Chehalis River Council volunteer Ole Stene at Black River Access
Photo Margaret Rader
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By Margaret Rader, Chehalis River Council
Did you know that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife only has one employee and a helper to keep 120 river access sites clean and free of trash? Here's how citizens can help.
Brian Mitchell of Fish and Wildlife heads up the "Adopt A Fishing Access" program. He oversees 120 access sites in Region 6, and has one other employee to help with all maintenance and cleanup. Only three of these sites are currently "adopted." The Gate Community Club adopted the Black River access on School Land road several years ago, and the Chehalis River Council recently adopted the Littlerock Rock road access to the Black River.
Chehalis River Council volunteer Ole Stene at Black River Access Photo Margaret Rader |
This program resembles the more widely known "Adopt a Highway," program, signs for which one can see along roads. WFWS provides an attractive sign with the name of the organization on it. They also provide bags and gloves and dispose of the litter once it has been picked up. They ask for a one-year commitment for a site, with at least once a month cleanup.
There is a volunteer form to be filled out for each cleanup, and volunteers are covered under state Labor and Industries rules.
Volunteers must avoid picking up meth waste and other hazardous materials; instead inform the sheriff or Ecology. Volunteers also are not expected to tackle items like dumped refrigerators or dead bear carcasses.
This is a very "hands on" (gloves provided) and useful way to express our love of the rivers. If your group is interested in adopting an access, please call Brian Mitchell at 360.491.2844. Those interested in helping out at the CRC Littlerock road site, call the CRC at 360.807.0764.
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With face registering astonishment, Jay Sterling of Montesano accepted a plaque from the Chehalis River Council (CRC) naming him 2004 Chehalis Basin Watershed Citizen of the Year.
Margaret Rader, CRC Chair, and Janet Strong, Vice President, presented Jay with the award in the cozy "All Wrapped Up" Coffee Shop in Montesano, amidst heady aromas of java and delicious desserts. Jay had been unable to attend the Chehalis River Council annual meeting on August 19th where the award was first announced, so this was the first he heard of it.
Jay was selected by the CRC Board of Directors for this annual award because of his generosity to the conservation/recreation community. Among many other good deeds, he supplied the funds for Trout Unlimited to purchase a 31 acre property along the Wynoochee River just southwest of Montesano. [See article in the August Drops of Water.]
This acquisition will give permanent protection to a 2,000 foot stretch of river shoreline, two fishable lakes, wildlife habitat and will enhance the potential for low-impact recreational opportunities for the public. Former owner Northwest Rock had extracted gravel from the site, creating the two small lakes which become connected to the river during high water periods.
Following coffee, Jay and partner Anne Moisanen took Margaret and Janet for a tour of the new parcel. They walked the trails around the lakes and down to the Wynoochee, discussing the many advantages, values and problems associated with the property. One challenging problem is the extensive presence of invasive plants, principally Japanese knotweed, making difficult the reestablishment of a native plant community. Also, what type and how much recreational development would be most prudent? Trout Unlimited will wrestle with many issues as it makes the site ready for the public while protecting the natural assets of this treasure.
Finally the party visited Friends' Landing, a recreational property along the Chehalis River south of Montesano. This campground, with fishing and trail opportunities, has been developed by Trout Unlimited with an emphasis on providing an accessible recreation site for families and handicapped outdoor-lovers. Plans completed and lessons learned during this project will undoubtedly assist the organization in this new endeavor.
The public and the Wynoochee River environment owe Jay Sterling a huge THANK YOU for his generous commitment to local human and natural community.
At their Annual Meeting, the CRC also awarded the CRC Volunteer of Year award to Jay Stene for his work in inspiring the group to quit talking and finally actually adopt a river access [see article in this issue].
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For information, visit: www.worldwatermonitoringday.org
Watch for the Chehalis River Council's monitoring activity.
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By Josh Baldi, Washington Environmental Council
Washington Environmental Council (WEC) is a statewide advocacy organization that works at the state level to improve and enforce environmental laws. WEC has over 3,500 individual and organizational members, including the Chehalis River Council, throughout Washington.
As temperatures rise and snow pack in the Cascades and Olympics all but disappears, the water level in many of our rivers and streams continues to decline. While low flows are affected by natural and climatic factors, water use for agriculture, homes and industry can significantly exacerbate these natural trends to critical --- sometimes deadly --- levels for fish and other aquatic life.
In 1971, the State Legislature passed the Water Resources Act, which provides the Department of Ecology (Ecology) the authority to establish policies designed to leave enough water in rivers and streams to protect fish, recreation, water quality and other "instream" resources. From the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s Ecology established "instream flow rules" in nearly one third of Washington's watersheds, but incredibly since 1986, only one rule has been adopted: in 2001 a rule was adopted for the Skagit River, but it is being challenged in court by Skagit County.
Story of the Samish River
The Samish is one of three rivers where Ecology appears poised to move forward setting an instream flow. Located north of Mt. Vernon in Skagit County, the Samish River is an often-overlooked stream, prized for its runs of steelhead, chinook, coho, and sea-run cutthroat trout.
While Ecology's anticipated action on the Samish should be supported, it is in fact overdue. In 2002, Ecology and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) outlined a work plan to adopt or amend instream flow rules in 23 watersheds and make recommendations in 11 others over the next eight years. Twelve of those watersheds --- including the Samish --- were to have had the policies in place by this summer. To date, none have been adopted.
In the case of the Samish, broken promises paved the way to the current delay. In January 1999, Skagit and Whatcom Counties, Skagit County PUD, several cities and the Swinomish Tribe signed an agreement to engage in watershed planning in accordance with the state's Watershed Planning Act. The accord specified that all parties would work to address a series of issues sequentially: start by addressing the question of how much water is needed for a healthy river and to protect fish and then move on to question of out-of-stream water use and future needs.
WDFW presented instream flow recommendations to the parties in December 2002 that set limits on permitting any new surface or ground water rights. The WDFW report made it clear that existing water rights would be unaffected by instream flows. Yet, the local governments balked at the recommendations, asserting that the issue of instream and potential out-of-stream uses needed to be addressed at the same time. This is directly at odds with the agreed upon sequential approach. The break down of the 1999 accord leaves Ecology little choice but to move forward with rule making unilaterally.
While stories of delay vary in the dozen watersheds, the central policy questions remain the same. One is whether instream flows should address future withdrawals. State water law is based on a "priority" doctrine ("first in time, first in right") that dictates that all water permits granted prior to the instream flow may be fully exercised even when they completely dewater streams. The instream flow rule, then could only affect future requests for water rights. Now, several interests are proposing to "reserve water" for future growth and make that reserved water unaffected by the instream flow rule.
This approach fails a simple fairness test, since the debate today is not about how to achieve rational and balanced water use among competing users but how we should divide what little water remains following 150 years of development between fish and future uses.
A better approach to achieve the water needed for future growth would be through conservation. By using water more efficiently in the future than we do today, we could have enough water for future growth needs while at the same time keeping more water in streams for fish.
Another politically contentious issue that Washington Environmental Council (WEC) has been working to make part of instream flow rules is a limitation on "exempt wells " that impact stream flows. These are 5,000-gallon-a-day wells that are intended for use for individual residences and are exempt from state permits. In some areas, ground water and streams are so connected that withdrawals from these wells can have a large impact on stream flows.
Whether and how Ecology addresses these and other key policies will be reflected in the rules expected for the Samish and Stillaguamish as well as an amendment to the Skagit rule. These will establish precedent for the remainder of the state.
While the story of the Samish is unique in one sense, the plot-line of the story is repeated in watershed after watershed around the state. As progress on instream flows is delayed for political, technical and other reasons, Ecology continues to permit water use at a brisk rate. Case in point: In a July 27th, 2004 press release, Ecology touts the processing of 1,988 water permits over the past three years.
WEC will be commenting on the Samish and other instream flow rules once Ecology begins rule making. Strong support from citizens will be critical to achieve an adequate rule. Moreover, to ensure the state fulfills its broader instream responsibilities, WEC is again working with a coalition of tribal governments and environmental groups to press legislation in the 2005 Legislature requiring Ecology to protect and restore stream flows.
Take Action:
For the status of instream flows in your watershed, please reference the WEC/American Rivers Instream Flow Tool Kit available at WEC's website (www.wecprotects.org) or from the Seattle office (206-622-8103). This Tool Kit is also available at the Chehalis River Council office in Centralia, 417 No. Pearl Street. Phone 360.807.0764.
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To the editor:
Wow --- it seems name calling is once again acceptable. But only with certain people.
I've been here 16 years. I pay lots of property tax. I live rurally. I live in the flood plain. I have fought flooding, water and development problems. I have tried to defend my property and I have been called a NIMBY.
I noticed the newspaper and local radio are both labeling and calling local people NIMBY. Eight articles or letters have used the term and only two times was the reference positive.
Maybe you can use names for those opposed to NIMBYs. How about BUG (Bringing Unlimited Growth), PIG (Promoting Industrial Growth) or finally GODS (Growth on Demand Supporters).
It seems only fair to give both groups labels or to treat both groups equally well. I would prefer being treated well.
Thank you,
Dave Palmer
Oakville, WA
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The Chehalis River Coordinated Weed Management Area (CWMA) is reaching the concluding stages of formalization. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is currently in signature mode, with signatures binding partners in pursuit of weed control along the Chehalis slated to be collected in September. The group is now seeking funding to enable implementation of the goals agreed upon in the plan.
For more information, please call 360.740.1218.
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Dates: October 6-7, 2004
Location: Millersylvania State Park Environmental Learning Center
Presenter: Laurie Usher
The Chehalis Basin Education Consortium (CBEC), in conjunction with the State Departments of Ecology and Parks, is sponsoring a two-day benthic Macroinvertebrate training. The training will be conducted on October 6-7, from 9 am to 4 pm, at Millersylvania State Park in Tenino.
 Dragonfly Nymph |
Key instructor for the training will be Laurie Usher. Laurie is a Project Learning Tree, WET and WILD trainer of facilitators in Washington State. Laurie has edited and co-authored "Discover Wetlands," a curriculum guide for grades K-12 that focuses on what wetlands are, why they are important, and how human actions affect them. Other instructors will include Rob Schanz, coordinator of the Chehalis River Council monitoring project, and Susie Vanderburg, Thurston County Stream Team.
This training is open to teachers, fourth through twelfth grade, and community volunteers. Through hands-on training, participants will learn how scientists and lay professionals assess water quality through inventories of stream bugs. Workshop participants will conduct sampling at Spruce Creek at Millersylvania and on the Chehalis River, while learning Washington State Department of Ecology's protocol.
Registration is limited to 30 participants. Participants will receive field guides, handouts, refreshments, and the ability to check out macroinvertebrate monitoring kits. Clock hours (for a fee) and substitute reimbursement funds will be available to teachers. Rustic overnight accommodations are also available to teachers.
For more information or to pre-register: Contact Kathy Jacobson, Chehalis Basin Education Consortium coordinator at (360) 586-3538, kjacobson@esd113.k12.wa.us or Joan Howden, secretary, at (360) 386-2967, or email jhowden@esd113.k12.wa.us.
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 Ivy choking a tree |
Please join us to control ivy on Seminary Hill in Centralia. On Saturday October 9th, volunteers from around the area will work to remove ivy from the trunks of trees. English Ivy is a noxious weed that degrades natural areas, out-competes native plants and kills trees. Ivy is quickly overtaking Seminary Hill, and your help is needed to protect this amazing natural area. We will be working from 9 am to 3 pm, rain or shine, so come when you can, stay as long as you'd like and help to save a tree or two! Wear boots and long sleeves, tools will be provided. For more information, please call 360.740.1218 or e-mail weeds@co.lewis.wa.us. Directions: from downtown Centralia, drive east on Locust Street. Locust Street is one block south of Main. |
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Sara Carter, Weed Management Specialist, Lewis County Noxious Weed Control Board
 Knotweed Photo: Sara Carter |
Knotweeds are invasive perennials that are quickly becoming established in the Pacific Northwest. Knotweeds look similar to bamboo, with hollow canes and prominent nodes. In the spring, summer and fall, the leaves are bright green, a shade lighter than most native plants. Clusters of small white or greenish flowers bloom from the leaf joints in July and August. After the first frost, the plant dies back to the roots and clumps of dead red canes are easily visible. Knotweeds are significantly impacting many areas in Washington. As is common with noxious weeds, knotweeds out compete more desirable native vegetation, forming a dense single species stand. Soil and bank erosion increase where knotweeds have choked out native plants. The dense stands of knotweed can impede access to waterbodies for wildlife and humans alike. Once established, these plants spread prolifically and are extremely difficult to control. Quick growth and a variety of biological features make this plant a very tenacious weed. Rhizomes (roots that can sprout) can extend over 20 feet, enabling knotweed to quickly dominate an area. This plant can also resprout from stem fragments and is often spread along waterways when flood waters break up the stems and send fragments downstream. Any stem fragment that lands on suitable soil will put down roots and begin the process of developing yet another dense colony. This is something to consider when controlling knotweed by brush cutting or mowing, as these fragments also have the potential to sprout new plants. If knotweed has gotten a foothold on your property, you will have a better chance of controlling the population if you get after it before it gets too large. Contact your County Noxious Weed Control Board for site specific control recommendations. Several projects to control knotweed are taking place in watersheds in Southwest Washington. For more information, call 360.740.1218 or email weeds@co.lewis.wa.us |
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In January, Drops of Water announced an essay contest. Readers were asked to describe a special place --- some part of the natural world in the Basin that makes one feel at home. Larry Hagethorn of Aberdeen won this contest, and his essay appeared in the March DOW.
In this issue, two special places not in the Basin are described. Elsewhere in this issue, Janet Strong describes her sister's home near Washington D.C. We also liked an essay about a special place in East Lewis County submitted to our contest by Judith Evans of Randle and are pleased to publish it in this issue.
If you have a special place and write an essay about it, we would be glad to consider it for publication. We reserve the right to make minor editorial changes. No submissions will be returned, so keep a copy of your essay. Mail to 417 No. Pearl Street, Centralia, WA 98531.
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By Judith Evans
A comparative newcomer to East Lewis County, having been here less than thirty years, I vividly recall my first encounter with the old growth timber and abundance of fern. It was like being in a different world. I grew up in the southwest desert areas where rain was rare and mud puddles formed quickly when it came.
That first year here was moist and misty. Everyday, all summer, the tingle of fine, fine rain pushed against my cheeks and made my skin feel brand new.
Our small piece of ground, not much larger than five acres, was covered with trees. There were alders, cedars, fir, wild cherry and cascara, holding hands it seemed, all over the property. It was like having my own private biosphere, discovering a miniature world inside a large one. I found beautiful little florets of bright red fungus I had never seen before. Tiny clusters of shiny pearls that I learned were snail eggs and a strange lichen that could glue two pieces of wood together so hard that I could not break them apart. Now and then a salamander would peek cautiously from a decaying stump. The perfume of some unseen flowering bush mixed with humus, stirred by my movements, enhanced the adventure of each morning walk.
Once I was alarmed by the swift departure of a grouse that flew suddenly from under a shadowy tree and another time when I leaned against a tall Alder and found myself holding it all the way to the ground. It had stood there for some time, its roots gone, waiting for the breeze that would topple it, but I got there first. A bit frightening, I cautioned my family about the possibility of its happening again.
I thought we had a creek but it turned out to be winter run-off which, by mid-June, did not exist. I spent the summer gathering downed branches and broken twigs. The fine rain kept the woods moist and I was able to have a small burn pile each day. After work and school, the whole family gathered whatever was in the way of our next home, and by the following spring we were ready to build.
Sometimes soundless, sometimes filled with breezes and the noise of scurrying life, it is a pleasure any day, my small portion of Lewis County.
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Did you know? Drops of Water is archived at the Chehalis River Council website. That means you can go to the website and use the Search Engine to find articles from the past that you'd like to look at again. You can also use keywords to research any topics of interest to you. A quick way to find the Search Engine is to go to the Newsletters box in the middle of the home page, then click on Search CRC Site. This search box takes you to everything CRC has online, including archived Drops of Water editions and also the many articles and reports archived at our site. You can also Google what you are looking for. Google will turn up Drops of Water articles and others that may be useful.
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By Janet Strong
In July I flew to Washington DC, not to engage in politics but to help my sister, laid up from a broken leg. She lives "inside the beltway," a mere seven miles from downtown Washington.
But you would never know it. Except for the faint drone of traffic on the parkway and an occasional fire siren, her small white farmhouse and wooded yard are peaceful and quiet. They nestle up against a 100 acre parcel of mature oaks, maples and pine which, by the way, she saved from condo development a few years ago.
This tract connects to the long and beautifully forested Suitland Parkway --- a rare and valuable haven for wildlife in an intensely urbanized zone.
Hot and muggy as Washington's summers are, the early mornings and evenings are cool and sweet smelling. To stand quietly under the tall oaks and maples is to enter into the vibrant life of the surrounding forest. The ground is almost hopping with all the tiny spring peepers going about their business. White butterflies flit about, catching a beam or two of sunlight on their way. The scent in the air is delicate and sweet, hard to describe. Robins by the dozen emerge from the woods to forage.
Throughout the day mockingbirds call out in their various dialects, punctuated by the occasional "cheer" of the cardinal. Toward evening the wood thrushes begin to serenade the world, a half-dozen little throats providing a stereo effect. Darkness signals the yellow evening primrose to hurl open its modestly closed blooms, going from droop to full glory in less than five minutes. Moth pollinators, where are you?
Once I heard the call of the local pileated woodpecker and, one afternoon, surprised a large hawk sitting on the fence. It lifted off awkwardly and lumbered into the solid forest, to be joined by another hawk. They then proceeded to call to each other. I surmised that my fence-sitter was a young redtail learning to hunt while supervised by its parent.
The eastern deciduous forest is tremendously diversified, both in its plant communities and in its insect, bird and animal life. Every year it provides nesting sites and food for the migrating neo-tropical songbirds, some of our nation's most beloved.
I didn't have time to explore the pathless woods, well guarded by poison ivy, cat briar, mosquitos and ticks. But I do feel happy to have had a glimpse into its beauty and the lives of its inhabitants. Besides the memories of the wind blowing the big tree branches around, the sweet smells and the birds singing, I did bring home one additional memento --- a patch of poison ivy on my arm.
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Each year the Thurston Conservation District holds a native plant sale. We provide conservation grade plants at affordable prices to the public. If you live outside Thurston County, please check with your local Conservation District to see if they offer this service.
During our 2004 Sale we sold a whooping 40,000 native plants to the community!
We will begin accepting pre-orders for the 2005 Native Plant Sale the last week of September 2004.
We have nine new plants to offer this year! Watch our website (www.thurstoncd.com) and the Sunday Olympian the fourth week of September for a pre-order form.
Also, be sure to mark your calendars for the 2005 Plant Sale Parking Lot Event, which will be held Saturday, February 12th, 2005 from noon to 4 pm in our parking lot.
For further details or more information, please contact Kathleen Whalen, at kwhalen@thurstoncd.com or 360.754-3588, ext 114.
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