" " "00eflec00 Facebook 541-822-3358 nvref@aol.com • mckenz,e.orenews.com .o o, T.E ,KCNZ, E ,,R , 80,T faceboek.com.mck smalltewnpapers.com/newspapers/newspaper.php?id=269 Wild and Scenic Adventures ,,Ih,,,ilt,mllldlllM,,JMdmlhl,hj,,,jqjl ******************ALL FOR ADC 98(1 013"001 SMALL TOWN PAPERS ) 217 W COTA ST SHELTON WA 98584-2263 Volume 34, Issue 7, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011 • Serving tile McKenzie River Valley ....And Collins/Washburn of Eugene - Reflections Subscribers Since 2004 School levy on the horizon FINN ROCK: Agenda items ranging from assets to open enrollment boiled down to the bottom line at a workshop meeting of the McKenzie School Board last Wednesday. Estimating the value of a district owned lot in Blue River was on the list, along with discussions about whether corporate advertisers would want to rent space on buses or student lockers. Like other districts around the state and nation, McKenzie is struggling to find ways to stay afloat. Board members expressed little hope the sale of the lot would generate a great deal of income and there wasn't much interest in plastering the locality with logos either. On that last point, superintendent Sally Storm pointed out that Oregon prohibits images on school buses, beyond the yellow paint and name of the district. Other conversations involved ways that potential donors might be contacted, as well as the pros and cons of starting a charter school. Board chair Kathy Keable suggested contacting representa- fives of timber companies with local holdings to invite them for a tour of the campus to see "what a great job we're doing first hand." Storm favored that approach, noting that she's often asked to give presentations at education conferences about the things McKenzie has been doing "that these big districts haven't gotten going." She felt more exposure was needed to generate increased support. Darin Harbick said starting a charter school would generate less state support per student but that might be offset by operational savings like, "Not requiring certified staff and all the regulations you have to have with a regular school." He and other board members supported the idea of checking with places already operating charter schools - like Triangle Lake - to see what real world information they could share. Yet there were also concerns about how appealing travel times to McKenzie would be to people not living in the area. Harbick suggested an ally might be sited close by after relating a conversation he'd had with a student attending the McKenzie Christian School in Vida who said she'd like to run on a cross country team. "Our bus runs all the way down there," he noted, and suggested the district, "Look at things they don't offer there." The idea generated support, along with suggestions that on an afternoon half-day schedule, McKenzie Schools might draw some students interested in sports, P.E., and band - particularly since they would have bus transportation to and fro. Underlying the discussions, though, was the realization that McKenzie faces a double whammy from both declining enrollment and the level of Oregon's support for public schools. "This may be a terrible time to do this," Storm Continued On Page 5 Tractor fans are preserving their vintage workhorses Bob Fisher is setting aside some space in his Upper Camp Creek barn for an ag museum including examples like this 50 'k Anniversary Ford, produced in 1953. CAMP CREEK: They may have business cards but they don't have dues, rules or meetings. What draws the three-dozen members of the Camp Creek Tractor Club together is their interest in finding and restoring agricultural implements, oftentimes machinery that they grew up with. Bobby Fisher, the group's low- key "President, CEO, General Manager & Navigator," says he caught the bug as a boy. At times he's had to wait 30 years to purchase a tractor he's had an eye on. Other times they'll pass Be 'bear aware' during the fall With the arrival of fall, wildlife meat, bones, fruit, dairy products through ownerships, only to return again. He knows, referring to a 1960 John Deere 830 he bought for $2,200 twenty-eight years ago, sold for $6,000 nine years ago and then bought it back for $10,000. "I'm a businessman, you can tell from that," he says with a laugh. The tractor club has members from around the county including Leaburg, Marcola, Pleasant Hill and Cottage Grove. They made a welcome showing last month when they showed up to fill out the field at the Walterville Fair Parade. For that occasion, Fishers bought blue ribbons for all entrants because despite the color, "They all cost the same." Wyatt Fisher, who drove the red & black "Thurston tractor" that won the $25 People's Choice award, donated his prize back to buy ribbons for next year's event. People who'd like to see the tractors again should mark their calendars for this year's 59 'h annual Christmas Parade in Springaqdd, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 ra, when 20 members of the Camp Creek Tractor Club plan to participate. Meteorologist and Canadian Blogger Brett Anderson. Though February is expected to be a drier month for Seattle and Portland, chances for any snow events would be highest during this month with the colder air in place. In contrast, the earlier part of the season is forecast to feature more moderate temperatures that average near normal. December is likely to be a wetter month for both cities with above-average precipitation. Near- normal precipitation is predicted for January. As for the Cascades, the Long- Range Forecasting Team anticipates near- to slightly above-normal snowfall this season. The heaviest mountain snow in the West is likely to be focused a bit farther south and east from the northern and central Sierra of California into the northern Rockies and northern part of Utah's Wasatch Range. AccuWearher.com Senior Met- eorologist and Western Expert Ken Clark said this could be a "banner snow season" for some of these areas. biologists from the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife are re- minding Oregonians that this time of year bears are on the move and conflicts between these animals and humans can occur. Biologists say that by following a few simple steps people can minimize the possibility of conflicts with bears. "Fall is a critical season for Oregon's black bears," said Tonya Moore, a wildlife biologist with ODFW's North Willamette Wa- tershed District. "Winter is around the comer and bears must get down to the business of accumulating fat reserves to see them through." Moore explained that dur- ing late summer and fall, bears typically consume large amounts of tree fruits, berries, and nuts in order to increase their body fat by as much as 35 percent in prepara- tion for winter. To meet these extra demands for food, bears also look to other sources of food to gain the extra fat they need to tide them over through the winter. ODFW often receives more bear damage complaints in the fall as a result of bears moving into residen- tial areas to find easy meals, includ- ing garbage, fallen fruit, compost piles, pet foods and livestock feed. Moore said black bears may forage up to 20 hours a day and roam constantly throughout their home range to find a meal. Once habituated to finding food near homes, bears can quickly become a threat to human safety and must often be killed. ODFW recommends people follow these guidelines to protect both humans and bears: • Keep pet food indoors. • Remove fruit that has fallen from trees. • Add lime to compost piles to reduce odors do not compost Hungry bears are to be discour- aged from foraging around homes, officials advise. or grease. • Secure garbage cans in a garage, shed or behind a chain link or elec- tric fence. • Purchase bear-proof garbage cans if necessary. • Clean garbage containers regu- larly with diluted bleach to reduce odors. • Use electric fencing to keep bears from orchards, gardens, com- post, beehives and berries. • Store livestock food in a secure place. • Never, ever feed a bear. Moore noted that dispensing foods for other wildlife like birds, squirrels and deer can also attract black bears and is therefore dis- couraged. She recommends that people in areas where bears show up from time to time play it safe by refraining from feeding wildlife. In addition, working with neighbors to remove attractants can benefit the whole neighborhood, including the wildlife. "Working with your community to make sure everyone is doing their part to avoid attracting bears is the best step you can take to minimize the risk of a serious bear conflict," Moore said. STATE COLLEGE, PA: Wea- ther forecasters are reportsing that following a fairly typical start to winter, people in Oregon and Washington may have to gear up for a frigid February. The AccuWeather.com Long- Range Forecasting Team is predict- ing a major shift to cold weather for the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies in February and lasting into March. "The brunt of the winter season, especially when dealing with cold, will be over the north-central U.S.," stated Paul Pastelok, expert long- range meteorologist and leader of the AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team. However, in February, that core of cold weather is predicted to shift westward over the northern Rockies with colder-than-normal conditions extending all the way to the Washington and Oregon coasts. Not too far away, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, are predicted to have one of their top three coldest winters in the past 20 years, according to AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Winter forecast: Wet start, frigid end