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The INDEPENDENT, Jan. 25, 1990
ne
INDEPENDENT
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley Published
monthly on the last Thursday of each month, by Public
Opinion Laboratory Ltd 1206 State Avenue Vernonia
OR 97064 as a tree newspaper All material protected
under U S Copyright laws Editors and Publishers, Dirk
and Nom Andersen. (503) 429 9410
O p in io n
Time to plan growth
is rare opportunity
D evelopm ent is going to com e to Vernonia
because of its location and its natural beauty
Though we are situated in a secluded valley along
the Nehalem River, we're only an hour's dnve to jobs
throughout the metropolitan area, and that means
growth is inevitable If you doubt it, take a second
look at all of the business and residential complexes
that have sprouted on what used to be farm land
along the Sunset Highway
We can waste our time and energy fighting growth
or we can plan for it We're really fortunate because
we have the time and opportunity for intelligent plan
ning
The Vernonia Area Chamber of Commerce now
has an active economic development committee, and
their approach is to work with other entities that have
the same goal. ie., a diversified economy and a
healthy community
Though there is a shortage of industrial land in
Vernonia, this committee of business people, in coop
eration with a hard working city council and a sup
portive county government can make a difference
The linear park will be developed by the state, but
the help and cooperation of local people will enhance
the development so a "Friends of the Park" group
needs to be organized
The town's commercial area needs more than a
clean up, it needs a major face lift, but it would be
possible to enlist the aid of graduate students in
architecture or urban planning to create a coordinated
plan. Again, this takes the cooperation of local peo
ple
The abundance of parks in and around Vernonia
make the location ideal for planned recreation of
many kinds The city needs to develop a master plan
for parks and, again, cooperation is the key.
The airport is a major asset mat is both under
developed and under-utilized, but that, too can be
overcome with good planning
Vernonia is at the crossroads and there are arrows
pointing in all directions It's rare that people have an
opportunity such as we have here, the opportunity to
decide which way we want to go and even how to get
there.
If your SAIF Insurance has been canceled,
please call, 429-9410, and let us know.
By Nancy Burch
Vernonia City Librarian
This is a good time lo be reading and using
your library for materials. The weather is
conducive to enjoying the warmth indoors
before prtng arrives to lure us out again
and wo have some interesting new books for
you.
For fans of Stephen King, "The Dark
Half", is available
We have Danielle
Steel's, "Daddy ", the story of a man trying
to be mother and father to three children,
while building a new personal life for
himself after his wife leaves to capture the
life she feels she has missed.
If Larry
M cM urtry's characters are your cup of
tea, his newest book. "Some Can Whistle",
provides the usual off beat, not always
admirable, but generally likeable group of
individuals.
Tony Hillerman's, "A Thief of Time", is a
new paperback about intrigue and murder
in the Southwest as Indian artifacts are
uncovered and stolen.
One of my fa vo rite acq u isitio n s,
"Collected Poems of Walter Mathews", was
a recent donation by Mr. Mathews. Born on
The Burn, Mist, Oregon in 1911, Mr.
Mathews has spent his entire life in that
area
His poems, on logging, sawmilling,
his fam ily’s
early years, his va riou s adventures,
friends, and miscellaneous remembrances,
have been printed in this entertaining
little book.
I especially like the poem
about the problems he had with his '64
Cadillac.
Thank you, Mr. Mathews, for
making this available to us.
Library Hours: Monday and Friday 1-5 p m
Wednesday. 9 a m -5 p m . and Saturday, 10
a m -2 p m
Preschool Story Time is every Wednesday
from 10 30-11 a m
L e tte rs to th e E d it o r
Ever so slowly...
To the Editor:
The snitch, the tattletale of
the woods, almost invisible,
moving ever so slowly and
quietly this master of d is
guise stalks his prey You
might ge, a glimpse of him as
he passes through a salai
patch but most times you will
catch him driving around, or
parked on a high viewpoint
with binoculars in hand look
ing for the hunter that has no
idea he's being watched until
it happens
You've made a mistake or
bent the rules ever so slight
ly. bu, enough tor him to go
to the authorities with his in
form ation
The snitch does this in the
name of "conservation " His
idea of saving the game ani
mals is to get rid of hunters,
whether by luring them into a
trap or by harassing them
enough until they say "It's not
worth hunting anymore " He
also encourages others to do
the same and proposes more
state game officers to patrol
the hunters
As an avid hunter, I pro
pose a different way to con
serve our big game animals
such as deer and elk
1 Eliminate the doe sea
son It has no purpose, and
the deer population in our
area is not so great that na
ture can't handle it on its
own
2 The biggest problem
lies in the split elk season If
we were to make it jus, one
season nine days long, we
would take pressure off the
elk herds by eliminating five
days of hunting while the
number of hunters remained
the same
3 Bow hunting is another
issue Why should the bow
hunter be entitled to so much
time to bag his game, espe
cially when he's hunting dur
ing the "rut", the easiest time
of year ,o ge, one9 Shorten
ing the bow hunting season
would also help conserve our
game
4 More State game offi
cers would jus, cos, more
money that could be better
used for food or other assis
tance the deer and elk may
need during bad w inter
months
These are ways I teel
would help conserve our big
game Now is the time for all
concerned sportsmen and
women to express their views
and le, the game commission
know tha, the future of our
hunting will be supported by
concerned and dedicated
sportsmen and women We
have no need for a snitch
Dean Bernardl
Vernonia
Nelson not cynical
To the Editor:
I am writing m response to
Annette Naron s letter tha,
appeared in the December
issue of The INDEPENDENT
I am a 1989 graduate from
Vernonia High School and
am currently attending Ore
gon State University My in
tended major is English Edu
cation, and I plan to teach a,
the high school level
One of the mam reasons
I've chosen teaching as a
profession is because of the
caring and dedicated attitude
held by the VHS staff I think
it is very unfair for Ms Naron
to say tha, Mr Nelson is
"cynical and negative ' Mr
Nelson is very dedicated to
his students and to his re
sponsibihties as a teacher
among which is doing what
he can to insure students ge,
a descent (sic) education
With the rate of drug use dur
ing school hours growing dra
matically over the las, few
years, this primary responsi
bility became increasingly dif
ficult
Mr Nelson was no, being
cynical when he said tha,
teachers were Tired of trying
to teach and coach kids who
are under the influence of
drugs ' Instead, he was sim
ply expressing the frus,ration
he, as well as the res, of the
staff, felt towards the empty
efforts of teaching students
who were unable to compre
hend material because they
were high. I would like to
challenge anyone to try and
communicate on a learning
teaching level with a student
More letters on page 15