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The INDEPENDENT, August 7, 2003
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Put aside anger and
work for a solution
The Vernonia Friendship Jamboree has always been
a special occasion for residents of this small town. For
47 years it has been a time for reunions with family and
friends who have moved away, a time to reminisce
about the past and get caught up on the present. It has
been a time to laugh and, sometimes, to get rowdy.
This year, a lot of Vernonians got angry.
One bar owner felt so threatened by Police Chief
Mike Cahill’s attitude that he closed down. That isn’t
law enforcement, it’s closer to coercion.
Officers were stopping people who were seen leav
ing a bar or tavern—without a sign of erratic driving.
That’s intimidation.
Officers were riding bicycles on the sidewalk, which
is illegal because it’s dangerous. That’s bullying.
With all of that, and too many instances to enumer
ate that occurred BEFORE Jamboree, it is time to start
working together to find the appropriate law enforce
ment mode for Vernonia.
Nobody wants to continue without adequate cover
age. Everybody wants an officer available when need
ed.
So what are we going to do about it?
Let’s start by thanking the Vernonia City Council for
being willing to listen and even moving to a larger
meeting room so more people could attend. They did
n’t have to do that - they wanted to.
Let’s thank the city staff, including Chief Cahill, for
listening to the complaints.
Let’s also thank the people who complained. Even if
they were angry, they maintained behavior appropriate
for a meeting where they were trying to communicate
their concerns.
The chief probably developed a better understand
ing of the somewhat independent streak that runs
through Vernonia. Sometimes it’s a nuisance, but it has
also been our salvation.
The only question now is whether the city council will
follow through with a town hall meeting and, then,
whether the people who complained will participate in
a positive fashion. It’s up to us to solve the problem.
By Dale Webb, Member
Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League
West Nile virus, to my
knowledge, has not been
detected in our area,
though experts have pre
dicted that it will spread
into Oregon this year. I
have been closely watch
ing Crows, which are an
indicator species for West
Nile because they are
highly susceptible to the virus, which is spread
by mosquitoes. I thought I might be onto some
thing when I found a dead crow in my front yard
but, looking up, it appeared that the crow was
probably killed by an electric shock from the
transformer on the power pole above me. Curi
ously, a few days later, another crow lay dead at
the base of the power pole. Both crows were ju
veniles and were probably overly curious about
the transformer wiring. I have never seen this
before, but crows seem to be having bad luck
this year in other ways, also. At my dad’s house
there was a juvenile crow running around on the
ground for several days because it had gotten
out of the nest too early and could not yet fly. I’m
not sure, but I find it hard to believe that the crow
survived the local cats. I have also noticed sev
eral crows smashed into the pavement on area
highways. This is unusual, crows are very clever
and figure out how to avoid traffic at an early
age. This is certainly not the year of the crow!
I have to laugh when I see all the hype about
West Nile virus — marketing for mosquito repel-
lants, mosquito zappers, mosquito trappers, etc?
While a person should try to limit their exposure
to mosquito bites, you will never be able to en
tirely eliminate it. I am concerned about the push
for wide-spread spraying of mosquito breeding
grounds. This will be a waste of time and money
and has potential to damage the environment.
People should elimininate standing pools of wa
ter around their house, especially those old tires
that collect water in them. I have two ornamental
fishponds at my house. They are stocked with
goldfish and they seem to keep the mosquitoes
at bay, contrary to what some news reports say.
Finally, I have seen a handful of fawns this
year; they sure are cute. Please be careful while
driving near rivers at this time of year because
Doe deer seem to be drawn to the rivers the first
few months after giving birth. I’m not sure why
they do this, since they pass up other water
sources on their way to the river. I speculate that
they are actually going into the water to cool off,
with the effects of nursing causing this behavior.
Bull elk are in full velvet now and their horns
are just about fully developed. The bigger bulls
will start to shed their velvet soon, in preparation
for the annual rut, which brings us to the start of
bow elk season. Bow hunters may have a tough
time this year due to extensive fire-danger clo
sures in the area. The weather has been too hot
and dry, and fire danger levels will climb quickly
from here on. Be very careful if you go into the
woods and carry the required water/fire extin
guisher, axe and shovel in your vehicle.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has
posted an advisory on their web page asking
anglers to limit fishing during periods of high
stream tem peratures (68 degrees and above).
Please see page 21