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The INDEPENDENT, January 5, 2000
What is impetus for
community change?
On pages eight and nine of this issue of The INDE
PENDENT, several citizens talk about events, projects
or processes that they feel are important for the future
of their communities. Without a doubt, the subjects
they have chosen are important for the community:
Infrastructure, downtown improvements, expanded
recreation, new or upgraded public facilities of various
sorts.
But what makes these goals or projects attainable?
Having observed government and communities for
a long time, it’s obvious that many commendable,
even exciting projects never get anywhere. But look
what is being accomplished in Banks, Mist-Birkenfeld
and Vernonia.
Banks has a new school, even though the school
district was in such dire financial straits that the state
legislature felt it necessary to step and give a helping
hand. A new public library went up within the last two
years. The City of Banks is dealing successfully with
the fastest population growth in the whole state. The
Tri-City Fire District is looking at a March grand open
ing of their new fire station and headquarters.
Mist and Birkenfeld are usually hyphenated be
cause the only local government in the area is the joint
fire district. Despite the small population, a large, new
fire station opened this past year and the community
is working on development of a community center.
Vernonia has so many things underway, it’s mind-
boggling. The city just completed a new city hall and li
brary, rehabbed the water distribution system, upgrad
ed the sewage treatment system, installed new side
walks, trees and lights downtown. Within the past four
years, the sewage collection and storm drain systems
were upgraded, a Head Start/community center build
ing was constructed. The school district has wired
most of the buildings for electronic communications,
and built a covered play area for its largest elementary
school. The health center moved into a larger, better-
equipped building and health professionals are now
available at least five days a week. Community mem
bers restored the Scout cabin without cost to the city.
Downtown businesses have been sprucing up their
buildings. There are still many public and private pro
jects on the drawing board for the coming year.
Nevertheless, it is not the goals or the projects or
the plans that create excitment. The excitement is cre
ated by the people who live in these communities, who
have the enthusiasm and the political will to make im
provements. Grants and loans may be involved, but
local government can get nowhere without the enthu
siastic support and involvement of its citizens.
The people of Banks, Mist, Birkenfeld and Vernonia
have created all of the important things that are going
on. It is their willingness to accept responsibility for the
success of their communities that makes success pos
sible.
In other words, the most important thing that has
happened in our communities, is the development of a
“community will” that stubbornly insists: “We will suc
ceed!”
By Dale Webb, member
Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
If you’re reading this article, we must have
survived the new Millennium. What will our fu
ture bring, and how did we fare in the past? I will
look into my crystal ball to forecast the future,
and, for the first time, will give an Ike Says rating
to past events.
The Ike Says rating system is as follows: a
grade of A = Royal Bull, B = Chromer Steelhead,
C = Grouse, D = Gut-shot Buck and and F = Rot
ten Salmon.
Oregon Fisheries - rates a Gut-shot Buck.
With multiple fisheries now listed under the En
dangered Species Act and the newly curtailed
ground fish fishery, the only fishery in Oregon
that has little or no restrictions is the warm water
fishery. Locally, the only consumptive fishery is
in Lake Vernonia for warm water fish and plant
ed trout.
Oregon hunting - rates a Grouse. While most
of us get to hunt every year, we don’t usually get
to hunt our preferred area. Deer hunting is a
shadow of what a lot of us grew up with. Elk
hunting is faring better than deer, and in many
areas is better than in the past. Locally, elk hunt
ing has declined from the past, probably the re
sult of an overly ambitious cow hunt program.
Grouse hunting is a fraction of the past, most
likely the result of land use practices. Duck hunt
ing is a bright spot, due mostly to changed
weather patterns and conservation efforts.
The following are ratings for State and local
agencies and organizations.
Oregon Department of Transportation
(ODOT) - rates a Chromer Steelhead. This rat
ing is not for our local roads, but for the extraor
dinary measures taken by ODOT while conduct
ing culvert replacements and road stabilization
projects. Two examples I observed last year
were the Cook Creek culvert replacement and
the road stabilization project. Never before have
I witnessed such extraordinary measures to pro
tect streams as these two projects. Cook Creek
was pump-bypassed during the culvert project,
and the Nehalem River was partially coffin-
dammed during the bank stabilization project to
keep the river from flowing through the work site.
ODOT would have rated a Royal Bull, except for
the cost of these projects; they must find a way
to lower the costs so more projects can be con
ducted.
Upper Nehalem River Watershed Council -
rates a Royal Bull. The council has to be ap
plauded for its effort to bring all of the stakehold
ers to the table. While we usually don’t agree
with each other, we are at least talking. The Wa
tershed Council conducted its first culvert re
placement project and has continued tree plant
ing, stream bank stabilization and fencing pro
jects. Extensive stream health monitoring is on
going with projects measuring temperature, tur
bidity and macro invertebrates. A comprehen
sive study of the Nehalem River watershed is
nearing completion by Portland State University,
under contract to the Watershed Council.
Northwest Natural Gas - rates a Gut-shot
Buck. Northwest Natural was on track for a Roy
al Bull until the end of their new pipeline project.
Northwest Natural had used extraordinary mea
sures to protect the environment during the
pipeline project, such as boring under streams
and wetlands. All excavated sites were graded,
stabilized and seeded. Silt curtains and hay bale
usage was extensive. The timber industry could
benefit a lot by examining Northwest Naturals’
protection measures. The reason Northwest
Natural receives a low rating is the unethical di
version of water from the Nehalem River for the
purpose of testing the pipeline. Northwest Natur
al entered into a contract with the City of Ver
nonia for water. Water was withdrawn from Rock
Creek while the Nehalem River was at a very
low level. In all actuality, Northwest Natural was
getting around water resource laws which would
not allow water usage until November. While
buying water from the City of Vernonia may have
been legal, it was highly unethical. The impact
from diverting upwards of two hundred thousand
gallons of water a day from Rock Creek is un
known, but the fact that ODF&W’s instream wa
ter right was not being met at the time of with
drawal, implies damage may have occurred.
City of Vernonia - rates a Gut-Shot Buck.
While Vernonia has made major improvements
in the downtown area, new city buildings, the
opening of Bear Creek and improved water sys
tem, some of these improvements were done at
the expense of the environment. As mentioned
above, the selling of water to Northwest Natural
was unethical. Summer run Chinook salmon
were in the stream trying to migrate upstream
while this water was being sucked right out from
beneath them. The improvements to the water
distribution system also caused some harm to
our local streams. On several occasions, I wit
nessed concrete cutting operations that dis
charged the cutting water directly into the City’s
storm drain system. Of course, on the first rainy
day, all this material was moved into Rock
Creek. The water pipeline crossing of Rock
Creek was a major incident. According to Larry
Please see page 3