The INDEPENDENT, June 20, 2001
Page 9
WOEC
joins NoaNet to improve options for rural communications
From page 4
In an effort to explore op
tions for expanding telecom
munications service to rural ar
eas, the West Oregon Electric
Cooperative (WOEC) Board of
Directors agreed to become a
member of Northwest Open
Access Network (NoaNet).
West Oregon joins 11 other
electric cooperatives, phone
companies, municipalities and
public utility districts in the
NoaNet project.
NoaNet is a fiber optic net
work that parallels the Bon
neville Power Administration
(BPA) electrical transmission
system, creating an economi
cal option for rural telecommu
nication needs. NoaNet has li
censed fibers on the 2000 mile
loop that BPA installed to oper
ate its electric transmission
system in Washington. BPA
plans to extend its fiber system
to Oregon later this year.
The board’s decision is just
the first step in the process.
“The board identified telecom
munications as a strategic is
sue in our planning process
last year,” said Robert VanNat-
ta, WOEC board president.
“Our participation in NoaNet
will help West Oregon Electric
explore ways that we may be
able to assist our members in
receiving the same conven
ience and economic benefits
as those enjoyed by their more
urban counterparts.
“We see our membership in
NoaNet as a possible opportu
nity to provide a vital service in
rural areas that are largely ig
nored by the big profit-minded
companies, much as we did
with electricity nearly sixty
years ago,” continued VanNat-
ta. “Our commitment to serving
our members continues in that
same spirit through NoaNet.”
In April, WOEC members
approved a bylaw change that
would allow the board of direc
tors to consider other business
Senators secure salmon funds
U. S. Senators Ron Wyden
(D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-
Ore.) announced $8.9 million in
Federal funding for salmon and
steelhead recovery efforts in
Oregon. The Oregon Water
shed Enhancement Board
(OWEB) will distribute the
funds through grants to citizen
action groups for voluntary
restoration efforts on private
lands.
“The efforts of many dedi
cated Oregonians are making
a difference in the fight for
salmon and steelhead recov
ery,” Wyden said. “This funding
will enable more citizen-driven
projects to move forward and
preserve some of our state’s
most precious natural re
sources.”
“Our state’s salmon and
steelhead recovery efforts are
dependent on creative efforts
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implemented locally and sup
ported with funds from the fed
eral government,” said Smith.
“While this money will help lo
cal watershed councils with on-
the-ground recovery efforts, we
will continue to fight for funding
to enable Oregonians to meet
the
recovery
challenges
ahead.”
Private watershed councils
and conservation groups will
be able to apply for funding.
Salmon restoration projects
and activities may include plan
ning, monitoring, research,
habitat restoration and protec
tion. OWEB will evaluate pro
posals for their technical, eco
logical and biological merits
when considering grant appli
cations.
The $8.9 million award is the
second installment from Feder
al funding for the Pacific Coast
Salmon Recovery Fund. Sena
tors Smith and Wyden have
strongly encouraged Federal
support for salmon and steel
head recovery efforts in Ore
gon.
opportunities that would benefit
members. Those revisions
passed by nearly a 3-1 margin.
“This seems like a natural fit
for us,” said Russell; Green,
WOEC general manager. “We
are working with fellow electric
cooperatives and the BPA. We
West Oregon Electric serves
more than 4,000 electric cus
tomers in portions of Columbia,
Clatsop, Yamhill and Washing
ton Counties. Headquartered in
Vernonia, the cooperative has
provided electric service since
1944.
SWCD can help with agricultural water quality plan
A new state Agricultural Wa
ter Quality Law, went into effect
this past year. While the Forest
Practices Act has regulated the
timber industry for some time,
this is the first legislation aimed
at controlling agricultural activi
ty in Oregon. The regulations,
while largely aimed at full time
growers, also control the activ
ities of smaller, part-time oper
ations.
The legislation requires rural
landowners who have resource
issues which may harm water
quality, to show that they are
taking steps to resolve the
problems. There are no defini
tive parameters; the law was
written in an open-ended man
ner so owners and managers
could tailor plans best suited to
their individual acreage.
Landowners with a minimum
of five to 20 acres, who have
livestock and/or stream corri
dor access, may be affected.
Contacting the Columbia Soil
and Water Conservation Dis
trict (SWCD) to assure compli
ance with these new state
goals.
Unlike the Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ)
and other regulatory agencies,
the Columbia SWCD is a non-
regulatory agency that advises
landowners on practices and
problem resolution with land
use issues.
By enlisting the District’s as
sistance, landowners can
demonstrate efforts to resolve
any water quality problems as
sociated with their land prac
tices. The state does not ex
pect change overnight; it sim
ply wants assurance that
landowners understand their
responsibilities and are willing
to begin addressing problems.
Currently, the Columbia
SWCD is trying to assess and
A rustic picnic table and benches are now nestled by the wa
ter just south of the Rock Creek Bridge, behind Shay Park.
Though this spot is enticing on a warm summer day, it was
developed so people could comfortably watch salmon on
their upstream journey during spawning season. Construc
tion was done by volunteers with the Upper Nehalem Water
shed Council.
prioritize Columbia County’s tance with programs such as
resource concerns. In April, a the Environmental Quality In
survey was mailed to county centives Program (EQIP) and
residents, seeking information. Conservation Reserve En
In an effort to better serve the hancement Program (CREP).
public, the Columbia SWCD is
Landowners should consid
extending the deadline for sur
vey responses until July 30, er joining the local Conserva
2001. Landowners completing tion Service District to deter
a survey are eligible to win a mine how to improve water
free expandable self-contained quality, waste management for
small livestock operations, fish
composting unit (a $50 value).
and
wildlife habitat and other
The SWCD, in partnership
with USDA Natural Resources resource problems in Columbia
Conservation Service (NRCS), County. Contact the SWCD
also provides many services at weekdays at 503-397-4555 to
no cost to landowners in need obtain a postage paid survey
of individual management form and/or program informa
plans and cost-share assis- tion.
Oregon home loans ready for newly eligible veterans
The long-awaited home loan
program for post-1976 Oregon
veterans previously denied eli
gibility by the Oregon Constitu
tion is now available. The new
program is the result of the
passage of Ballot Measure 83
last November. More than one
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503-429-4333
million Oregonians voted to ex
pand eligibility for the home
loan program to Oregon veter
ans who entered military serv
ice after 1976.
In announcing the roll-out of
the
new program, John
Mangis, Director of the agency
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know the quality of these part
ners is very high, so that gives
us a heightened sense of con
fidence and a greater opportu
nity for success as we consider
whether or not to extend the
fiber optic network beyond the
BPA/NoaNet system."
30 • 9-2
The Lyon’s Den
Pub & Eatery
— 733
BRIDGE STREET, VERNONIA • 429-0606
said, “We have been working
hard over the last six months in
order to provide a quality home
loan program for veterans who
previously were not eligible. If
you are a vet and considering a
home purchase in the near fu
ture, you should talk to us
about the many benefits of our
program."
The fixed interest rate for
the initial wave of qualifying
homebuyers will be 6.25 per
cent. This below-market inter
est rate will help many younger
veterans with their home-buy
ing decisions. In addition to the
below-market interest rate of
fered, the program’s other ben
efits include a 95 percent loan,
up to a maximum loan amount
of $275,000. Veterans have the
option of applying for a home
loan through the agency’s
Salem headquarters or through
any of a statewide network of
approved lenders and mort
gage brokers.
“We offer loans with low
down payments and limited
closing costs," said Mangis.
“But, probably more important,
is the fast and friendly service
we provide to the veterans. It’s
a simple process with minimal
paperwork.”
For more information, call
the Oregon Department of Vet
eran’s Affairs toll free at 1-800-
828-8801 or 503-373-2000.