Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS Left: David Rollins collects surface grab samples. Land Management Examined in Siletz Basin For the last few decades, a con tinual controversy has existed over the effects of land management activities and water quality in our coastal region. The discussion has focused on timber and agriculture land management (skid roads, road building methods, road failures, slope failures, and agricultural riparian grazing). Twenty years of regulation have passed and in many cases, sediment loads appear to have decreased, yet there remains much controversy. This controversy, along with such things as the lowering of stream temperatures and the presence of chemical pollutants in our waters, has in part led to a process where states are now required to define allowable levels of non-point source pollutants. A non-point source pollutant is any pollutant that doesn’t have a single direct source, such as a water pipe or smoke stack. These allowable levels are called total daily maximum loads (TMDLs), which are the levels of suspended sediment, a particular chemical, or the increase in a stream’s temperature that are allowed in a given zone of a given stream. When these levels are exceeded, a regulatory action should occur. Devel oping these TMDLs will occur in the mid-coast region in the next few years. The Siletz Tribe has begun a research and monitoring program to examine suspended sediment levels across the Siletz River basin in an attempt to better understand natural and human-influenced factors that affect the presence of varying levels of suspended sediments in our local waters. During the winter of 2000, the tribe began collecting suspended sediment samples at several sites across the Siletz basin to develop a better understanding of fine sediment transport. The tribe’s first goal is to examine* fine sediments on a landscape scale using GIS (geographic information system) data sets. This will allow the tribe to match data sets, such as number of miles of roads, traffic levels, land management, steepness of the land, basin geology, and rainfall levels to measured river sediment levels. The second goal is to examine the effects of fine sediments on local stocks of salmon and lamprey. During the winter of 2004-2005, the tribe will begin looking at how survival of salmon eggs buried in stream gravel is affected by varying levels of fine sediment being transported in the water column. Five different streams will be selected for varying levels of sediment loading during typical winter high-water periods. Spawning salmon nests will be counted over time. Hour-by-hour sedi ment, rainfall, and stream flow levels will be measured with automated meters. These data will be compared to salmon egg survival during winter. Feed ing and metabolic rates of larval lamprey living in varying levels of fine suspended sediments also will be examined. Research and monitoring likely will continue up to and after the develop ment of TMDLs for the Siletz River. STGRA Job Available Title: P/T Hearings Commissioner Accountable to: Tribal Council Pay Scale: $25/hour for regulatory duties up to 80 hours/month; Tribal Council hourly rate for training and conferences • • • Minimum Qualifications • • 10 Five years experience in a policy and decision-making position Must be able to read and compre hend various reports, regulations, and documents pertaining to Indian gaming □ Siletz News □ Ability to review, analyze, and interpret financial reports Ability to read and objectively eval uate employment applications and background investigation reports Ability to work cooperatively as a member of a team Closing date: April 30,2004 Contact the CTSI Employment Job Line at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1296, or 541-444-8296, or visit http:// ctsi.nsn.us. April 2004 Below: Siletz River sediment monitoring sites Law Enforcement Tip Strong Odors Give Away Meth Labs The production of methamphetamines in makeshift laboratories puts both the producers and their neighbors at risk. The strong chemicals used in a drug lab result in strong odors that can be easily recognized beyond the confines of the lab. These chemicals can cause irritation, headache, dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms. Call the Siletz Tribal Police at 541-444-8371 or 541-336-5555, your local police department, or 911 if you suspect a drug lab in your area. Odor ioni Sweet or aromatic odor often accompanied by a sweet taste. Commonly described as “hospital odor.” Sweet odor from common solvents Solvent-like used in paint thinners, adhesives, cleaning fluids. Types of odors often found at auto body or furniture refinishing shops. Typical pungent, acrid, or sour odor Vinegar-like found in vinegar, mayonnaise, salad dressings, or pickled foods. Ammonia-like Sharp, irritating odor similar to that from wet diapers, cat urine, glass cleaners, cattle feed lots, or fertilizers. Ether-like Acute Effect Nasal irritation, nausea, headache, and dizziness. Eye, skin, and nasal irritation; nausea, dizzi ness, and headaches. Eye, skin, nasal, and systemic irritation. Eye, skin, nasal, and systemic irritation. From “The Clandestine Methamphetamine Laboratory Training Program: First Responder Operation, ” Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, California Training Institute, Hazardous Materials Section, 1998.
