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The INDEPENDENT, February 6, 2002
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Thanks are due WOEC
We rarely think of the line crews at West Oregon
Electric Cooperative unless our power is out, and we
rarely think of the people inside the WOEC offices un
less there’s a glitch in our monthly bills. Perhaps some
recognition is due.
In past years, power outages and power surges
have plagued members in WOEC’s widespread ser
vice area. The trees and the terrain, the wind and the
rain, sometimes heavy snow, all take their toll on ca
bles, wires and poles—the common physical elements
needed to carry electricity from Point A to Point B.
To be sure, there are still outages and surges, but
there has been tremendous improvement in the past
several years. The planning from the inside, and the
implementation by outside crews, have greatly re
duced the number of problems. Brushing and regular
maintenance have eliminated many problems. Im
proved systems have eliminated others.
There are still areas that lack a back-up system to
provide power when a major transmission line fails.
That was a problem recently, when the Warren to
Chapman line failed during last month’s snow storm.
But great improvements have been realized in most ar
eas. It is appreciated.
...And on a personal note
As most people in this area are aware, ye editor
managed to roll her car on Timber Road. While unhurt
from the low-speed accident, I couldn’t get out of the
car until it was stabilized. The first vehicles to stop
were from WOEC. Grant Brown and Ryan DeLemos
called for help, then stayed the whole time in case they
were needed.
Pastor John and Lynda Cahill came by on their way
home from the coast, and they stayed in case they
were needed. Next was Vernonia Fire Chief Paul Epler,
who was on his way home from physical therapy; yes,
he stayed, too, and made sure help was on the way.
OSP Trooper Diamond arrived to take care of the
necessary reports, and rescue units from both Tri-City
Fire District and Vernonia Fire District arrived at about
the same time.
The car was totaled; I’m fine.
The friendly concern of all those who kept me com
pany and waited around in case they were needed
made me realize that, if I’m going to have an accident,
there’s no better place to have it.
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By Dale Webb, member
Nehalem Valley Chapter Izaak Walton League
What is this white stuff outside my window?
We finally got some snow and the kids are hav
ing fun. These days, snow makes me nervous.
My fear is based on what happened to us back
in 1996. It looks like, this time, our snow is going
to melt slowly enough so it doesn’t cause any
problems. Have you noticed how high the river
has been getting this year on just rain? Having
two feet of snow up high and a foot of snow here
at home has great potential for a repeat of a ma
jor flood.
The snow is also an added drain on the fat re
serves of local wildlife. This year has to be tak
ing a toll, with all the wet, cold weather. Re
search papers that I have read have shown that,
after about thirty days of snow cover, deer and
elk can reach the starvation point. We don’t usu
ally have snow on the ground that long in our
area. It is well documented, however, that
wildlife is gradually starving through the winter
and it is only because of their fat reserves - and
how well they can maintain those reserves
through the winter - that they are able to survive.
Excessive wet and cold weather depletes these
reserves quickly; add in a condition like the hair
loss syndrome that affects deer in this area and
you have a recipe for disaster.
It is interesting to note that the hide of an elk
is so effective as insulation that snow will not
melt off of their backs in cold weather. I have
read that elk fur coats are effective down to zero
degrees Fahrenheit.
Matt Giles, Matt Chesley and I made our first
kayaking descent down Rock Creek this year on
January 5th. The water at this time of year is
plenty cold enough to give you an extra incentive
for staying upright. Poor Matt C. uses a sit-on-
top kayak and they are not known for a dry ride.
But everybody stayed upright and we had a
good time. The creek had only a couple of
portages this year, which is fewer than in years
past. We paddled about thirteen miles and by
the end of the trip, here in town, we were all hurt
ing pretty bad. The river height was 5.3 feet on
the new upper Nehalem gauge. This trip would
be better at 5.5 to 6.5 feet.
I got to experience some new wildlife of a dif
ferent kind last month. As many of you know, I
got hitched again and Donna and I spent our
honeymoon in Las Vegas. Vegas is a very inter
esting town, to say the least. Flying in, the coun
tryside appears weathered and desolate. The
geology is interesting with mountains just out
side of town that are tilted blocks of rock with
very distinctive layering. It is amazing that peo
ple would have located in such an area, yet the
meaning of Las Vegas is a desert swamp. Ap
parently there was, and maybe still is, a lot of
water in the flat basin surrounded by the local
mountains. This is not readily apparent, either
from the air or on the ground.
We camped out (in a hotel) a few blocks away
from the strip and would get our morning exer
cise walking up to the strip. The first thing you
notice about Vegas is that the blocks are very
long. The next thing you will notice is that the
buildings are very large and it takes what seems
like forever to walk the strip. We spent three
days exploring the strip on foot and still did not
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