Protections were coming to the Nehalem River. In late February, the state parks commission agreed the river that ambles through the heavily logged Coast Range should be designated as a scenic waterway. State water officials concurred. Environmental groups had been pushing the cause for years. Calling the Nehalem scenic would require landowners and loggers to consult with parks officials on ways to reduce visual impacts of future clearcuts or other projects along the river. All the designation needed was Gov. Kate Brown’s signature. The only time Brown designated scenic rivers, just four months lapsed between the formal recommendation and the governor’s order. Yet when the Nehalem landed on the governor’s desk earlier this year, advocates with the environmental group Oregon Wild said the governor’s staff told them it wouldn’t be signed until after the Legislature adjourned, delaying its implementation until 2020.