Willamette River north of Independence Bridge By Anne Scheck
Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton hasn’t solved the risk of ensnaring trees at a part of the Willamette River that took one life and nearly claimed another over the past two years, but it’s not for lack of trying.
In an ongoing battle against the submerged trees at a spot between Buena Vista and Independence, branches have been cut away to reduce the threat of entangling limbs. Signs have been posted warning boaters to take a different route by Wells Island, a finger-shaped islet north of Buena Vista.
“I am not sure how much that helped," said Garton. "As we were pounding in those signs last year, people came right by us (in boats), past the warning signs."
At a time when far more trees have toppled into the river as a result of this winter’s ice storm, there is no extra money allocated for safety patrols during the peak summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Garton noted. And he’s worried.
Last August, deputies responsible for patrolling waters of the area rescued a young boy who became trapped in the unseen tree branches while floating down the river on an inner tube. He was exhausted and cold by the time he was taken out, Garton recalled. The year before, a woman in the same place wasn't so lucky -- she died while caught in the tangle, lodged below the surface despite wearing a life jacket.
Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton hasn’t solved the risk of ensnaring trees at a part of the Willamette River that took one life and nearly claimed another over the past two years, but it’s not for lack of trying.
In an ongoing battle against the submerged trees at a spot between Buena Vista and Independence, branches have been cut away to reduce the threat of entangling limbs. Signs have been posted warning boaters to take a different route by Wells Island, a finger-shaped islet north of Buena Vista.
“I am not sure how much that helped," said Garton. "As we were pounding in those signs last year, people came right by us (in boats), past the warning signs."
At a time when far more trees have toppled into the river as a result of this winter’s ice storm, there is no extra money allocated for safety patrols during the peak summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Garton noted. And he’s worried.
Last August, deputies responsible for patrolling waters of the area rescued a young boy who became trapped in the unseen tree branches while floating down the river on an inner tube. He was exhausted and cold by the time he was taken out, Garton recalled. The year before, a woman in the same place wasn't so lucky -- she died while caught in the tangle, lodged below the surface despite wearing a life jacket.
Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton The middle stretch of the Willamette River, which includes Independence, has become more heavily used during the pandemic in good weather, and it is expected to attract the same numbers or higher this summer. “Boaters and floaters,” as they’re called, are using shorefront launches from Riverview Park with more frequency, as evidenced by pop-up kayak vendors last summer. Some traveled further south by car, to put out at Buena Vista, for an upward drift to Independence.
This kind of paddle-sport tourism has grown by “leaps and bounds,” according to Shawn Irvine, economic development director for Independence, who made the comment at a recent meeting of the city’s Parks and Recreation Board.
As a result, new “river steps” are being proposed – a 10-to-12 foot walk by the Independence Hotel at the terminus of C Street. It would be an “easy pathway” to a launch site, he said. The plan also was shared with the Independence City Council at a work session on capital improvement last week.
Asked about the growing popularity of the river in relation to the possible perils, Irvine observed that “it's important for anyone planning to recreate on a river to be aware of potential hazards before their trip and stay alert during their trip to avoid them.”
As it stands now, full patrol coverage of the river by Independence and the surrounding area is provided Thursdays through Sundays during the summer; The sheriff's office has only four available watercraft, two boats and two jet skis, for patrolling. That no longer seems adequate -- more people have been using the nearby river for outdoor recreation than ever before, said Patrol Commander Lieutenant Dustin Newman.
This kind of paddle-sport tourism has grown by “leaps and bounds,” according to Shawn Irvine, economic development director for Independence, who made the comment at a recent meeting of the city’s Parks and Recreation Board.
As a result, new “river steps” are being proposed – a 10-to-12 foot walk by the Independence Hotel at the terminus of C Street. It would be an “easy pathway” to a launch site, he said. The plan also was shared with the Independence City Council at a work session on capital improvement last week.
Asked about the growing popularity of the river in relation to the possible perils, Irvine observed that “it's important for anyone planning to recreate on a river to be aware of potential hazards before their trip and stay alert during their trip to avoid them.”
As it stands now, full patrol coverage of the river by Independence and the surrounding area is provided Thursdays through Sundays during the summer; The sheriff's office has only four available watercraft, two boats and two jet skis, for patrolling. That no longer seems adequate -- more people have been using the nearby river for outdoor recreation than ever before, said Patrol Commander Lieutenant Dustin Newman.
Patrol Commander Lieutenant Dustin Newman There have been increased close calls along the stretch between Salem and Buena Vista. “The safety and well-being of all citizens and visitors is very important to us,” Newman said. “The Polk County Sheriff's Office will continue to look for ways to make the river a fun and safe place to recreate,” he added.
Wells Island is where at least a half dozen rescues have been necessary this past year. So, at the site, the Marine Board has provided signage that clearly warns against taking the route. "Often times when people put in at Buena Vista County Park, the current takes them down the west channel which is immediately downstream of the access," said Brian Paulsen, boating safety waterways coordinator for the Oregon State Marine Board.
“The main river channel, which is on the east side of Wells Island or river, right as you approach the island, is the safer side for boaters to navigate,” he stressed.
Funding for the patrols comes from the Oregon State Marine Board -- the county receives the money on a pass-through basis.
Dangerous trees are part of Willamette River’s history, and early records indicate that trees below the water stopped many vessels during a period in which riverboats served as a main means of transportation between what is now Corvallis and Portland. In the mid-1850s, one of the most famous of these early steamboats, the Oregon, sunk after hitting just such a snag, an event reported nearly a century after it happened by the late author Randall V. Mills of Eugene.
Almost 50 years after Mills wrote about these great steamboats, state river maps and guides warned of the same kind of obstructions, advising that if words like “snag” were printed on charts in vertical letters, it meant the wood could be seen above water, and slanted letters indicated the pile was below the surface, perhaps invisible. Today, the Marine Board has an online, interactive map that provides the same information – alerts for recreational boaters.
Trees may be a navigational obstruction for any boater, but inner tubing can be particularly challenging to navigate due the lack of a paddle, Paulsen pointed out. Many who use inner tubes or any other pool-toy types of flotation, coupled with inexperience, are often “at the mercy of where the current takes them – they don’t have the same level of control as paddling or a motorized craft provides,” he explained.
Wells Island is where at least a half dozen rescues have been necessary this past year. So, at the site, the Marine Board has provided signage that clearly warns against taking the route. "Often times when people put in at Buena Vista County Park, the current takes them down the west channel which is immediately downstream of the access," said Brian Paulsen, boating safety waterways coordinator for the Oregon State Marine Board.
“The main river channel, which is on the east side of Wells Island or river, right as you approach the island, is the safer side for boaters to navigate,” he stressed.
Funding for the patrols comes from the Oregon State Marine Board -- the county receives the money on a pass-through basis.
Dangerous trees are part of Willamette River’s history, and early records indicate that trees below the water stopped many vessels during a period in which riverboats served as a main means of transportation between what is now Corvallis and Portland. In the mid-1850s, one of the most famous of these early steamboats, the Oregon, sunk after hitting just such a snag, an event reported nearly a century after it happened by the late author Randall V. Mills of Eugene.
Almost 50 years after Mills wrote about these great steamboats, state river maps and guides warned of the same kind of obstructions, advising that if words like “snag” were printed on charts in vertical letters, it meant the wood could be seen above water, and slanted letters indicated the pile was below the surface, perhaps invisible. Today, the Marine Board has an online, interactive map that provides the same information – alerts for recreational boaters.
Trees may be a navigational obstruction for any boater, but inner tubing can be particularly challenging to navigate due the lack of a paddle, Paulsen pointed out. Many who use inner tubes or any other pool-toy types of flotation, coupled with inexperience, are often “at the mercy of where the current takes them – they don’t have the same level of control as paddling or a motorized craft provides,” he explained.
Rob Blickensderfer Learning safety techniques is essential, according to Rob Blickensderfer, who’s known as one of the founding fathers of kayaking in Oregon. Since he began in 1963, he’s been emphasizing the need for proper training. This past June, Blickensderfer published “River Tales,” a collection of accounts from kayakers, canoers and rafters, including one about an encounter with a tree-root wad on the Willamette River.
Profits from the book go to a scholarship fund for an annual two-day safety workshop by the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club, which will be held this year in Eugene. “I highly encourage all boaters to take ‘Safety Weekend’ or its equivalent early in their boating careers and periodically thereafter,” Blickensderfer said, reiterating the importance of knowing procedures that can help prevent accidents.
Removal can be a solution to extraordinary tree hazards, but trees can be extremely difficult to abolish. For example, the spot near Wells island is extremely hard to access and has significant current -- mitigation would require heavy equipment for eradication, making removal infeasible, according to personnel from both the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Marine Board.
Profits from the book go to a scholarship fund for an annual two-day safety workshop by the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club, which will be held this year in Eugene. “I highly encourage all boaters to take ‘Safety Weekend’ or its equivalent early in their boating careers and periodically thereafter,” Blickensderfer said, reiterating the importance of knowing procedures that can help prevent accidents.
Removal can be a solution to extraordinary tree hazards, but trees can be extremely difficult to abolish. For example, the spot near Wells island is extremely hard to access and has significant current -- mitigation would require heavy equipment for eradication, making removal infeasible, according to personnel from both the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Marine Board.
Life vest station at Independence Riverview Park There are other reasons that complicate tree riddance in rivers: Fallen trees and logs in the Willamette River are helpful for all kinds of fish, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
“They provide cover from predators such as osprey, eagles, and otters,” explained Alex Farrand, assistant district biologist for the ODFW region stretching from Salem to Eugene. “They slow down the velocity of the river and create eddies and other areas of slow-moving water so fish can conserve energy.”
Wood debris can create different flow patterns, even new channels, where juvenile fish species can thrive, he added. It can turn a relatively simple river channel -- with habitats fit for only a few species -- into a complex system, where many more species of fish and other aquatic organisms are able to live, he said. Additionally, wood increases sediment, which allows for more subsurface flow, which in turn can recharge the groundwater.
More than a century ago, Samuel Sampson wrote the iconic poem “Beautiful Willamette,” describing a river “leaping like a child at play” and dancing in tiny ripples. Sheriff Garton sees it from a different perspective.
The river often looks placid but there are currents and undertows -- and, along with the likelihood of more trees this year, there is danger, he said. "I have seen people with children who are down there (on the shore) and the kids are walking out into the water," Garton said. "I worry about that, too," he said.
“They provide cover from predators such as osprey, eagles, and otters,” explained Alex Farrand, assistant district biologist for the ODFW region stretching from Salem to Eugene. “They slow down the velocity of the river and create eddies and other areas of slow-moving water so fish can conserve energy.”
Wood debris can create different flow patterns, even new channels, where juvenile fish species can thrive, he added. It can turn a relatively simple river channel -- with habitats fit for only a few species -- into a complex system, where many more species of fish and other aquatic organisms are able to live, he said. Additionally, wood increases sediment, which allows for more subsurface flow, which in turn can recharge the groundwater.
More than a century ago, Samuel Sampson wrote the iconic poem “Beautiful Willamette,” describing a river “leaping like a child at play” and dancing in tiny ripples. Sheriff Garton sees it from a different perspective.
The river often looks placid but there are currents and undertows -- and, along with the likelihood of more trees this year, there is danger, he said. "I have seen people with children who are down there (on the shore) and the kids are walking out into the water," Garton said. "I worry about that, too," he said.
Kayaks ready for launch
Renovation supplies for Independence Heritage Museum being unloaded CIVICS LESSON: Measuring the Worth of a Museum: It's Complicated
Commentary by Anne Scheck
Before Covid-19 meant widespread closures of public spaces, a journal called "Museum Management and Curatorship" frequently published articles on how to measure the use and level of appreciation of museums. Around the time the city decided to move its own Heritage Museum from an old church to downtown, some Independence residents were calling for the same kind of analysis at the local museum. However, such determinations aren't easy, as publications in the journal show.
How do you judge engagement and enjoyment? And for critics of the move by the Heritage Museum -- likely to be close to $1 million by the time the relocation is complete -- is it fair to make a claim that the museum is very rarely widely used when it has been off-limits to so many people due to the inaccessibility of hard-to-navigate interior stairs? As for supporters, is it right to condemn detractors out of a sense of passion and loyalty to history, without deep regard for the potential fiscal impact? In the above-mentioned journal, Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Art Gallery, grappled with what the future may mean, when doors are re-opened but in a different world than the one of the pre-pandemic years. "And then when we do settle on the other side of this pandemic, who knows what our ‘new normal’ might be?" she asked. "How might our audiences’ needs and expectations change? Will our structures and operations change? How might our impact change?" It may be that museums will be packed with pent-up demand for visitors, or that the opposite could occur. Ms. Feldman seems to call for a flexible response -- and she apparently is taking a wait-and-see attitude, a seemingly good plan.
Commentary by Anne Scheck
Before Covid-19 meant widespread closures of public spaces, a journal called "Museum Management and Curatorship" frequently published articles on how to measure the use and level of appreciation of museums. Around the time the city decided to move its own Heritage Museum from an old church to downtown, some Independence residents were calling for the same kind of analysis at the local museum. However, such determinations aren't easy, as publications in the journal show.
How do you judge engagement and enjoyment? And for critics of the move by the Heritage Museum -- likely to be close to $1 million by the time the relocation is complete -- is it fair to make a claim that the museum is very rarely widely used when it has been off-limits to so many people due to the inaccessibility of hard-to-navigate interior stairs? As for supporters, is it right to condemn detractors out of a sense of passion and loyalty to history, without deep regard for the potential fiscal impact? In the above-mentioned journal, Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Art Gallery, grappled with what the future may mean, when doors are re-opened but in a different world than the one of the pre-pandemic years. "And then when we do settle on the other side of this pandemic, who knows what our ‘new normal’ might be?" she asked. "How might our audiences’ needs and expectations change? Will our structures and operations change? How might our impact change?" It may be that museums will be packed with pent-up demand for visitors, or that the opposite could occur. Ms. Feldman seems to call for a flexible response -- and she apparently is taking a wait-and-see attitude, a seemingly good plan.
Recent squirrel sighting INDY HOP: SPRING SWINGS THOUGH IN SQUIRRELLY WAY
Don't squirrels in Independence seem a lot more visible this spring? It's been speculated that the ice storm, which stripped trees, caused more of their general scampering about. Several residents have wondered if roofs crashed by trees have created opportunities for the small furry creatures to take up residence in attics. The answer remains unknown, although it is the nesting season for several species of these little mammals and the Portland Audubon has posted a brief primer for helping deter the ones who sneak upstairs. "Place a radio set to a talk station in close proximity to the denning area," it advises. This is an effective method for causing a squirrel to leave because, apparently, human talk is annoying. Also, a one-way door "can be made very simply or purchased commercially," and once the squirrel exits for foraging, it seals tight, barring a return. For those who want to know what squirrel footprints look like, as opposed to those of other rodents, CascadiaWild has just completed it's annual photo contest of squirrel tracks (https://www.cascadiawild.org). The competition can be found on the website, appropriately titled, "Squirrelling Around." --AS
Don't squirrels in Independence seem a lot more visible this spring? It's been speculated that the ice storm, which stripped trees, caused more of their general scampering about. Several residents have wondered if roofs crashed by trees have created opportunities for the small furry creatures to take up residence in attics. The answer remains unknown, although it is the nesting season for several species of these little mammals and the Portland Audubon has posted a brief primer for helping deter the ones who sneak upstairs. "Place a radio set to a talk station in close proximity to the denning area," it advises. This is an effective method for causing a squirrel to leave because, apparently, human talk is annoying. Also, a one-way door "can be made very simply or purchased commercially," and once the squirrel exits for foraging, it seals tight, barring a return. For those who want to know what squirrel footprints look like, as opposed to those of other rodents, CascadiaWild has just completed it's annual photo contest of squirrel tracks (https://www.cascadiawild.org). The competition can be found on the website, appropriately titled, "Squirrelling Around." --AS
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