The Ocean View Cemetery could expand burial grounds north of the main area for natural burials. 

The latest news about Ocean View Cemetery offers a chance to examine a longer-term issue that the North Coast and all other communities should address.

What should we do about dead bodies?

While it may seem a delicate subject, it is certainly not a frivolous or inappropriate question.

For years, Western nations with shared faith traditions have followed a practice of embalming bodies, placing them in wooden coffins and burying them in the ground. This practice was embraced in this country during the Civil War era.

The solemn ceremonies that accompany burial allow relatives to have a degree of closure, despite their grief. And a tombstone gives families a visual memory — and a place to visit — to help them cope with the loss of their loved ones.

The concept’s popularity and practicality was based on the availability of land for graveyards, usually set aside by churches, municipalities or other governments, or on land owned and maintained by benevolent or fraternal organizations.

In recent years, cremation has become a more acceptable and chosen option and is considerably cheaper for surviving families than traditional burial. In fact, Clatsop County residents lead Oregon counties in choosing this method.

This has the advantage of reducing a body to ash, which can be scattered to help the environment or preserved in appropriate ways like on columbaria, which are vertical shelves, in locations that take up considerably less space than graveyards.

Lately, other families have even been looking for more sustainable interments. Washington is the first state to permit composting, which could become a trend. There is also the option of natural burial, in which bodies are buried, but allowed to decompose in biodegradable containers or shrouds. However, so far only two Oregon cemeteries have gained credentialing to offer this service.

Not everyone embraces these options, though. And for those who prefer, the opportunity for traditional burial is still available — for now.

But what of the management of graveyards? They need constant upkeep and most if not all are running out of space. And when new developments are platted, it is rare that they include land set aside for new cemeteries.

Ocean View is a super setting in Warrenton. The cemetery was established in 1897 and, taken together, the inscriptions on its stones form a history of the community, as do all such facilities.

Following criticism about reduced efforts on upkeep, Astoria, which owns the cemetery, contracted with specialists to generate a master plan on how to best enhance and manage the facility.

The upkeep of cemeteries is rarely well funded, and the popularity of cremation is reducing revenue for agencies that maintain them. Groups too often rely on the dedication of one or more people who mow, weed and repair as a “labor of love,” often because they have a specific personal connection to the locale or a loved one buried there. When they become too aged to perform those duties, problems ensue.

The business models for cemeteries must keep up with the times. It’s a sometimes forgotten area of society that needs some examination before a lack of space and operating funds becomes a crisis.

One way to enliven cemeteries, as consultants hired by Astoria suggested, is to host more events. This strategy has the twofold advantage of being inherently pleasurable or locally significant, while drawing an audience to view the location, check on its upkeep and discover its needs.

Hosting the Clatsop County Historical Society’s Talking Tombstones living history feature is one such method, but Memorial Day and other observances can help solidify community support while providing an opportunity for patriotic observances.

We eagerly await January, when a draft master plan from the consultants helping Astoria will be presented. It’s likely to contain some recommendations that could signal a positive direction for other communities, too.