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The INDEPENDENT, March 6, 1996
^INDEPENDENT
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published
twee 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.
Some corrections,
some more thanks
Fatigue and stress do funny things to a body. One
of those things is not knowing what day it is. How
many people have been saying. “What date is this?”
Nearly a month after the flood, there are still many of
us who can’t keep track of the date.
Nevertheless, we really do know the peak of the
flood was on Feb. 8, not Feb. 12 as printed in the last
issue of The INDEPENDENT.
Another error occurred because of unusual, or un
fam iliar usage of terminology. When told that the
Columbia County 9-1-1 system was “flooded"7, we as
sumed that water was in the basement of the court
house in St. Helens. In this case, however, “flooded”
had a more specific meaning, ie., it meant that a par
ticular part of a telephone system couldn’t be used.
The 9-1-1 system was working, but couldn’t reach
Vernonia by telephone. Thanks to 9-1-1 administrator
Sally Smith for explaining; we appreciate it.
None of that changed the fact that local problems
had to be handled locally. The lack of communication
was a problem and, if ham radio operators hadn’t
been available, it would have been worse. A m i
crowave relay system would be better than te le
phones for an area like this.
Another “system” needs to be mentioned. Mike and
Marcella Seager have done a great job of keeping
people up-to-date via Vernonia CATV. Their quick re
sponse and willingness to update information as soon
as it was available has been invaluable, both during
and after the crisis. It's easy to take these things for
granted, but the system is only as good as the people
running it.
Help is still being offered
The recent generous gift from Intel, of computers
for the high school, is a reminder that while many
needs are being met, there are many people who feel
uncomfortable at accepting donations. Genny Fisher
has asked The INDEPENDENT to remind folks that
they aren’t being offered welfare. The donors who
have responded with food, clothing, linens, paint and
building supplies, cash and more, understand that
welfare doesn’t fill all needs. For instance, there are
very good clothes for adults and children at the Ver
nonia Grange, along with many other items, and they
have been donated by people who want their gifts to
be used.
Information wanted........
The INDEPENDENT is trying to get the names of
all donors - individuals, businesses or agencies -
who have helped or are still helping people in the Ne
halem Valley. The lists are fragmented because some
have given to the schools, some to the city, some to
the Red Cross, some to churches, etc.
If you know of anyone helping with money, goods
or labor, please send us their names. We want to in
clude them in a planned “thank you” from all of us.
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I
j Ike Says
B y D avid M ichael Jones, member
Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
It seems appropriate to deal with the recent
flood event and to list how it affected the fish
tn the streams. First, we probably lost a lot of
our spring Chinook spawn in the Nehalem sys
tem and other coastal streams. Although the
coho spawn in the smaller streams they were
flooded with silt and probably took a hard hit.
If the flood waters and drift didn’t tear out the
redds, the silt and sedimentation can adverse
ly affect the eggs or fry in the following ways—
smother or suffocate the eggs in the gravel,
seal the alevins in the gravel after they hatch
(oxygen may be able to get in but fish can’t
get out), and or hide food when they come out
of the gravel. The silt can also make it difficult
for a fish to breathe and can cause clubbing
on the gill surfaces.
I have had reports that the logging roads
held up well, and in many instances better
than the county and state roads. This is a plus
for forest practices in favor of the fish and
those of us downstream from those roads and
lands. I would like to thank the logging corrpa-
nies that opened their roads for public use
during this time of stress and emergency.
C ulverts. Some failed during or after the
flood and many will be weakened and have to
be replaced. It is required that new culverts let
both adult fish and juveniles pass. The re
quirements are for a zero-percent slope, and
the bottom of the culvert should be at low
stream level. It is best to wait until low water to
do the replacements if possible. One reason
our coho are in such trouble is that, in many
instances, they couldn’t even get into a stream
if they wanted to, because the lower end of
the culvert has a fall of feet and not inches. It
is, of course, a lot harder for the cutthroat
trout, which are a good deal smaller than coho
salmon. I will list the phone number and ad
dress of the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
oiologtst at the end of this column if anyone
One thing that can happen to a culvert or
bridge is that the drift can pile up against it
and blow out the structure or road. The trees,
logs, chunks, and whatever floated down river,
should be left in place. For one thing, there is
a liability involved. If key logs are pulled out of
a jam or if most of it is cut for firewood, it is no
longer a natural event and the person doing
the cutting is responsible. In other words, if
the next high water carries it downstream and
it blocks a culvert and blows out a road, this
wouldn’t be a natural event. During a natural
event storm, the log jams will help to slow the
stream down and actually help with flood con
trol. (This is also a reason why channelization
is not good for a stream; there are no comers
to slow down the water.)
Large woody debris. Large woody debris
in the stream is good for fish and is what na
ture intended. Usually the root wad is up
stream and the top of the tree is downstream.
Often a couple of small pools will form on the
downstream ends of the root wad and the
trunk of the tree will stabilize it. The top and
branches provide cover and protection and
give escape cover for the smaller fish. One
reason the “Ikes" are planting cedar and other
conifers in the riparian zones of our rivers is
that the conifers will last a lot longer in the
stream than the aders that are the remaining
trees in the riparian zones along many of our
streams.
Anyone with questions can contact the Fish
and Wildlife biologists at Hamlet RtTBox 360,
Seaside, OR 97138. The phone number is
(503) 738-7066 and the Fax is (503) 738-
6929. They can also give you information on a
cost share and tax advantaged program to in
stall screens on water diversions.
Help Wanted: Volunteers are needed to
help plant trees in riparian zones. The trees
will be coming this week. Call me at 429-9251
if you can help.
Don’t forget possible property and income tax relief
People whose real proper
ty or personal property was
damaged by the recent flood
ing are reminded that tax re-
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has questions or needs advice about a culvert
or any other concerns.
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lief is available on both the
county and federal levels.
Call your county assessor
for an application to prorate
your property taxes, casualty
losses may be deductible on
your federal income tax. To
find out. call the IRS or your
accountant.