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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2003)
The INDEPENDENT . .. W 7z_z. Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice monthly, on the first and third Thursdays of each month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge Street, Ver nonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Editors and Pub lishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429- 9410, e-mail: noni@vernonia.com Opinion 7 • •» 3 ? S -M ' '< < » " I 1 >'$ H > ' i - A I t > ' & H .J lfe • • 'A .• S Good people needed for fire, school boards “Good people" is an imprecise description that has different meanings for different individuals. In the con text of this editorial, two meanings apply...hard-work ing people who volunteer to help their communities. Mo W A R School boards and fire boards are not the only places where good people are needed. The reason for specifying them is because area school and fire dis tricts have several positions that will be filled by elec tion in May. Nehalem Valley voters will have candi dates for school board, Vernonia and Mist-Birkenfeld fire districts, Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District and NW Regional ESD. Voters in the Banks area will also have candidates for school and fire boards, plus a sprinkling of other boards. Vernonia School District has a pretty good board of By Dale Webb, member Nehalem Valley Chapter Izaak Walton League directors and, if they all choose to run again, the peo Just as there is turmoil ple of the district would be well served. These board in our State government members generally work hard and take advantage of budget, there also is tur opportunities to learn more about their responsibili- moil in the Oregon Depart ties-which often means they spend weekends or ment of Fish and Wildlife budget. Currently, ODF&W evenings to improve their own performances as board is asking the legislature for members. In spite of philosophical differences, they increases in license and work together for the good of the district. tag fees. ODF&W cannot Vernonia Rural Fire District has some nice people raise fees by itself, it must who are ineffective board members because they don’t have legislative action. ODF&W is currently ask see a need to improve their own performances. With ing for fee increases totaling $10.1 million in the out a doubt, it’s more interesting to go on vacation, or next biennium. To accomplish this, most tags would increase in price by $5.00. A combined li hunting or fishing, than to spend a weekend at a sem cense would go up by $10.00. I figure this pro inar or conference in order to do a better job as an un posed increase would cost me around $25.00 paid district director. Unfortunately, that doesn’t serve more a year, which is about a 30 percent in the people of the district. Those interested in running crease. While a lot of us can afford to pay more because of a personal vendetta or because they have for our privileges, this may start to become a burden on low-income families with multiple an axe to grind, will not be good directors, either. hunters under the same roof. We also must bal You don’t need to be an educator to serve on the ance the need to adequately fund ODF&W. The school board and you don’t need to be a firefighter to same pressures are applied to ODF&W as any serve on the fire board. Good directors will be con state agency and their budget must see increas cerned about accounting, insurance, legal liability, fair es to keep pace with rising costs. ODF&W is somewhat caught between the employment practices, developing and implementing proverbial rock and the hard spot, because they policies that treat everyone fairly, and much more. manage a resource over which they do not truly For $10, or 25 valid signatures, you can be a candi have control. While the fishery side of the coin date. Information and forms are available at your has room for much expansion and, thus, some school and fire districts. They must be completed and increase in revenue, the wildlife side is con strained by the wishes of the landowners who turned in to your county elections department no later control 50 percent of this state. We have than 5:00 p.m. on March 20, 2003. watched as the landowners have gone to the J legislature and effectively neutered ODF&W’s big game populations on both the east side and west side of the state. With the legislature run ning the show, ODF&W has no gumption to stand up for the sportsmen who actually pay the bills. Now they have their hand out and we know, • up front, that these fee increases will not provide increased opportunity; in fact they are needed to prevent cutting programs. So how are we supposed to feel about all of this? From what I hear, a lot of people are not pleased. To pay more for what most sportsmen feel is less opportunity than in the recent past is offensive. We would like to see something for our money, and many are asking where this will end. ODF&W got fee increases in 1999. Are we to assume this is going to continue every other biennium? At this rate, by the year 2019 we will be paying $311 for a combined hunting license, deer and elk tag and an angling harvest card. Another aspect to consider is that, while we are asked to pay more for the privilege, the amount of return is diminishing. Hunter success rates are dropping and anglers are not able to harvest as many fish per harvest card. Selling us less for more, is what I call it. The question is: How far will the sportsmen go along? Did anybody else catch the picture of the man who may have shot the new world record Roo sevelt Elk? It was taken in, of all places, the Willamette Valley! This big Roosevelt bull was found in a unit that is supposed to be an elk de emphasis area, where ODF&W wants to severe ly reduce the number of animals. It sounds like there are other good bulls to be found down in the farmlands, but don’t count on ever getting to hunt them, this is all private land. Besides, only WOtiC 8 ifl Please see page 14
