Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2010)
Page 14 The INDEPENDENT, May 6, 2010 Don’t keep sturgeon after today Fishery managers from Ore- gon and Washington closed the Columbia River to retention of sturgeon in The Dalles Reser- voir, between The Dalles and John Day dams, effective to- day, May 6. The action was taken during a joint hearing of the two states, based on surveys indi- cating that anglers are on track to achieve their harvest guide- line of 300 sturgeon by that date. Through April 25, anglers had harvested 264 sturgeon. Over the past three weeks, har- vest has averaged 36 fish per week. This is the third sturgeon re- tention closure of the year above Bonneville Dam. Bon- neville Reservoir closed on Feb. 21 when the harvest guideline of 1,400 fish was achieved, and the John Day Reservoir closed on March 1 when the harvest guideline for that section of river was met. Catch and release angling is allowed year-round between Bonneville and McNary dams except in the sturgeon spawn- ing sanctuaries in place May 1 through July 31 downstream of both the John Day and McNary dams. Left; flowers get planted by two of the approximately 160 vol- unteers who turned out for the annual Make Vernonia Shine Day on April 17. Ike Says… From page 2 counties that share in the rev- enue that is derived from timber sales pushing hard for more timber cutting. With several ESA listed species dependent on these state forests for habi- tat, this issue of increasing the cut could wind up in Federal court again. Many also con- tend that the cutting level being projected is beyond a sustain- able level, which means that, at some time in the future, reduc- tions in harvest will be expect- ed. There is also the question of whether the state should sell timber at the record low prices of the current market when, in a few years, the prices could be far higher. I’m afraid that this issue will be with us for a very long time — that is if a Federal court doesn’t step in and take management away from we Oregonians. One would think that lesson should already have been learned. Quality Lawn Care • Self-propelled, variable speed Smart Drive • Roto-Stop® blade control • Easy to start 160cc engine • QuadraCut™ Twin Blades • Easy to adjust mowing height HRR216VKA Lawnmower What is up with this weath- er? My recent sage rat hunt to eastern Oregon was almost a bust due to wind, rain, sleet, snow and cold. While this weather is a pain for sportspeo- ple trying to enjoy the outdoors it is doing one good thing. With all the rain, local rivers are running about twice the normal flow, yet they are not mudded up. This will provide very good conditions for smolts that are migrating to the estuary and beyond. We need some good conditions for these fish, espe- cially after last year’s record high stream temperatures. The wind is good news too; it is a Northwest wind that brings up- welling in the ocean, and that will mean lots of food for the smolts when they reach the ocean. ical contributions. Hank Bartholomew Rainier Sykes for County Commission- er Position 2, it’s good for busi- ness. Doug Boyes Wild Currant Catering St. Helens Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Call 503-429-7193 for location. Letters From page 8 and two of its employees; $700 from the building contractor Stellar J Corporation; $200 from building contractor J.H. Kelly’s president; $500 from All- Out Sewer Drain Service, Inc.; $300 from Tri-City Insurance, Inc; $500 from Oliva Brothers, LLC; $250 from Tillamook Fiber Recovery, Inc.; $250 from Foss Maritime; and $150 from Rai- nier’s City Attorney, Stephen D. Petersen. Several of these contributing firms have had business deal- ings with the City of Rainier in which Russ Moon, a city coun- cilor, has played an active role. This financial profile may sug- gest to some the appearance of a potential conflict of interest. To clear up any lingering concerns, maybe Mr. Moon could explain the quid pro quo, if any, for these generous polit- Sykes is committed to local businesses To the Editor: As the owner of a local busi- ness, I admire Shawna Sykes’ commitment to serving, pro- moting, and patronizing local businesses. She knows the im- portance of supporting those businesses that support the community and she familiarizes others with the local business- es so that they, too, will shop locally. You can see her track record with her campaign pur- chases during this campaign; local money spent supporting local businesses. She doesn’t just talk about it, shopping at and supporting local business- es is her routine. Vote Shawna Sykes’ education and experience needed To the Editor: Admittedly I am biased where the election of Columbia County Commissioner #2 is concerned: Shawna Sykes is my daughter-in-law. Because I am well acquainted with her, I can assure you that she is a hard worker and would be an excellent commissioner. With due respect, all of the Candidates are well qualified in their fields. If I wanted to hire a competent real estate person, a supervisory medic, or a Please see page 19