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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 16, 1997)
rne INDEPENDENT, July 16, 1997 By Nancy Burch Vernonia City Librarian is a selection of paperback mysteries entitled “Midnight Creepers.” This selection of 70 titles The library s Summer Reading Program is is geared for young adults and includes selec off to a great start with approxim ately 50 tions by R.L Stine, V.C. Andrews, Christopher Pike, Lois Duncan, F. Pascal, Carolyn Keene youngsters “celebrating animals" at the first session. Those attending enjoyed hearing and Lois Lowry. Lowry’s The Giver, included in about and petting Don and Nancy Dailey's pet the selection, was justly named winner of the llama, the Tatmans’ turtle and rabbit, and Kitty 1994 Newbery Medal and is one of those Savage’s pet duck. This past Thursday was a books that gives the reader “food for thought.” Newest novels fo r adults include Nora celebration of music” , with the youngsters singing and making musical instruments under Robert’s Public Secrets, and Nelson DeMille’s Plum Island (#1 on the New York Times best the direction of Bonnie Schorzman. seller list). If you’re looking for a good romance Thursday, July 17, there will be a "celebra tion of insects”. The final two sessions will be or a good mystery, you won’t go wrong with ei Thursday, July 24, and Thursday, July 30. All ther of these. programs will be held at Hawkins Park at 10:00 Vernonia Library is located at 919 Bridge a.m. Youngsters are being encouraged to read Street. Library Hours: Monday and Fri during the summer and books are available to day 1-5 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., be checked out at each program, as well as Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Preschool Sto from the library. Come join the fun with this ry Time: Wednesdays, 10:30-11 a.m. Call year’s Summer Reading Program. 429-1818 for information. Recently ordered and due to arrive any day, By Dale Webb, member 'Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter and lunar-like. I was gravely concerned when I saw this stream fire, while riding home with a co-worker, As morning dawned and people began to as we got our first glimpse of the silt plume in stir from their homes on the last Saturday of the Nehalem River at Natal. I new something May, unbeknownst to them, there was a fire in was seriously wrong, causing the Nehalem the local woods. The plume was quite visible River to be muddy in the first week in June! As north of Vernonia, yet few people noticed it. we proceeded up river, we kept carefill watch Within two days, the plume would flow west and when we crossed the East Fork of the Ne and stretch out into the Pacific Ocean, yet halem it was evident that the stream fire was there were no sirens as officials scrambled to somewhere up it. After I got home, I immedi the source, no calls for man power to help bat ately jumped into my personal vehicle and tle it. It was mostly unnoticed. started tracing the silt upstream. Hawkins Among the first people to notice the plume Creek was the last place where the East Fork were two anglers who put in at the boat launch was discolored, but when I viewed Elk Creek I at Pittsburg. After boating less than a quarter knew I had found the culprit. We had some sig of a mile, they were so engulfed by the plume nificant rainfall over that weekend, but the that they had to quit fishing and just rode the creeks were flowing well within their banks, so river to the take out spot. it was evident that the stream fire was not The plume continued for well over a week caused by a flash flood type of situation. Within and eventually burnt itself out. Many of you are a few days it became clear that whatever had wondering what kind of fire would we let burn happened up Elk Creek was a system failure, in our forest without mobilizing to put it out. not an isolated event. Trees are worth lots of money and we surely I notified State Forestry and the Department would spend lots of money trying to protect of Fish and Wildlife. State Forestry sent two them. Millions of dollars are spent each year to people to drive around the road systems look protect federal, state and private timberlands. ing for violations of the Forest Practices Act. Yet this fire caused little concern except for The Department of Fish and Wildlife did noth maybe our district fish biologist. Now you have ing because they have neither the laws nor the the clue needed to realize that the fire I’m talk manpower to engage such problems. This is ing about didn’t refer to the consumption of tim not to say they weren’t concerned, and they berlands by fire, but the consumption of a did keep in touch to see what we were finding stream by siltation. To me, they are one and out about the situation. State forestry officials the same. Elk Creek, a tributary of the East found no violations of the Forest Practices Act Fork of the Nehalem River, was consumed in and no cause for the stream fire. a stream fire during the last week in May. This Finally, I decided it was time to lace up the stream now looks very much like a bumt-over cork boots and take a look for myself. I started forest. at the locked gate to the old entrance at Camp One big difference between a forest fire and 8 and worked my way upstream. The brush a stream fire is that the plume from the stream was thick and within a short distance I was fire is a lot more detrimental than the plume drenched from the morning dew, but the day from a fire that consumes forest. The smoke was warm and I was hot. I noticed immediately from a forest fire is diluted by the great air shed that the stream looked altered from other, that surrounds us, but a fire in a stream is con healthy, streams in our area, with very little fined within its banks and often, as in this in rock and mostly mud. Even though it looked all stance, can't dissipate until it reaches the Pa mudded in, it also looked scoured out. The cific Ocean. banks were under-cut, the holes around large Others may argue with me about the differ woody debris were exaggerated and the abun ences between a forest fire and a stream fire, dance of silt was overwhelming. I saw at least but I find them very similar. Each usually starts four major landslides that had entered the from a specific cause, either natural or man stream system, yet none of them appeared to made, i.e., lightning strike/beaver dam failure, be recent. There was an old, abandoned or careless match/man-caused landslide. Each beaver pond that had blown out, but the creek consumes biological materials; forest fires burn was still discolored above it. As I walked far vegetation, stream fires move large amounts of ther upstream, the creek became clearer. I fi soil. Creatures are destroyed in both types of nally ran out of time, climbed out of the canyon fires. Deer, elk, squirrel and birds are suffocat and returned to my pickup. ed by lack of oxygen that is being consumed I had found no smoking gun and I was per by a forest fire and the heat it generates. In a plexed as to why a stream would basically stream fire, fish and aquatic insects are suffo “melt down” during a time of low flow. As I left cated by huge amounts of silt and the abra the canyon, I noticed a more recent logging siveness of it in the flowing waters. In both cas operation on the west side of the stream and es, the landscape that remains is usually bleak Please see page 14 Sevig fam ily sends thanks for the help •V' - S ir • • ** ■ : ■ y. t Gladys' Family Cookbook is here! Pick it up at The INDEPENDENT, $8.00 per copy, or call 429-6541. Makes a great gift for showers, birthdays, or for no reason at all! I POLICY ON LETTERS - The INDEPENDENT welcomes readers’ letters, but all letters must be signed and include a verifiable address and telephone number, though the address and phone number will not be printed. We reserve the right to shorten or edit letters for clarity. Letters containing libelous statements or personal attacks on individuals will not be printed. > J* * ' 7 ■ ' t ; .* • " will see you in Norway! Sincerely, Kathy, Dan, Chris, and Kara Sevig To the Editor: We would like to thank all of our friends in Vernonia for the Scout Cabin deserves help given us and the kind attention of public ness shown as we said good bye to Vernonia, our home for To the Editor: the past 18 years. There was a rousing public T ha nk you to the many discussion at the City Council friends who lent many hours of meeting, July 7, of what to do help w ith ou r m oving sale, with the old Scout Cabin in packing, and loading: Kathy H aw kins Park. A p p a re n tly Denckla, Susann Ragsdale, there has been a stop-go-stop Jan LaVoie, Barb Prpich, in the process of efforts to C athy Black, M arie Krahn, save this cabin, and much of Nancy Dailey, Mary Miller, Sue this could be due to recent Minger, Rian Ragsdale, and changes in city personnel. Matt Minger. A tte n tio n has also been Thank you to Tucker Wy- centered on building a new song for preparing a wonderful municipal building and it ap “going aw ay” dinner for us, pears the real value of Vernon and th a n ks to those who ia, as this writer sees it, is get helped him, including Janelle ting buried. One speaker at Wiggens, Katie Eggie, Deon the meeting spoke truly that O wen, K atja S chutz, and progress can also be found in Woody Buxton. preservation. Thank you to the Vernonia Most people agree tourism High School staff, present and is important to Vernonia. It is former members, for the lovely unlikely tourists will be so in dinner at the Rheinlander, and terested in our new city hall. especialy to Ward Nelson and They have seen lots of those, Billie Wallace for organizing it. and bigger and better, but they Thank you to Glenda DeLe- WILL look at an historic scout mos and District 47J for the cabin. “goodby" party at Camp 18 They might even wonder and to tho se who cam e to (when they see the new city wish us well. hall) whose rich relative came Thank you to the Vernonia to see us. Education Association for the Jetta Gomes gift certificate to the Harbor- Vernonia side. We enjoyed our meal and evening out. Thanks for great 4th Thank you to Dolly Keenon, of July celebration Kathy Denckla, Rose Dett- mers, and Sue Minger for the To the Editor: Bon Voyage party at the VHS We would like to thank the gym. We enjoyed so much vis community for their support of iting with friends and students, our 4th of July celebration. former and present, who came This is the first year we didn’t to bid us bon voyage. reach our goal of $3,000, the Thank you to all who have cost of the fireworks. It isn’t called, sent cards, given gifts, too late to send in your dona or expressed in person best tion if you h a ven’t a lre a d y wishes for our future in Sta done so. We w ould like to vanger, Norway. We invite you thank Pat and Darlene Knight all to visit us. We w ill fly to for the benefit spaghetti dinner Norway on August 2nd and with all proceeds going to the will be looking for permanent fireworks fund. A thank-you housing. Our address at the also to the following organiza school where Dan and I will tions and businesses for their teach and Kara will attend is donations...Vernonia Chamber as follows: of Commerce, The INDEPEN International School of Sta DENT, Vernonia Sentry, West vanger, TresKeveien 3, 4042 ern A u to /T rue Value H a rd H ofrsfjord, Norway; e-m ail, ware, Cedarside Inn Inc., Red intschol@ iss.stavanger.rl.no; Curl and The Lions Club, Wall phone, 011-47-51-55-91-00 and Wall A ttorneys-at-Law , Thank you, friends for all Skidmore and Son Trucking, your love and kindness. We Please see page 14 ................* * * * * • » •• * • f Page » -,ee. «, «¿4 , I* V » 1
