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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 16, 2006)
The INDEPENDENT, March 16, 2006 Page 13 State warns consumers to check credentials of “Senior Specialists” The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Ser- vices (DCBS) urges consumers to carefully check the creden- tials of investment or insurance professionals who call them- selves “senior specialists.” A senior specialist designa- tion may imply the individual has had special training on is- sues important to the elderly, but the training they receive may be nothing more than mar- keting and selling techniques that target seniors. “There are organizations and professionals who work hard to understand and meet the insurance and investment needs of seniors, but there are also many unscrupulous ones who view seniors only as a ripe opportunity for sales and prof- it,” said Cory Streisinger, DCBS director. “The alphabet soup of letters after salespeople’s names can be confusing or even deliberately deceptive.” The number of senior-relat- ed designations is on the rise, according to the Washington, D.C.-based North American Securities Administrators Asso- ciation. Although there are some legitimate organizations whose members must com- plete rigorous training pro- grams, a number of the recent- ly created designations have less stringent requirements. The NASAA reports securi- ties regulators have opened 26 cases in the past year involving senior specialists in the eastern half of the United States alone. In some cases, individuals who were not properly licensed sold unregistered securities. In other cases, senior specialists steered investors toward equi- ty-indexed annuities, which are complex insurance products with high commissions and long holding periods that make them unsuitable for many older investors. There currently are no cases in Oregon, but regula- tors note that once a case is open it is often too late to help the victim. Even if a shady op- erator is caught and punished, it is unlikely that much, if any, of their victims’ money will be re- covered. Senior specialists generally target customers at senior cen- ters, where they gather groups of seniors for presentations, said Cindy Jones, market sur- veillance manager for the DCBS Insurance Division. Oth- ers might go door to door or ad- vertise in newspapers, she said. See page 27 More on East Humbug Creek work to improve salmon habitat From page 12 (ODFW) using the Oregon Aquatic Habitat Restoration Guidelines. Field guidance for the proper placement of wood in the stream corridor was pro- vided by ODFW Aquatic Habi- tat Restoration biologists, Jane Hatfield and Dave Plawman in 2004 and Troy Goby in 2005. All efforts were made to re- main on solid ground and keep disturbance to natural areas at a minimum. Operators went so far as to avoid a small bird’s nest and rescue salamanders and trout present in the project area. Once the in-stream work Vacca. Reforestation efforts are aimed at reversing the effects of past deforestation practices and at creating a more diverse forest stand. The improved stand has the potential to pro- duce large conifers for the fu- ture that can be recruited by the stream and become large woody debris, as nature intend- ed. The improved stream condi- tion will benefit not only Coho, but Chinook, Steelhead, Cut- throat Trout, and numerous other aquatic species such as Pacific Giant Salamander, Sculpins, and Pacific and Above, a small bird on a stump stops work on East Humbug Creek. Every effort was made to avoid disturbing wildlife dur- ing the project. was complete, UNWC was able to follow-up with some riparian tree planting. In the winters of 2004 and 2005, restoration workers planted conifer and hardwood seedlings in the un- der story of the existing red alder trees along all project reaches. Joining the riparian reforestation effort was the Co- lumbia River Youth Conserva- tion Corps supervised by Anna Brook Lamprey. So, please be still a mo- ment…and allow your mind to ponder the divinely inspired miracle of salmon. Vibrant, full of life and mystery, silver and infused with the colors of the rainbow, guided by starlight and driven by the instincts of creation, seeking only to co-ex- ist in the universal stream of time, a time that is now, mani- fest in a place we share…the magnificent Nehalem. Then, in appreciation for your renewed awareness ask yourself, “What more can I do to help restore native salmon populations?” You can: • Donate funds to your local watershed council and/or vol- unteer your time. • Plant native trees along rivers and streams. • Protect and restore wet- lands, estuaries and headwater springs. • Be aware of land and water use regulations. • Take measures to reduce soil erosion from streamside land. • Maintain forest, farm, resi- dential and public roadways. • Exclude farm animals from rivers and streams by fencing and providing off channel wa- tering sources. • Seek economic incentives to allow forests to mature and become more diverse. • Conserve water at home, business, farm and municipali- ty. • Store household, farm for- est and industrial chemicals and other toxins out of the floodway. • Eradicate noxious weeds from streamside property, es- pecially knotweed and English ivy. • Learn all about salmon, watersheds and ecosystem functions. • Teach a child all you have learned. • Most of all – appreciate and enjoy the Nehalem River and share it with a friend. The Upper Nehalem Water- shed Council and its coopera- tors are working hard to do our part. If you would like to learn more or become more in- volved, contact Maggie Peyton at 503-429-2401 or via email at The East Humbug project was made possible through the efforts of all of the follow- ing: • LFC who provided 50 percent of materials and la- bor; in kind donation of LFC personnel for 280 hours in- cluding vehicles and equip- ment; • Oregon Watershed En- hancement Board shared costs for materials and labor; • U.S. Bureau of Land Management provided trees, clean straw, native grass seed, labor and a contracted hydro-seeder who treated ex- posed areas so soil erosion would not occur; • ODFW identified the proj- ect potentials, conducted field recon., provided project oversight and monitors the project’s effectiveness, and S info@nehalem.org. Michele Long of ODFW pro- vided Coho carcasses that were placed in the stream to increase nutrients. Others involved include Euchre Mt. Construction of Tillamook, R. Prom Construc- tion of Warrenton, Dissen Technologies of West Linn, Don Averill Trucking of Tillam- ook, M.H. Welding of Tillam- ook, Braxling & Braxling of Newport, Quality Timber Cut- ting of Knappa, Road Builders Inc. of Seaside, Leonard Schmidlin of Ver- nonia, Bayview Transit Mix of Seaside, Roscoe Steel & Culvert Co. of Missoula, Montana, Brown-Strauss Steel of Longview, Oregon Culvert Co. of Hillsboro, Kwik-Way Erosion Control Co., Inc. of Oregon City. Gardens He y t i rb a n e r A Unique Garden Shop l e Celebrating Wise Woman Ways s Now Featuring IMPORTS Smudging Wands ~ Nag Champa ~ Resins ~ Charcoals Sterling Silver Jewelry ~ Pottery ~ Hand Woven Tapestries ~ Brass Bell Chimes Carved Soapstone ~ Oil Diffusers ~ Bone & Brass Treasure Boxes OPEN: Wed. thru Sun. 11 am to 6 pm after hours by Appt. 812 E. Bridge st. Vernonia, Oregon Cash & Checks Only! Sorry, No Visa
