Story Published:
Mar 31, 2008 at 4:50 PM PDT
By
Azenith Smith
COOS BAY - As work crews begin to prepare to remove the New Carissa from the North Spit of Coos Bay, there are those that are concerned that they won't just be removing the wreckage from the South Coast, but valuable tourism dollars.
Since 1999, it's been a rare sight to see, the New Carissa shipwreck, lying in the waters just offshore in the North Spit of Coos Bay. But soon, it will be removed, much to the dismay of local residents.
"I'm sad to see it go," says Coos Bay resident Adeline Leard. "It's something for the families to come and see."
And, it's still getting national recognition.
"Sunset Magazine named it one of its top 10 beach strolls on the West Coast because of the New Carissa," says Katherine Hoppe of the Coos Bay North Bend Visitor and Convention Bureau. "It's been a really good thing for the Coos Bay area."
According to the Coos Bay Visitor's Center, when the New Carissa ship ran aground in 1999, they received a 12 percent increase in visitor traffic. Now, nine years later, with the discovery of the mystery shipwreck, they're received renewed interest.
"I just want to see the shipwrecks and find out about them and how it happened," says Aja Alexander, who's visiting with her mom, Catherine, from Portland.
It's that tourism draw for the South Coast that's pushed State Senator Joanne Verger for the past two years to try and save it. She says it doesn't make sense to let it go.
"I have not as a Senator have anyone say to me, we think they should pull the Carissa out," says Verger.
But, according to documents from the Department of State Lands, they must uphold previous court rulings and have it removed due to liability and safety concerns. They also want to set a precedent for other future shipwrecks to keep the waters clean.
But, Verger believes it's more of an asset than it is a risk.
"Nine years have passed and it's buried deeper in the sand," says Verger. "It has not caused any harm to the environment and it has not been a safety issue. Therefore, we need to reconsider and go back and petition the court."
She's been in talks with Governor Ted Kulongoski to ask the Justice Department to review her concerns. If all else fails, she says, she'd like to see any remaining money from the roughly $20 million project go to tourism.
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