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The INDEPENDENT, May 6, 2004
The
INDEPENDENT
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published on the
first and third Thursdays of each month, by Public Opinion
Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064, as a
free newspaper. Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Editor,
Noni Andersen. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410, email: noni@
the-independent.net Display Advertising, Clark McGaugh,
email: clark@the-independent.net Classified Advertising,
Rebecca McGaugh, email: rebecca@the-independent.net
Opinion
For your own safety, vote
to renew the 9-1-1 levy
Measure 5-122 on the Columbia County ballot
should be a no-brainer: Do you want a quick emer-
gency response when you need help from fire, emer-
gency medical or law enforcement?
If your answer is “yes,” then mark your ballot “yes” to
renew the operating levy for Columbia 9-1-1
Emergency Communications District.
This is not a new tax. It is not an increased tax. It is
a continuation of funding for emergency dispatching
and, remarkably, is even slightly less per thousand of
assessed property value than the old levy.
Taxpayers have benefited from a conscientious,
well-run district that has greatly increased reliable
service throughout the county without increased costs.
We really can’t afford to let this levy fail.
Banks Library deserves support
Banks Library patrons may be only a small percent-
age of voters in Washington County but, if you use
your library, there are many reasons for voting “yes“ on
Washington County ballot measure 34-77.
Fiscal restraints have already forced the reduction of
some services. If the trend continues, there will be lit-
tle choice left except to cut hours and personnel. That
would certainly be a negative response for a growing
community.
State Rep District 32: Boone and
Olson are excellent choices
With the retirement of incumbent Elaine Hopson,
voters have choices on both Republican and
Democratic ballots.
Both Democratic candidates are well qualified, but
Deborah Boone has much broader experience and
greater knowledge of the whole district.
On the Republican ballot, Douglas Olson has a solid
business background that will appeal to many voters,
as well as some experience with government.
District 32 covers most of Tillamook and Clatsop
Counties, as well as the western portions of Columbia
and Washington Counties.
Ike Says…
By Dale E. Webb, Member
Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League
It is easy to go through
life and not see the big
picture that is constantly
evolving around us. With
our nation at war and our
young men and women
dying in a foreign land, it is
easy to dismiss concerns
that are easily overlooked
here at home. Yet the
impacts of these oversights will dog us for the
rest of our lives and the generations to come.
Many of you, my age or older, remember the
simpler days of our youth, when we fished local
streams almost year-round, plinked squirrels on
the hot lazy days of summer and were intro-
duced into a man’s world of hunting big game.
We roamed the roads of the surrounding forest
in our old clunker cars and pickups, hunting
grouse and pigeons and finishing the day with a
few hours catching cutthroats out of a clear, cold
mountain beaver pond. Today’s youth seldom
know these pleasures. Today it is computer
games, cell phones and hanging out downtown.
Can we, as parents, really say that we have pro-
vided our children a better quality of life?
It would be easy to blame the large timber
companies and their gate-it-off-and-post-it men-
tality. Yet, even though the roads are gated,
opportunities are still there. Our laziness is prob-
ably a greater factor in keeping our children from
enjoying the wonders that surround our town
than anything else. You see, we grew up using
automobiles as our mode of transportation and
once our wheels were denied us by gated forest
roads, we let our traditions slip away. It is this
slow, steady slipping away of traditions that is
killing our heritage and, with it, the value of the
activities and animals that we used to pursue.
Our quality of life steadily erodes, like a stream
bank slipping into a river.
Many of you are probably wondering what
struck this chord for me. The answer is: a book.
A friend recently gave me a book by Chris
Maser, titled “Forest Primeval-The Natural
History of an Ancient Forest.” I have never given
much thought about the ancient forests that
once occupied where we live. It’s easy to justify
cutting down the trees to make room for fields to
farm and timber for homes. My living is depend-
ent on a wood resource, like many of my fellow
Oregonians. It is easy to turn a blind eye to the
impacts of cutting down the last of the great Old
Growth forests when you are not informed of the
relationships and costs of losing this heritage.
While I was always uncomfortable with the
lack of Old Growth remaining in our local area, I
never understood the actual loss that has
occurred – until I read Chris Maser’s book.
Having an inquisitive mind, I was intrigued by the
information that this book provides to fill in the
gaps in my knowledge about relationships
between the majestic old forests and the crea-
tures that struggle today to survive without them.
When we learn more, we think: “No wonder
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