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My Community: Lincoln City and Lincoln County

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My Community: Lincoln City and Lincoln County

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My local community is in Lincoln City. It is a smaller town on the coast with an economy built on tourism, a destination for sight seeing, beach enthusiasts and nature lovers.

The residents mostly consist of retirees that have settled down due to love of the area, long time families since this cities construction and those of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

The majority of work in this area is based in the service industry of which I am a part. I cook for the tourists and locals in the area, providing hot meals to many.

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This is a lightly detailed article of a major snowstorm that we had on the coast around 2 years ago. I was present for this.

The coast is a relatively temperate area, so any amount of snow is unprecedented at minimum. This storm however, saw the aftermath stick around for at least 2 weeks and was initially over 8 inches of snow in my area alone, only a quarter mile from the ocean.

A few casual conversations with the locals pinpointed this as the first storm of its kind in 15 years, and the climate here has generally changed a lot as well, having the area lose its stability.

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Lincoln City doesn’t usually get a lot of snow but, wow, did we ever get some snow last night.

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This article details the hardships of the above group of Native Americans. They are a collective of over 30 tribes that moved into Lincoln county after its designation as a reservation in 1855.

Settlers were allowed in due to the Dawes act of 1877 and rapidly changed the area.

This group also currently influences the local area, with their Chinook Winds Casino and the cultural center in Siletz.

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Our Heritage | Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

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The Confederated Tribes of Siletz is a federally recognized confederation of over 30 bands, originating from Northern California to Southern Washington. Termination was imposed upon the Siletz by the United States government in 1955. In November of 1977, we were the first tribe in the state of Oregon and second in the United States to be fully restored to federal recognition. In 1992, our tribe achieved self governance, which allows us to compact directly with the US Government. This gives us control and accountability over our tribal programs and funding. We occupy and manage a 3,666 acre reservation located in Lincoln County, Oregon. We manage several resources, including water, timber and fish.

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Japanese Glass floats began to be found on the beach in the early 1900s, as they drift all the way here due to the ocean currents.

The antique floats inspired locals to build the glass blowing industry here and now there are even free classes for glass blowing and a program called 'Finders Keepers' in which floats are made here and periodically hidden on the beach for whoever to find them.

This had led to heightened community interaction and an adoption of glass floats as one of the symbols of Lincoln City.

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Finders Keepers History | Explore Lincoln City

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It all had to start somewhere. Learn about the history of the Finders Keepers program in Lincoln City.

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Chapter 4: The Tourism Industry and Drawing from Cultures from Around the World

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Chapter 4: The Tourism Industry and Drawing from Cultures from Around the World

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Lincoln City has been steadily growing its tourism sector over the last few decades, with estimates of persons and revenue being similar now to pre-Covid-19 levels. They have tried to increase their events to attract people from around the world and this even shows up in employment.

Seasonal staff are a lynchpin for the summer tourism community, and the J-1 Work Visa program is offered to countries partnered with the united states in order to gain a force of labor while simultaneously offering astronomically higher wages to people from countries who make less annually.

I have personally met some of these people who have obtained work visas and one summer worth of hard work in America can be enough for them to live for several years in their home country depending on where they live.

The influx of people from different countries through the J-1 Visa program has influenced primarily those who visit and even motivated some of them to obtain citizenship in the future, integrating into Lincoln County.

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Lincoln City using experiences to boost tourism

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The summer tourist season is underway along the Oregon coast, and in Lincoln City, local businesses are hoping for a banner season with increased profits.

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Chapter 5: Neo-Colonialism's Effect on Local Tribes

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Chapter 5: Neo-Colonialism's Effect on Local Tribes

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Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism have their roots deep in the Oregon coast. 100 years after the 1855 act that displaced nearly thirty tribes to Lincoln county, came the 1954 Western Oregon Termination Act.

This act terminated all governmental connections and recognitions of 61 different tribes in Oregon. This included note only the confederated tribes of Siletz Indians, but also the confederated tribes of Grande Ronde and several others.

This oppression has encouraged the fight for change in the local communities over the years, and as of last year 58 of those tribes have had their previous status restored.

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Shameful legacy of Western Oregon Termination Act – chinook Indian Nation | Chinook Tribe

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Chapter 6: The Economy of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Their Revitalization

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Chapter 6: The Economy of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Their Revitalization

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The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have an economic development program called EcDev which aims towards sustainability and social programs for tribal members.

This economic program was adopted earlier this year and looks to support older members and a reintegration of lost professions to provide revenue for the social programs and education for younger members for a return to their roots and enrich the local area with how knowledge of history and customs.

This diversifies the area and keeps traditions alive and well.

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Chapter 7: The Justice System and Overreach Within Lincoln County

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Chapter 7: The Justice System and Overreach Within Lincoln County

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There is evidence that an ICE facility could be coming to Lincoln County.

Many residents have rejected this plan and caused the issue to be raised at townhall within the last few weeks as there are several job listings for the yet to exist facility.

This has caused an increase in reform in our justice system among coastal residents, increasing awareness and community engagement to protect effected individuals.

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Evidence of federal intent to build ICE detention center in Newport mounts

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Chapter 8: Loss of Funding and Declining Academic Ability

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Chapter 8: Loss of Funding and Declining Academic Ability

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Lincoln county is considered a rural area, and has historically had low numbers of students.

Since the pandemic, rates of academic excellence in this county has dropped even lower than State averages.

This is due to factors like teachers unwilling to work out in this area, and loss of funds due to future predictions of class sizes. (https://www.newportnewstimes.com/news/lcsd-expected-to-lose-1-47m-following-student-population-decline/article_b33e9493-6bdd-4231-a31c-10683ee745c9.html)

A drop in proficiency is a direct result of the institution of education failing the youth and this effect broader society when they enter the workforce.

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QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
Students in Lincoln County School District and around Oregon are still struggling to regain ground in their grasp of key subjects three years after returning to normal school routines following the Covid pandemic.

Results released by the state Wednesday from statewide assessment tests in English language arts, math and science last spring show that across subjects, grades and districts, students are still about 10 percentage points behind pre-pandemic achievement levels.

"This isn't normal. This is not where we want to be by any stretch of the imagination," said Charlene Williams, director of the Oregon Department of Education, at a news conference Wednesday.

Students in grades 3-8 and 11 are tested in math and English, and depending on their grades, science. Along with things like graduation rates, these results are one of the only statewide, annual touchpoints to understand the health of Oregon's school system.

And what that snapshot shows isn't great.

Less than half of all students tested statewide are proficient in English language arts. Less than a third are proficient in math. And slightly over a quarter of tested students are proficient in science.

Local tests below state's

If Oregon's statewide test results were considered poor, the scores by Lincoln County School District students were even worse. Although results varied across individual schools, in 16 out of 17 categories and grades, local students performed worse on the tests than the statewide average. Results showed:

Lincoln County students in all seven grades tested were substantially below the statewide proficiency average in math;

Students in grades three through eight were substantially below the statewide average in English. The lone bright spot there, was that 48 percent of local 11th-graders showed proficiency in English, compared with 45 percent statewide, according to the numbers released Wednesday; and

Lincoln County fifth- and eighth-graders were substantially below the statewide average in Science, while 31 percent of 11th graders were proficient compared with a statewide average of 32 percent.

But the district continued to show that it can meet or beat the statewide average for on-time graduation from its four traditional high schools and one charter school. In 2023:

Newport High School graduated 140 seniors with 21 dropouts, for an 82 percent graduation rate;

Taft High School in Lincoln City graduated 107 seniors with eight dropouts, for a 92 percent graduation rate;

Toledo High graduated 45 seniors with eight dropouts for an 80 percent rate;

Waldport High graduated 31 seniors with one dropout for a 97 percent rate; and

Eddyville Charter School graduated all 15 of its seniors for a 100 percent rate.

If there were bright spots among Lincoln County schools, it was from the two schools in Waldport.

Crestview Heights School was at or above the districtwide average for third- through fifth-grade math, English and science and better than the statewide average in math and English in the fifth and sixth grades.

While just at 16 percent proficient for 11 th-grade math, 70 percent of Waldport High's 11 th-graders were proficient in English compared with a 45 percent statewide average, and 44 percent were proficient in Science, compared with a 32 percent statewide average.

District officials were not available for interiews Thursday, but director of secondary education Aaron Belloni said in an emailed statement that the district constantly reviews data and because of that has provided more classroom coaching this fall.

"Additionally, we are increasing progress monitoring and interim assessments to provide more immediate instructional changes," Belloni said in a statement. "LCSD is also developing a cohort trend map to follow students and content standards through grade levels. This map will allow us to better pinpoint learning gaps, identify critical instructional needs and better ensure college and career prerequisite skills are not missed."

Belloni said another key to improving test scores is continuing to work with staff, students and families on ways to increase attendance and engagement.

Officials react

In response to the data on Wednesday, Williams and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said the state would double down on investments in early literacy, summer and afterschool programs and improve data collection and accountability measures to better understand what is driving the declines.

Oregon's results reflect a nationwide trend showing student learning was negatively affected by the pandemic, which included more than a year of online classes. But Oregon is not rebounding like neighboring Washington, California and many other states, according to an analysis by researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities.

"While this reality is not unique to our state, Oregon is still struggling to catch up with its peers nationally," said Andrea Lockard, director of assessment and student reporting for the state education department.

In a news release, Kotek said she was "not satisfied by this year's numbers." Kotek championed in 2023 a $120 million investment in early literacy to start moving the needle on student reading proficiency. Schools received the money in March and have begun investing in teacher training, reading coaches and curricula that aligns with the state's approved materials list.

An average of 88 percent of eligible students participated in the annual assessment tests, called Smarter Balanced tests.

The tests are required by state and federal law, although Oregon allows parents to opt their children out of testing. Prior to the pandemic, participation in the tests was closer to 95 percent. Students were not required to take the tests in 2020 and the state education department scaled back testing in 2021.

On average across the seven grades tested in spring of 2024, student proficiency in English language arts declined by half a percentage point, increased by about half a percentage point in math and decreased about two-thirds of a percentage point in science compared with the 2023 results.

Average proficiency in all subjects among Oregon students remains, on average, about 10 percentage points below 2019 proficiency levels.

Low participation

Results among the state's 11th graders paint a grim picture of students' grasp of core subjects as they near the end of their K-12 education. But participation in the tests among 11th graders remains so low that Oregon education officials encourage the public not to read into the data.

About 30 percent of Oregon 11th graders opted out of testing in 2024, leaving the state with little information about how well these soon-to-be graduates understand key concepts in English, math and science.

Farley, director of assessment, said the agency is hearing that many high schoolers are prioritizing college entrance exams and choosing not to take state assessments, despite the state's efforts to ensure the testing schedule does not disrupt other testing schedules.

Data from the 70 percent of 11th graders who participated shows many teens are struggling with English language arts skills.

Williams and Dan Farley, assistant superintendent of research, emphasized the importance of growing the number of 11th graders who participate in the tests so state officials know how to meet student needs.

"Assessment is magic. It brings internal cognitive functions into the light, where educators can respond to them," Farley said at the news conference.

But Williams and Farley also talked at length about the limits of testing. The state launched a new student survey for all testing grades this year that gauges students' access to resources, learning opportunities and content, along with their sense of belonging. State officials hope that by combining testing results and survey results, they can begin to understand what types of investments and interventions would be most effective in each subject, grade, school and district.

Since the 2022-23 school year, there have been some marginal improvements in fifth-, seventh- and eighth-grade math achievement. Education department officials said teachers in the districts where students improved reported having more time to collaborate with one another, the ability to connect math lessons to other school subjects such as science and social studies, and had success focusing on conceptual rather than just rote, or systematic, learning.

But the rate of proficiency also changed dramatically when broken down by socioeconomic groups.

Although there were some gains in individual groups, fewer students experiencing poverty, English language learners and students with disabilities showed test results as proficient compared to statewide averages. The same was true for students who are Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or American Indian/Alaska Native.

Natalie Pate of Oregon Public Broadcasting also contributed to this report

Oregon Capital Chronicle is a nonprofit Salem-based news service that focuses its reporting on Oregon state government, politics and policy.

The Oregonian/OregonLive is providing all the statewide and local district and school data on its website here.

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Across Oregon and in Lincoln County, most public school students still struggling on key subjects * Lincoln Chronicle

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Across Oregon and in Lincoln County, most public school students still struggling on key subjects

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Chapter 9: A restoration of Cultural Practices and Religion

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Chapter 9: A restoration of Cultural Practices and Religion

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Last week the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians harvested the first whale in several generations in Yachats Oregon.

They brought in the most experienced hunters and worked alongside scientists.

This rekindled past practices and paves a path for normalcy, restoring a part of their culture and providing future generations with an example of them.

They used Prayer during the practice for the whale and the act, which marked a historic restoration for the group, and renewed community cohesion.

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Siletz tribe harvests beached humpback whale at Oregon coast in rare cultural practice

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The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians harvested parts of a humpback whale that beached in Yachats, the first whale salvage for the tribe in generations.

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Chapter 10: No Kings Rally and a Local Push for Change

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Chapter 10: No Kings Rally and a Local Push for Change

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The summer and fall in Lincoln City and broader Lincoln County brought a wave of protests of and on.

Federal government verreach has caused local residents to mobilize and many of them are out there in the afternoon, rain or shine to this day.

The No Kings movement has created a resilient environment among the local community, as many of the actions of congress harm benefits, and many residents are older or poor and rely on such programs for survival, especially in expensive coastal neighborhoods.

This movement has drastically changed discourse within the town, and brought hope and positivity to the community.

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It was relatively difficult to narrow down exactly what affects Lincoln City and the larger Lincoln County in which it resides. Therefore, it felt what is more pertinent to describe social change through what current events have led to and how that trend is continuing a continuing.

Economy: Capitalism is the driving force of what has inspired Lincoln Cities growth. Starting as a fishing town it was not initially this way, but over time, the scenic views of the ocean drove tourism and consumerism to its peak and has effected this town in recent years. The building of one of only two outlet malls on the Oregon coast was done here in Lincoln City. Commodification of housing is quite high as well, there are around 7,000 housing units in Lincoln city with 1,226 of them being registered as AirBnb's which are effectively vacation rentals, not to mention the sheer amount of second homes.

Health, Safety, and the State: Lincoln City is a difficult place to get medical care and there is significant outsourcing of care. Recent presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement within Lincoln City and news of an ICE facility, possibly being constructed in Newport, have brought unease and tension into the community.

Social Movements: Recent protests and community vocalization of needs from the federal and state governments have led to a changing attitude, especially within the last year, as many people move against government overreach and towards protecting the community.

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America is an incredibly Capitalistic country. Cities, if they want to prosper, have to bring in business and industry to bring jobs and rack in taxes. Lincoln county and especially Lincoln City is incredibly reliant on new cash flow, as a lot of cities along the coast are destination stations. This brings a reliance on tourism and the service industry to provide an experience and a reason to return and attract as many guests as possible for growth.

This has led to investments like the Lincoln City Outlet Mall pictured above. Which is one of only 2 Outlet Malls on the Oregon Coast. This kind of establishment is touted as bringing business and jobs, which is true. However, these jobs are mostly menial, low wage, and do not contribute much to the community at large, disconnecting people from each other within the community and continuing a culture based on commodity consumption, instead of trying to create more industries and jobs that center on the beauty and nature on the Oregon coast.

Being a tourist destination, this area is also quite far from supply chains. This in turn also increases prices for goods, and the local establishments that pursue profit, set very high prices for everything, especially for food and housing, contributing to a 14% Poverty rating as of 2023. (https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/4142600).

Much of the housing in Lincoln City has been overly commoditized beyond that of the usual town. Prices are absurdly high for even the cheapest places to rent and a large portion of the homes are vacation rentals or second homes for older individuals. This has made basic function difficult within the city, as we have many poorer residents that contribute to the economy via service sector work and often times multiple jobs (https://www.airdna.co/vacation-rental-data/app/us/oregon/lincoln-city/overview).

The economy has simultaneously provided a place to live and work in, while also pricing out the same people that have helped build it up.

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In Lincoln City, Health and Safety are two of the top issues for residents.

On the Health side, there is very little care to be had. There is a single hospital with any specialties or specific needs having to be outsourced, either to Newport, or into the valley, in Salem and Corvallis. The average age of this community is about 50 according to census data (https://datacommons.org/place/geoId/4142600). Due to the older general age of residents, they are going to need more frequent and specialized care.

When focusing on the State, the above video is incredibly important. There is talk of an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement facility being built in Newport in Lincoln County, which the above is testimony of an individual telling their story with ICE in Washington. Our community in Newport and Lincoln City are incredibly disturbed over this fact. We are staunchly protective of the people that live in this area. And in Newport and here recently, ICE has tried to and succeeded in some cases, to detain individuals. This behavior has a very negative impact on people in the Lincoln County community. ICE has actively intruded into other communities in Oregon, creating problems and displacing friends and family.

This deeply effects the minority communities like the 14% Hispanic population of Lincoln City as they must change how they interact with community. They have to be more wary, and possibly stop contributing to the local economy in an attempt to protect themselves. The Presence of ICE causes this destabilization for the broader communities and the poorer people within said community.

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After father's ICE detention, teen gives tearful plea against bringing facility to Newport, Oregon

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One of the more recent changes in the Lincoln City and Lincoln County community is how social movements have motivated individuals to participate in protest and has redirected discourse to a degree.

The above article is on a very small anti-genocide protest that happened in August of Last year. This protest was small in size and support and in the article it is noted that feedback from the event is largely negative and dismissive of the concerns of the protesters interviewed.

However, in the No Kings Protest which I noted in my reflection of Chapter 10, was hundreds strong. Individuals that claimed to agree with government previously showed up in mass and actively showed resistance towards the current administration. This has changed general interactions within the city to be more conscious of government overreach. Not only that, there are now differing opinions on the issues brought fourth by the anti-genocide protest instead of negative backlash.

This means that social movements have made an effect on the common resident and is shifting the needle within Lincoln City, moving us to be more informed and empathetic as a people.

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The group displayed modified and unaltered Palestinian flags and an inverted American flag with a message about America paying for genocide and red handprints on it.

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For Phase 3, see right and Descending. Thank You. 

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For Phase 3, see right and Descending. Thank You. 