Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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My letter of last week was ill-advised and mis-informed. My sincere apologies for that; I should have at least gone down and looked at the tree before my pontification. Having done so now, I judge the tree to be about 80 years old and in poor health to the point of perhaps being a danger tree. The top has been blown out maybe 40 years ago which usually results in killing a tree over a period of years. I’ve seen monster spruce that looked perfectly healthy collapse in a pile of rotted rubble in an instant. If it were up to me, I would have t...
The mighty Columbia River and its estuary are at risk of destruction for generations to come. A major water permit stands in the way of NEXT Renewable’s approval to construct one of the world’s largest non-conventional diesel refineries at Port Westward, a swift and dangerous dock that recently dodged a massive spill from a tugboat collision. Many flaws in the proposal remain ignored by state permitting agencies. Community and expert concerns are routinely silenced. On more levels than can be discussed here, this project is greenwashing, mis...
To The Eagle, It is my observation that the two factions at opposition to the fate of the tree at Strong Park might be operating under faulty assumptions or coming to poor conclusions. Faulty assumption #1: The age of a tree is a lineal function of its diameter. With Doug Fir this is absolutely wrong. I have milled a few pieces of Doug Fir in the last 50 years. I probably have 20,000 board feet of it in inventory right now. When the tree is young it might put on two or three rings an inch. As the tree ages, these rings (annual, one ring a...
To The Eagle, Thank you for devoting space to the piece that outlined the history of discussion and public input into town’s decision regarding the tree in Strong Park. I wrote Town and Council members in August after the County cut down trees on courthouse property in regard to conversation about the Strong Park fir at that time. Since then members of the public have appeared at the Town Council meetings trying to have input and understand Town’s decision making process, which has been rather opaque. The specific age of the tree is less import...
To The Eagle, After reading the great write-up on the history of the Wahkiakum Community Garden, “Garden-to-pantry partnership yields fresh crops for all,” on Nov. 2. We realized our genuine gratitude for the Wahkiakum volunteers wasn’t expressed as much as we would have preferred. My name is Suzanne, and I am the SNAP-Ed Coordinator for Wahkiakum County HHS. Julie Johnston, Community Services Manager, and I would like to thank all involved in making this multi-entity partnership work and flow smoothly. The SNAP-Ed program began coord...
With the election now behind us, and the next 2-4 years in place, I wonder if it isn’t time for us to take down the flags and the signs from this last election and start working on pulling our community together. Hard to trust you neighbor when they tell you what to do with a person you supported in a crude way. Like it or not there is no mandate here. Barely half the country voted for Mr. Trump and almost half the country voted for Ms. Harris. That is not a mandate. The House was decided by just a handful of seats, and the Senate the same. N...
Dear editor, Over my 74 year journey through this life, the finest gift, greatest honor, I have recieved is the loyalty of those I have led, and of those leading me. Loyalty is a sacred trust; earned, honed, and bonded over time and trial, into a fine sword to be revealed, in unity, for or against friend or foe, in good times and bad to the very end. Loyalty is not just a word. It is not a coin to be spent or traded. Nor is it a medal or badge to be paraded about. The awesome weight of loyalty is not always obvious, but ever present and duty...
To The Eagle, The banner hanging on the staircase leading to the massive doors at the historic Cathlamet Pioneer Center reads “It’s Happening Here”. For several years the “It” that was happening was a substantial renovation; a literal from top to bottom facelift. Doors were closed as a new roof, exterior/interior painting, foundation repairs, basement waterproofing and lower-level remodeling were completed. Once those doors reopened the Pioneer Center was back serving the Community with renewed energy and plans for future utilization. Our Missi...
Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll! was just one of the many "take aways" from our recent field trip to the Wahkiakum District 4 Fire Station. St. James Family Center preschoolers took part in an interactive Fire Safety learning experience! After arriving to the station, preschoolers got to see a live demonstration on how firefighters prepare to fight fires and the gear that helps keep them safe. They also were able to see the inside of a fire truck and hold a real fire hose while shooting down large orange cones! We would like to extend our thanks to...
In early July, when I read that the Cathlamet town council planned to cut down Strong Park’s large, prominent fir tree, located on museum property, I decided to get involved. Hoping to make a difference, I attended every council meeting, interested in the town’s plans and seeking discussion and alternatives. But instead of collaboration, like many others, I faced resistance. They assured me they’d tried “everything to save the tree,” but claimed it was “too expensive” to simply go around it. On October 21, the council held a closed-door e...
Our public forests are not the property of major corporations and should be managed by someone not beholden to them. Public Lands Commissioner candidate Jaime Herrera-Beutler has consistently championed the timber industry’s talking points because they are her funders: Weyerhaeuser alone contributed $225,000 to her campaign. She has a terrible environmental voting record: while in Congress, she voted repeatedly to weaken Clean Air and Clean Water laws and opposed the Paris Climate Accords. She’s voting YES on Initiative 2117, which repeals Was...
I am voting for Marie because she is working at all levels for us in SW WA. At the congressional level, Marie Glusenkamp Perez ( WA-03-D) recently teamed up with Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (AZ-06-R) to design the bipartisan Ensuring Access to Medicaid Buy-In Program Act. A few days ago this bill unanimously passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to expand work opportunities and benefits for working adults with disabilities. She regularly visits us at Mile38 to listen to our concerns and to answer questions. Her "mobile office" staff r...
After reading Lisa Yeager’s article on the candidate forum, I felt it missed a crucial part of the evening—the unique, unscripted moments that only come through live interactions. As I struggled to put my thoughts into words my husband’s and my godson, who with his dad are visiting from Germany, suggested I try using AI, “for fun” he said, to help express my thoughts more clearly. Here’s what we came up with: "While candidate agendas are often available online, the true value of a live forum goes beyond policy points. Articles like this overlo...
To The Eagle, Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez has spent the last two years working tirelessly for the third district. She prioritizes the needs of the people in Southwest Washington. Go to her website: gluesenkampperez.house.gov. Under resources you will find the 2023 Year End Report. Her work includes $701,936.00 recovered for district residents from federal agencies such as the VA and IRS, 59,076 responses sent back to constituents, 849 constituent cases closed, 11 town halls held across all 7 counties, 30 Bipartisan bills introduced, 12 Bipartisan...
To The Eagle, I'm writing to encourage people to vote for Andi Day as a state senator for our legislative district. She is a third generation resident of our district who grew up in Naselle, attended WSU, and who currently lives in Seaview, and is raising her 13-year-old son. Andi grew up in a commercial fishing family with strong ties to oystering and timber, which has shaped her perspective on what goes into creating a thriving economy. Over her years of working in statewide leadership roles focusing on economic and tourism development, she...
Two years ago Marie Glusenkamp Perez hit the House of Representatives in DC running with plans to make a difference in her 3rd Congressional District in SW Washington. Did you know? Marie used $21 million Federal Infrastructure funding to meet needs in all 7 counties of her District including our Puget Island in Wahkiakum county. Did you know? Marie and her staff have sifted through hundreds of federal grant opportunities to help rural communities like ours. These include renewable energy to preservation of historic buildings and everything in...
I encourage everyone interested in the topic of consolidation who CANNOT attend the joint meeting being held by the PUD and Cathlamet Town Council on October 16th at 10 a.m. to send them a letter with specific comments and questions. I personally can’t attend and realized that others may not be able to, so I reached out to the PUD, several council members, the mayor, and the town Deputy Secretary to ask about public comments/questions in written form and am trying to facilitate it. I feel that this is such an important issue and that people s...
To The Eagle, Here’s just another reason to vote for Congresswoman Marie Perez this November. She was recognized by the American Ambulance Association as a 2024 Legislator of the Year for her leadership in addressing critical workforce shortages facing emergency medical services. She introduced the bipartisan PARA-EMT Act – legislation that makes it easier for experienced veterans to transition from medics to certified paramedics and EMTs. In March, she secured $963,000 for Skamania County to upgrade EMS communications systems, and she is now...
For those of us who watch local TV, it has been quite an exhausting experience to see the number of ads for Kent and Marie urging us to vote one way or the other. Two years ago Kent was endorsed by Trump and picked up some outside money, but since the national folks thought he was a shoo-in, not much. Marie on the other hand had nearly no support from the national level. Even so, she ended up squeaking to a narrow victory. This happened because moderates from both parties voted for her, and far-left Democrats felt occasional support is better...
Remember when Japan attacked the U.S. naval base of Pearl Harbor, on December, 7, 1941? As a sovereign nation, President Rooselvelt had no choice but to ask Congress to declare war on Japan. Sovereign nations are independent of control by any other nation, have full self-agency, and have the right to defend themselves...just as we did in 1941. When we help Ukraine defend itself, we are helping our NATO allies, who would be the next targets of Russia's aggression. Representative Perez is a fierce supporter of Ukraine's stance as a sovereign...
I am voting for Marie because she is working at all levels for us in SW WA. At the congressional level, Marie Glusenkamp Perez ( WA-03-D) recently teamed up with Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (AZ-06-R) to design the bipartisan Ensuring Access to Medicaid Buy-In Program Act. A few days ago this bill unanimously passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to expand work opportunities and benefits for working adults with disabilities. She regularly visits us at Mile38 to listen to our concerns and to answer questions. Her “mobile office” staff...
On September 15, Wahkiakum Animal Advocates Group (WAAG) marked our 5th anniversary with a celebration at Erickson Park, drawing a large crowd of animal lovers and their furry friends and raising more than $4,200 to support our organization’s life-saving work. This was WAAG’s most successful fundraiser to date, and it's all thanks to this amazing community and our supporters! The funds that were raised will provide crucial support to our community programs: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), Pet Food Pantry, Foster & Adoption Services, Financial Aid...
Please join a discussion about future options for downtown Cathlamet's historic home of Julia Butler Hansen Tuesday, October 8 from 2:15 – 4:15 p.m. at the Community Center, 100 Main Street. Hansen, a lifelong resident of Cathlamet was a trailblazing member of the Washington State House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives, and Washington State Highway Commission. Currently, the Washington State Historical Society is studying the possibility of creating a historic house museum as well as exploring other compatible uses for the h...
When the Pioneer Community Association (PCA) held their annual meeting in March, the top items on the agenda were fundraising and expanding the utilization of the historic Cathlamet Pioneer Center. All acknowledged that the PCA had pulled off a minor miracle when they received substantial funding from a grant with the Washington State Department of Commerce to restore the 125- year-old building. But that was yesterday’s news, we now needed move forward and work to fulfill our mission to not just preserve and maintain the Cathlamet Pioneer C...
The real value of $100 bill in purchasing power is lowest in CA $88, HI $89 and WA $90. The highest $100 purchasing value was $113 in AR MS; $112 in AL, IA, SD; $111 in ND, KY, WV; $110 in KS, MT, ND, NE. So in 12 states a $100 bill is worth $20+ dollars more than in Washington State. (see visualcapitalist.com). The issue is, our money is worth less in WA than in 47 other States. We should ask Governor Inslee and the Washington legislature why they failed to protect our state’s economic solvency and soundness. Good state leadership prevents p...