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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
Page 20 The INDEPENDENT, April 1, 2004 Ike Says … From page 2 usually do not winter so far north. What is theorized is that elk that customarily use the area have developed certain microorganisms needed to neutralize the acid in the lichens. The elk from Colorado did not have the microorgan- isms. Researchers are now turn- ing their attention to the lichen, trying to determine if they con- tained an abnormal amount of acid and if the prolonged drought in the area is a factor. Unfortunately, the die-off killed up to 5 percent of the Sierra Madre herd’s breeding fe- males, which could affect hunt- ing quotas this fall and trigger wildlife policy changes. Research closer to home in- volves the Snake River hunt unit. Recent concerns have de- veloped around allowing motor- ized access to the Lord Flat Road (Western Rim Recreation Trail #1774) during Bow sea- son because of the numbers of hunters that concentrate along the trail. According to Tim Schommer, a Forest Wildlife Bi- ologist, the concentration of hunters on the rim road is pushing deer and elk down the hill into the middle bench coun- try, which is about a 2,000 foot drop in elevation. The concern stems from the fact that the high ground is summer forage area and the middle bench is a winter feeding area. Schommer and ODF&W bi- ologist Vic Coggins agree that it is not good for either elk nutri- tion or the condition of the veg- etation to have hundreds of elk on the winter range three months early. The area ecolo- gist indicates his sampling of vegetation in the middle bench country shows the plant condi- tion declining over the last 20 years. He strongly recom- mends that elk numbers be re- duced. Schommer and Cog- gins also agree that closing the Lord Flat area to vehicles dur- ing all hunting seasons will help retain elk longer on the plateaus. Schommer became con- cerned when he did surveys in 2001 and 2002, traveling the plateau on both sides of Lord Flat Road from the headwaters of Cow Creek to the Lord Flat airstrip. The survey included all or portions of the following plateaus: Windy Ridge, Wing Ridge, Somers Point, Mormon Flat, Dorrance, and Lord Flat. Schommer did his first survey just before Bow season, then one after Bow season. The re- sults were startling. Before the season upwards of 250 elk were seen, with abundance of sign. After the season, less than six elk were observed dur- ing the three-day surveys and elk sign was very scarce. Deer sightings and sign were scarce on both pre- and post-season surveys. To confirm his suspi- cions, Schommer rode down to the middle bench country after Bow season and the elk were there. There is now a move- ment to close Trail 1774 to mo- torized traffic, if you have a concern about this move, con- tact Karyn Wood, Supervisor, Wallowa Whitman National Forest, P.O. Box 907, Baker City, Oregon 97814. Izaak Walton League Nehalem Valley Chapter meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-429-7193 for location of meeting. LEGAL NOTICES LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF DISTRICT MEASURE ELECTION $907,098 in the second year; $960,843 in the third year; $992,304 in the fourth year and $1,024,710 in the fifth year. “The estimated tax cost for this meas- ure is an ESTIMATE ONLY based on the best information available from the county assessor at the time of the estimate.” The following authorized district official hereby certifies the above ballot title is true and complete. Sally J. Jones Administrator Signed: March 18, 2004 Columbia 9-1-1 Communications District Notice is hereby given that on May 18, 2004, a measure election will be held in Co- lumbia County, Oregon. The following shall be the ballot title of the measure to be submitted to the district’s voters on this date. 5-122 CAPTION Renewal of 9-1-1 Emergency Commu- nications Operating Funds. QUESTION Shall the five-year Columbia 9-1-1 oper- ating levy be renewed, at .29 cents per $1,000 assessed value, in 2004? *This measure may cause property tax- es to increase more than three percent.* SUMMARY This measure may be passed only at an election with at least 50 percent voter turnout. The current Operating Levy for Colum- bia 9-1-1 Communications District, ap- proved by voters in 1998, is due for renew- al every five years. The renewal for the five- year period beginning in 2004 will be at a slightly reduced rate. This measure is unchanged from the measure proposed in the November 4, 2003 election, which received 69.8% ap- proval but was invalidated because voter turnout fell 1% short of the 50% turnout re- quirement. The five-year Operating Fund supports all ongoing functions of the 9-1-1 call cen- ter; maintaining emergency communica- tions service for all communities and unin- corporated areas throughout the county; 24-hour staffing and training; coordination and dispatching for 16 public safety agen- cies in Columbia County, including fire, emergency medical and police in each community, and related support services for State Police and State Forestry Depart- ment. The Operating Levy renewal would be at a rate of .29 cents per $1,000 of as- sessed property value, or $29 per year, plus the permanent rate of .0002554 cents, or $25.54 per year. For a home assessed at $100,000 this totals approximately $54.00 per year. Over the five-year period, the Op- erating Levy is estimated to raise a total of $4,762,397; $877,442 in the first year; VERNONIA INN Publish April 1, 2004 --------------------------------------------------- NOTICE OF BUDGET MEETING A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the Vernonia School District 47J, Colum- bia, State of Oregon, on the budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005 will be held at 475 Bridge Street, Vernonia, Oregon. The meeting will take place on the 22nd day of April, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to receive the budget message. A copy of the budget document may be in- spected or obtained on or after 4-22/2004, at Vernonia School District Office, 475 Bridge Street, Vernonia, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Listed below is the tie and place of an addi- tional Budget Committee meeting that will be held to take public comment. Any person may appear at this meeting and discuss the proposed programs with the Budget Com- mittee. Date: May 20, 2004 Time: 6:00 p.m. Loca- tion: 475 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR. Publish April 1 and April 15, 2004 EXTRA, EXTRA Read all about it, Easter Bunny Hides Enjoy a quiet weekend with us. FULL SIZE, IN ROOM HOT TUBS Eggs Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006 GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE 900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064 Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47) Search for them at 10:00 a.m. on April 10 at Hawkins Park – Candy reward
