PORCUPINE WINS IN RUN-IN WITH DOG

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

Bella, a 3-year-old black lab, hasn't wandered far from her Chelatchie Prairie home lately after a failed game of tag with a porcupine.

On July 7, Bella and her pal Toby, a 2-year-old yellow lab, encountered the angry rodent while on their nightly run on "the back 20" acres of Robert and Heather Kramer's home.

At an emergency veterinary clinic, more than 1,000 quills were removed from a sedated Bella's face and body over about five hours.

Toby, on pain medication, waited those five hours before his own 50 could be removed. The Kramers spent more than $700 in medical bills.

"You're dog's full of quills!"

At about 9 p.m. that evening, Heather Kramer opened the gate that led to the back 20 acres of their 25-acre home so the dogs could have their routine romp before nightfall.

She'd just begun to wonder why the dogs hadn't come back yet when her 8-year-old nephew, Tristan Hites, looked out the front window and screamed, "You're dog's full of quills!" Kramer said.

When Kramer looked, Bella had made her way to the front porch and was trying to get in the house, "which she never does," Kramer said.

"There were dripping fluids everywhere," she said, "saliva from her mouth and clear fluid from every wound."

Blessedly, none pierced the dog's eyeballs or inside the mouth, but Bella did have some holes through her lips.

Bella's entire right side was covered in quills almost as much as her face, Kramer said. She figured it took the dogs 30 minutes to walk home.

Some quills went so deep they broke off when being removed. A week later, some are still moving to the surface and will be removed by a veterinarian.

Now the dogs sleep in the house at night and are not too curious about wandering past the gate, even when it's open.

"Pricklepig"

The American Porcupine is a blunt-nosed rodent with small eyes and small, round ears, bad eyesight and a good sense of smell. Only its vulnerable underside is not protected by quills that are 1 to 2.5 inches long.

The rump and tail of the animal are covered by 30,000 quills, according to nature officials, and loosely attached to the body.

When threatened, the animal puffs up to look like a giant pincushion.

The porcupine unleashes it's fury by slapping its broad tail back and forth on an enemy, pounding the quills in up to an inch in some cases. Each quill has hundred of tiny barbs that, when embedded, work their way deeper. Like hair, quills grow back to replace those lost.

Also known as "pricklepig," the porcupine is nocturnal, slipping out of the crooks of trees to feed after long, daytime naps.

"They were traumatized," Kramer said of her pets. "It's pretty scary. We won't let them run into the dusk anymore."

"People don't see the extreme, they don't realize what can happen," she added. "Porcupines will defend themselves."

Because each barb tip carries poison, the dogs will be on antibiotics until the end of July.

Kramer's husband dabbles in live trapping animals, and has set one for the prickly rodent. When caught, the animal will be relocated.

BEAR TRACKS SEEN IN HAZEL DELL

Bill Myers, staff reporter

The last thing Steve Matison expected to see in his Hazel Dell back yard were bear tracks.

Matison said in the aftermath of a rainy Friday night, two prints were clearly visible on Friday morning, July 9, a few feet from his home in the 8600 block of St. Johns Rd.

"I accidentally stepped on one print, and protected the other one with a garbage can lid," said Matison.

Friends with hunting experience said the prints, about the size of a man's hand, were made by a bear. Searches near the area did not reveal bear droppings.

Just a few feet from Matison's garbage cans near his residence, the prints were in dirt recently spilled from a nearby landscaping project.

Matison said he barbecued hamburgers and steaks the previous evening. He surmised that the bear could be living in about one acre of blackberry bushes next to his residence.

Matison, whose home has a window directly over the track locations, said he hopes to get a photo of the creature.

C-TRAN FACES DELAYS AT 99TH ST. PARK & RIDE

Bill Myers, staff reporter

A delay in permitting a new Park & Ride at 99th St. is forcing C-TRAN officials to modify a Service Reduction Plan scheduled to take effect September 25, 2005.

C-TRAN executive director Lynne Griffith, in a staff report to the board, said adjustments are needed to accommodate a delay in building the new facility west of I-5 on the south side of 99th St.

Clark County permitting for the facility, targeted for completion in September, is on hold pending resolution of concerns about traffic alignments expressed by affected area business owners.

C-TRAN board members, following recommendations by Griffith, authorized staff members to modify the Service Reduction Plan to accommodate the delay in opening the Park & Ride.

With unanimous board consent, Route 71 will continue to serve the Salmon Creek Park & Ride. The I-5 Park & Ride shuttle connection to Delta Park/Van Port Light Rail will be delayed until the 99th St. Park & Ride is completed.

Board members directed staff members to develop and implement a service/staffing plan that will continue premium commuter service to downtown Portland at a level sustainable by collection of a premium fare.

C-TRAN spokesman Scott Patterson said a premium Portland Express fare was set May 1 at $3 as part of a "pay as you board" system.

Patterson said studies of

the new fare should allow C-TRAN to continue about 60 percent of current premium commuter service hours, or about 28,000 express service hours.

Precise adjustments or eliminations of specific premium commuter routes won't be known until "run cut" studies are completed, said Patterson.

Decisions on cuts will depend on ridership, he said.

At Griffith's request, C-TRAN board members also asked staff to develop and implement an Annual Pass Program using employer photo identification cards.

Annual passes to Portland would be priced at $1,155. The price is 11 times the cost of the $105 monthly premium express pass. Officials hope the discount will encourage Portland employer subsidies of C-TRAN's premium commuter service.

Adjusting to revenue losses

C-TRAN officials continue to make adjustments to offset the loss of motor vehicle excise tax revenues a few years ago.

Last November, voters turned down a 0.3 percent sales tax increase intended to fund and expand county-wide bus service.

Griffith and her staff reduced the agency's service and taxing boundary, and raised fares. A 2005 budget eliminated 16 management positions, froze management salaries and downsized the agency from five to three departments.

The Service Reduction Plan targeted in September will eliminate another 150 positions if additional funding is not secured, said Patterson.

Patterson said transit services outside of the Vancouver urban areas will be in the hands of the voters.

Funding measure on September ballot

Voters will decide Sept. 20 on a new, 0.2 percent sales and use tax (two cents on a $10 purchase) that would generate about $9.1 million in annual revenues to C-TRAN.

Agency officials expect the funds to preserve current transit levels and restore connector services to outlying cities.

Only those voters residing within C-TRAN's reduced service area will vote on the measure. A simple majority is needed for passage.

C-TRAN already collects a 0.3 percent sales tax which provides the bulk of agency funding.

Agency board chairman Bill Ganley said passage of the September ballot measure would have citizens paying a nickel for every $10 spent on taxable items for transit service. "That's the lowest collection among all 10 urban transit systems in the state," said Patterson.

MIELKE, STUART AGREE TO DEBATE ISSUES

Former state representative Tom Mielke (R-Vancouver) has accepted an invitation from Clark County commissioner Steve Stuart (D-Vancouver) to a series of public debates in their likely race for Clark County commissioner.

Stuart made the debate suggestion in a July 7, 2005, letter to Mielke.

"Our home is facing a lot of complex challenges," said Stuart in his letter. "As candidates for county commissioner, I think we have a great opportunity--and obligation--to each share with the voters our ideas for how to solve those issues."

"We can give voters a clear and honest view of which candidate best suits their needs," added Stuart. "I want to get the community engaged in the process of shaping our future. That process begins when citizens choose their leaders. Let's have a dignified, open discussion about what it means to live in Clark County."

Mielke said he is looking forward to debates. He said if a third candidate files for the office, then debates might take place in August and September, before the primary. If only he and Stuart are candidates, the debates might be scheduled closer to the general election.

Stuart suggested that a "mutually agreed upon third party" could be chosen to organize the debates. Mielke concurred.

The Stuart campaign can be reached at 635-5490, and Mielke at 608-6201.

UTILITY SEEKS RATE EXCHANGE WITH BONNEVILLE

Officials of Clark Public Utilities are seeking to be included in the Residential Exchange Program conducted by the federal Bonneville Power Administration.

The action could result in a $2-3 million annual benefit to Clark Public Utilities, lower rates for Clark's residential customers, and higher rates for all northwest power users. Clark sought inclusion in the program in a June 27 letter to Bonneville.

Initiated in 1982, the program allows utilities to exchange higher cost power to Bonneville in return for power of lesser cost.

Bonneville spokesman Mike Hansen said numerous utilities have taken advantage of the program over the years. Bonneville's wholesale power rates include its costs under the program, said Hansen.

Hansen said that in 2001, "settlements" were reached with participating utilities which resulted in fixed cash payments or credits instead of the power exchange calculations.

Inclusion in the program would allow Clark Public Utilities to subsidize the high cost of operating its River Road Generating Plant.

Utility spokesman Mick Shutt said the program was created by Congress in 1980 to allow utilities with high power generating costs to trade that power to Bonneville for lower cost power.

Shutt said the program was designed to produce lower power rates for residential customers.

Shutt said Clark had participated in the program for about 10 years when it exchanged power acquired from Great Western Malting for less costly federal hydro power.

Shutt said the utility's River Road plant is operated when it is a low-cost alternative, and shut down when lower cost power can be acquired.

So far this year, the plant has operated 114 of 180 days, with closure decisions based both on generation cost and maintenance.

A Bonneville study team is currently assessing the impact of Clark's request both on payments or credits due to Clark, and on Bonneville's wholesale rates to its customers.

Shutt said the cost to operate the utility's River Road plant is about 5.7 cents per kilowatt hour, whereas Bonneville's current rate is 3.6 cents per kilowatt hours.

Hansen and Bonneville staff member Bill Doubleday declined to discuss the details of the Clark situation, the likely amount of credits to Clark, or the impact such credits might have on Bonneville rates.

Doubleday said a different rate--called the Priority Firm Exchange Rate--is used to calculate benefits under the Exchange program. That rate is currently about $44 per megawatt hour, compared to Bonneville's Priority Firm Preference Rate of about $30.

The use of a higher exchange rate would reduce benefits available to a utility under the program, said Doubleday.

Hansen said Bonneville is currently paying about $375 million a year in benefits to utilities through Exchange Program settlements.

Doubleday said benefits to Clark Public Utilities could affect Bonneville rates. Details on such benefits and rates have yet to be calculated, he said.

Hansen said utilities are required to pass Exchange Program benefits to their residential and small farm customers.

Shutt said benefits from the program might be used to offset higher Bonneville prices expected in the fall.

Hansen said the study group is to conclude its work by the end of July.

Shutt said the utility did not apply for the Exchange Program last year because possible benefits were small or non-existing.

COMMISSIONERS SAY NO TO STOREDAHL

Marcus Brotherton, staff reporter

The Clark County commissioners voted 2-1 July 12 to deny a proposal that would allow mining to proceed at the Daybreak mine, located near the East Fork of the Lewis River.

The decision is another step in more than seven years of legal wrangling between attorneys for the Kelso-based Storedahl & Sons gravel mine and two fish preservation groups, Friends of the East Fork and Fish First.

Storedahl representative Ann Rivers said the company was reserving judgment on the commissioners' decision until a final resolution is published, probably in two weeks, at which point the company "will likely move the matter to superior court"--something the commissioners anticipated.

"It's time for this to go to the bench," said commissioner Betty Sue Morris at the July 12 meeting. "We're in areas of law for which we have no expertise."

The commissioners' vote was in specific response to three appeals to a June 8 decision by hearings examiner Daniel Kearns, which had allowed the mine to proceed.

Central to Kearns' ruling was a conclusion that Storedahl has a "pre-existing" or "non-conforming" right to do business on its property.

A non-conforming right means that even though the mine may not conform to existing regulations, it did comply with regulations at the time it was established.

Kearns had also established the date that the site became a non-conforming use as 1973, when the County first imposed zoning that restricted mining activities at the Daybreak site.

Storedahl representatives had argued that mining activity did not become a non-conforming use until 1995 when the County removed a surface mining overlay from the site.

A later date would have given Storedahl representatives more clout related to both the amount of land to be mined and the types of activities allowed as a non-conforming use.

The commissioners upheld Kearns' ruling on the date of the non-conforming use, but overturned the part of the proposal which would have extended the amount of property to be mined.

That means that mining can now occur only on the original 71 acres of the mine, but not expand into the entire 351 acre site.

Mining is also allowed on an additional 60 acres of property currently zoned to allow the activity.

According to County civil attorney Bronson Potter, who gave a memorandum to the commissioners outlining legal issues raised in the appeals, mining operations which operate as non-conforming uses are governed by a doctrine where intent-to-mine becomes critical.

Commissioner Steve Stuart said the scope of the non-conforming use was central to his decision.

"When I looked back through the record, I didn't see anything that indicated the applicant had any intention to use 351 acres," Stuart said.

Morris agreed.

"Intent is a clear issue to me," Morris said. "And there's nothing that would indicate that in 1973--when they started mining--that they intended to mine the whole 351 acres."

Commissioner Marc Boldt cast the lone vote, siding with the hearings examiner.

"Business may not know all their intent when they begin," Boldt said. "I want to be consistent with anyone who starts a project and may not have decided all their plans up front."

Fish First Board member Jim Malinowski called the commissioners' decision "a major victory for the community."

"Storedahl has a horrible record, and the actions of the state, federal and county agencies that were supposed to be supervising them are shameful," Malinowski said. "Our Clark County commissioners are the first ones who have done their job and represented the public interest, and not the interest of this company."

NEW HOCKINSON SUPERINTENDENT TAKES REIGNS

Marcus Brotherton, staff reporter

Delcine Mesa-Johnson started work July 5 as the new superintendent of the Hockinson School District.

Mesa-Johnson took the reigns from assistant superintendent Maggie Bates, who was acting superintendent while the District's interim superintendent was on leave for the past several months due to allegations of sexual harassment brought by a teacher.

The matter was resolved June 30. Bates hopes the experience is behind the District, and welcomed Mesa-Johnson to the helm.

Mesa-Johnson, 49, said she was excited to be part of the Hockinson family, and looked forward to participating in a dynamic learning community with a vision of excellence and academic achievement for all children.

The new superintendent said she has three goals in her new role: to keep the focus on high academics and student achievement, to create and maintain a safe and nurturing learning environment for both staff and students, and to examine facilities and crowding issues throughout the District, particularly at the primary and intermediate level.

Mesa-Johnson said her initial goal is to meet as many District patrons as possible en route to becoming an integral part of the community.

She and her husband, Don, a retired public school teacher who now teaches English as a second language for Washington State University-Vancouver, have rented a house a mile from the District office, and are in the process of selling their previous house in Mattawa. They plan to make Hockinson their permanent home.

Mesa-Johnson received a bachelor's degree from Cal-State Polytechnic University, and a master's degree and K-12 superintendent's credentials from Washington State University-Pullman. She has completed all course work for her doctor's degree, except her dissertation, from Washington State University.

Mesa-Johnson began her educational career out of college as a sixth and seventh grade teacher for the Montebello School District in California, a diverse environment near the heart of Los Angeles, she said. She can speak Spanish fluently.

She and her husband were brought to the Pacific Northwest by a strange twist of events.

While teaching in California, they flew to Pasco for a two-day consulting trip. The day they arrived was May 18, 1980--the same day Mt. St. Helens blew. With airports closed, they ended up staying in Pasco for a week. By the time they left, they both had been offered jobs.

"It was an act of God that brought us here," Mesa-Johnson said, with a smile.

She taught for two years in Pasco, then operated a preschool for three years while her children were small. The couple now have three grown children, one of whom is in the Air Force. The Johnsons are also new grandparents with their first grandson, now 6-months old. Mesa-Johnson's license plate holder reads: "World's Greatest Granny."

In 1985 Mesa-Johnson became a second-grade teacher with the Prosser School District, a position she held for eight years. She advanced to grants writer and manager, then principal with the Wahluke School District.

Wahluke is a K-12 district with about 1,850 students, just slightly smaller than Hockinson. Mesa-Johnson became director of curriculum and instruction in Wahluke in 1998 and assistant superintendent in 2000, a position she held until recently. Hockinson is Mesa-Johnson's first superintendent role.

Her salary in Hockinson is about $112,000.

Mesa-Johnson has about 10 years until state retirement eligibility. She has a long-term vision for her role in Hockinson, she said.

For hobbies, she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling and musical theater. She has directed and produced community plays and was vice present of the Mattawa Lions Club.

BG JUDGE RESIGNS, PRO-TEM SITS IN

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

After two and one-half years, Battle Ground Municipal Court judge Steven Sowards called it quits June 16.

Scott Sonju, a Vancouver area attorney, is filling in as judge pro-tem until a replacement is found.

Sowards said his part-time role as judge took time away from his private practice as an attorney in Battle Ground and has affected his income.

Another factor is the high number of unexpected "conflict" cases that occurred because of his practice being located in the same city as the court, he said.

When a conflict case arises, someone from a list of pro-tem judges comes in to serve for the day.

Municipal Court cases are held every Thursday, and every second and fourth Tuesday evenings monthly.

Dennis Osborn, assistant city manager, said staff is looking at County-wide judge pro-tem lists as well as "the bar" to invite attorneys to apply for the job. Applications are due by the end of July.

Sowards said it was his pleasure to serve the court the past years. He believes he had a positive affect on the movement and growth of the court system.

Sowards is confident the system will maintain the progress achieved since he took over.

Osborn agreed, and said the court is moving along smoothly.

NEW POLICE BUILDING EMERGES IN BG

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

Depending on whom one asks, construction on the new, nearly $4 million Battle Ground police building is on time.

City manager Eric Holmes said they are right on time, and may conclude about a month before the contract "must finish" date of January 2006.

However, the general contractor, Pacific Northwest Environmental Corp., said they are behind schedule about one week as of July 13. Their target finish date is December.

The week delay has to do with heavy rain experienced last month, said Scott Seaell, site superintendent.

According to Sam Adams, public works director, the building is going up in "typical" construction time, and there have been "no major hiccups."

Growing daily

The building is emerging from the lot behind the existing station at 505 SW 1st St. much like Mount St. Helens new dome--each day, there's something new taking shape.

As of July 13, most of the concrete block work was complete, the second floor deck was poured, the holding cells were being framed with blocks and concrete floors with flush drains, and the sally port on the east side was nearly finished.

The following week will see interior framework to separate offices, a finished floor structure, trusses installed for the roof, and the roof itself in place by the end of July, said Seaell.

The work inside is what will take longest, he said. A police building requires a lot of electronic and security systems such as "card-lock" doors, and a fiberoptics connection to city hall, located about two blocks east on the same street.

Painting, flooring, and interior design all take time, Seaell said, adding that there are 85 doors and about 20,000 square feet of flooring.

"That gives you an idea of how many rooms there are--how big this building is," he said.

In comparison, the current police building is 4,000 square feet with three offices for officers and administration, administrative assistant areas, two holding cells, a break room, and a conference/training room where the court used to be before it moved to city hall.

Council member Bill Ganley stood outside the building under construction and marveled, "this building will definitely last another 30 years.