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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2003)
Page 2 The INDEPENDENT, July 3, 2003 Tbs INDEPENDENT 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, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Publishers, Dirk & Noni An dersen. Editor, Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410, e-mail: noni@vernonia.com Display Advertising, Clark Mc- Gaugh, 503-429-9410, e-mail: clark@vernonia.com \J£p.ÑObllA O R f S o v \ a / £ ’ K £ Independence Day came with patriots’ courage (Ed. note: The following has been appearing on the internet and I have not verified any part of it. Nevertheless, it is sufficiently interesting to serve as a reminder that patriotism is not about making money, or being self-righteously smug. It is about courage.) Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tor tured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; an other had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plan tation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his re ward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Cly mer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General, Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Wash ington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dy ing. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his grist mill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his chil dren vanished. Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn’t. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holi day and silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can, please. It’s time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games. By Dale Webb, Member Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League Summer is officially here: As I write this article, the sun is shining bright and turning my lawn brown. I seem to have a hard time keeping that darn grass green. I have a sprinkler system, but there always seems to be a valve or head that doesn’t want to work right. Speaking of watering, it looks like we are headed for another dry summer. The river level at this time is less than half of normal. This is not a good omen for the young fish in our rivers, since low flows will lead to additional mor tality. We had a very strong run of Coho salmon this last winter, it would be nice if their offspring survived to give the run a boost. If the dry spell continues, please be aware of your watering practices. With the rivers drying up I have to venture fur ther to find kayaking water. I recently took a trip down the Clackamas River from the Three Lynx power station to Bob's hole. This is Class III and IV water and was quite interesting. The rapids all have names and are quite descriptive. Hole in the Wall is a large indentation in the mountain side that forms a powerful eddy. People have drowned in this eddy. A set of wroughtiron loops have been placed on the rock wall of Hole in the Wall to provide an escape from this trap. Other interesting rapids are Armstrong, Carters, Sling Shot, Rock and Roll and my favorite of all, Toilet Bowl. After running Toilet Bowl, I really did feel like I had been flushed! The lower part of this run is called the Carnage Run by the local paddlers — I can see why. I never swam and had to roll only once, but the river really did show me who was boss. The Clackamas is nearly too low, now, so the kayaking trips will have to extend to glacier-fed streams, such as the White Salmon in Washington State. White Salmon is a very pretty river and has high rafting and kayaking us age. If you are ever up in that part of the woods, drive up to the wide spot in the road named Husum, there you will find kayakers flinging themselves over Husum falls or seal launching off of eight foot high rock ledges. I've had reports that the trout fishery in the lo cal Nehalem was very good again this year, with near 80 fish per pole being caught on opening day. The Nehalem River continues to be a catch and release only stream for Cutthroat Trout. I think the river is probably still good for people us ing float tubes, but they should be aware that there will be a lot of walking due to low stream flows. While this last winter was mild, it has not seemed to have made much difference in the deer population. It is still low. I have seen only one pair of fawns, so far, and I have observed several does without fawns. It is a little early yet, so the fawns may have been hidden. The one thing that is standing out among hunters who are doing some field scouting, is that they are not seeing many deer at all. Elk are far more numer ous and it should be the other way around. ODF&W has issued another 800 Doe tags for this fall in the Saddle Mountain unit, that ought to make the situation a lot better! Biologists in oth- Please see page 3
