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The INDEPENDENT, August 16, 2000
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A irlo c k
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........
''77/et£ Gûez ru e 'Veisn&tMloob"?
Decision by only one
should not prevail
Vernonia school board rules allow decision-making
to be determined by only one person, as described on
page one. To say that this defeats the intent of rule by
the majority...the foundation of our democratic form of
government...is a mountainous understatement.
The Vernonia school board should undertake a re
view of their rules and determine whether any others
also undermine that principle or, in some other way,
create a situation that allows negative unanticipated
consequences.
It may behoove them to return to a more standard
set of rules, including requiring a second before a mo
tion is accepted for voting purposes. If nothing else,
this requirement allows quicker resolution when only
one member wants to grandstand. This statement, in
cidentally, does not refer to any present board mem
ber. It’s a good board, but it has some bad rules.
School board members
needed; apply today
Two vacancies on the school board
an opportunity to seek appointment to
tions. The pay is lousy but the rewards
the district office for an application or
tion.
mean there is
fill those posi
are great. Call
more informa
City councils need more
people to seek election
Two council seats in Vernonia, three in Banks and
mayoral positions in both towns will be on the ballot in
November. At this time, not enough people have filed
to fill all of those vacancies. It is a healthy situation
when voters have a choice, so you can help keep your
community healthy by filing for election. The deadline
in Banks is August 25; in Vernonia it is August 29. Like
the school board, the pay is lousy but the rewards are
great.
You won’t want to miss
this developer’s meeting
Chris Liu of EBS Trust invites citizens to an infor
mational meeting Thursday, Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m., to
discuss his plans for manufactured homes on small
lots. This is one of those rare opportunities to ask the
horse’s mouth what his intentions are. Instead of rely
ing on rumor and misinformation, attend the meeting
at City Hall and ask your own questions.
UoAMUf A i
”
*
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Ska Says. . .
By Dale Webb, member
Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
The creatures grew quickly, hidden from view
by the heavy algae bloom in the lake. Silently
their size doubled and doubled again till some
were the size of beach balls, all the while they
strained the algae from the water for food. Soon
the water in the lake became clearer and the
people on shore became aware of this new and
foreign visitor. Many speculated that the large
gelatinous masses were alien pods
waiting to hatch their offspring and
take over the world.
If you have been to Lake Vernonia
lately you, too, may have wondered
what kind of creature has taken over
the lake. Large gelatinous masses can
be seen by the hundreds, anchored to
the bottom and woody debris in the
lake. Many have the appearance of a
large brain with mottled lines dissect
ing the sphere. A closer inspection re
veals that most of the creature’s mass
is made of a clear gelatinous material.
So, are these strange new crea
tures aliens from space? No, they’re
just Bryozoans. Bryozoans are a
member of the animal phylum Ecto-
procta which date back in geologic
time 500,000,000 years. So, you see,
we are actually the newcomers in this case. Bry
ozoans are microscopic animals that group to
gether, not unlike coral. The large masses that
can be seen in Lake Vernonia are made up of
millions of Bryozoans and their secreted struc
ture, called a statoblast, which is an over-win
tering shelter for the Bryozoans. The statoblast
— NOTICE —
The INDEPENDENT is published on the first and third
Wednesdays of each month. Four months of each year, there
are five Wednesdays, but the publishing schedule is not
changed.
There are five Wednesdays this month, so there will three
weeks between this Aug. 16 issue and the issue of Sept. 6.
Deadlines for the Sept. 6 issue will be Sept. 1 for both news
items and display advertising, and Sept. 4 for classified ads.
C a r
is composed 99% of water. Bryozoans repro
duce both sexually and asexually. Asexual re
production occurs by budding and is the main
way by which colonies expand their size. Bry
ozoans are also hermaphroditic, which means
they contain both male and female organs and
thus can reproduce sexually.
Most Bryozoans are marine dwellers except
for the freshwater forms classified in the Phylac-
tolaemata, which is the kind that are in Lake Ver
nonia. Marine Bryozoans are found to a depth of
8200 meters but most inhabit shallow waters.
One remarkable species makes a living while
floating in the Antarctic Ocean.
Bryozoans feed on small microorganisms, in
cluding diatoms and other unicellular algae. Fish
sometimes feed on Bryozoans. I strongly sus
pect that the sudden clearing of Lake Vernonia’s
waters may be a direct result of this huge infes
tation of Bryozoans.
According to Kin Daily, a warm water fish bi
ologist for ODF&W, Bryozoans are quite com
mon in the Willamette valley and he was not too
surprised that we are seeing them in Lake Ver
nonia. Kin added that the Bryozoans are not a
concern so far as having any ill effects on the
lake or fishery. No literature suggests any con
cerns regarding humans and, in fact, one ma
rine species produces the drug bryostatin 1,
which is currently under serious testing as an
anti-cancer drug.
So, unless I am wrong in my diagnosis, there
will not be aliens crawling out of Lake Vernonia,
at least not in the near future.
Izaak W alton League meetings are on the
third Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m.
The public is welcome.
For meeting location, call (503) 429-7193.