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The INDEPENDENT, October 3, 2002
Odds and ends...
Small, volunteer fire departments
always face the problem of too few firefighters because
volunteers must earn their living on other jobs. The mu
tual aid agreements that move engines and personnel
where they are needed, when they are needed, are ab
solutely vital but they can’t always respond as quickly
as is needed. It might help if people who work swing
shift or nights could be volunteer firefighters during the
day, when most others are at work. How the training
and required meetings could be handled is another
puzzle, but the idea is worth looking into.
In the meantime, responses from other districts are
hugely appreciated.
United Way’s “Day of Caring”is cer-
/is Says...
tainly a misnomer for United Way of Columbia County
and, most probably, all of the other United Way organ By Dale Webb, member
izations, because they work every day at caring. Unit Nehalem Valley Chapter Izaak Walton League
ed Way of Columbia County helps fund Vernonia
Hunting season is here,
Cares, Vernonia Senior Center, and various Communi
although there may not be
ty Action Team programs that are vital to low income
a lot of places to hunt as I
residents of the Nehalem Valley. They also help fund
write this article, due to fire
danger.
Please try to be
Boy and Girl Scout programs and far more agencies
patient, beside, the best
than will be named here. So, while their “Day of Caring”
hunting is late in the sea
is pretty special, what is really special is United Way’s
son. There has been a
program of “neighbors helping neighbors.” If you
landownership change in
haven’t made at least a small donation to United Way,
upper Rock Creek that
please do so. You can get a pledge envelope by call may affect some hunting opportunity. Stimson
Lumber Company has purchased 7,000 acres
ing Vernonia Cares, 429-1414.
Oct. 15 is the last day to register«
you want to vote in the Nov. 7 General Election. There
will be some important measures on the ballot as well
as elections of U.S. and state senators and represen
tatives, governor, county commissioners and city coun
cilors. Not all of the races will be interesting, not all of
the measures will be vital. Nevertheless, if you’re not
registered, you can’t vote and, if you don’t vote, you’ve
lost the right to complain—and we ALL want to com
plain about some element of our government. Whether
your complaint is about politicians or bureaucrats or
regulations or potholes or the price of stamps or the
taste of the water, is really unimportant. The important
thing is to become a part of our government by regis
tering and voting.
Remember, if you don’t buy a ticket, you can’t win
the lottery.
inches high and three inches to the left. I decid
ed it was time to retire my old Weaver and re
placed it with my spare scope. It is always wise
to test your variable scope to see if this problem
has developed. I don’t know how long the scope
had been doing this, but now I always check my
scope for this problem.
Anybody enjoying the outdoors this fall should
wear some bright colors, but not yellow, to help
avoid becoming an unintended target of a care
less hunter. While this is not a common problem,
it is a good precautionary measure.
With the first rains of this fall, be sure to go
down to Rock Creek and watch the Chinook
salmon return to spawn. This year’s run should
bordered, roughly, by Kauppi mainline, Rock be healthy. My favorite places to observe the
Creek road and Coates mainline. If you plan on salmon are at Anderson Park, where the small
hunting in this area you may wish to call Stimson falls makes the salmon jump, and behind the
as to their access policy. A state forestry official City water treatment plant, where the salmon
that I talked to, thought that the area would be spawn in great numbers. Please, do not harass
open only on weekends, as is the policy in the the salmon, and keep pets on a leash. If your
Camp McGregor area.
dog does encounter a salmon carcass, be sure
Thank goodness Burn Road will give access to watch its eating habits and, if the dog quits
to land behind this recent Stimson purchas, eating its food, call the veterinarian because it
which points out the value of keeping these old may have salmon poisoning.
county roads in the public domain. I will try to fol
This has been a great salmon season, even I
low up on this development once I get back from boated a few fish this year. All the bays are
deer hunting in Eastern Oregon.
pumping out fish and the Columbia has been red
Make sure you have sighted your gun in be hot. The fish are also good-sized this year, with
fore hunting. It’s unbelievable how many animals 40 pounders not being uncommon. A 66-pound
are missed each year because hunters hadn’t Chinook was caught in the Rogue River this year
sighted-in their rifles. I ran into a problem last by a bank fisherman. He was helped by some
year when I was sighting-in my rifle: I had fired boat fishermen who came to his aid by getting
three rounds on 3 power and then turned it up to him into their boat, where he could more effec
9 power to look at the target. Without turning the tively fight the fish.
power down, I fired three more shots and was
I recently experienced crabbing in Nehalem
amazed when they all hit in a nice group - two
Please see page 16