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The INDEPENDENT, February 1, 2007
The
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Thursdays of each month by
The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064.
Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410.
Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net
Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net
Assoc. Editor Noni Andersen, noni@the-independent.net
Opinion
Been burning garbage for
years – why the big fuss?
The backyard burn season is well underway – as
anybody can tell by the smell of burning plastic and
household garbage all around Vernonia. The only
items that are legal to burn are paper, cardboard and
yard debris (wood products). Paper and cardboard are
better off being recycled.
It is illegal to burn wet garbage, plastic, rubber, and
animal or vegetable matter resulting from the handling,
preparation, cooking, or service of food. A more com-
prehensive list is provided with the burn permit.
There seems to be a prevailing belief that, since
garbage was burned here in the 40s, it should be okay
to burn garbage now. Here are some of the toxic (yes,
TOXIC) chemicals released in the burning of today’s
garbage: Bleached paper (such as paper towels) con-
tains chlorine, which releases dioxins when burned;
plastic wrap (on meat and other food items) and meat
trays can release benzene, formaldehyde, styrene,
dioxins and furans; other garbage burning bi-products
include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur diox-
ide, and heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury,
barium, chromium, and cadmium.
Dioxins and furans are known to cause cancer in hu-
mans. Mercury has been in the news lately, and the
form released into the air is known to be the most tox-
ic. Together, these chemicals can cause everything
from mild irritation to serious chronic and deadly dis-
eases. Even if not inhaled directly in the smoke, some
can remain in the immediate vicinity, and downwind of
the burn area, toxins can remain for decades and grad-
ually work their way into the groundwater. Dioxin is one
of the components in Agent Orange – remember that
one from the Vietnam era? How about from Love
Canal? Yep, the same really bad stuff.
The same really bad stuff happens if garbage is
burned in a woodstove or fireplace.
It currently costs less than $18.00 per month to have
garbage hauled away from the curb. Other options are
to compost, recycle and take the rest to the transfer
station; open twice a month.
People burning garbage are not only endangering
their neighbors’ health, they are endangering their own
health. Call 503-429-8252 to report people burning
garbage. PLEASE, DON’T BURN YOUR GARBAGE.
Ike Says
By Dale Webb, member
Nehalem Valley Chapter, Izaak Walton League
Hasn’t this winter been in-
teresting? Did everybody sur-
vive the wind storm? I was at
work the night the wind blew;
the drive home was very inter-
esting indeed. Lately I have
been making a few forays into
the woods and some of the
logging roads are a mess. The timber industry
took a hit from this wind storm. The good news
is that the deer and elk got a little extra to eat
when all those trees fell. No they don’t eat fir
trees, but the moss and lichens that grow in
them are prized morsels. With the wind storm
came the power outage, at first it was kind of
nice, so quiet. Soon, though, the hum of gener-
ators took over the calm and staying warm start-
ed to be a challenge for some. I find it odd that
people forget that they can just put on more
clothes to stay warm. Having a barbeque took
care of the cooking situation and the oil lamps lit
up the dark night. We had a good laugh at work
with one of my co-workers; she was trying to
cook with a candle at home. Somebody asked
her if she had a barbeque, you should have seen
the look on her face when she realized the solu-
tion for her cooking problem was just out on the
deck. Actually it was a good thing that the tem-
peratures were low, my deep freeze did just fine
keeping my deer and elk meat frozen. This
storm helped reinforce the need for people to be
prepared. Keeping lamps and lamp oil handy,
making sure all the propane tanks are full, hav-
ing stores of food that are non-perishable, warm
clothing and bedding all became very important.
For those of us who camp while hunting, know-
ing what to do was just second hand. If all else
failed, Dad and I knew we could just pitch the
tent, put in the sheepherder’s stove and be nice
and toasty, warm and dry. Having the power off
also brought back the old tradition of board
games and having fun with friends and family.
Of course, having a little bit of beverage to drink
only enhanced the fun and took away the chill.
Then the snow came. This year has also
been a slick one, I’m sure I have driven more in
4-wheel drive back and forth to work this year
than just about any year I can remember. We
have not had a lot of snow, but it has been con-
sistent. Snow is not a good thing for deer and
elk, it makes finding food for them more energy
intensive. Snow on the ground makes it interest-
ing to get out in the woods. Tracks can really tell
a person a lot of what is going on. It becomes
obvious that elk roam over a wide area and deer
seem to hold in small groups in select spots.
Then there are the ever roaming coyotes and the
occasional bobcat tracks. With all the talk about
cougars, I was hoping to find a fresh set of
tracks, but I had no luck in that department.
I have been speculating on a new theory of
what may have happened to the local deer pop-
ulation. While some people seem to be oblivi-
ous to the severe decline in deer numbers, some
Please see page 21