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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2010)
Page 20 The INDEPENDENT, January 21, 2010 Silverspot butterfly population may be stabilized with help from zoo From page 24 years to come. Overall, the zoo released more than 2,000 of the rare Northwest butterflies in 2009, including 806 larvae to the site near Yachats, and an additional 600 pupae each to release sites at Cascade Head and Bray Point. “Through our combined ef- forts, we hope to stabilize the butterfly population and bring it back from the brink of extinc- tion,” Shepherdson said. The Oregon silverspot but- terfly is listed as threatened un- der the U.S. Endangered Species Act. It was once found in coastal grasslands from northern California to southern Washington, but has since dis- appeared from all but a handful of sites along the Oregon coast due to habitat loss and the dis- appearance of its host plant, the western blue violet. During the preceding dec- ade, monitoring at Cascade Head revealed a dramatic de- cline in the number of butter- flies seen flying. In years prior to 1992, average numbers ex- ceeded 1,000 adults, but in 1998, only 57 of the butterflies were found. Each year, female silverspot butterflies are collected from Mount Hebo and induced to lay eggs at the Oregon Zoo’s but- terfly conservation facility. The eggs hatch into tiny larvae (caterpillars), which are kept in refrigerators over the winter, when they are in a dormant stage called diapause (similar to hibernation). The Oregon silverspot cap- tive-rearing effort is a project of the NW Zoo & Aquarium Al- liance, which promotes collabo- ration on regional conservation among zoos and aquariums in the Pacific Northwest. Healthy Start receives donation From page 4 tion program available to more children. The Holiday Book Bag proj- ect supports reading and healthy family activities. 50 book bags were given to fami- lies served by the Department of Human Services, Self Suffi- ciency office. In addition to items in the bags, families are able to choose books for their children. Most of the books are donated by the St. Helens Ki- wanis Club. For more information about enrolling in or providing cash or in-kind donations to the Healthy Start program, call Sunday Kamppi at 503-366- 6556. For information about donating gently used or new books for Columbia County Action Ads INEXPENSIVE – EFFECTIVE 503-429-9410 $4.50 for the first 10 words, then just 10¢ for each additional word children, call Jan Spika Kenna at 503-397-7225. WEATHER REPORT DECEMBER 2009 DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 TEMPERATURE HI LO 49 48 44 45 42 35 28 28 31 35 37 36 37 43 48 49 47 50 51 55 50 38 35 43 41 43 38 45 33 40 43 27 22 21 22 20 16 8 3 2 3 5 16 17 32 37 36 34 33 42 41 31 30 30 26 22 21 21 24 20 32 31 PRECIP. AMT. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- T .15 .68 .69 .56 .07 .02 .08 .48 .22 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- .33 .20 .55 Temperature and precipitation amounts are from the official U.S. weather station at the Vernonia wa- ter plant. Measurable precipitation in December totalled 4.03 inches. Over the past decade, the zoo has collaborated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Xerces Society to suc- cessfully raise and release Northwest butterflies. In addition to conserving Oregon silverspots, the zoo has enjoyed phenomenal suc- cess in its work with the endan- gered Taylor’s checkerspot, raising and releasing thou- sands of these butterflies over the past six years. According to Andersen, but- terfly populations throughout North America are in decline, with 23 species listed as either endangered or threatened. To address this problem, the Ore- Donkeys are on their way here From page 11 5:00 p.m. in the hallways of VHS. There will also be activi- ties for the kids prior to the game – make your own donkey mask or color a donkey picture and enter to win a prize. Presale tickets are available at the School District Office. Save a dollar by purchasing your tickets early. All proceeds benefit the Junior Class Prom Committee and the Zack Rum- bolz Memorial Scholarship fund. ODFW seeks volunteers From page 5 sent water users, fisheries and conservation interests, and the general public. Landowners and operators must provide for passage of adult and juvenile native migratory fish whenever there is new construction, ma- jor replacement, a permit change or abandonment, as required by ORS 509.585. Pro- viding fish with safe and effec- tive access to historic habitat is one of the best ways to con- serve and restore Oregon’s na- tive migratory fish populations. For more information or an application, call Apke at 503- 947-6228, or e-mail him at greg.d.apke@state.or. us . Ap- plications will be accepted through February 5. gon Zoo has been a charter member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Butterfly Conservation Initiative, which involves nearly 50 national zoos and aquariums. The initiative is designed to bring together gov- ernment and non-government agencies to aid in the recovery of imperiled butterflies. From the Sheriff’s Desk… From page 19 these budget shortfalls. First, I wanted you to know that the failure to provide adequate coverage in the Nehalem Valley does not mean that we have for- gotten about you. Our deputies are able to respond anywhere in the county when there is need and have done so in the Nehalem Valley during this time of economic need. We respond as we have the personnel available in as efficient a manner as possible given our limited resources. We have responded inside city limits to take calls for service when no police officer is available to perform that service. But I know we could do much better with just a few more re- sources, and the purpose of our committee – known as the En- hanced Law Enforcement Advisory Committee (ELEAC) – is to identify the best model possible for delivering these services. I will tell you that the most efficient model out there is an ade- quately funded sheriff’s office that gives cities the final say in how they police within the bounds of their city charters, and tasks the sheriff’s office with the universal role of peace conservation with- in the county: Having one agency responsible to provide the full range of law enforcement and peace conserving duties that can go anywhere in the county, and leaving it up to the cities if they wish to have the sheriff, or their own police department policing city neighborhoods and enforcing city ordinances. It is not my desire to try and convince a city they would be bet- ter off with the sheriff providing those services, as it involves con- tract negotiations according to state law. The sheriff has enough to concentrate on if a city desires to provide its own law enforce- ment within the confines of its jurisdiction. But I also want to tell you that all Nehalem Valley residents – whether in the city or outside of it – have a vested interest in a strong sheriff’s office. By concentrating the full range of services with one agency, you get more for your dollar with the universal mandates placed on the sheriff by state law. Countywide investi- gation teams, Marine Patrols, Law Enforcement services to your friends and families who live outside of cities, but attend your schools; Jail Services, Search and Rescue services and Civil Process Services all fall under the authority of the sheriff and need to be kept strong for the sake of peace in our county as a whole. If one part of the county suffers from a lack of peace con- servation, the whole county eventually experiences the resulting fallout. Finally, I want you to know that I will be making a recommen- dation to the ELEAC committee that there is a way to bolster the role of the sheriff in our community without effecting city police de- partments, and instead enhancing the services of the county in the outlying areas to reduce the strain on tight city budgets. I will be promoting a way to take advantage of the revenue-producing potential of the sheriff’s office to reduce the strain on taxpayers who are willing to do their part to address the budget shortfall. There is room in this plan for one, perhaps two resident deputies in the Nehalem Valley who will be dedicated to patrols therein. And it is a way to use current funding as a leverage to access ru- ral patrols while raising revenue to pay for things from which every single taxpayer benefits. It is my duty and responsibility to provide these services on a county wide basis. I am doing what I can to make this happen, and we have had a measured amount of success given the paltry resources we have. I am hoping that a way can be found to pro- vide for these county-wide needs on an equitable basis and not put the burden unfairly on any one subgroup of taxpayers. Please be safe out there!