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The INDEPENDENT, February 7, 2001
n, 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. Phone/Fax:
503-429-9410, e-mail: noni@vernonia.com
Opinion_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
School staff to put
on candidates night
Vernonia School District certified and classified staff
are providing the community with a great opportunity
to meet the nine candidates who are seeking spots on
the school board in the March election.
All Vernonia school board candidates have been in
vited: Schann Nelson, Rick Hobart, Leslie O’Leary,
Randall Hansen, Cari Levenseller, Perter Brock,
T /to 'T Woob could Wécp
James Krahn, Jeff Blum and Thomas Jones.
The format will allow a brief presentation by each
candidate, including personal information, why they
want to be on the school board, what they feel is the
number one issue facing the school district now, and
more. There will also be a question and answer period.
Five of these people will be involved in the direction By Dale Webb, member,
Vernonia’s schools will be taking during the next two to Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter
four years. Take the time to meet them February 12 in
There has been a major development in up
the Washington Grade School gym from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. per management at Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife. Jim Greer, the current director, has
resigned under pressure from the state legisla
ture. Mr. Greer was a long term ODF&W em
ployee and his future there was undetermined at
the time of this writing. His resignation evidently
stemmed from the displeasure of legislators with
When the flood waters receded in 1996, the extent ODF&W’s performance surrounding the Oregon
of the clean-up required was stupendous. Household Salmon Plan. It is also believed that a generally
goods, carpets, appliances, building materials, all de anti-ODF&W attitude from legislators who felt
the agency was responsible for some of the cur
stroyed by the flood, piled up in a 300 foot-long, by 50 rent land use restrictions, was a factor in the
foot-wide mountain of soggy debris — twice. A log pressure upon Greer.
loader was needed to keep the trash under control. It
While many of you may think I would be turn
took weeks simply to gather up the worst of it. Yet our ing cartwheels of joy over this development,
clearest memories are of the people who helped dur think again. While I agree that ODF&W needs to
be restructured, I am not particularly at ease
ing those weeks and weeks.
with how this is occurring. The change should be
Families were displaced, their lives disrupted, some coming from the commissioners, not the legisla
times for months. Yet our clearest memories are of the ture. Many legislators want to keep ODF&W
people who opened their homes to friends, neighbors weak in the regulatory arena, an area which, in
my opinion, should be strengthened.
and, yes, even to people they didnt know well..
Governor Kitzhaber is also supporting this
Two of the schools were badly flooded, the kitchen
change in leadership and the move by the leg
equipment was destroyed, books were soaked, the islature to give the power of appointment of the
wood shop was a disaster area. Three feet of water in ODF&W director to the Governor’s office, in
the high school forced it to be closed for weeks. Yet, stead of ODF&W commissioners, as it is now.
we remember how students from other schools put on This is a little strange, as the Governor appoints
the commissioners, and they should do his bid
drives to replace books and supplies, all the students
ding. This brings up the point that many hunters
from area high schools who got down and dirty muck and fishermen have found to be true in the past.
ing out the mud, the citizens from all walks of life who Since the commissioners are so closely involved
showed up at the school to help in any and every way. with upper management at ODF&W, it is hard for
Vernonia Cares took a double whammy; most of its the general public and the Governor to persuade
them to make the changes necessary to ad
food and supplies were destroyed and there were dress the needs of the organization’s con
more people who desperately needed emergency stituents.
food. Yet, we remember the motorcycle club from Port
The Governor’s office is especially dis
land that arrived with truckloads of food plus cash do pleased with ODF&W for their handling of the
Oregon Salmon Plan and their business-as-usu-
nations to purchase whatever else was needed.
al approach. Although this criticism is fair in
So many homes were unlivable, yet we remember some regards, it also must be recognized that
the many church groups who spent months and ODF&W was treated like an orphan child of the
months rebuilding homes for those who couldn’t do it Oregon Salmon Plan. A new agency, the Oregon
Watershed Enhancement Board, was created to
themselves.
With all that, the memories we cherish most, five administer the plan. This seemed to me to be a
duplication of power and expense.
years later, are of the local people who helped each
The problem with this development is the di
other, who supported each other emotionally and lution of the status of Oregon sportsmen in an
sometimes physically, who laughed and cried with agency that is 92 percent funded, directly or in
each other, who were there when an ear or a shoulder directly, with their money. ODF&W is, and
should remain, an agency whose primary pur
was needed. They are wonderful.
pose relates to the well-being of fish and wildlife
Bad memories of 1996 are
gone, the good remain
PeoPue
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in the state of Oregon, to the benefit of the con
stituents who foot the bill. In most cases, all Ore
gonians benefit from this type of management,
since it means healthy populations of the man
aged species. The dilemma with this approach
arises when the constituents, such as fisher
men, have been weaned on a flawed process,
like fish hatcheries. While there have been great
successes with hatcheries, they have been put
in place as a substitute for the natural process
es that occur in a stream. This does not work in
the long term, and is not cost effective. Prob
lems have been created by trying to harvest
hatchery fish while protecting endangered
species. In most cases, this has led to a harvest
of the protected species and, thus, has been a
threat to their well-being.
It must also be recognized that ODF&W will
suffer immeasurably as hatchery production is
diminished and the fish available for harvest are
reduced. Sportsmen are not willing to pay for a
non-consumptive fishery. While this may sound
unsportsmanlike, think of it as buying a car that
goes only 35 miles-per-hour, or playing golf with
out any holes. Many sportsmen feel that the
need to bring home the bacon (fish) is a genetic
trait that will not go away as fast as the decline
of the fish preyed upon. This is just a fact of life.
On the wildlife side of this coin, great pres
sure is being brought to allow expanded com
mercialization of our wildlife, in the form of
landowner tags and commercial elk ranches.
This is where I do not trust legislators to deal
with our natural resources. Our human race has
developed upon resource extraction and deple
tion, usually at the expense of the species being
utilized. The political climate in our legislature is
still dominated by this sort of thinking, because
that is where the money is. I see, in the near fu
ture, a tremendous clash, as the people who pay
the bills at ODF&W meet head on with the polit
ical interests of state legislators, with ODF&W
caught in the middle. Sportsmen must demand
the respect and attention that their role as bill
payers deserves. We must also demand that
Oregon’s wildlife remain a public, and only a
public, entity. We must refuse to emulate Texas,
where public wildlife is privately owned.
Oregon sportsmen will have to wait and see
what direction ODF&W will take. Let your legis
lator know that, as the bill payers of ODF&W, we
will demand that our concerns be addressed be
fore those of special interests or opportunists.
Otherwise, ODF&W may have to fund itself.
Hopefully, we will finally be able to get the ac
countability and respect that sportsmen rightful
ly deserve from ODF&W.