MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Dan Farnworth, a longtime guardian of Ash Creek takes a look back
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 27, 2023
Since the early days of the pandemic, during the first week of every month, a group of people committed to the well-being of Ash Creek -- sometimes referred to as the stewards of the city’s signature waterway -- have been convening in the early morning on Zoom instead of the coffee-imbibing, in-person meetings they once held. They’re all members of the Ash Creek Water Control District, volunteers who appear to be the least known elected officials in Polk County. At their helm, until recently, has been Dan Farnworth, who saw the group through covid and stepped down this year as chair, replaced by Mancil Russell.
As a creekside resident with a back yard where deer and raccoons regularly roam, Farnworth’s love of nature helped carry him through some challenging times for the district. While the nation plowed through the period of the coronavirus, Farnworth and the ACWCD faced threats to Ash Creek, from heavy rains that abolished part of the embankment in Riverview Park to grumblings of some members of the public, who objected to their blackberry eradication efforts on the grounds that the fruit makes good eating. Farnworth graciously agreed to sit down with Trammart News for a look back on the ACWCD’s recent history.
TRAMMART NEWS: Somebody told me years ago the acronym ACWCD sounds like a society of electrical engineers. Can you explain its function? I like to think its visibility as "stewards of the creek" has been raised since that time.
FARNWORTH: The ACWCD works to improve and maintain the flow of the Ash Creek Channel, with an emphasis on reducing flooding and flood damage.
TRAMMART NEWS: Can the creek really be considered the local waterway of Independence?
FARNWORTH: The North and South fork of Ash Creek meets around Pioneer Park. But Ash Creek actually flows from the hills south of Dallas – the north and south forks join to become the main stem, flowing all the way to the Willamette River in Independence.
TRAMMART NEWS: I know the board works hard to oversee the creek. Your meetings are so focused on that. Recently, drone footage of parts of the creek was undertaken, in conjunction with a research team from Western Oregon University. How did that go, from your perspective?
FARNWORTH: The aerial mapping was the first project of its kind for the district, and you could call it experimental. We wanted to see how well it would work. The method shows promise. In the past, generally, to be able to determine how areas were doing generally around the creek, crews would go out on foot, and the rough terrain can be a barrier. So can the property owners, who often have to give us permission to go on their land.
TRAMMART NEWS: So did drones solve those problems?
FARNWORTH: The method showed promise. It seemed an improvement in some ways, as it could scan a greater area and avoided the topographic barriers such as heavy brush that prevented tracking and landowners that wouldn’t give their permission. However, tree cover obscured a substantial amount of the in-air ground footage.
TRAMMART NEWS: It seems like such an environmentally friendly mission that you and the board
undertake ...
FARNWORTH: Well, it isn't always the easiest. The ACWCD doesn’t have much money and almost no power. Yet the state keeps imposing new policies and the District must meet the same standards as bigger districts, all of which requires evaluation and paperwork. Answering the needs of bureaucracy can take
a toll ...
TRAMMART NEWS: Is that why you have unfilled vacancies on your board now?
FARNWORTH: The ACWCD board was comprised mostly of longtime members who felt they had spent enough time in district service. And the district hasn’t been widely known in spite of over 70 years of existence. Add to that that board members must own property in the district and it becomes a challenge to keep the board at a full complement of people. It is still missing two or three members.
TRAMMART NEWS: I do think people in town know the board makes a significant difference, even if
board members may feel little recognition. I believe you and the Luckiamute Watershed Council are better known than you may know.
FARNWORTH: The Luckiamute Watershed Council, which is also based in Independence, has been a great partner. I cannot say enough great things about how the LWC, which really looks after the watershed that
we all need
TRAMMART NEWS: I know you think that their outreach --field trips and educational events – have really helped the public learn about the importance of Ash Creek.
FARNWORTH: I know how old-fashioned this may sound, but it is so good to see everyone learn about nature, and not just by videos on their phones or computers. When Kristen Larson, who is the executive director at LWC, came on board several years ago she brought great changes. There has been so much public outreach. She also is just masterful at getting grants. Also, the addition of Suzanne Teller, who has organized a lot of the activities that have brought greater awareness of the watershed, including those around Ash Creek.
TRAMMART NEWS: It is so interesting to me that both groups -- ACWCD and LWC -- are really science-based, with a lot of ongoing technical study that may be hard for some to understand ... stream beds, riparian growth ... but the outreach efforts seem to be successful at informing the public of some of that work.
FARNWORTH: Well, our board members are part of the community, for one thing. When you have community members step forward to be on a board, they have neighbors and acquaintances and word spreads that way. In our case, the ACWCD's partnership with the schools – ACWCD has given grants to teachers -- have helped youth learn about Ash Creek, too, particularly at Talmadge Middle School, where the creek runs right by.
TRAMMART NEWS: Can you give an example?
FARNWORTH: One science teacher, Dave Beatley, has overseen the building of waterfowl nesting boxes along it by students in his class. A few years ago, Talmadge students also studied the creek and they made different art pieces about it. I feel like those grants from the district have helped to educate members of a new generation about the creek, maybe making them really aware of the biology and essential aspects of the creek.
TRAMMART NEWS: Some potential snafus lie ahead, right? There are always “blackberry disagreements” – some see blackberries as wonderful wild berries that can be harvested and make good eating. Others know they choke out helpful vegetation to the creek.
FARNWORTH: Yes, the public is divided at times, and needs more good information about invasive plant species.
TRAMMART NEWS: In addition to blackberry invasions along the creek, I know ACWCD is concerned with Reed Canary Grass, too. I don't think people necessarily make the connection between creek bank stability and soil erosion that can occur and lead to collapse without careful monitoring and eradication of invasive plants.
FARNWORTH: It isn't just the soil. If trees get squeezed out, the water below them in summer doesn't stay as cool. Some fish depend on this to stay healthy. When water gets too hot, without pools of lower temperature, fish can have a hard time. I worry about the Emerald Ash Creek Borer for that reason. It has been found here in Oregon. There are so many Ash trees along the creek, with shade that cools the creek in summer and shades out blackberries and reed canary grass -- and providing a root system that helps, too. We cannot afford to lose those trees.
TRAMMART NEWS: Well, Mother Nature can wreak havoc, too, as I see every time I walk in Riverview Park and cross the Ash Creek bridge.
FARNWORTH: Yes. The creek was scoured out near the confluence in Riveriview Park, and now the sidewalk by it will have to be moved. That’s a project for the future, though, and will involve the city.
TRAMMART NEWS: I know you will be missed at the helm of the ACWCD. You were considered such a steady and effective presence.
FARNWORTH: Well, thank you. But it is someone else's turn. I will still be around. I want to lend support. If you look around, one thing about our community -- and Oregon -- is that there is so much here, in nature. We are surrounded by it, like grass for kids to walk on and not just pavement. It all takes water, and we need to protect it. ▪
Beloved Falls City restaurant Boondocks goes on sale, link to Valley of the Giants
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 27, 2023
If the Valley of the Giants has a gateway, the celebrated Boondocks restaurant in Falls City is the way people beat a path to it. Now the regionally revered tavern-eatery is for sale.
Will the food be as good in the future? Will the atmosphere stay as warm and welcoming? And will Boondocks remain the meet-up place for field trips to the “VOG,” as the locals call the 51-acre old growth forest that is home to many of the tallest Douglas Firs in the Pacific Northwest.
Last Friday night, the bar was full and so was the restaurant. Co-owner Laura Britton, who was serving tables, said she was aware the news hit some patrons with the impact of a falling timber. For many in Falls City it’s a “second home and the heart of this city,” as one local put it. For others, it is a special destination.
“I come here about once a month,” said Curt Cowley, an Independence resident who made the trip of about a dozen miles with his wife Kim and another couple, to partake of “steak night.”
The establishment is inevitably linked by out-of-towners to the famous forest, Valley of the Giants, about 30 miles away. Feld trips to VOG often start at Boondocks – guided tours for drivers who caravan behind a lead vehicle over long, winding gravel roads that have confused many motorists who try it on their own.
The VOG is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and when BLM Field Manager Matt Betenson made a courtesy call to the Polk County Board of Commissioners, recently, he was queried about it. Board Chair Jeremy Gordon, who lives in Falls City, suggested it should be improved to accommodate visits.
“It is easy to get lost driving around,” Gordon explained later. “Take a wrong turn and that can happen pretty suddenly.” Asked about news of the sale of Boondocks, Gordon recommended taking a wait-and-see approach because such “a great place” is bound to find a buyer. ▪
Traffic Safety………..
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 27, 2023
A multi-damaging mystery and some rule-breaking history were both discussed at the Independence Traffic Safety Commission meeting last week, along with the topic of speeding cars.
There have been more than a dozen reports of damaged vehicles across town since the last TSC meeting, but the reason remains a bit of a mystery, confirmed Sgt. Lyle Gilbert of the Independence Police Department, who presided at the meeting. IPD Chief Robert Mason, who usually has that role, was absent.
Several parked cars, typically at apartment complexes, have been struck by other vehicles. Even though such incidents appear to have ticked up, it’s largely unknown who is responsible. Where parking is tight, a banged door or dented fender can occur and, when it involves no one at the scene but the perpetrator, it may easily escape immediate detection, Gilbert noted.
In almost all cases, there are no suspects or leads, according to police logs. Such scrapes and collisions can happen other places with the driver unaware until exiting or entering the car later, Gilbert pointed out.
Though usually not seen as hit-and-run incidents, that is technically what they are – most people know when they have hit a parked car, and leaving a note on the windshield or trying to find the owner wasn’t an action taken in very many of these instances. So, except for evidence of damage, “all we can do is document what they told us,” Gilbert said.
Some commissioners expressed concern that this may indicate a cultural shift, a growing public reluctance to “do the right thing,” as one member put it.
Gilbert observed that seat belt use has dropped by about 10%, a trend that has prompted him to give tickets for that lapse on his way to work. Recently, he gave out nine citations before he arrived at the IPD, he recalled.
This non-utilization is particularly evident at Central High School. Spotting beltless teen drivers, “I’ve rolled down my window to say, ‘put on your seat belt,’” he said.
History has shown that when there’s lower enforcement due to staff shortages, there’s less adherence to traffic laws, he said. Two more traffic officers are set to join the IPD soon, Gilbert added. Until then, a lot of law enforcement time is taken up with answering calls, he said.
Several members of the traffic commission said they were reassured by the news. Speed limits seem to have been exceeded more, too, commented Committee Member Ricardo Rivera. Even in downtown neighborhoods, like Third Street, “they go speeding by at 45 miles an hour,” he said.
“When you don’t have as many police officers, people take more chances,” Gilbert said. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 27, 2023
Since the early days of the pandemic, during the first week of every month, a group of people committed to the well-being of Ash Creek -- sometimes referred to as the stewards of the city’s signature waterway -- have been convening in the early morning on Zoom instead of the coffee-imbibing, in-person meetings they once held. They’re all members of the Ash Creek Water Control District, volunteers who appear to be the least known elected officials in Polk County. At their helm, until recently, has been Dan Farnworth, who saw the group through covid and stepped down this year as chair, replaced by Mancil Russell.
As a creekside resident with a back yard where deer and raccoons regularly roam, Farnworth’s love of nature helped carry him through some challenging times for the district. While the nation plowed through the period of the coronavirus, Farnworth and the ACWCD faced threats to Ash Creek, from heavy rains that abolished part of the embankment in Riverview Park to grumblings of some members of the public, who objected to their blackberry eradication efforts on the grounds that the fruit makes good eating. Farnworth graciously agreed to sit down with Trammart News for a look back on the ACWCD’s recent history.
TRAMMART NEWS: Somebody told me years ago the acronym ACWCD sounds like a society of electrical engineers. Can you explain its function? I like to think its visibility as "stewards of the creek" has been raised since that time.
FARNWORTH: The ACWCD works to improve and maintain the flow of the Ash Creek Channel, with an emphasis on reducing flooding and flood damage.
TRAMMART NEWS: Can the creek really be considered the local waterway of Independence?
FARNWORTH: The North and South fork of Ash Creek meets around Pioneer Park. But Ash Creek actually flows from the hills south of Dallas – the north and south forks join to become the main stem, flowing all the way to the Willamette River in Independence.
TRAMMART NEWS: I know the board works hard to oversee the creek. Your meetings are so focused on that. Recently, drone footage of parts of the creek was undertaken, in conjunction with a research team from Western Oregon University. How did that go, from your perspective?
FARNWORTH: The aerial mapping was the first project of its kind for the district, and you could call it experimental. We wanted to see how well it would work. The method shows promise. In the past, generally, to be able to determine how areas were doing generally around the creek, crews would go out on foot, and the rough terrain can be a barrier. So can the property owners, who often have to give us permission to go on their land.
TRAMMART NEWS: So did drones solve those problems?
FARNWORTH: The method showed promise. It seemed an improvement in some ways, as it could scan a greater area and avoided the topographic barriers such as heavy brush that prevented tracking and landowners that wouldn’t give their permission. However, tree cover obscured a substantial amount of the in-air ground footage.
TRAMMART NEWS: It seems like such an environmentally friendly mission that you and the board
undertake ...
FARNWORTH: Well, it isn't always the easiest. The ACWCD doesn’t have much money and almost no power. Yet the state keeps imposing new policies and the District must meet the same standards as bigger districts, all of which requires evaluation and paperwork. Answering the needs of bureaucracy can take
a toll ...
TRAMMART NEWS: Is that why you have unfilled vacancies on your board now?
FARNWORTH: The ACWCD board was comprised mostly of longtime members who felt they had spent enough time in district service. And the district hasn’t been widely known in spite of over 70 years of existence. Add to that that board members must own property in the district and it becomes a challenge to keep the board at a full complement of people. It is still missing two or three members.
TRAMMART NEWS: I do think people in town know the board makes a significant difference, even if
board members may feel little recognition. I believe you and the Luckiamute Watershed Council are better known than you may know.
FARNWORTH: The Luckiamute Watershed Council, which is also based in Independence, has been a great partner. I cannot say enough great things about how the LWC, which really looks after the watershed that
we all need
TRAMMART NEWS: I know you think that their outreach --field trips and educational events – have really helped the public learn about the importance of Ash Creek.
FARNWORTH: I know how old-fashioned this may sound, but it is so good to see everyone learn about nature, and not just by videos on their phones or computers. When Kristen Larson, who is the executive director at LWC, came on board several years ago she brought great changes. There has been so much public outreach. She also is just masterful at getting grants. Also, the addition of Suzanne Teller, who has organized a lot of the activities that have brought greater awareness of the watershed, including those around Ash Creek.
TRAMMART NEWS: It is so interesting to me that both groups -- ACWCD and LWC -- are really science-based, with a lot of ongoing technical study that may be hard for some to understand ... stream beds, riparian growth ... but the outreach efforts seem to be successful at informing the public of some of that work.
FARNWORTH: Well, our board members are part of the community, for one thing. When you have community members step forward to be on a board, they have neighbors and acquaintances and word spreads that way. In our case, the ACWCD's partnership with the schools – ACWCD has given grants to teachers -- have helped youth learn about Ash Creek, too, particularly at Talmadge Middle School, where the creek runs right by.
TRAMMART NEWS: Can you give an example?
FARNWORTH: One science teacher, Dave Beatley, has overseen the building of waterfowl nesting boxes along it by students in his class. A few years ago, Talmadge students also studied the creek and they made different art pieces about it. I feel like those grants from the district have helped to educate members of a new generation about the creek, maybe making them really aware of the biology and essential aspects of the creek.
TRAMMART NEWS: Some potential snafus lie ahead, right? There are always “blackberry disagreements” – some see blackberries as wonderful wild berries that can be harvested and make good eating. Others know they choke out helpful vegetation to the creek.
FARNWORTH: Yes, the public is divided at times, and needs more good information about invasive plant species.
TRAMMART NEWS: In addition to blackberry invasions along the creek, I know ACWCD is concerned with Reed Canary Grass, too. I don't think people necessarily make the connection between creek bank stability and soil erosion that can occur and lead to collapse without careful monitoring and eradication of invasive plants.
FARNWORTH: It isn't just the soil. If trees get squeezed out, the water below them in summer doesn't stay as cool. Some fish depend on this to stay healthy. When water gets too hot, without pools of lower temperature, fish can have a hard time. I worry about the Emerald Ash Creek Borer for that reason. It has been found here in Oregon. There are so many Ash trees along the creek, with shade that cools the creek in summer and shades out blackberries and reed canary grass -- and providing a root system that helps, too. We cannot afford to lose those trees.
TRAMMART NEWS: Well, Mother Nature can wreak havoc, too, as I see every time I walk in Riverview Park and cross the Ash Creek bridge.
FARNWORTH: Yes. The creek was scoured out near the confluence in Riveriview Park, and now the sidewalk by it will have to be moved. That’s a project for the future, though, and will involve the city.
TRAMMART NEWS: I know you will be missed at the helm of the ACWCD. You were considered such a steady and effective presence.
FARNWORTH: Well, thank you. But it is someone else's turn. I will still be around. I want to lend support. If you look around, one thing about our community -- and Oregon -- is that there is so much here, in nature. We are surrounded by it, like grass for kids to walk on and not just pavement. It all takes water, and we need to protect it. ▪
Beloved Falls City restaurant Boondocks goes on sale, link to Valley of the Giants
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 27, 2023
If the Valley of the Giants has a gateway, the celebrated Boondocks restaurant in Falls City is the way people beat a path to it. Now the regionally revered tavern-eatery is for sale.
Will the food be as good in the future? Will the atmosphere stay as warm and welcoming? And will Boondocks remain the meet-up place for field trips to the “VOG,” as the locals call the 51-acre old growth forest that is home to many of the tallest Douglas Firs in the Pacific Northwest.
Last Friday night, the bar was full and so was the restaurant. Co-owner Laura Britton, who was serving tables, said she was aware the news hit some patrons with the impact of a falling timber. For many in Falls City it’s a “second home and the heart of this city,” as one local put it. For others, it is a special destination.
“I come here about once a month,” said Curt Cowley, an Independence resident who made the trip of about a dozen miles with his wife Kim and another couple, to partake of “steak night.”
The establishment is inevitably linked by out-of-towners to the famous forest, Valley of the Giants, about 30 miles away. Feld trips to VOG often start at Boondocks – guided tours for drivers who caravan behind a lead vehicle over long, winding gravel roads that have confused many motorists who try it on their own.
The VOG is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and when BLM Field Manager Matt Betenson made a courtesy call to the Polk County Board of Commissioners, recently, he was queried about it. Board Chair Jeremy Gordon, who lives in Falls City, suggested it should be improved to accommodate visits.
“It is easy to get lost driving around,” Gordon explained later. “Take a wrong turn and that can happen pretty suddenly.” Asked about news of the sale of Boondocks, Gordon recommended taking a wait-and-see approach because such “a great place” is bound to find a buyer. ▪
Traffic Safety………..
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 27, 2023
A multi-damaging mystery and some rule-breaking history were both discussed at the Independence Traffic Safety Commission meeting last week, along with the topic of speeding cars.
There have been more than a dozen reports of damaged vehicles across town since the last TSC meeting, but the reason remains a bit of a mystery, confirmed Sgt. Lyle Gilbert of the Independence Police Department, who presided at the meeting. IPD Chief Robert Mason, who usually has that role, was absent.
Several parked cars, typically at apartment complexes, have been struck by other vehicles. Even though such incidents appear to have ticked up, it’s largely unknown who is responsible. Where parking is tight, a banged door or dented fender can occur and, when it involves no one at the scene but the perpetrator, it may easily escape immediate detection, Gilbert noted.
In almost all cases, there are no suspects or leads, according to police logs. Such scrapes and collisions can happen other places with the driver unaware until exiting or entering the car later, Gilbert pointed out.
Though usually not seen as hit-and-run incidents, that is technically what they are – most people know when they have hit a parked car, and leaving a note on the windshield or trying to find the owner wasn’t an action taken in very many of these instances. So, except for evidence of damage, “all we can do is document what they told us,” Gilbert said.
Some commissioners expressed concern that this may indicate a cultural shift, a growing public reluctance to “do the right thing,” as one member put it.
Gilbert observed that seat belt use has dropped by about 10%, a trend that has prompted him to give tickets for that lapse on his way to work. Recently, he gave out nine citations before he arrived at the IPD, he recalled.
This non-utilization is particularly evident at Central High School. Spotting beltless teen drivers, “I’ve rolled down my window to say, ‘put on your seat belt,’” he said.
History has shown that when there’s lower enforcement due to staff shortages, there’s less adherence to traffic laws, he said. Two more traffic officers are set to join the IPD soon, Gilbert added. Until then, a lot of law enforcement time is taken up with answering calls, he said.
Several members of the traffic commission said they were reassured by the news. Speed limits seem to have been exceeded more, too, commented Committee Member Ricardo Rivera. Even in downtown neighborhoods, like Third Street, “they go speeding by at 45 miles an hour,” he said.
“When you don’t have as many police officers, people take more chances,” Gilbert said. ▪
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