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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2001)
The INDEPENDENT, July 5, 2001 L etters to the E ditor B etw een the Bookends By Cindy Stanley, Library Assistant Banks Public Library The Summer Reading Program is in full swing with over 100 children signed up to “Read a Wild Tale!” It’s too late to register but not too late to enjoy the line-up of special entertainment scheduled in the weeks to come. Reptile Man and his reptile companions will be with us on July 12th, storyteller Anne Louise Sterry on July 19th and ventriloquist Steve Taylor and his dum my friend, Rudy O’Riley, on July 26th. The final program will be on August 2nd with a perfor mance by Rhys Thomas and his Up For Grabs Juggling show. All programs are held at the li brary and begin at 2:00 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Best-selling author Elizabeth Berg delivers another satisfying story with her new book Nev er Change. Visiting nurse Myra Lipinsky is a fifty-one year-old modern-day spinster whose life is content simply revolving around her work and her faithful dog, Frank. When Chip Reardon becomes her patient, Myra’s life gets a shake up. Long ago, Chip was someone Myra adored, but his too-good-to-be-true image always kept her at a distance. Now the circumstances sur rounding their reunion force a redefinition of roles. Spunky New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum returns with a brand new case in Janet Evanovich’s latest thriller, Seven Up. Steph From page 2 again, what’s new? Edwards said that if I had concerns about this hunt, I needed to testify at the Commission meeting. Knowing that I could n’t make the meeting, I did the next best thing and got the word out...something our District Bi ologist did not do! In fact, that was one of the points of contention. This issue had not been brought to the affected hunters so they could air their concerns in a public forum. This borders on deceit! I was told that this proposal was aired at the District Biologist annual public forum and at the Tillamook chapter of Oregon Hunters Asso ciation meeting. My response was that the Tillamook OHA does not represent the hunters in this area and the public forum is a joke, since the District biologist revamped the format so that you can only meet one on one with a District staff person, not in an open forum, as in the past. I should mention that, at the last open meeting with the District Biologist in Seaside, more than sixty sportsmen attended (this ac counted for more than 25 percent of the partici pation in the entire state of Oregon) and they let him have it over anterless deer hunting and elk management. Speaking of deer, I should mention that our District Biologist still insists that the hair loss syndrome is not affecting on local deer herds. Here is some food for thought: According to the last available ODF&W data (2000) from tooth surveys of female deer, there has been a 46 per cent decrease in the harvest results for the age group that includes fawns, yearlings and two year-old deer compared to pre-moratorium data (1991-93) and during the moratorium (97-98). Correspondingly, there has been a 72 percent increase in the harvest of deer in the three to seven year-old class. While some sportsmen may think this is great, it is not. In a healthy pop ulation of deer, the younger age classes will al ways be represented as the largest group. What this data means is that the recruitment of young deer into the herd has dropped significantly. The Page 3 anie’s assignment: Bring in semi-retired mob ster Eddie DeChooch, who failed to show for his court appearance. Charged with trafficking con traband cigarettes, Eddie is making Stephanie’s job difficult - and dangerous - with his attempts to avoid going back to jail. Lorna Landvick has delighted readers with Patty Jane’s House of Curl, Tall Pine Polka and Your Oasis on Flame Lake. With Welcome to the Great Mysterious, she has created another group of intriguing characters at home in Deep Lake, Minnesota. Stage, screen and television performer Geneva Jordan returns to her home town but not to play the lead this time. She has the supporting role in the lives of her twin sister's family, caring for their thirteen year-old son, a boy with Down’s syndrome, while his parents take their first-ever vacation away from him. Saturday, July 14th, is Recycle Saturday at the SWATCO Service Yard on Sellers Road, be tween 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friendly library volun teers will be there to assist you. Items accepted include newspapers, cardboard, magazines, aluminum and tin, glass and plastic containers with necks (sorry no plastic tubs, lids or caps). Banks Public Library: 111 Market Street Hours: Tues., Wed,, Thurs., 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Preschool Story Time, Weds., 10:15 a,m. P hone:(503)324-1382 «MMM. average age of the deer herd has changed from 3.4 years, pre-moratorium, to 4.6 years in 2000. This is a significant shift and is explained by the decreased recruitment rate. The only other explanation would be that the moratorium had a very significant effect, with very high survival rates, since that is the group of deer represented in the three to seven year- old age class. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that is totally the case. Although the moratorium did have an effect and the deer herd did increase, the appearance of the hair loss syndrome has severly hurt the recruitment rate of deer in the herds. The winters of 1997-98 and 1998-99 were both very wet and the District Biologist and I agree that this may have caused higher deer mortalities, yet the data do not entirely support this contention. The two year-old deer in the 2000 harvest data represent the deer born in the spring of 1998 who went through that wet winter and show a marked decrease, but the three year-old deer in the 2000 harvest data were born in the spring of 1997 and went through that wet winter with few ill effects. What was the dif ference? The appearance of the hair loss syn drome. If winter weather is a major factor, why does the yearling age class have the lowest showing (15 percent) in the 2000 harvest data? These deer went through one of the mildest win ters (1999-00) in a long time, except for this last winter (2000-01). So far, my predictions about the deer herd in the Saddle Mountain Unit are coming true, un fortunately. The future is bleak unless the hair loss syndrome goes away, which doesn’t look likely. Izaak Walton League Nehalem Valley Chapter meetings are on the third Thurs day of each month at 7:00 p.m. The public is welcome For meeting location, call (503) 429-7193. Remember, remember always that ail of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists. — Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 - 1945) Address to Daughters o f the American Revolution April 21, 1938 Good experiences at Senior Center To the Editor: In response to “Senior Cen ter”, June 20, 2001, I’m very sorry Linda Garrymore has complaints. In my experience with the Senior Center, I’ve al ways been treated with re spect, kindness and outstand ing professionalism. I find the Senior Center extremely clean and wholesome. People forget that the Se nior Center has its doors open to the public by choice. I’ve never had a problem receiving a receipt and I take personally shopping there while others gather in the dining area for a sing-a-long. Where else can someone shop and be sere naded at the same time! Jeanie Ferguson Vernonia Donations almost pay equipment loan To the Editor: The Vernonia Amateur Ra dio Klub, Inc., a non-profit club, wishes to thank the belowing organizations and people for their support: Report of donations for Year 2000 as of 6/10/2001. Curl’s Transportation, $200; Econofab Buildings, Inc., $50; G & D Technology, Inc., $50; Vernonia Packaging & Ship ping, $25; West Oregon Elec tric, $50; Vernonia Realty & In surance, $50; Burton Chiro practic, $20; Virgil & Jeanine Hall, $50; and Garret (Gadget) Abney, $40. We have almost paid off the loan for the packet station lo cated on Corey Hill, which is one of our communications links for Columbia County. We are independent from the com munications for the county, but see ourselves as “backup.” We did respond in 1996 for the Vernonia Flood and are in a better position for communica tions in the future. We do need to update and upgrade “Ham” gear at the emergency com munication station established at the Vernonia Fire Hall. The equipment there was “loaned" by a club member and we need to purchase newer equipment to replace it. Again, a heartfelt thank you to those who responded with their cash! A special thank you to Noni Andersen of The INDE PENDENT for her advice and editing of our letters. She has a warm heart for Vernonia. Norman Roberts KB7CK Secretary for VARK, Inc. Vernonia Salem Scan« By Pep. Elaine M. Hopson Second District July 2, 2001 I missed writing last week. As you probably heard, a number of us felt we needed to leave the Capitol to protect the implementation of some procedures we felt were un constitutional. I agreed that to circumvent the legal process for determining how to redistrict every ten years was not tolerable. The metaphor used by one of my good Republican friends here was with a baseball team. It isn’t a bad way to look at it. He felt that a real team would play anytime, any where, with anyone. I would agree under most circum stances. However, if two teams are playing and one has a decided advantage, it is very important to follow the rules. In this case, the game metaphor could be illustrated by the stronger team not liking the way the game was going in the ninth inning and decid ing to change the rules. In ad dition, the team did not like the Commissioner (Governor John Kitzhaber), did not trust the chief Umpire (Secretary of State William Bradbury), and dramatically changed the rules so they would not have to answer to either. In so do ing, they were attempting to circumvent the process and rules that had been in place for over 100 years. We are back and hard at work after experiencing a great deal of varied encoun- ters. These types of activities may appear “fun” from the outside but I assure you that trying to avoid being “caught” does not engender a good feeling; particularly if one is known as a rule follower. (That would be me, as my friends would tell you.) It was particularly difficult for those with spouses with serious ill nesses, members with small children at home, and those without safe places to relo cate. We hope to finish some time in the next week and we are ready to head home. This bump in the road was neces sary in order to protect the in tegrity of the rules in place. However, it should not cloud the many good things that have and will happen during this 71st Legislative Session. Higher education is funded at an all-time high including both the Oregon University System and Community Colleges. Programs for seniors have been reinstated and support ed; hatcheries remain open; OYA programs have been maintained; buy-back fishery programs have been support ed; and the K-12 budget is looking good. So, in spite of the fact that a somewhat public and un planned disruption took place, a great deal of good work has happened and proved that the system works. The compari son between making laws and making sausage continues to be quite apt. It may be a messy business, but it is defi nitely the best one around.
