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The INDEPENDENT, May 1,1 99 6
».INDEPENDENT
vZ£LL
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.
Mr HAi
Anxiety levels soared
along with the water
When heavy rains hit again last week, four inches in
less than 48 hours, our water-logged soil couldn’t
retain it. Springs were spurting and hillsides oozing as
the water table and the rivers rose again. This time,
the Nehalem Valley wasn’t hit nearly as hard as
Clatskanie, where mud slides did major damage; nev
ertheless, anxiety levels rose along with the water and
the community discovered that it’s not yet over the
trauma caused by the flooding in February.
This is really quite ordinary, as mental health work
ers know, but that doesn’t make it any more comfort
able. Many people are not yet in their homes; high
school classes are operating out of modulars; every
where we look, flood damage is obvious.
Unfortunately, stress often shows in negative ways,
ways that harm the people you care for, such as child
abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism and suicide.
Anyone feeling the stress should remember that
professionals from the Oregon Flood Support Project
are in the community to help others cope with stress
and anxiety. Their advice is to start on the road to
recovery by acknowledging your feelings and, if you
need support, they are there to help you.
They can be reached by calling 429-4014 in
Vernonia, 755-2303 in Mist, or 325-5754 for Jewell.
They are willing to assist you in their offices or in your
home so, if you need a little support or a lot of support,
don’t hesitate to call. They are here to help.
What is the shape
of Vernonia’s future?
Whether people have lived in a community for one
year or 60 years, the future of that community is
important to them and Vernonia citizens now have the
opportunity to be involved in planning their town’s
future.
The city will host a visioning meeting Thursday night
from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Fire District meeting
room. The process they have adopted doesn’t keep
people out, either. Instead of appointing a few citizens
to determine the direction for tomorrow, city govern
ment has invited everyone who’s interested to join in
the process.
There will be opportunity to offer suggestions anchor
ideas on the city’s future. This is one meeting that
should be interesting; try not to miss it.
Watch for electrical fires
Another hazard of flooding is becoming apparent in
Vernonia - electrical fires. These tend to break out in cir
cuit breaker boxes, electrical outlets or other electric
connections that were under water. Now that they are
dry, the possibility of a fire-causing short circuit is very
real. If possible, replace all electric connections that
were under water, try to avoid the problem of fire.
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3y Dale Webb, member
zaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
banks and a big flood that leaves its banks
and enters the flood plain. When floods stay
within
the streambanks, all the sediments are
Many people asked me during the big flood
confined so, when it settles, it is still in-stream.
“How do you think the fish are doing?” My an
Our big flood actually scoured out twenty-
swer was “not good, but I’m not worrying
some years of sediment build-up and deposit
about that now.’ The fish were on their own,
ed it in the flood plain. It seem s to have
just like the rest of us.
cleaned
the stream while raising havoc with
Now. with more information, the answer to
the (human) inhabitants of the flood plain.
that question is not pretty. The tremendous
Lots of stream-bank trees slid off the bank
run of Chinook salmon that we had last fall
and are now providing a major resource for
took a real beating. Either the eggs were still
fish in the stream. PLEASE DO NOT RE
in the gravel or had just recently hatched. Ei
MOVE TREES IN THE RIVER UNLESS IT IS
ther way the scenario would look a lot like a
A DANGER TO YOUR PROPERTY. People
blender of huckleberries turned on puree. The
who are taking these trees from the river for
big flood actually moved gravel bars hundreds
fire wood are hastening the listing of the coho
of feet down stream. Eggs or fish in the gravel
salmon as a threatened species. If you have
would have been ground to bits. Even if the
trees on your property that you feel are a
fish had reached the fry stage, it would have
threat, please call the Oregon Department of
been like placing a human baby in the middle
Fish and Wildlife at 503-738-7066 and they
of the Sahara desert in a sandstorm, unpro
will
assist you in decision making. Removing
tected. The bright spot with chinook is that not
trees from a river for commercial use is a vio
all the fish from a brood year return in the
lation of the Forest Practices Act, this includes
same year so, over time, this year’s class of
selling them for firewood. Large woody debris
fish should get some help in rebuilding from
is vital to a healthy fishery as it provides food
broods of the year before and the year after.
and shelter for the fish. If you doubt this just
Coho salmon, already in serious trouble,
pick
up a large chunk of wood from the river
were not helped by this flood. Coho eggs
and look closely on the bottom side, you will
would have been in the gravel — blender time
find many macroinvertebrates (bugs); this is
again Additionally, much of the coho habitat
fish food.
got hammered by new slides and torrents of
My opinion of forest related slides has not
mud.
changed much, although the slide that com
Steelhead may be the only species that
pletely blocked Clear Creek just upstream
fared somewhat well. Early steelhead (De
from the gate is a clear example of how a
cember and January) fared like the coho.
slide can benefit a fishery. This slide, although
Steelhead that returned after the flood proba
it dumped tons of mud into the creek, also
bly will do extremely well.
contributed tons of rock and woody debris.
The big flood was not all bad though. While
The slide also formed a pond on its upstream
planting trees in the riparian area along the
side which will provide trem endous coho
river. I started noticing how pretty the water
salmon habitat. Other land slides totally oblit
looked. I have never seen the water look so
erated coho spawning areas with mud, or
bluetsb-green before. It looked somewhat like
stripped the stream bed down to bedrock.
distant glacial water. The gravel bars were
These streams will not produce fish for at
clean of mud and looked fresh and revitalized.
least a decade.
There were large amounts of large woody de
The Isaac Walton League Nehalem Valley
bris that had entered the river and rermained
Chapter has completed its second year of tree
in the channel. The evidence shows that large
planting along the rivers, with about 2,800
floods are not all bad.
trees being planted. Despite the flood, the
Most of us view floods as bad for streams
trees that we planted last year seem to be do
and fisheries; I know I did. But there is a differ
ing quite well and people will start seeing a
ence between high water that stays within its
Please see page 3
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