The independent., October 02, 2003, Page 4, Image 4

Page 4
The INDEPENDENT, October 2, 2003
Cooperative approach stretches habitat funds for salmon and trout
By Bill Langmaid
Another tributary of the Ne­
halem River has recently been
made more fish friendly due to
the proactive efforts of the Han­
cock Timber Group. While
working in the area, Dave Fitch,
a forester with the company,
noticed the culverts weren’t
working properly and felt they
were both a danger to company
roads and a barrier to fish pas-
sage. The company has been
studying all of its culverts in or-
der to make better-informed
decisions on suitability and reli-
ability-
Jane Butterfield, a fish pas-
sage specialist with the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wild-
life, was consulted last spring
on design, and the contractor
completed the replacement this
August. Two culverts were re-
placed with devices exceeding
the specifications found in the
Forest Protection Act. It will be
perhaps several years before
the stream returns to normal
function, as many yards of sed-
iment and gravel have been de-
posited above each road cross
ing, but salmon and trout now
have access to the mile of
stream above the new culverts.
The Hancock Timber man­
agement people have had a
long-time relationship with local
watershed councils, and contin­
ue to donate their dollars to be
used as leverage through
grants to get even more money
for the restoration efforts made
by both the Scap­
poose Bay and Up­
per Nehalem Wa­
tershed Councils,
for those landown­
ers unable to gener­
ate matching funds
of their own. This
culvert
re-place­
ment alone provid­
ed
$23,000
in
matching funds to
the Upper Nehalem,
leveraging up to
$50,000 in federal
grant money for use
by others,
Fitch
reported
that their contractor,
Road Builders Inc.
of Seaside, took ad-
vantage of the situ-
ation and removed
8-10 old, discarded
appliances from the
creek while replac­
ing one of the cul­
____ “They
__ _____
verts.
certain- Before and after photos of culvert replacement on a too high can block upstream access for fish. The pho-
|y looked to k be
smal1
unnamed
tributary
the
Nehalem
illus
it/
« over
s
m a ll u
n n a m e d trib
u ta ry of
o f th
e N
e h a le m River
R iv e r ¡line,
to at right above, shows how a larger, properly placed
thirty years old, trate how a culvert (left above) that is too small and culvert assures fish passage, even during low water.
probably dumped be-
or within waterways. The Coun- to help make improvements to Maggie Peyton, coordinator of
fore illegal dumping was as big cil is a non-profit organization
salmon habitat. Meeting times the Nehalem Watershed Coun­
an issue as it is today." As for that specializes in acquiring are published in this paper, and cils,'at 503-429-2401.
the new culverts, the contractor federal and state grant money interested people can contact
did a superb job, and even with
the low water flows there is
plenty of water for fish to swim
comfortably.
The Upper Nehalem Water­
shed Council was pleased to
hear the news of this work, and
¡s eager to help all landowners
in the Nehalem basin with proj-
ects that enhance habitat along
Now Serving I / / o f
Columbia County
If you live, work, go to school or worship in
Columbia County you are now eligible to join St
Helens Community Federal Credit Union.
Smoke Management fee changes
The Oregon Department of
Forestry will accept public com­
ment, Oct. 1 through Nov. 3, on
a proposed administrative rule
change to consolidate the fees
charged to forest landowners
for burning piled logging slash,
The rule change would result
in an estimated $90,000 in rev-
enue for the Smoke Manage-
ment Program. The fees would
partially offset the recent loss of
more than $100,000 in state
general fund support.
The Smoke M anagem ent
Plan regulates prescribed bum-
ing on private, state and feder-
al forestland in Oregon to mini-
mize the impact on air quality,
Prescribed burning is used to
remove logging slash or debris,
for fire prevention and refor-
estation purposes, to manage
wildlife habitat and to attain and
maintain forest health.
The rule change would affect
fees for pile burning, only.
Broadcast and underburning
fees would be unchanged. The
fee for burning piled logging
slash is now $2 per acre, and
burning of slash across the
landscape is $5 per acre. The
change would set a fee of $5
per acre for pile burning. It be
effective in January 2004.
The text of the rule and the
proposed change are on the
ODF website, <http://www.odf.
state.or.us/D IVISIO N S/protec
tion/fire_protection/smp/FeeRu
le.aspx Comments can be e-
mailed via the website or
mailed to: Smoke Management
Program, Oregon Department
of Forestry, 2600 State St.,
Salem, OR 97310, or faxed to
(503) 945-7454.
We have been serving South Columbia County
since 1938. We recently expanded our field of
membership to include all residents in Columbia
County.
To find out more about SHCFCU, stop by one of our three locations, call
503-397-2376 or go to our web site at www.shcfcu.org. See how we can make a
difference in your financial picture.
St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union
If
\v flH B
St. Helens
have three locations to serve you
1720 St Helens St.
St Helens, OR
Scappoose
52691 Col. River Hwy
Scappoose, OR
Rainier
118 E “A” St.
Rainier, OR
503-397-2376 ~ All Locations
NCUA
Accourt» Feoeraly insured
to 3100.000 toy NCUA. *n • 9eoCy
erf the U S Government