Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Mike Johnson, a Hancock Forest Management forester, explained the process of preparing a culvert installation to students from Naselle and Wahkiakum high schools involved in the summer Columbia Estuary Environmental Education Program. Photo by Sunny Manary High school students in Wahkiakum County and Naselle can participate in a summer program called the Columbia Estuary Environmental Education Program or CEEEP. “The purpose of CEEEP is to try to get students to have an interest in Environmental Science where they grew up so they will come back...
The construction project on SR4 at County Line Park is running right on schedule with no major problems, according to engineers from the Washington State Department of Transportation. In this phase of the project, workers are scaling the rock wall and removing debris and rocks with an iron bar or an air pillow. An air pillow is a device that, while deflated, is inserted into crevices in the rocks. When filled with air, it will break away any rock that isn’t easily removed with the iron bar. After crews have removed the debris, they scale the r...
The 27th Annual Bald Eagle Festival kicks off tomorrow with activities to last all weekend. The first annual chalk art contest will take place on Broadway Street by Wright Pro Hardware from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. The cost is free for participants and the chalk will be provided. Age groups for the art contest are, seven years and under, 8-13, and 14 and over. Each participant will be allotted one sidewalk square to decorate. Judging begins at 5:30 p.m. The artwork will remain on the sidewalk for all to enjoy until Monday morning. Prizes will...
The Wahkiakum PUD met Tuesday to recognize 30 year retiring employees and to discuss water leaks. Wally Roghair and Shannon Greene from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) gave the board a presentation of contracts and rate cases for the upcoming fiscal year. At this time, there appear to be no changes in rates. Employees Mike Brennan and Bill Chamberlain have both served Wahkiakum County for the past three decades. In a brief ceremony, the board thanked the men for their hard work and long hours. Commissioner Esther Gregg joked they should...
Members of Diking District 4 met July 9 to discuss land use options for property owners on the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge. The district was originally formed when the land was owned primarily by farmers in the area. When the Federal Government bought the property and formed the refuge, land owners choosing not to sell remained in the district. United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Julia Butler-Hansen Wildlife Refuge Manager Joel David said if the USFWS had their preference, there would be proportional representation. “If y...
The 27th Annual Bald Eagle Festival is just over week away and the plans continue to develop. The Cathlamet City Dock will hold a dance on July 18 beginning at 7 p.m. to kick off the event. The band “Quick Release” from Astoria will play country and 1980's music. Saturday morning, from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., will be the Kiwanis pancake breakfast at the Elochoman Slough Marina, $5 for those six years and over. Five and under are free. The Bald Eagle Challenge two mile fun run/walk will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the north end of the Puget Isl...
The tones sound, and dispatch calls out the nature of an emergency and announces an address. It is the sign that there is someone in need of assistance. Volunteers jump into their vehicles and travel to the station. From there, they enter the necessary vehicle and safely race to the address given over the air waves. For the men and women who volunteer their time to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), this is not an uncommon occurrence. There are a total of 38 volunteers in the Cathlamet department alone, and they are always looking for more....
Last week, a group of middle school girls got a taste of Cathlamet history in a day camp called Girls in Government (GIG). The purpose of GIG is to help young women to find their personal voice. For one week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the 10 girls learned what it is to be a young woman in the world. The second annual camp, sponsored by the Wahkiakum Community Foundation takes place at the Julia Butler-Hansen house in Cathlamet. Over the course of the week, the group of seventh and eighth graders learned things from the history of early Cathlamet,...
Elochoman Valley resident Bob Hake has retired after working 30 years as a driver for United Paracel Service, a tenure in which he became known around the county for his humor and dedication. Photo by Sunny Manary. It has been said that all good things must come to an end. For Wahkiakum County, it is the retirement of a very familiar face. Bob Hake is hanging up his brown jacket after 30 years with the United Parcel Service (UPS). Things are different than they were three decades ago. When Bob started with the company, he said they would hire...
The Wahkiakum School Board of Directors met June 18 to discuss demolition bids and the high school remodel/modernization project. Three construction companies submitted bids for the demolition of the old gym, removal of a portable classroom building, and construction of a new parking lot. Board member Tina Schubert commented the bids were all across the board. After a brief deliberation, Schubert moved, seconded by board member Tony Boyce, that contracts would be awarded to Three Kings Environmental for demolition of the old gym, Burns...
The Julia Butler Hansen Municipal Swimming Pool (JBHMP) opened for the summer on Monday. “The pool fees will be the same as last year,” Mayor Dick Swart said. “Everybody’s costs are going up, and we are trying to pull the lines so pool patronage wouldn’t be affected by inability to pay.” Entering her fourth year as pool manager Lynette Ledgerwood is ready for summer. “I’m looking forward to another wonderful season of fun and safety at the pool!” she said. Ledgerwood has trained four new lifeguards this year, which was really needed. With form...
Over the past 14 years in the Wahkiakum School District, staffing and enrollment have been a roller coaster ride. Superintendent Bob Garrett has been in the district since 1994 and has seen fluctuations from minus 20 students to plus 20. Currently, kindergarten enrollment for next fall is 27 students, which can be a cause for concern because the student count determines the number of sections the school will offer. Garrett must inform the staff by May 15 each year if there will be a place for them in the fall. Because the number of students reg...
The Wahkiakum County PUD Board Commissioners met Tuesday with guest speaker Jim Oakley, Senior Member Relations Representative from Energy Northwest. Oakley told the board that progression is being made on the Radar Ridge Wind project in Pacific County. The concern of birds flying into the turbines hasn’t been a large problem; however, a study has been ongoing about murrelet flying patterns. He said the birds usually tend to fly lower, around sea level. While birds flying into the turbines isn’t an anticipated event, Oakley said the sit...
L-r, Alberto Guerrero, Marissa Washington, and Christopher Salazar performed a skit in which Guerrero pretended he was Washington with $100 burning a hole in her pocket in Friday’s “Mad About Money” performance by The National Theatre for Children. Photo by Sunny Manary. Two professional actors with The National Theatre for Children made a presentation for students at John C. Thomas Middle School on June 6. Their program used humorous skits to teach kids that while spending money is okay, it is important to think about future events in which...
Last week, Horizons group members Wayne and Sarah Flohr and Bill Coons returned from a three day conference in Bloomington, Minn., concentrating on the economic situations of residents of small rural towns. Horizons is a group that is a part of the Northwest Area Foundation (NAF). The NAF encompasses the states that were served by the great northern railroad: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. In order to be eligible to attend, Coons and the Flohrs applied online using their local zip code. They...
The anticipated SR 4 project at the Cowlitz County line is scheduled to begin in late June. The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the contract and will have a pre-construction meeting next week, Devin Reck, Chief Inspector and Design Team Leader, said Tuesday. The contractor must start work by June 30, but closures may not start until after July 4 weekend. Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction has been selected as the company to perform the work. The improvements will take place east of County Line Park to stabilize rocks...
Cathlamet’s annual festival, Bald Eagle Days is fast approaching. Festival organizers say with gas prices at an all time high, there will be festivities to keep folks engaged all day Saturday. Tanja Winebrenner, executive director of the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, event sponsor, has developed a partial program of events for the day, and she added that the Chamber is accepting parade and vendor applications for the festival until July 12. This year's festival theme is "Art from the Heart." The weekend kicks off on Friday afternoon with an ar...
Project updates and long service recognition were the main focus of Tuesday’s PUD meeting. Gray & Osborne Engineer Mike Johnson gave the board an ecology report and an update on the SR 409 project. In regard to the 409 project, a biological assessment has been submitted for review. Part of the package included an archeological assessment. He said gaining the necessary permits from the Army Corps of Engineers should be a relatively short process, about one to three months. He said there is still the slim possibility to be constructing this s...
The 8th Annual Derby Dollars for Scholars Sturgeon Derby and Rods and Reels Car Show was held Saturday at the Wahkiakum Fair grounds. Organizers report a good crowd and expect that last year's total of $20,000 was surpassed. The fish and chicken BBQ served 837 lunches. Trophies were awarded in the fishing category, with Landon Luce, of Cathlamet being the youngest fisherman at age four, and James Sweat, 82, of Longview the oldest. A trophy for the biggest sturgeon caught, weighing in at 31.8 lbs., was given to Serena Brooks of Columbia City,...
Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge biologist Al Clark is retiring after nearly 31 years with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. He began his career here in 1977 and will finish it here at the end of this month. Clark has seen changes positive and negative in his time. Coyote predation has become an issue where it wasn’t such a problem in the beginning. However, many positive changes have occurred. Habitat improvements and the level of protection of the deer have increased. Private groups have been an integral part in the r...
The Wahkiakum School Board met May 21 to discuss land options and athletic fields. Mayor Dick Swart told the board he has commissioned an appraisal of the town hall/library building. An initial report suggests the building is not satisfactory for current or any intended use. A final report is expected in about four weeks. He said he wanted to give the board a heads up that they should expect an invitation to a town hall discussion about what should be done with the building. Swart also asked the board to reconsider the location of an easement...
Students from Shelley Olsen’s class were treated to a guest speaker last Friday. David Hansen, the only child of Julia Butler-Hansen, brought antiques and stories from his personal collection to share with the students. “Cathlamet is one of the oldest settlements on the Columbia River,” he told the class of 23 third and fourth graders. It was founded by James Birnie in 1846. Hansen shared artifacts from a flag sporting the name Hudson Bay Company to a lock and key from the James Birnie Store which was built in 1846. “The house stood until 1...
Tuesday’s PUD meeting brought discussion of a public questionnaire and commissioner pay raises. Auditor Erin Wilson told the board that the directional boring equipment has arrived and the crew is happy with it. She said someone from the company will be showing them how it works on Thursday. She gave the board a Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) update, saying that employer contributions will be going up from 6.13 percent to 8.31 on July 1. She said it will cost the utility afew thousand dollars a year for the benefits, but it may be g...
This year the Wahkiakum County Fair will celebrate its 100th year. It is a new century that brings a new manager. Sarah Lawrence, a native of Oregon took over the position on April 1. Prior to being in Wahkiakum County, Lawrence studied advertising and communications abroad in London. She worked as an account director for a global advertising agency, working mostly with government accounts listed on the stock exchange. Lawrence, 33, worked in the public sector in not for profit charities, which is what she said she really liked to do. She was...
Dr. Keith Wright will soon be leaving Wahkiakum County for a new adventure. On June 25, Wright and his family will be headed for Brownstown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Wright’s last day in the office is today. Dr. Wright has been practicing in Cathlamet for 13 years and decided it was time to move on. Ultimately, Dr. Wright wants to pursue more overseas mission work. Moving to Pennsylvania will give Dr. Wright time to partake of hobbies like flying and music, perhaps eventually forming a barbershop quartet. He has little formal music training, however,...
