News for November, 1997

October ended in the same manner that it began, wet. An average of an inch a day for the first week and a half. The rain gave way to a pleasant dry period. The maples and birch turned brilliant with reds and yellows. The contrast of the green fir trees that blanket our hillsides; and those patches of color set against the sharp blue of the sky, was a visual treat. The last couple of days of the month brought a storm and six inches of precipitation. The color of the leaves were knocked to the ground by heavy winds and the blue sky was replaced with the gray overcast that is more typical of this time of year.

There is a great deal of talk of the weather phenomenon El Nino. I have observed that the storms we've had, appear to be low pressure systems that are remnant of typhoons from the south pacific. They have been caught in the Japanese current and swept north and east across the pacific to us. While our temperatures have been near normal and our precipitation the same. The weather is in quick heavy storms moving through rather fast. In other words the weather is the same, but different.

The hunting so far has been spotty. A number of hunters have had shots. But, the results have not been much more than 25%. I suspect it is because most of the seasoned hunters are stove-up. The young ones are long on equipment, but short on experience. They are not very adept at sitting in a blind for any length of time. Nor are they really any good at stalking. Both take time and patience that few have any more.

The fishing on the other hand is faring better around 50% success. The average size taken is twenty inches and around fifteen pounds. There have been a number caught that are larger than that. The largest that I've seen was over thirty inches and probably twenty-five pounds. Some of the reports indicate the fish really don't look too good. I attribute those observations to recently transplanted easterners. The salmon is peculiar in that it actually goes through physiological changes that occur when they migrate to the ocean. However, those changes are not reversible and after spawning cause death. The various colors of the salmon only indicate how far along in the returning cycle the fish is. Steelhead, however, are an ocean going trout and return to their native stream to spawn. But then return down stream to the ocean, this is repeated until the fish becomes food. The Three Rivers will be open for angling soon. The winter run of Steelhead will also begin in a few weeks.

The Coastal Hill's Art tour is scheduled for November 7Th & Th. The tour is an opportunity for our local artists to show off their talents. This is the sixth year of festivities and it just keeps getting better. While the event draws many people from around the area. This year organizers are reaching out to include local participation. There are hayrides being offered, along with a street dance on the evening of the seventh. There is no charge, except for the hayride. A map of the galleries and listing of the events is available at The Kershaw House at 472 N.E.Main St. in Willamina, It is also the first place on the tour. The nights around here have been cool, so bring a warm jacket.

There is another sure sign that autumn is here and winter on the way. The logging equipment is being moved back into the woods. Everyday I see yarders and skidders on flatbed trucks heading into the hills. There does seem to be a greater number of trucks hauling alder out of the woods than fir, but I have no real idea that it is so.

This month's tribal meeting was packed. A petition was presented to the council, seeking redress for the less than stellar handling of this years tribal elections. The council did take it under consideration; however, not much is expected to really change. The construction of the tribal administration building is going forward. The foundation has been poured and the first floor set. The casino expansion is also moving right along. It seems to be progressing slower than it should. But 57,000 square feet is a pretty good sized addition and is not something that goes up at the snap of one's fingers. The five acre tract for the R.V. park is ready for paving. That addition and the surface treatment in the valet parking lot, will be complete in time for the November concert featuring Chris LeDoux. There are still tickets available for The Oak Ridge Boys, Who will be here in early December.

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