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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2011)
8 Winter 2011 Applegater TRENDS AND OBSERVATIONS Floating freezers BY RAUNO PERTTU In my fi rst geology class, I discov- ered that the physical earth and its past can be understood through study of the rocks, landforms and the geological processes that created them. It’s satisfy- ing to stand on a mountainside and to understand how the rocks under your feet, which were once mud on an ocean fl oor, came to form the mountain above you. However, I also have to admit that a major attraction of geology for me from the beginning was that events like volca- nic eruptions and earthquakes are truly exciting. I include fl oods in the exciting Mother Nature events that give geologists an adrenalin-rush. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to see active volcanoes, fl oods, and even an earthquake or two. Standing close to Mount St. Helens inside the closure zone and watching an early stage eruption cloud rising into the crystal clear morning sky above us was awe-inspiring. Violent geological events are still exciting. I understand these events can cause human suff ering, and feel very badly about that, but these earth processes were happening long before we occupied the planet, and will continue, uncaring of our presence. As geologists, my wife and I moved often. It was part of the profession. When the kids were about to enter school, we decided it was time to put down roots, and, after a thorough search, chose the Applegate. We were delighted to fi nd a riverfront property. Th e family liked fi shing and looked forward to playing in the water. Th e river also off ered a fun variety of viewing entertainment. We became acquainted with geese, mergan- sers, ospreys and a whole variety of birds. We were delighted with the occasional otters. We were less delighted with all the beaver. We learned that those beautiful deer on the river bank are actually raven- ous rodents in disguise. Over the years, we spent countless tranquil afternoons and evenings watching the many moods and abundant wildlife of the river. And then there was the time we watched an upstream neighbor’s freezer hurrying for the Pacific, carried along in a brown, churning torrent. Over the past weeks, I’ve watched the cold storms sweeping in from the northern Pacifi c and the snow building up in lower elevations and wondered if another exciting event is in store. Th is is the fi rst ingredient of the pattern that in our valley has created fi ve memorable large fl oods, along with several smaller fl oods. Th ese fl oods have started with the accumulation of lower elevation snow from the kinds of storms we are now having. However, to create a memorable fl ood, we would also need enough rainfall over a period of days to weeks to saturate our soils, followed by a warm and very wet rainstorm from the southern Pacifi c. (Our historic fl oods have included these cumulative ingredients, where warm The necessary ingre- dients for these fl oods don’t come together of- ten, so, despite the early low elevation snows, the possibility of a serious fl ood this year, as in any given year, is low. rain quickly melts a large lower elevation snowpack and those who built close to the river learn the dangers thereof.) Many of us have vivid memories of the New Year’s fl ood of 1997. One of my vivid memories is of that neighbor’s freezer bobbing through the four-foot standing waves. Low water bridges, such as that of my mother-in-law, were damaged or destroyed. Fields and roads were fl ooded, and the water shooting outward from the Applegate dam’s wide-open spillways was impressive. Although memorable, it wasn’t one of the really large historic fl ood events in the larger Rogue Basin. Those of us who are older remember the much larger Christmas fl ood of 1964. This was the most re- cent of the five really big Rogue Basin fl oods. Because I was young and living in Astoria, I don’t remember the great Christmas fl ood of 1955. Th ere’s likely someone still living in our Applegate Valley who remembers back to the great February fl ood of 1927. Even earlier were the great fl ood of Febru- ary, 1890, and the granddaddy of them all, the Christmas fl ood of 1861. Th e necessary ingredients for these floods don’t come together often, so, despite the early low elevation snows, the possibility of a serious fl ood this year, as in any given year, is low. We tend to forget about fl oods during periods such as the past few years, when we haven’t even seen high water. On our property, the gravel bar that was created by the 1997 fl ood has had time to become overgrown with alders and it looks like it has been that way forever. Before 1997, the main chan- nel of the river ran where the alders now grow. I can understand how someone new to the area could assume the current scenery is a permanent situation. Applegate residents don’t have to be geologists to observe that our infre- quent fl ood events move more material and make more river channel changes than all of the cumulative river activities in all the years between the fl oods. Be- fore 1997, our own stretch of river had rapids and deep pools that were replaced by the fl ood with the now overgrown gravel bar and shallow riffl es. Maybe the next fl ood will be kind enough to give us back the rapids and pools that we and the kids loved. Th ere could actually be some good in that next exciting event. However, I don’t need to see any more fl oating freezers. Rauno Perttu 541-899-8036 jrperttu@charter.net
