Valley
V ernonia
IOC
Vol. 1 No. 15
Serving the
F reedom
Upper Nehalem Valley
starts museum
County EFU
VHS students hold
rummage sale to
prepare for State
The Vernonia High School students are
planning a rummage sale to earn money
for the State Basketball tournament that
will be held in Pendleton. It will be held
Saturday. March 3. at the High School
gym.
If you have any items to donate please
drop them by the high school or call the
school for pick-up (429-3521). If you have
any questions please contact Gordon
Crowston (429-8093) or Nancy Eckland
(429-3703)
Wednesday February 21,1979
Mist man
LCDC designates whole
by Ned Mawhirter
On Jan. 29, the Columbia County
Commission and interested citizens met
with the LCDC in Salem in a public
hearing on the Exclusive Farm Use (EFU)
issue. The Columbia County Board of
Commissioners had previously declined to
designate EFU land within the county
due to public pressure. Thus failing to
meet LCDC deadlines for; designating
EFU lands within the county the hearing
was held by LCDC in Salem. This was a
second hearing in Salem oh the issue the
first one producing no action from the
LCDC.
However at the Jan. 29 meeting the
LCDC made a temporary order that
essentially designates all rural land in
Columbia County as EFU. The order will
be in effect until Columbia County comes
up with its own designation of EFU land
or appeals the LCDC order. The latest
understanding being that Columbia
' County will plan to appeal the order.
A draft of the Order by LCDC states:
Columbia County must make the
following findings in approving any land
use action on agricultural or forest lands
outside of mutually adopted urban
growth boundaries and major timber
holdings;
1. On predominately forest lands, that
the proposed action will conserve forest
lands for the production of wood fibre and
other forest uses as required by Goal 4, or;
2. On predominantly agricultural lands,
that the proposed action is either, a.
consistent with or provided in conduction
with the farm uses defined in ORS
215.203 (2), or, b. within an area built
upon or irrevocably committed to
nonfarm uses, or, c. is a nonfarm
resident’"1 ^welling which:
1) is
ipatible with farm uses
described in subsection (2) of ORS
215.203 and is consistent with the
intent and purposes set forth in ORS
215.243, and, 2) does not interfere
seriously with accepted farming
practices, 3) does not materially alter
the stability of the overall land use
pattern of the area, and, 4) is situated
upon generally unsuitable land for the
production of farm crops and livestock,
considering the terrain, adverse soil or
land conditions, drainage and flooding,
vegetation, location and size of tract.
ORS 215.203 subsection (2) is
essentially
a
discription
and
categorization of what constitutes farm
land and farm uses., ORS 215.243 is a
policy statement clarifying the intent of
the EFU designation as being the
preservation of farm land and rural open
land from the “expansion of urban
development into rural areas’’.
The LCDC order or the EFU
designation does not deal with size of
parcelazation or subdivision only that all
land be reserved for agricultural use.
BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 22
VERNONIA, OR.
by Jenelle Wiggins
Jenelle
Max O’Black standing by his newly delivered ‘original’ Wells Fargo Stage
coach that is to be part of historical museum.
Max O’Black, of Mist Route, has an eye
for old and rare objects and for the past
thirty years he has been bringing home
his finds. His collection includes fragile
depression glass, polished river rocks,
deer and elk antlers of extraordinary size,
Cougar and Bobcat pelts, antique tools
and machinery used by our ancestors, and
priceless Indian artifacts which Max
himself has dug from abandoned Indian
campsites along the shores of the
Nehalem River.
The only problem has been in finding
space to house all his collectibles and Max
finally decided that only a museum would
suffice. So he purchased the old Petersen
estate, also of Mist Route, and he has
been putting in long hours restoring the
90 year old house. He has already
replaced the entire foundation, and this
spring will begin work on a new roof. A
coat of paint inside and out will top off the
finishing touches and hopefully Max’s
iriuseum will be open to the public by next
fall.
Max O’Black is as rare a human being
as are the treasures which will soon fill up
the rooms of his museum. Thanks to him
the history of our Nehalem Valley will be
on view for all to see. Because the
museum is non-profit, visitors will be
asked to make a donation towards the
upkeep of the building and grounds.
The Solar eclipse to hit Vernonia dead center
by Linda Bottfeld
The moon has intrigued astronomers America. The next total eclipse to be
and astrologists, scientists and poets of visible from the U.S. and Canada will be
times old and new. It is constant. on August 21, 2017. In future generations
Although , the skies often get cloudy and (millions of years from now) total eclipses
misty during the day and evening here, will not be seen from the earth. The moon
the moon still waxes and wanes and is slowly spiraling away from the earth
grows to full size and then decreases to and only the annular (partial) eclipse will
new moon or no moon.
occur.
At the point when there is no moon for.
We sure are lucky. The perfect cozy
us to see, the sun is shining on the part of spot. The perfect time of our lives.
the moon that is not facing us. It is during Unfortunately though, perfect weather
this lunar phase that the moon passes conditions are slim. The statistics for the
between the, ear th and sun and conditions Portland area are grim for next Monday,
are right' for a total solar eclipse. The indicating a predicted 81 percent total
complete shadow of the moon (the unbra) oyercast. The worst that can happen is a
sweeps across the earth, and the earth, big storm rolling off the Pacific Ocean and
the moon, and the sun all rendezvous in 3 layers of clouds. The best that can
space.
happen will be clear skies. -
What will happen on Monday, February
If the sky is clear we will witness what
26, will totally affect the environment, seems like magic before our eyes, but in
which includes all of us, and human reality is a very predictable event. The
curiosity is now rising to its peak. actual time the moon will cover the sun
Éclipses have been vividly described by will be 2 minutes and 14 seconds. Totality
those who have seen them before, by begins at 8:13 a.m., however the entire
those who have read about them in ecliptic process will start happening as
writings by the Chinese, Egyptians and soon as the sun rises for a new Monday
the Bible, and by those who are able to morning. At 7:10 a.m. the first contact,
imagine and predict.
when the moon first meets the edge of the
The earliest eclipse known to man was sun will begin. The moon will be racing
in 2130 B.C. Eclipses occuring that long past the sun at a speed of 2,000 m,p.h.
ago were not understood and much Just after the break of dawri, the sun wiU
superstition followed in their wake.
seemingly change its mind and the day
Astronomers hâve been beheaded on their wiU price again become night. The blue (or
account, and even great battles have gray) sky of day will plunge into the
ceased. In 1878 in Wyoning, Thomas darkness of an evening sky. It will be dark
Edison viewed an eclipse and was able to enough to see the stars. Venus will be to
measure the solar chromosphere.
the south and it will bé very bright. The
Monday's solar-eclipse is a total one.
red planet in the sky 14 degrees east of
That means the moon will be in thé exact
the sun will be Mars. We may see
direction of the sun and the path of
Mercury at the time of thé ecplise. It will
totality will be a narrow 180 miles across.
become very quiet around, the animals
When the eclipse is over, the moon’s
and birds become confused and excited
shadow will leave the earth and continue
and the flowers will close as if for thé
its course through space.
night. It will also become colder, as the
Vernonia is set right within the path the ; temperature drops in the coolness of the
eclipse will travel through. Find a spot
moon’s shadow. All will be seemingly
where the eastern horizon looms ahead of
quiet and still. By about 9:00 a.iri. this
you as the sun rises, and where the moon
amazing celestial spectacle will be over.
can be seen wisping by, and you will enjoy
There will be so much to see and enjoy
an event that may not be repeated in our
as the strange and interesting sights
lifetimes. This is the last total solar
occur. What we will see is:
eclipse of this century visible from North
U Shadow Bands will be moving in one
direction. They are 6 inch long wiggling
bands of light that can be seen off snow or
a white sheet spread out on the ground.
They will move so rapidly that the ground
will seem to jerk.
2. Baily’s Beads will be a light from the
glint of the sun resembling a string of
beads around the dark disk of the moon.
Their appearance signifies the first
contact of the moon with the sun and will
last only 2—3 seconds.
3. Diamond Ring is the last of Baily’s
Beads crossing the disc of the moon. Here
you can see the solar corona.
4. Solar Corona is only visible during a
total solar eclipse. This spectacle is a
crown of white light shining in all
directions around the dark solar disc. This
phenomena will be invisible if skies are
not clear.
As the corona disappears and totality
ends, the same events that preceded
totality now occur in reverse order and on
the opposite side of the sun as the sun is
gradually uncovered by the passing
moon.
Only during the time when the sun is
totally covered by the moon in totality is
it safe to view the eclipse. For about 1
hour before and 1 hour after the phase of
totality, the sun is only partially
obscured. During this time it is too
dangerous to look at the sum Because the
lenses of our eyes act as tiriy magnifiers
looking at the partially eclipsed sun can
burn them. Binocular lenses, sun glasses,
camera lenses, and welding masks are not
adequate lenses through which to view
the eclipse.
We are a lucky generation of people,
witnessing and experiencing the totality
of the solar eclipse next Monday.
February 26. It may send shivers up and
down your spine, or give you a feeling
that you may want to duck. Whatever you
do, and however you choose to experience
this event be sure to relax and enjoy. It
will be a feeling, a happening, an event,
and a special time in our lives.