Downriver Dispatches

Tomorrow means September has arrived. This means summer is waning, fall is coming, school starts, morning showers are back and hopefully rain is coming for our fields, flowers and rivers. The first day of school is so exciting, can you remember how it felt to put on new clothes and see your old friends, then meet new ones? Life should be like that every day, don't you agree?

There are several important gatherings in September. September 13 at 5:30, the Grays River Flood Control District will have a presentation by Columbia Land Trust on their acquisitions and projects. September 19, Jackson Blalock and the Sea Change group will have a second meeting regarding Grays River's flooding problems and possible projects.

Labor Day is coming, too, as summer ends and school starts. Remember the SR 401 project will begin right away and is scheduled to last five weeks, or longer. One option for us in Grays River is to change our direction and go over KM to Longview to shop for a few weeks. The last time 401 closed, the traffic was something I would personally like to avoid, so I've decided Longview will be my new shopping route.

This summer, driving on SR 4 has been a challenge on the weekends. Our local two-lane highway becomes a freeway when visitors are traveling to the beach. Unfortunately, not only is the traffic a challenge, but two abandoned old campers have been dumped alongside the highway near the Hunt home and on Salme Hill. This must be a challenge for the counties that will most likely have to absorb the cost of whatever happens to them.

A portion of an old maple tree came down at 50 Covered Bridge Road that was clearly rotten in the center. Those trees were big and beautiful, but we're all grateful no one was hurt. It was only part of the full tree as there is still more of the full tree standing. Maple trees often have died inside so monitor them. Just ask a logger because they usually know trees best.

This year's drought is still causing concern for our farmers. On the US Drought Monitor website, Wahkiakum County is shown as moderate, but upper Salmon Creek is now in a severe drought. I am hoping our first good rain is a moderate one, not a gusher, because if it rains too hard, it will come on down the rivers because it's hard for heavy rain to be absorbed by rock hard soil quickly. If the first good rains are moderate, the rain can get below the surface.

The Finnish American Folk Festival Board voted to cancel the 2024 Festival because of construction on the Naselle school buildings. They voted to hold the next one in July of 2025.

The Naselle Clinic is sponsoring a Balance Class for adults on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Naselle Community Center from 2-3 p.m. Staff from the Ilwaco Hospital will be leading that class. The minutes from the FAFF meeting show that the new Community Center has been busy with bridal and baby showers, memorials, and a bicycle club tour stop.

I received a lovely thank you from the Grays River Fire District in response to my donation to help build up their operating funds. They used almost all their funding to purchase a newer fire truck. Nancy McGuire called me awhile back and suggested that every property owner send $18 to the Fire District since the full amount received from that would build the fund back to where it needs to be. If you have already donated to them, you could still send another $18, as I will when we move into the season of giving. When it comes time to think of shopping for Christmas, would you consider sending donations to our food banks, our fire departments, or our local community centers (Rosburg Hall and Naselle Community Center) in honor of those you want to remember at Christmas? A mention of your gift in their honor can be listed on a Christmas card, no amount need be mentioned, just "in your honor a donation has been made to (name or organization)."

Photo of the week: Tanner Hollo, four years old, is eager for the day he can start school.