Beaches from Tillamook Head to the Columbia River will close to razor clam harvesting on July 15.

The closure happens annually on all Clatsop County beaches, an 18-mile stretch of Oregon’s northernmost coast, to allow juvenile razor clams a summer growth window.

The harvest is expected to resume on Oct. 1, “unless there is a closure for toxin levels,” the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife explained.

According to ODFW shellfish biologist Matt Hunter, 90% of Oregon razor clams are harvested along this stretch of coast. The closure, first established in the late 1960s, protects juvenile razor clams that utilize the summer months to feed on phytoplankton – a staple food source.

The closure doesn’t apply to razor clams below Clatsop beaches. Alternative harvesting spots include Agate Beach, Waldport Beach, Whiskey Run Beach and Meyers Creek Beach. Bay clams and muscles will remain open for harvesting.

A shellfish license is required to harvest clams and crab in Oregon. Clammers must have their own container and dig for their own clams. The daily limit is 15 clams, regardless of size or condition.

Before clamming, people should call the Shellfish Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-448-2474 or check ODFW’s recreation report for biotoxin closures.

Riley Ellis is an outdoor intern at the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at rellis@statesmanjournal.com.

ROSEBURG, Ore. — The push to redraw the Oregon-Idaho border has gained support in parts of Eastern Oregon in recent years, even as some counties have reversed course and the effort remains stalled in Salem.

The Greater Idaho Project is a movement that has been covered for years. Thirteen Oregon counties have voted to consider expanding the Idaho border to cover much of Oregon. Two of those counties — Harney and Wallowa — later voted to repeal their decisions to side with Greater Idaho.

In Douglas County, voters rejected a Greater Idaho-related measure in the May 2022 election. Measure 10-185 asked Douglas County voters to consider expanding the Idaho border. The measure was defeated with 52.6 percent of the vote, meaning more than 47 percent voted for consideration of expanding the Idaho border.

Greater Idaho effort seeks federal help as Oregon lawmakers keep border plan stalled

After that vote, David Jaques, identified as the leader of Greater Idaho in Douglas County, said in 2022, “I’m a lifelong Oregonian. I don’t wanna move to Idaho. Well the good news is we don’t have to move. We’re just gonna draw the line around here.”

The movement’s executive director, Matt MacCaw, said the effort has support from Idaho but remains blocked by Oregon lawmakers.

“We have Idaho as a willing partner saying, hey, all these people in eastern Oregon want to be a part of Idaho. We will take them. We would love to have that conversation,” MacCaw said. “We have the people of Eastern Oregon voting and saying, we want to just peacefully secede from Oregon and join Idaho. But the Oregon Legislature, Western Oregon, is holding eastern Oregon captive against our wishes. The Oregon Legislature refuses to take up the issue, refuses to to have any conversation about letting us go.”

Greater Idaho has now turned its focus to the Trump administration, asking the federal government to fix the standstill.

WEST LINN, Ore. (KOIN) — For some 30 years, locals and boaters along a popular spot on Oregon’s Willamette River have been staring at a 50,000-plus-square-foot home, unsure of what to think.

It’s unfinished, fenced in, and the open-air structure towers over 31 acres that include 2,700 feet of prime riverfront in an area affectionately called “Peach Cove.”

“Being a kid, I would drive the boat and look at it from the river,” said Jason Mendell.

The high-profile realtor never thought he’d actually list the home, yet now he’s fielding calls from all kinds of folks trying to figure out the property’s potential.

“Entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, business owners, and people trying to figure out what you could do with this,” he told Nexstar’s KOIN on a recent summer day.

The home’s specs are massive, and Mendell said if it’s ever completed, it would be the largest mansion in Oregon by far.

The listing includes nine bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, multiple garages for dozens of show cars and other toys. There’s a massive gymnasium or event space, too, which could include a full-size basketball court. Original plans called for two pools.

“There’s obviously only a certain amount of people that can afford a home like this, and they’ve got to have the vision to be able to finish it off,” says Mendell.

Ask around, though, and it doesn’t take long to learn there’s much more to the larger story.

“He said, ‘Would you like to build a home for me?’” says Tom Avgerakis.

The longtime home builder is referring to Mark Wattles, the founder and one-time boss of Hollywood Video, which grew to be the second-biggest video store chain in the country in the 1990s and 2000s.

Avgerakis remembers when Wattles first showed him the architectural sketches.

“He rolled them out, and I went ‘Oh, okay.’ The challenge was thrown out, and we can do it,” he said.

At first, Avgerakis said construction moved swiftly, with 50-plus workers on site moving dirt and using high-grade Oregon lumber to erect the frame.

Then, as 1996 became 1997, construction stalled, and “We anticipated a short amount of time off, but it just grew and grew and grew.”

He said that as the owner moved on to other businesses and eventually moved away, they kept up general maintenance and even planted acres of berries.

The property was eventually unloaded at auction, and it has changed hands a couple of times over the years, but no one has ever fully built it out.

“It’s a diamond in the rough. It’s just incredible,” said Avgerakis.

He hopes to be involved if the project is ever completed, and said much of the original woodwork remains in good condition even if other elements have deteriorated over the years. The current owner recently installed a new roof.

Mendell said they’re talking to potential buyers about “what could be,” whether it’s a private estate, high-end senior living facility or even a vineyard.

“It’s 31 acres of prime real estate that’s unique,” he said.

The asking price is $4.7 million.

The property is deemed Exclusive Farm Use (EFU), according to Clackamas County records.

A spokesperson told Nexstar’s KOIN that it’s approved for the one home but that anything like a larger care facility wouldn’t be allowed unless there was a zoning change.