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The INDEPENDENT, July 7,1999
The
INDEPENDENT
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. Edi
tors and Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Sports Edi
tor, Caren Coté. Phone/Fax: (503) 429-9410.
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More commitment,
more trust, more fun
Vernonia may be a small tow n...but it has learned to
think big. More importantly, it has learned not just how to
get grants and how to use them well, it has learned how to
set an example for commitment.
The new city hall and library are good examples. Yes,
there is grant money involved, but Vernonia showed its
commitment to self-improvement by raising most of the
money from its timberland. Commitment was also ex
pressed by the Vernonia Area Chamber of Commerce,
which added $37,000 to the city effort in exchange for a
visitor information center and office space.
In another exchange between the two, the chamber
sold the city a lot at the comer of Bridge and Rose for way
under the market price. Why? It was property the chamber
had intended to use for an office building and no longer
needed, but the city needed it.
That’s mutual commitment, yes, but it’s also a demon
stration of trust— and trust is never given, it’s earned.
There’s also commitment from the volunteers who have
been working so many years for improvements at Ver
nonia Lake. Now, with a mutual effort by the city and the
volunteers, there is a real chance of obtaining funds for a
handicapped fishing pier. This mutual effort also builds
trust.
Another commitment? Take a look at the Scout Cabin.
This project got off to a rocky start, both in fund raising and
with city government. But those committed people just did
n’t stop. The rehab will be finished this year, it will l?e bet
ter than it was before, and trust is building between the vol
unteers and city.
Commitment, by agencies, groups or individuals, is
necessary for success. When it builds trust, it’s even bet
ter, because working together is more fun than fighting.
Facts, please, not fiction
The thought of a 150 unit housing developm ent in
Vernonia isn’t com fortable, no m atter what kind it may
be.
Vernonia residents would be wise to keep their eyes
open to what is happening. At the same time, they
should keep their m ouths shut until they find out what
is happening.
People who supposedly know how the system
works are spreading falsehoods about the proposed
developm ent, including saying that the city has already
approved it.
The city has neither approved nor disapproved;
th e y’ve had no opportunity to do so. Nothing has been
presented to either the county or the city and, yes, the
county is involved because m ost of the property is in
the county.
No m atter what we feel, there is a legal process that
both governm ents and developers have to follow. That
process is w hat keeps the system orderly.
If the process continues, there will be public notices
and news items about public hearings and meetings.
Those people who are truly concerned about the pro
posed developm ent need to take the tim e to attend the
m eetings. It’s a far m ore reliable way to stay informed
than by listening to rumors.
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By Dale Webb, member
Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
Here’s an update on the hair-loss syndrome
that our blacktailed deer are experiencing. Two
factors are thought to be the cause: The affect
ed deer have a heavy infestation of lice, up
wards of 100 lice per square inch have been ob
served. More recently, the affected deer have a
high infestation of lung worms which can cause
respiratory problems and decreased immunity.
The lung worms may explain why the lice are
able to overwhelm the deer, causing them se
vere irritation which they try to relieve by
scratching until their hair falls out. Once the deer
are hairless, they are susceptible to the ele
ments and most mortality is believed to have
been caused by hypothermia.
Biologists suspect that a small snail is the in
termediate host for the lung worms and that the
deer ingest them while foraging. The above nor
mal precipitation of recent years is thought to
have provided a good environment for the
snails. Both lice and lung worms can be con
trolled with Ivermectin, so Washington state is
trying to develop a medicated salt block that
could be placed in the woods to help infected
deer. Washington biologists have observed a
nearly total loss of last year’s fawns in some lo
cations. Oregon biologists do not feel that deer
losses have been significant, a conclusion I dis
agree with. People who have daily interactions
with deer have reported significant losses during
the winter and some movement of the hair loss
into older animals. Fecal samples taken
throughout the Saddle Mountain Unit suggest
that around 25-percent of the deer are infected
with the lung worms. The samples were collect
ed in late spring, which I feel was after most of
the mortality had already occurred. I will keep
updating this subject as more information is
gained.
Big game regulation was the subject of the
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Commis
sion meeting June 4-5 at ODF&W headquarters.
I testified on both days, with a lengthy presenta
tion to the Commissioners on the fifth regarding
antlerless deer hunting in the Saddle Mountain
Unit. Going in to these meetings I still believed
that reasonable people, given good data, would
make an informed decision. I no longer hold
such beliefs.
The ODF&W staff recommended that 800
antlerless tags be allowed in the Saddle Moun
tain Unit this coming fall. The Commissioners
heard testimony - from the Izaak Walton League
and the Tillamook chapter of the Oregon
Hunters Association - that supported continua
tion of the existing moratorium for five more
years. A letter from the North Coast Game As
sociation also expressed opposition to the pro
posed 800 tags. There was no testimony favor
ing the antlerless hunt from either individual
hunters or from hunters’ organizations.
The Commissioners, totally indifferent to four
independent surveys (data they never had avail
able before) that showed a significant decline in
the deer population this last spring, adopted the
staff recommendation for 800 antlerless tags. I
personally felt salt being rubbed in the wound.
Both the Izaak Walton League and the North
Coast Game Association had been willing to
support 500 antlerless tags for the upcoming
season...until we observed the significant winter
loss this year. We would have been willing to
compromise to a limited extent while closely
monitoring our deer population for any impacts.
Previously, we thought that our deer population
had increased and could absorb this limited har
vest and probably still increase. No such com
promise was extended by ODF&W staff or Com
missioners.
It was interesting to observe the Commis
sioners as they wrestled with some of the staff
recommendations. They do not adopt all staff
recommendations, but those they reject deal
with subjects about which the commissioners
have strong personal beliefs or knowledge. The
problem is that most of the Commissioners lack
sufficient knowledge of the antlerless hunt in the
Saddle Mountain Unit to make an informed deci
sion on their own, so they rely on the staff to en
lighten them. Unfortunately, they seem unable to
understand that the people who live, work and
play in this unit all year may have knowledge
that is superior to that of a district biologist who
spends less time than the average hunter in the
unit, or the staff people in Portland who probably
haven’t set foot in the unit for years.
I was never so perplexed in all my life as
when I left the meeting on the fifth. Wildlife sci
ence is not exact, yet most decisions the com
missioners make are based on staff recommen
dations that are reasonably supported by data.
In deciding not to continue the antlerless mora
torium, the Commissioners based their decision
on the belief that the data collected to provide in
formation on whether or not the deer population
had increased, was not sufficient to give a con
cise answer. In essence, they stated that they
didn’t have any faith in the numbers used to
Please see page 14