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
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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
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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
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Please see page 14