INDEPENDENT
The
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published
twice monthly on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge
Street, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper.
Editors and Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen, (503)
429-9410.
No reason to wait
for Thanksgiving
,..\F
Recognizing the need for expansion and improve
ment, the Banks School Board will ask residents of
their district to approve an $11 million bond issue.
They have done what they need to do to solve a
problem.
Recognizing the need for expansion and improve
ment, the Vernonia School Board appointed a special
study committee and hired a consulting firm to devel
op a long-range plan. Eighteen months after the
study started and a month after receiving the commit
tee recommendation, the Vernonia board is still trying
to figure out how to expand and improve without
spending money.
It’s not fun to ask voters to increase their taxes, but
people who can’t make hard decisions shouldn’t run
for office. It’s time to make some decisions.
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B y D avid M ichael Jones, member
Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
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7
protect juvenile fish. This program requires the
water user to pay one-third of the cost; the re
mainder will be paid by the state. The water
Here is a list of proposals I worked up—be
user can also receive a tax credit for fifty per
fore I read either the Fish and Game propos
cent of his/her cost if the screen is built to
als or Dale Webb’s Ik e ’ column in the last is
ODFW specifications. Contact fish biologist
sue—for the 1997 Oregon fishing regulations.
Joseph E. Sheahan at Hamlet Rt., Box 360,
1. No bait during trout season in any stream
Seaside, 97138. Sheahan’s phone number is
that dumps into the Pacific Ocean or is a tribu
(503) 738-7066; fax (503) 738-6929. This
tary of any system that runs into the Pacific.
sounds like a good way to upgrade screen
2. Limits in streams like the above of two
systems, help the fishery and save some
trout daily, between 10-12 inches, with no
money.
more than seven in a week (The idea is to en
Some good news has come up from the
courage conservation, not consumption.).
Coos Bay area, where some coho salmon are
3. Publish in the regulations those lakes
back in a stream for the first time in about 25
that are stocked for the meat pole fishermen.
years. Three years ago, school children re
4. Use a punch card for trout, especially the
leased 10,000 fry into Blossom Creek; after
searun cutthroat.
the coho spent a year in the stream, they mi
5. Single, barbless hooks in all waters that
grated to the ocean for two years of growing
empty into the Pacific from the mother stream
time,
then returned to the creek to spawn.
or from a tributary stream and/or lake system.
This is of special interest to Vernonia resi
6. Reduce the salm on/steelhead punch
dents because Blossom Creek travels under
card limit to 20 fish per year, only ten of which
the streets of Coos By, just as Bear Creek
can be steelhead (Trout could be incorporated
does under the streets of Vernonia. We are
into this punch card for data and to upgrade
fortunate to still have coho in Bear Creek.
the fish in the eyes of the angling public.).
It was just last week that the return of the
7. Close all small tributary streams that run
first two fish was observed by the school chil
into systems that drain into the ocean (The
dren and ODFW biologist Tom Rum reich.
purpose of this is to secure rearing streams
School children and biologists are working to
for native coho, Chinook, steelhead and cut
restore the creek as a spawning stream and
throat trout. Without rearing streams, we are
are being helped by the Oregon Coastal Envi
going to lose our fish, especially the coho,
ronments Awareness Network. The fingerlings
which spends so much time in the system be
for the project were taken from native Coos
fore it sm olts.). If we d o n ’t close all the
River coho stock and reintroduced into the
streams, at least close a portion of them. For
system by the children and biologists.
example, close Clear Creek and Wolf Creek
There is “hire the fisherman” money avail
on the Nehalem and leave the East Fork Ne
able for unemployed fishermen to work on im
halem open because of Scaponia Park. One
provement of salmon habitat. Some eligible
way to put this in the regs is to say a stream is
projects include fencing streams and allowing
open only if it is listed.
livestock to access a stream in one area, or
8. Because there have been some late run
putting in watering areas above the stream.
fall Chinook showing up in northcoast streams,
Planting streambanks, placing in-stream struc
most notable the Kilchis, close the fall Chinook
tures and creating alcoves for rearing areas
season on the north coast on Dec. 10, to en
are also eligible projects. There is no charge
able these runs to establish themselves. Na
to land owners for any of this work. Contact
ture can’t establish new runs if we kill the fish
person for these projects is Bill Eagle of the
before they can spawn!
Natural Resource Conservation Service in St.
9. Close winter cutthroat season in coastal
Helens at (503) 397-4555.
streams.
On to another matter:
Izaak Walton League meetings are the
The O regon D epartm ent of Fish and
th ird W ednesday of each m onth,
W ildlife has a program to help pay for in
Vernonia Public Library at 7:00 p.m.
stalling fish screens on water diversions to
The public is welcome.
anks S ch o ol B oard
says $11 million; Vernonia
board chokes on far less
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' At
TOOO
T
In spite of the weather, many good things have
been happening around Vernonia and there is no rea
son to wait until next Thanksgiving to mention them:
WOEC line crews have been working so many
weekends and nights since the January 12 wind
storm that young children and grandchildren probably
don’t recognize them — and vice-versa. The wind
storm was followed by snow that broke limbs and
downed trees weakened in the wind storm. Then tor
rential rains caused mud slides, tilting trees and
poles. Next came the ice and, once again, heavy
rains. They’ve done a good job under difficult circum
stances and they deserve a hand.
Volunteer firefighters and EMTs have been on call
and on the job throughout all of the bad weather.
Their dedication is such that it carries over to their
families, too, as was demonstrated last weekend in
Vernonia when more than 20 travelers stranded by
icy roads were taken in, fed and kept warm and safe.
They respond whenever and wherever they are need
ed, regardless of conditions. The small fire districts in
this area have only a handful of paid professionals,
and they also deserve kudos for the long, long hours
th e /v e been spending on the job. Volunteer or paid,
this is a truly selfless bunch of people; we’re lucky to
have them around.
The weather has nothing to do with this next thank
you. Linda Hartman, manager of the Cindernook has
taken lots of heat from people who may be just a bit
“Holier than thou,” so it’s time to thank her for donat
ing the use of the Cindernook for the Sweetheart Ball,
a fundraiser for the Community Center Project. There
aren’t very many business establishments that will
close the doors to their regular customers (on the
best night of the week, too) in order to help a nonprof
it organization.
Thank you all for your contributions to our commu
nities.
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