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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2019)
community march21 2019 UNWC Recaps Productive Year “They’re primary inhabitants of our temperate rain forest,” says Pey- ton. “Beaver and coho have evolved to- gether, so when the beavers colonize an area and create those backwater pools, that’s where juvenile coho and adults can thrive. We need to get our ecosystem back into balance, and helping re-estab- lish beavers in the region is one way we can do that.” In addition, Peyton says beaver dams can work to slow down stream flows in a particular small area during high water events and act as natural val- ley water storage areas. “These can help slow the water during heavy rains and help capture sediment, but we’re really working against years of history and the way our forests have been managed in the past.” Peyton says the BDA pilot proj- ect was a partnership with ODF, NOAA, OWEB, NFWF, and the Wild Salmon Center. She says Rapid Bio Assessments were done prior to the BDA placement, which counts and documents the pres- ence of juvenile fish, so effectiveness can be monitored. “All the areas where we installed these BDAs show evidence that beaver colonies had been there before, and there is still some kind of a beaver presence,” says Peyton. “We have a monitoring pro- tocol so we’ll be able to see what works and what doesn’t.” She notes that one site on Rock Creek has already been naturally improved by the work of local beavers and is now a functional dam. Another ongoing UNWC project is to help rebuild streams to a more natural setting. This past year the UNWC continued their work, placing 33 Large Woody Debris structures along salmon anchor habitat reaches and en- hancing over two miles of streams on Olson Creek, the north fork of Lousi- gnont Creek, Beaver Creek, and at Hyla Woods. Logs for these projects include the root wads and are strategically placed in creeks and streams to form structures that assist in the creation of naturally forming log jams while interacting with the stream flow to create flood plain con- nection and sort the gravels that flow through. The log jams jump start the process of restoring a stream’s natural state after decades of intensive logging and help spread out fish habitat. The placement of Large Woody Debris in streams also helps capture and slow the flow of water downstream dur- ing high water events, and allows water to soak in and recharge groundwater supplies. The UNWC undertook a variety of other projects this year, including: • participated in the process to get a 17 mile portion of the Nehalem River des- ignated as a State Scenic Waterway • continued riparian reforestation on 30+ acres in partnership with private land- owners, the Columbia Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Columbia River Youth Corp crew • supported riparian reforestation through the Nehalem Native Nursery, managed by the UNWC and located Don‛t worry. We‛ll go to Meyer‛s Auto Body. I hear they‛re out of this world. on the Vernonia School District cam- pus with the help of the Vernonia High School Forestry class • managed about 50 volunteers from the Oregon Zoo who recently spent time working on a riparian restoration project in Vernonia, planting trees and vegeta- tion • collected water quality samples from 30 select locations in the Nehalem ba- sin for turbidity testing (amount of sedi- ment) during the winter rainy season, and at over 30 sites to record tempera- tures during summer low-flow season The temperature samples were disappointing, says Peyton. “Tempera- tures in the summer are too hot, and of- ten lethal on the main stem of the Ne- halem. That seems to be the trend and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.” According to Peyton, the tem- perature problem is multi-facetted. While the UNWC has been able to make a small impact, the problem really starts in the headwaters and is going to take some major changes in the way the state regulates forest management. Peyton says that currently under the Oregon Forest Practices Act the headwaters of streams do not have to be buffered when logged until they become perennial streams (streams that flow with water year round). “As a community and as a state I think we’re still trying to accept what it’s going to take to cool the Ne- halem, and that is to start at the headwa- ters” The amount of sediment in streams is also a result of the accumu- lative effects of forest, farm, residential, and urban land management practices over the last 150 years. “The tempera- ture issues and the sediment is a direct result of the way the land is being man- aged,” says Peyton. Peyton and the UNWC are currently wrapping up their work on a Nehalem Strategic Plan with the Wild Salmon Center and their multi stake- holder team this winter. “This process lays the foundation for identifying cur- rent and future salmon anchor habitat improvement projects in high priority sub-basins and stream reaches through- out the Nehalem watershed,” says Pey- ton. “This process led directly to the BDA pilot project, and hopefully some ongoing funding and future projects.” Peyton says the UNWC con- tinues to improve their base operations, computer networks, outreach activities, and staff development with the support of the UNWC Board of Directors. Their website is back online at UNWC.Ne- halem.org. The website is a great place to learn more about current projects and volunteer opportunities. This summer Peyton says the UNWC will be partnering to install more BDAs in the region. “We’ve received another round of funding and identi- fied several brand new reaches, plus we have funding left over from the original project that we can use to augment the first 27 we put in,” says Peyton. UNWC will also be placing Large Woody Debris structures around the region this sum- mer.. Peyton says they are currently looking for more interested citizens to serve on their Board of Directors. “We haven’t been able to cool the Nehalem River, so that’s still a big question,” says Peyton. “The level that we’re able to work at, compared to the magnitude of what has happened in this watershed over the last 150 years, is just too small, plus now we have these cli- mate changes and our summer draughts are getting longer. We still have a lot of work to do.” 493 Bridge Street VERNONIA • 503-429-0248 2308 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove 503-357-2161 Vernonia Dental D Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral Home & Crematory an A Trusted Name in Funeral Service e rm Meyer’s Auto Body continued from page 10 DM 16 741 Madison Ave., Vernonia 503-429-6611 Jeff & Kathryn Hoyt Family Owned & Operated Formerly Prickett’s Mortuary Forest Grove Memorial Chapel 503-357-3126 To sign the online guest book or to send a condolence to the family go to www.fuitenrosehoyt.com . C r D s hri h o t p M er . h S c Angel Memorials Headstones eu 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881 Granite Markers & Monuments 971-344-3110 Locally owned in Vernonia Serving NW Oregon All Cemeteries Accepted Order drawing at no charge online www.angelmemorialsheadstones.com