8
in other words
september19
2019
Diggin’ in The Dirt: What Are Those Large Holes?
By Chip Bubl
Oregon State University
Extension Service - Columbia County
Upcoming program:
Hunt to Home: Game Processing
Saturday, September 21, 9:00 am - 1:00
pm at Columbia Soil & Water Conserva-
tion District office at Millard Road in St.
Helens. $40. Are you a novice or sea-
soned hunter looking to improve your
butchering and processing skills? Class
includes hands-on butchery instruction,
freezer wrapping, and a pressure can-
ning demonstration. Preregister. (503)
397-3462
Got food preservation questions?
Give us a call at (503) 397-3462. Food
Preservation recipes and fact sheets can
be accessed online at: https://extension.
oregonstate.edu/food/preservation.
What are those large holes?
One day, you notice some large
holes in the ground that weren’t there
before. You see nothing coming out of
them or going in. But it isn’t comforting.
So, what might be making these holes?
There are several possibilities, two more
likely than the others.
Rats make holes that are 2.5 to
4 inches wide. The holes generally con-
nect to a modest tunnel
system (sometimes old
mole runs are used)
or end under a pro-
tective concrete slab.
Rats need three things
in life: food, water,
and shelter. But these
items don’t need to be
on the same property.
Since rats are active at
night, you might never
see them. I advise my clients to look
carefully for food sources, first on your
property and then to adjacent properties.
Rat project success often involves good
neighborhood communication. Compost
piles with fruit and vegetable waste and
bird feeders are often their dinner table.
Columbia County Special Election, November 5, 2019

A Special Election will be held 
November 5, 2019 for all of Columbia 
County. The content of the election will 
be exclusively measures referred to the 
voters. The measures being voted on are: 
• 05-275: referred by the City of 
Scappoose 
• 05-276: referred by the Rainier Cemetery 
District 
• 05-277: referred by the Columbia County 
Board of Commissioners 
• 26-206: referred by Sauvie Island Rural 
Fire Protection District. 

Approximately 39,000 ballots will 
be mailed to all active registered voters in 
Columbia County. Each ballot’s content is 
tailored to the voter’s residential address. 
The main mailing of ballots for Columbia 
County will begin October 16. Overseas 
and out-of-state ballots will be mailed at 
an earlier date. 
Verify registration/absentee voting. The 
last day for a new voter to register to vote 
in this election is October 15. Residents 
that will be out of state may request 
absentee ballots by either:
• Submitting an Absentee Ballot Request 
Form to the County Elections Department. 
• Updating the voter’s registration 
information. Voters can review and update 
their registration information at www.
oregonvotes.gov by clicking the “My Vote” 
tab. 
• Contacting Columbia County Elections 
via email (elections@co.columbia.or.us). 
Returning voted ballots. Ballots must be 
received by the County Clerk no later than 
8:00 pm on November 5 -  postmarks do 
not count. It is advised that if you cannot 
put your ballot in the mail before October 
31, you should plan on returning your 
ballot to a dropsite. 
Drop sites for this election will be as
follows:
Columbia County Court House
Elections Department
230 Strand, St. Helens 
24-hr Drive-up Drop: Lower parking lot
Clatskanie Library
11 Lillich St 
Mist-Birkenfeld RFPD
12525 Hwy 202 
Rainier City Hall
106 B St West 
Vernonia Public Library
701 Weed Ave 
Scappoose City Hall
24-hour Drop Box 
33568 E. Columbia Ave 
Public Certification Test. The Public 
Certification Test of the tabulating 
equipment for the Special Election will be 
held on Tuesday, October 29. The testing 
will begin at 10:00 am in the County 
Elections Dept. The public is welcome to 
attend.
When food is removed, rats may leave
on their own. If not, trapping or baiting
are really the only options and you have
to be so careful not to injure wildlife, hu-
mans, or pets. Call me for more informa-
tion on how to do either or both safely.
The next pos-
sibility
is
ground
squirrels. These squir-
rels live in the ground
though they can climb
trees. But tree climb-
ing is not generally
how they find food
which includes succu-
lent vegetation, fruit,
seeds, insects, carrion,
and other odd things.
Their populations have increased dra-
matically over the last 15 years. They
make holes similar in size and location
as rats. You may see them, if you ob-
serve stealthily, going in and out of the
holes during the day. Their tunnels are
more extensive that rats and have been
known to undermine house supports
and especially concrete blocks that hold
deck posts. This is a native species (un-
like the rat) and used to be common in
Columbia County. But since they can af-
fect crops, farmers (with the help of the
Extension office from the 1940s to the
late 60s) baited them aggressively and
knocked the population back to almost
nothing. For the first 15 years I was here,
I rarely saw them. But they are back with
a vengeance. Their main control now
are coyotes. For homeowners, control
measures are basically the same as for
rats, i.e. appropriate baits and traps with
proper safety measures.
Two other possibilities are rab-
bits and mountain beaver. Rabbits seem
to be increasing and do make holes but
the holes are commonly hidden in dense
brush. But they will push their way into
sheds with gravel floors and in other
places that seem surprising. Mountain
beaver (also known as “boomers” and
they are not true beavers) are only found
on properties nestled next to forests. But
in Vernonia country, that is common.
More on mountain beaver next month.
Renew your landscape
Fall is an excellent time to re-
view the performance of your plants
and decide if you have the right plants
in the right places. It is not unusual to
find out the plant that should have only
grown two feet tall and just as wide has
sprawled into a four foot presence, dom-
inating its location. Is there a better place
for it or is this simply a mistake that has
to be dealt with permanently? Don’t be
afraid to throw away plants that have
outlived their usefulness.
As landscapes mature, the sun
and shade relationships change. Trees
cast shadows that weren’t there earlier.
That lilac that once bloomed abundantly
is now getting only four hours of sun and
simply cannot put on the same show. The
lilac, the tree, or lots of tree limbs have
to go.
Plants that seem weak and/or
diseased should be looked at with a criti-
cal eye. Are they in the right place or is
the location stressful? Are they just dis-
ease prone?
It is possible to improve the
landscape just by some artful rearrange-
ments. Fall is a great time to transplant
woody or herbaceous perennial plants.
While the weather is still dry, pick out
new locations and work up the soil, add-
ing compost and other amendments.
Wait to transplant until deciduous plants
have lost their leaves or, with rhododen-
drons and other evergreen plants, until
the days are cool and moist. You can
keep the transplant locations covered
with plastic until you are ready to use
them.
Free newsletter (what a deal!)
The Oregon State University
Extension office in Columbia County
publishes a monthly newsletter on gar-
dening and farming topics (called Coun-
try Living) written/edited by yours truly.
All you need to do is ask for it and it will
be mailed or emailed to you. Call (503)
397-3462 to be put on the list. Alterna-
tively, you can find it on the web at
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum-
bia/ and click on newsletters.
Take excess produce to the food bank,
senior centers, or community meals
programs. Cash donations to buy food
are also greatly appreciated.
The Extension Service offers its pro-
grams and materials equally to all
people.
Contact information for the Extension
office
Oregon State University
Extension Service – Columbia County
505 N. Columbia River Highway
(across from the Legacy clinic)
St. Helens, OR 97051
(503) 397-3462
Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu
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General Contractor
CCB# 112057
Ph: (503) 429-0154
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Vernonia, OR 97064
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