Wilbur Ternyik facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wilbur Ternyik
Born	Wilbur Earl Ternyik January 26, 1926 Astoria, Oregon
Died	April 2, 2018
Known for	Coastal planning

Wilbur E. Ternyik (born January 26, 1926, died April 2, 2018) was an important American leader. Many called him a 'founding father' of coastal planning. He was known as a protector of the Oregon Coast. News reports said he was an expert on sand dunes worldwide. They also noted his many years of work. He helped protect the environment that brings many people to the Oregon coast.

In the early 1970s, Wilbur Ternyik convinced local leaders to work with Governor Tom McCall. They planned how to use land before new state laws were made. This is seen as his biggest achievement.

He served as the mayor of Florence, Oregon several times. He was mayor from 1985 to 1988 and again from 1991 to 1992. He also spent 16 years on the Florence City Council. For 29 years, he was a commissioner for the Port of Siuslaw.

Early Life and Military Service

Wilbur Ternyik's mother was a descendant of Chief Coboway. Chief Coboway was a Clatsop Indian leader. He met the Lewis and Clark explorers in 1804. This was when they reached the Pacific Coast near Astoria, Oregon. Wilbur's father was an immigrant from Hungary. His father moved back to the east coast before Wilbur was born. Wilbur was mostly raised by his grandparents.

He was born in Astoria and grew up in Warrenton, Oregon. He graduated from Warrenton High School. Wilbur often wore a tan buckskin jacket. He used what he called his "tomahawk peace pipe" as a gavel in meetings.

Ternyik was a U.S. Marine. He was hurt on May 10, 1945, during World War II. This happened in Okinawa. He received a Purple Heart award for his injury. He spent eight months in the hospital recovering. He had machine gun wounds to his leg.

Protecting the Coast

At age 16, Ternyik started working part-time. He worked for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. This group later became the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In 1952, Ternyik helped stabilize sand dunes on the Oregon Coast. This means he helped stop them from moving.

In 1953, he started Wave Beach Grass Nursery. He is known for planting European beach grass. This grass helped keep the sand dunes in place.

In 1970, Governor Tom McCall spoke to coastal leaders. He asked them to plan how to use land. Many leaders did not like this idea. But Ternyik agreed with the governor. He started a group of people on the coast. They wanted to control their own future. This group later convinced the state legislature to create a special commission. It was called the Oregon Coastal Conservation and Development Commission (OCCDC). The work of this commission helped create land use laws for all of Oregon.

In 1971, Ternyik was chosen to lead the OCCDC. The group had 24 elected officials. It also had six other members chosen by Governor Tom McCall. This commission included different types of people. There were developers and environmentalists. There were also Republicans and Democrats. Everyone worked together on the discussions.

Ternyik led the OCCDC from 1971 to 1975. The main goal of the OCCDC was to create a land use plan for the coast. Dylan Darling, a writer for The Register-Guard, said Ternyik's work helped protect the Oregon Coast. He helped stop sand dunes from drifting by planting grass. He also helped guide state and federal laws to protect natural resources. Darling wrote that the commission's decisions helped create state and federal land use laws.

The OCCDC published many reports. These included plans for estuaries (where rivers meet the sea). They also made a list of historical and archaeological sites. They sent reports to the Oregon Legislature. Over the years, Ternyik worked with several governors. He also worked with state lawmakers and local officials. They all worked on developing Oregon's Coastal Goals and Guidelines.

In 1973, the Oregon Legislature passed a law. It was called the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Act of 1973. The OCCDC's work was important for this law. This was recognized in a 2006 presentation.

Onno Husing, a planning director, said Ternyik was the most important person on the Oregon Coast for many years. Husing wrote that the OCCDC's work also had a national impact. Senators Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood could tell others that Oregon was already doing coastal planning. It was not just an idea. Oregon's success helped pass the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) in 1972.

In 1979, Ternyik wrote a book. It was called Beach and Dune Implementation Techniques. The Siuslaw News called it a guide for beach restoration. By the mid-1990s, European beach grass was seen as a problem. It was harming the habitat of the snowy plover bird.

In 1984, Ternyik tried to create a new county. It would be called "McCall County." It would be made from parts of Lane and Douglas counties. He stopped this effort when the governor asked him to. Ternyik said in 2005 that they felt ignored at the time. Even though the new county was not created, Ternyik believed the effort helped. He said the counties started treating their coastal residents "a lot nicer." This was partly because they worried about losing money from timber.

Tributes and Recognition

In 2006, a life-size bronze statue of Ternyik was placed in Seaside. It was made by sculptor Lorenzo Ghiglieri. At the event, Senator Mark Hatfield said, "Wilbur Ternyik never expected recognition. His work was the real creation of what he imagined in his heart." In 2009, the statue was shown at the state capitol in Salem. Later, it was displayed at the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum in Florence, Oregon.

See also

• Land use in Oregon