PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 26, No. 19 THE FREE INDEPENDENT The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years October 5, 2011 New wetland in Vernonia will enhance old mill site The new wetland, located on the O-A Mill site, is taking its final shape as the excavation work finishes up in the next week. The logs in the middle are being put in place for fish to even- tually hang around. See full story on this page. Providence to leave Vernonia at year end Providence Medical Group- Vernonia clinic has announced that they will leave Vernonia at the end of this year. The Ver- nonia Health Board has been working on other operating plans for the clinic and Provi- dence notified the Health Board recently that they will discontinue operating the Ver- nonia clinic as of December 31, 2011. The Health Board had been working with a different clinic to expand their services to Ver- nonia when Providence left. That plan was contingent on federal funding that was not awarded to this location. The Health Board has stated that it is actively working on a plan to have medical services available at the clinic effective January 1, 2012. The make-up of those services and informa- tion about who will provide services will be announced when plans are finalized. Providence is an active par- ticipant in helping plan new health care options in Vernonia and has donated the equip- ment currently in the clinic building to the Health Board. Carreon earns award for volunteerism Crystal-Ann Carreon, a sen- ior at Vernonia High School, has been selected as the Re- gion 2 winner in the Outstand- ing Youth Volunteer category for the 2011 Governor’s Volun- teer Awards. “I’m very honored to be chosen,” said Carreon of her selection. Region 2 includes Clatsop, Columbia, Marion, Polk, Tillam- ook, and Yamhill counties. Carreon was nominated for her role in the Joy For Jaden fundraising efforts. Joy For Jaden raised money for a young boy in Banks with can- cer. This was a year-long fundraising effort organized by Carreon. Along with her parents, Carreon will attend a Novem- ber 4 luncheon in Salem honor- ing regional winners. If select- ed as the Outstanding Oregon Youth Volunteer of the Year (from all regions), Carreon would receive $500 to give to a charity of her choice. The Governor’s Volunteer Awards recognize individuals and organizations for their ded- ication, commitment and deter- mination in promoting and sup- porting volunteerism through- out Oregon. The purpose is to inspire individuals to make a positive difference by strength- In order for the Vernonia School District to use the new school site at what used to be Spencer Park, they had to miti- gate a wetland that existed on that site. The term mitigate in this context means to replace the lost wetland with larger wet- lands so there is no loss from the change. The U.S. Army Corps of En- gineers (USACE) is responsi- ble for investigating, develop- ing and maintaining the na- tion’s water and related envi- ronmental resources. USACE, along with Oregon’s Depart- ment of State Lands (DSL) looked at the existing wetlands and determined there were 3.72 acres of Palustrine Emer- gent (PEM) wetland, plus .07 acre of intermittent stream that would be lost at the new school site. They then determined that the replacement would need to be 5.69 acres of PEM and restoration of 1.3 acres of up- land buffer. PEM is identified as wet- lands that are non-saline (not tidal) with plants – such as cat- tails, sedges, bulrushes, reeds and saw grass – that remain standing until the next growing season and cover over 80 per- cent of the wetland. Originally, the school district looked at a site by the city’s wastewater lagoons that might have been of benefit to the city in their need to upgrade the la- goons. When the timing of those two projects did not match up, the district and the city agreed that use of the city’s property at the old O-A Mill site would be beneficial for both. It was a site that would be rela- tively easy to work on and would add a nice feature, a true wetland, to the site. The site chosen required a 12-month study on the ground- water to be sure there was enough water (rain) at the site so water would not have to be added to maintain the wetland. That study also provided data for how deep the excavation would need to be so the site could hold enough water to keep the wetland damp through the summer months. Historical/cultural studies were done, to determine the site had no archeological value (for example, no dinosaur bones or signs of early civiliza- tions). That study was relative- ly simple as there is pretty good historical data indicating noth- ing was there before the area was settled in the late 1800s. A contamination study was done to make sure there was no oil, hydraulic fuel or other soil contaminants on site. US- ACE did a 1st and 2nd stage study before clearing the site for construction. Finally, an en- gineering study of the habitat and existing plant species was done. After all those “planning See Wetlands on page 14 Reward offered for information on WOEC truck and tool theft Crystal-Ann Carreon was se- lected for regional award. ening Oregon communities. Early on the morning of Sep- tember 20, a Ford bucket truck was stolen from West Oregon Electric Co-op. The truck, along with spools of wire, chain saws, other tools and electrical equipment was seen on video leaving at about 3:35 a.m. The truck was later seen at Staley’s Junction and was re- covered, in inoperable condi- tion, on a logging spur off Strassel Rd. The other stolen items were not recovered. There is a $2,000 reward for information resulting in the ar- rest and conviction of those re- sponsible for the theft. Anyone with information should call the Vernonia Police Department at 503-429-7335 or the 24-hour dispatch number at 800-696- 7795.