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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2007)
The INDEPENDENT, March 15, 2007 Zoo has volunteer opportunities Do you enjoy interacting with people and animals? The Ore- gon Zoo has opportunities for youth and adult volunteers to work at least one 3-hour shift per week from mid-May to La- bor Day in the Winged Won- ders butterfly exhibit as ZooAmbassadors. ZooAmbassadors provide general animal and exhibit in- formation to visitors, while spending time with colorful but- terflies in the butterfly garden. Ambassadors 15 and older can volunteer on their own, while people between the ages of 10 and 14 can volunteer with a parent. The zoo is encouraging en- tire families to volunteer. “Last year several family members volunteered together,” com- mented Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director. “It’s rare for chil- dren to be included in these op- portunities. It’s a unique way to create lasting family memo- ries.” The program is designed to extend knowledge about the importance of wildlife conser- vation, while simultaneously bringing families together. Du- ties include talking to zoo visi- tors, insuring the safety of the butterflies, and monitoring the exhibit doors to prevent butter- flies from flying away. “I have seen huge changes in the demeanor and communi- cation skills of kids who volun- teer,” commented Paula Mc- Call, volunteer coordinator. “It’s a fun learning experience for everyone involved.” There are many benefits to volunteering. ZooAmbassadors meet people who share similar interests and values; receive free zoo admission and a com- plimentary train ride; have the opportunity to volunteer at zoo concerts; learn about how to at- tract local wildlife; and partici- pate in training opportunities only available at the zoo. Potential ZooAmbassadors are required to attend one ori- entation session. After attend- ing the orientation overview, those choosing to continue will receive 10 hours of training. The orientation will be offered on the following days: • Saturday, March 31, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. • Tuesday, April 3, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. • Friday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. • Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. To R.S.V.P. for the session of your choice, please call 503- 226-1561, ext. 5397, or e-mail zooambassadors@metro.dst.o r.us. The deadline to sign up for the first orientation session is March 20. The Oregon Zoo has one of the largest zoo volunteer pro- grams in the country. More than 2,000 individuals volun- teer more than 156,000 hours per year. The zoo opens at 9 a.m. dai- ly and is located just off High- way 26. General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional con- servation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife pro- gram. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by call- ing 503-226-1561. Re-Opening!! ✮ Gasoline Alley Auto Wrecking ✮ 54372 Nehalem Hwy South Vernonia, OR 97064 6 miles south of town on Hwy 47 Open Tuesday-Saturday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Closed Sunday and Monday Accepting unwanted vehicles with clear title 503-429-7581 Page 13 Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager, West Oregon Electric Cooperative A Moment of Clarification I was approached by a couple of members who wanted to know if two of my articles about renew- ables were in conflict with each other. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my position. When it comes to renewable energy, there are very clear and distinct points to be made as they re- late to West Oregon Electric Cooperative. I will try to make them easier to understand. • Renewable energy is good, clean, and envi- ronmentally safe. • Renewable energy, other than hydro, is also more expensive. • Hydro power from existing dams is renew- able energy, despite the Governor trying to ex- clude it in his Renewable Portfolio Standard. • Developing additional renewable sources of energy is a good thing and should be pursued by utilities to augment our current power supply, not to replace it. • Wind, solar, and wave energy, while certain- ly clean renewable sources of energy, do not produce firm (continuous) power and therefore must be combined with another constant source to provide sustainable and reliable power. • Wind, solar, wave, methane gas, and geot- hermal are from 25 percent to 100 percent high- er in cost than our current hydro power and, therefore, would have a significant impact on our power costs if we are forced to replace our cur- rent hydro with them. • We are adamantly opposed to the Governor imposing mandates on our member owned elec- tric cooperative. We are owned, operated, and governed by our member owners and they alone should decide what is best for their utility, not los- ing local control to state or federal government standards. • As responsible citizens we should always look for and develop alternative sources of ener- gy that make economic and reasonable sense. While West Oregon fully supports the devel- opment of renewable energy sources, and has been and continues to be involved in projects, we do so only if and when it makes reasonable and economical sense to our members. We are well aware that the amount of energy produced by BPA from Bonneville Dam is nearing capaci- ty. Future load growth may require us to turn to alternate sources to obtain our power supply, so we are proceeding cautiously and with due dili- gence to identify the sources that are best for our members. We are looking at all possible sources, which includes renewable energy. As I pointed out above, while wind, solar, and wave are very clean and environmentally friendly, they do not provide a reliable, firm source of power and therefore must be combined with another constant source. The only currently available al- ternatives that produce constant sources of pow- er other than hydro, are are fossil fuel based, such as coal and gas. Nuclear power is making a return, but is far on the horizon. Coffin Butte, the methane gas project we are part owners of, comes the closest in cost to our current hydro power. In our Green Power pro- gram, we pass along the additional cost to only those members who want to participate in this program, not the entire membership. It is a way for us to participate in a supportive way of devel- oping and offering an alternative renewable source of power at a reasonable cost. We are opposed to the Governor’s Renew- able Portfolio Standards not because we oppose renewable energy, but due to the following rea- sons: The fact that it refuses to acknowledge our current hydro as renewable, wants to take away local control (one of the reasons cooperatives were created in the first place), and mandates standards that would demand we replace exist- ing low cost, clean, renewable energy with in- consistent, higher cost energy. I hope this sufficiently clarifies the issue for everyone. I am always available to discuss it fur- ther with any of our members. I appreciate hear- ing from you. 503-429-0280 Basic Auto Repair Specializing in Brakes & Light Auto Repair Oil Change Special $19.95 most cars & trucks - up to 5 quarts Transmission service Rotor and Open Monday thru Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. drum machine Saturday & Sunday call for appointment on site 62481 Nehalem Hwy 47 North, next to Spartree Restaurant