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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2019)
4 letters to the editor/community bulletin board april18 2019 Readers Lend Their Voices... To the Editor, Generally, your reporting is fairly accurate, concise, and unbiased which is the norm for most of your good editorials. However, I ond a host of misleading, inaccurate, biased, and un- documented claims which were made by speaker, Jason Gonzalez, with Oregon Wild. For some reason, you are appar- ently willing to perpetuate these highly inaccurate statements which some read- ers readily accept. Most reporters would professionally insert disclaimers to alert the readers to the <fake < news. Let9s take the statement by Mr. Gonzales that Washington, California, and Idaho have <stronger environmen- tal protections= than Oregon. Is that better? Do more regulations encourage (sustain) the claims that more is better? My friends in Washington state that the Upcoming Events Community Easter Egg Hunt - Saturday, April 20, 10:00 am sharp at Hawkins Park Natal Grange Community Flea Market - Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, and Sunday, April 28, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, 67528 Nehalem Hwy N. Contact: Mary Lou Busch (503) 755-2737. OSU Extension Service Master Gardener’s Spring Fair and Tomato Plant Sale - Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at St. Helen’s High School P.E.O. Annual Spring Tea - Saturday, April 27, 1:00 pm at the Cabin in Vernonia. Tickets available at R&S Market. Adults $10, 12 and under $5. Vernonia Community Garden Fair & Plant Sale - Saturday, May 11, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm in the Vernonia Schools Commons. Contact Penny Costley (503) 804-0424. A Dream For the Future of Dibblee Point Park - Saturday, May 11, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm at Dibblee Point Park, Dike Rd, west of Rainier. Open house hosted by Oregon Equestrian Trails. Learn about enhanced recreational opportunities in Columbia County. TOPS Group (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meet Fridays at the Mist- Birkenfeld Fire Dept. 8:30 am weigh in, 9:00 am meeting. Men and women invited to join. (503) 429-7505 world is more friendly on this side of the river to forestry operations and would gladly exchange their operations to our state if they could. Then I hear from Californians that regulations required to harvest involve a myriad of expensive permits which take months to obtain. Let9s take Mr. Gonzales claim that there is <evidence of clear cuts right up to the banks of running streams in August= (see photo in article). In Or- egon that would result in a citation since buffers are required for all forestry op- erations. In this area of rural Columbia County, this writer has never observed such a nagrant disregard for stream pro- tection in violation of the current Oregon Forest Practices Act (FPA). Perhaps this is a photo of an agricultural or urban operation where buffers are not a re- Vernonia Weather March 2019 DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 HIGH 50 51 51 43 45 47 42 43 43 50 54 54 50 55 62 62 70 70 71 73 74 56 53 58 59 55 58 59 61 63 67 Ave/Tot 56.4 LOW 30 26 21 15 15 23 29 27 32 21 20 36 31 31 29 28 27 27 28 30 34 39 38 34 29 32 26 33 37 36 31 28.9 PRECIP 0 .01 0 0 0 .31 .21 .13 0 0 .32 .24 .07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .04 .05 T 0 .08 0 .10 0 .13 .01 0 1.70 Weather data is collected at the U.S. Weather station at the Vernonia Water Plant quirement for such harvests. This writer would suggest one should hold these claims to a higher standard. Our local stream, Buck Creek, was once labeled as an intermittent stream and later became designated as a non-osh bearing stream. By another re- vision of the statutes, Buck Creek is now designated as osh bearing stream since it nows into a osh bearing stream without some physical barrier (suspended cul- vert, dam, waterfall, etc.). The buffer on this stream has recently been increased from 50 feet to 100 feet on both sides of the water leaving us with a tax bill on the site without the possibility of any eco- nomic recovery. Additional scientioc data should be required for any and all revisions for private forestlands in lieu of limited studies and hunches. Next let9s review the statements of Mr. Gonzales that the restored forest plantings on watersheds contribute to <low now (stream) deocits of 50% and greater are occurring in ALL streams and persist for 40 to 50 years.= That9s quite a statement attributed to a study from Perry and Jones in 2016. Perry, et al, state that stream now is <not well understood= and their reference to 50% summer now was conducted with <34 to 43 year old stands=, not on re- cently replanted forestland. One cer- tainly would question where this <long term= data originated. There is no evi- dence that such a stream now volume was ever tabulated sufociently and corresponded with monthly rainfall records. Mr. Gonzales states from the study that the phenomenon persists for Auction Notice Storage, Too 58645 Nehalem Hwy. S. Vernonia, Oregon 97064 503-429-7867 CC28 - 10 x 20 - Jacob Meeker Auction will be held Noon, Friday May 3, 2019 Please call prior to auction 40 to 50 years. This writer could ond no corresponding data to support this claim This can only be described as a gigan- tic stretch since the timberlands would be considered mature by some standards over that period of time. Mr. Gonzales raises additional common misconceptions that harvesting operations are affecting drinking water. He states that <not only are chemicals containing probable carcinogens drift- ing in the air for up to 10 miles, but are also working their way down into drink- ing water supplies.= Forestland spray- ing is intensively managed by the FPA, as well as, approved herbicides, most of which have a short life span. Wind speed, direction, and droplet size are all regulated. Give this writer one iota of data suggesting forestry chemicals are found in domestic water supplies. There is much more conclusive evidence to re- veal that chemicals, drugs, and solvents found in drinking water comes from hu- man actions through normal household activities, using prescriptions, and out- door yard and garden activities which are much more serious. This writer who onds a speaker who is fabricating data, is embellishing information, and is distorting the actual evidence on even a single note is simply not credible. In summary, forest operations in Oregon are wisely regulated. Our business protects clean water, enhances wildlife habitat, preserves the natural resource - soil, sequesters carbon, pro- vides recreational opportunities for oth- ers, maintains the scenic vistas, provides ober for mills, and provides a living wage to a huge population of Orego- nians. Respectfully, Paul Nys Rainier Editor9s response: The article I wrote in the April 4, 2019 issue of the Voice was a recap of Jason Gonzales9 presentation and was not an editorial. Because of the somewhat controversial nature of the subject matter, I understand questioning Mr. Gonzales9 reasoning. I believe my job was to report on what Mr. Gonzalez Cash or certified check only continued on page 5 Upper Nehalem Watershed Council Annual Meeting 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2019 at the UNWC ofoce, 1201 Texas Avenue For more info call (503) 396-2046 or email maggie@nehalem.org Columbia Humane Society Featured Dog Purr-fect Pals Rosaly is a new addition to our cattery, and we are still learning about her. So far she has been pretty sweet and does not really mind the cat in the cage next to her. We don't really have much background on her and don't know her history with kids or dogs. We do know she is about a year old and will give you all the love you ever needed. Her adoption fee is $125 which includes her spay, microchip, vaccinations, 30 days free pet insurance, and a 14 day local vet visit. If you are interested in meeting Rosaly please don't hesitate to email animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org. 2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens, OR 97051 Bella is about 45 lbs and is just a little over 6 years old. She came to the shelter as an owner surrender after she got herself into some trouble with some chickens. This girl is amazing; she loves other dogs, kids, and she doesn't even mind cats. She is going to do best in a home where she won’t be left alone, and one with other dogs, as she likes to hang out with them and becomes distressed when isolated. She is wonderful on her leash and is very happy going for walks and getting loves. If you are interested in meeting Bella please don't hesitate to call 503-397-4353 or email animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org to make arrangements. All adoptions start by having an approved application on file which can be sent to you by email upon your request or can be found on our website. Bella's adoption fee is $250. She is spayed, current on her vaccines, microchipped, and treated for fleas and worms. Phone: 503-397-4353 E-mail: info@columbiahumane.org Web: www.columbiahumane.org
