessment show that Long Beach, Twin Harbors and Kalaloch Beach have had an increase in their total allowable catch, while Copalis and Mocrocks are about the same,” Dan Ayres, the head state Fish and Wildlife coastal shellfish manager said in a news release. “This is great news for Kalaloch, which will have harvest opportunities for the first time since spring 2007.”

Kalaloch had been closed due to low clam abundance, but this year’s annual stock assessment shows approximately 3.5 million clams of harvestable size, Ayres said. The National Park Service scheduled the proposed digs at Kalaloch Beach, located within Olympic National Park, to coincide with those at other coastal beaches.

[more from the Seattle Times]

clam dates for Long Beach

funbeach.com clamming information

Evening digs are tentatively planned for “Long Beach”, which extends from the Columbia River to Leadbetter Point.

Digging at all beaches will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight.

• Friday, Oct. 16 ( 5:50 p.m. -0.5 ft.) Long Beach
• Saturday, Oct. 17 (6:38 p.m. -0.8 ft.) Long Beach,
• Sunday, Oct. 18 (7:23 p.m. -1.1ft.) Long Beach
  .
• Wednesday, Nov. 4 (7:33 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Friday, Nov. 6 (9:07 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:59 p.m. -0.5 ft.)
  .
• Saturday, Nov. 14 (4:34 p.m. -0.3 ft.)
• Sunday, Nov. 15 (5:21 p.m. -0.7 ft.)
• Monday, Nov. 16 (6:05 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
  .
• Wednesday, Dec. 2 (6:32 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Thursday, Dec. 3 (7:18 p.m. -1.4 ft.)
• Friday, Dec. 4 (8:04 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Saturday, Dec. 5 (8:51 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
  .
• Thursday, Dec. 31 (6:16 p.m. -1.1 ft.)
• Friday, Jan. 1 (7:01 p.m. -1.8 ft.)
• Saturday, Jan. 2 (7:45 p.m. -1.6 ft.)

For more information, watch this page:  http://funbeach.com/attractions/clams/

For the fourth year in a row, the shipwreck heritage at the mouth of the Columbia River is being commemorated through a series of special events. Washington State Parks is teaming up with the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon to tell stories of the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” This name refers to the hundreds of ships that have met their fate where the Columbia River collides with the Pacific Ocean, also known as the Columbia River bar.

The third annual “Sea Shanty Camp of the Columbia” is being held at Fort Columbia State Park, one mile east of Chinook, Washington on Saturday, October 24. Shanty-man Hank Cramer will emcee this year’s camp, leading participants with his booming bass voice.

Instructors will also include:

• Mary Garvey and Hobe Kytr leading original songs about the Columbia-Pacific region
• Captain Matt Moeller talking and singing about nautical lore aboard tall ships
• Jon Broderick, Jay Speakman and Moe Bowstern presenting Fisher poetry and songs
• Joanne Rideout, of the Columbia River Ship Report, will be interviewing several women in the maritime industry.

The family-friendly programs start at 9 a.m. at the historic riverfront theater and continues throughout the day until 5 p.m.. Participants are welcome to attend one or all of the programs. Call (360) 642-3029 to reserve a boxed lunch. After the camp, a free concert, featuring the instructors will be held at the theater starting at 7:30 pm.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon will be featuring a program on Saturday, October 24 by Dennis Griffin, State Archaeologist with the State Historic Preservation Office in Salem. Griffin’s program, “The Archaeology of Shipwrecks: Plotting a course between the public’s interest in shipwrecks and treasure trove” will be held at 2:30 pm. This program will interpret the importance of shipwrecks to archaeology and their relevance to Oregon. Griffin’s presentation will include many shipwrecks including the appearance of Spanish galleons off the coast to the many shipwrecks that have surfaced recently. Updates regarding these latest uncovered wrecks will be highlighted. The Columbia River Maritime Museum is the official maritime museum for the state of Oregon with exhibits that focus on the rich maritime history at the mouth of the Columbia River. Call (503) 325-2323 for more information.

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park, three miles west of Ilwaco, Washington is featuring a slide show by Bill Hanable, historian and author of “Lighthouses and Life Saving on Washington’s Outer Coast” on Sunday, October 25^th at 1 pm. A book signing will be held after the program. Additional maritime-related programs will be offered throughout the day at the center. Maritime artifacts at the interpretive center include a 1^st Order Fresnel lens that was in both Cape Disappointment and North Head Lighthouses, a turn of the century surf boat and numerous items salvaged from local shipwrecks. Admission to the interpretive center is $5 for adults and seniors; $2.50 for children ages 7-17, kids 6 and under are free. There is no additional charge to attend Bill Hanable’s program. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sea Shanty Camp of the Columbia Schedule
Saturday, October 24^th

• 9-10:00 (Jon Schmidt) Graveyard of the Pacific
• 10-11:00 (Hank Cramer) Form and Function of Shanties
• 11-11:30 (Joanne Rideout) Columbia River Ship Report interview with: Wendy Joseph,  Audra Poor and Maggie MacInnis
• 11:30-12:00 (Marek Skoczlas) Polish Shanties
• 12:00 Lunch
• 1:00 (Matthew Moeller) Nautical Lore
• 2-2:30 (Audra Poor and Maggie MacInnis) Ladies aboard the Lady
• 2:30-3:00 (Commander (Ret.) Alda Siebrands) Coast Guard Heroine
• 3-4:00 (Mary Garvey and Hobe Kytr) Columbia-Pacific Songs
• 4-5:00 (Jon Broderick, Jay Speakman and Moe Bowstern) Fisher   Poetry and Music
• 5:00 Dinner Break
• 7:30 Concert

Water Music Festival Presents a series of outstanding performances, the first of which is October 17th.  Click the image below for a closer look at the details:

Two local events were picked up in The Olympian yesterday:

WILD MUSHROOM CELEBRATION

Oct. 9 through Nov. 15

Long Beach Peninsula

Dinner prices start at $40 per person, depending on establishment.

www.funbeach.com/mushroom

Selected restaurants, inns and bed-and-breakfast establishments in Seaview, Ilwaco and Long Beach prepare gourmet dinners featuring edible wild mushrooms and fresh local ingredients.

CRANBERRIAN FAIR

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 10 and 11

Long Beach Peninsula

Festival admission: Purchase $5 admission buttons at Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.

www.funbeach.com/events/cranberrian or the museum at 360-642-3446

Fall harvest celebration of the Long Beach Peninsula’s family-owned cranberry bogs. Watch growers flood fields, beat berries from vines, and gather the floating berries. Sample cranberry and other local food products, shop for artisan pottery, fine art and more at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum. Visit the Cranberry Museum and go on a self-guided farm tour.

Read the article

Pacific County has been informed that the National Weather Service website has posted information in error regarding the Tsunami Advisory resulting from a M8.0 earthquake that occurred of the coast of American Samoa.

The NWS website http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/ indicates that the West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has issued a Tsunami Advisory for the coast of Pacific County. This is an error in geo-coding that cannot be corrected at this time. Based upon the best available forecast information, there WILL NOT be issuing a Tsunami Advisory for the coast of Washington State, British Columbia, or Alaska.

A TSUNAMI ADVISORY MEANS THAT A TSUNAMI CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG CURRENTS OR WAVES DANGEROUS TO PERSONS IN OR VERY NEAR THE WATER IS IMMINENT OR EXPECTED. SIGNIFICANT WIDESPREAD INUNDATION IS NOT EXPECTED FOR AREAS UNDER AN ADVISORY. CURRENTS MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO SWIMMERS… BOATS… AND COASTAL STRUCTURES AND MAY CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE ARRIVAL.

Wave heights for CA and OR may be up to 55 cm (appx. 1.8 feet). Projected heights for WA at Neah Bay and Toke Point are forecast to be smaller, around 6 cm (appx. 0.19 ft.)

The arrival time for the West Coast is expected to be approximately 6 hours from now around 9 pm PDT and arrival in Hawaii will occur within 2 hours.

[Read More]

Come learn, share, and discuss information about the Pacific Ocean and coastal resources: erosion, shore pines, marine spatial planning, and more!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco, Washington

1:30 pm – Open House

2-5 pm – Meeting

Meeting sponsored by the Pacific County Exploratory-Marine Resource Committee and the State Ocean Caucus. The State Ocean Caucus is an inter-agency team with representatives from state agencies involved in ocean and coastal resource management. More information on the state ocean caucus available at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/ocean/

A detailed agenda will be available soon. For more information: Jennifer Hennessey 360-407-6595 or jenh461@ecy.wa.gov

You’re invited to our Community Harvest Party!

Kids will have a blast playing games and earning candy; get your face painted or grab a piece of pie and some coffee at the concession!  Don’t forget those awesome door prizes! How about an MP3 player or tickets to the show?

Dress up or come dressed as yourself. It s an event for all!

The party is hosted by churches on the Long Beach Peninsula; have fun in a safe and friendly environment.

COST: Entrance is by donation or one large bag of candy.

WHERE: Pacific Bible Church in Ilwaco (across from Black Lake)

WHEN: Friday, October 30th, 5:30-8:30pm

Questions Shay 360-642-4844

You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about our 2010 Relay For Life of Long Beach

“Celebrating More Birthdays”!

1. Great Fun – Food – Friends
2. Meet out top 2009 Teams & Sponsors
3. Hear about cancer research & prevention
4. Honor our brave community cancer Survivors
5. Register your team and save $25

Tuesday October 20th, 2009
6:30 PM TO 8:00 PM

Chautauqua Lodge
304 N. 14th Street – Long Beach, WA 98631

Weekends – Nisbet Oyster, Hwy 101-Bay Center, oyster specials each weekend, 875-6629, or stop by 9am-6pm

October 3 – PC Historical Society presents A Night of Living History @ WH Community Center, 875-5224

October 3 – Lewis/Pacific Swiss Society Oktoberfest, Frances, Washington, 360-934-5482

October 10, 11 – Quilt Show, Tokeland, 267-6418

October 11 – 17, WH Helping Hands, Paint the Towns Pink, 942-5471 or 942-4950

October 17 – Great NW Federal CU, Shred Day, 10-2, Raymond, Long Beach, & Aberdeen Branches, 800-533-8396

October 24 – PC Economic Development Council Reception, 4-6 pm, Raymond Elks, 875-9330/642-9330

November 7 – Sunday Afternoon Live presents Bella Sorella, 875-5831, www.sundayafternoonlive.org

November TBA – Willapa Players Fall Performance, 942-2216

December 12 – WH Helping Hands Holiday Home Tour, tickets at SB Pharmacy

December TBA – Raymond Lighted Christmas, downtown

December TBA – South Bend Tree Lighting, downtown

Willapa Harbor Chamber of Commerce, visit.willapabay.org, 360-942-5419