Plans have tentatively changed for the handling of parakeets in Yacolt.
What was first a catch and euthanize program conducted by Clark Public Utilities, and then became a catch and adopt out program by a bird rescue organization, could become a program of providing housing, adopting out the hatchlings, and leaving the rest alone.
That’s the hope of Christopher Driggins who operates NW Bird Rescue and Adoption Orphanage, a non-profit bird rescue organization based in Vancouver.
Driggins said he will meet with Yacolt town officials, and representatives of another bird rescue group, to come up with proposals for the town council to consider.
Driggins hopes that by the council’s Jan. 21 meeting, a plan will be finalized to deal with the troublesome but well-liked and colorful creatures.
Driggins said he has installed 18 nesting boxes on private properties in Yacolt, hoping to attract the parakeets away from the utility transformers that got them in trouble in the first place.
If the plan is approved, said Driggins, he will visit the nesting boxes throughout the spring and remove eggs. His organization will then brood the hatchlings, hand feed them, wean them, and then adopt them out for free.
Transformer problems
Problems arose when the monk parakeets began building nests on utility transformers in Yacolt. Mick Shutt of Clark Public Utilities said the five nests posed a safety problem. One nest completely surrounded a transformer.
The number of parakeet nests, which are native to South America, had grown from none four years ago to five today, expanding to an estimated 20 birds.
About midnight on Nov. 26, utility officials attempted to capture the birds and euthanize them with gas. They were successful, however, in capturing only three birds.
Some Yacolt residents were upset about the attempted euthanization. Lena Wittler of the utility said she received 83 phone calls and 103 emails about the parakeet matter within three days of the attempted round-up.
Driggins said he counted 19 parakeets on Dec. 23. Parakeets are able to breed at three years of age, said Driggins. Females have two clutches a year of usually three eggs, two of which will hatch, he said.
Driggins said that once a flock reaches 40 birds, they will divide into two flocks and locate in different parts of the town. The life expectancy of a parakeet is 10-15 years, he said.
Driggins said he has noticed one parakeet hen that is slower moving and protected by younger birds, indicating that she is older. Falcons, hawks and owls prey on parakeets, he said.
Driggins said he has been providing feed for the parakeets, and so far has delivered 800 pounds of food to various locations in Yacolt. He said he has installed 18 nesting boxes, with more to come, because of the possibility of a population explosion.
“There is a good chance they will go back to the transformers,” said Driggins, who is gathering information on noise makers to put in the nesting boxes that would simulate the humming sound of transformers. He and others have been working to add sticks to the exterior of nesting boxes to give them a more natural appearance.
Boxes vandalized
Driggins said the first few nesting boxes he installed were on public rights-of-way, and had doors that could be closed with a long string. “Those boxes were sabotaged,” said Driggins, theorizing that people did not want the birds trapped and taken away.
Driggins has removed all nesting box doors, and relocated the boxes to private property.
Driggins said both the Audubon Society and an activist group called In Defense of Animals are involved in the Yacolt parakeet effort.
Driggins also operates a rescue orphanage, housing unwanted or ownerless birds. He said he presently cares for six birds who belong to people who are incarcerated.
Driggins operates his rescue group on donations. He has used his own resources to buy food and to pay for gas for two vehicles traveling to Yacolt. He welcomes donations which may be sent to NW Bird Rescue and Adoption Orphanage, 1901 NE 162nd Ave., Suite D-105, P.M.B. #301, Vancouver, WA 98684. The organization Web site is www.nwbirdrescue.com
The areas in Clark County where outdoor burning is permanently banned have been expanded.
State law prohibits outdoor burning inside incorporated cities and within urban growth boundary areas. As urban growth areas expand, so do the no-burn areas.
In September 2007, Clark County officials expanded urban growth areas at La Center, Ridgefield, Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal and Vancouver. Outdoor burning is now banned inside these expanded urban growth areas.
The urban growth area around Yacolt has not changed.
About 1,500 acres of residential property was added to the Ridgefield growth area, plus another 210 acres of commercial and industrial property.
More than 900 acres of residential land has been added to the Battle Ground Urban Growth Boundary, along with about 600 acres of commercial and industrial properties.
La Center added about 700 commercial and industrial acres to its growth boundary, which includes some 152 acres that may become a tribal casino. La Center also added about 730 acres of future residential properties.
Additions were also made to the Vancouver Urban Growth Boundary, mostly along the city’s north and east boundaries.
At one point, Battle Ground and Vancouver urban growth boundaries are about 20 blocks apart, with Battle Ground extending south to about 169th St. and Vancouver reaching northward to about 149th St.
Where allowed, outdoor burning is limited to vegetation grown on site. Burning is also limited by pile size, burning is banned at night.
State law prohibits the use of burn barrels, as well as garbage burning, anywhere in the state.
In cities and urban growth areas where no outdoor burning is allowed, officials recommend arranging for yard debris pick-up, composting, chipping or recycling in lieu of outdoor burning.
“Composting is a good alternative to outdoor burning and creates a resource instead of air pollution,” said Bob Elliott, executive director of the Southwest Clean Air Agency. “It is an easy and inexpensive way to turn yard and garden waste into a usable and valuable product. Compost turns organic matter like leaves, grass, weeds and wood chips into a rich soil amendment.”
The Southwest Clean Air Agency responds to smoke nuisance complaints. Elliott said general nuisance rules provide that people should not unreasonably interfere with another persons use of their property. He said people burning wet piles that create unnecessary smoke are educated about the rules. Fines are not levied in such cases, he said. Those concerned about illegal burning may file a complaint by calling 574-3058.
“Smoke generated from outdoor burning is a health hazard and a public nuisance,” said Elliott. “Particularly at risk to the effects of smoke are children, the elderly and those with asthma, heart disease and other respiratory ailments.”
The Southwest Clean Air Agency responds to smoke nuisance complaints. Those concerned about illegal burning may file a complaint by calling 574-3058.
Brandy Slagle
Staff reporter
Little more than a week passed after the Clark County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release that 16-year-old Brush Prairie resident Amanda Bentz was missing before they reported she had contacted her parents.
Tim and Karen Bentz had been hoping to hear their daughter’s voice every time the phone rang since she disappeared from their home. When her voice assured them she was safe at a hotel in Billings, MT, Tim was relieved and contacted the sheriff’s department right away.
The sheriff’s office issued a press release based on Tim Bentz’s information and said her parents were on their way to Billings.
The case was closed.
But Amanda was not there.
What really happened
Amanda had given her parents false information and remained missing until Dec. 13 when Tim Bentz found her in Nampa, ID. The detective at the sheriff’s department did not verify Amanda’s story, Tim Bentz said.
“Imagine how we felt when people would approach us saying they were so happy Amanda was found and was home safe, yet she wasn’t,” he said. “Then we’d have to explain she was still missing. It happened so frequently I took the business signs off our family vehicle and quit wearing my business uniforms into public places.”
He waited a few weeks longer to see if she would come home. Then, a month after disappearing from their home, Tim Bentz closed his business and left to find his daughter who had run away with a 19-year-old male she met on MySpace.com. He drove over 2,300 miles, stopping in major cities to distribute fliers everywhere from bus stations and homeless shelters, to blood banks and motels in his search for Amanda.
Late in the evening of Dec. 12, in Salt Lake City, UT, Tim Bentz received a tip that Amanda was in Boise, ID. He left early the following morning with his son Jeffrey. They had not been in Boise long before Bentz was contacted by a person who told him they had seen Amanda and her companion pan-handling at a supermarket nearly every day for the past three weeks.
Tim Bentz went to the Boise police for help which is where he discovered the case had been closed. The Boise police would not pick up Amanda unless the case was re-opened, he said.
“I called my wife with the bad news and she immediately went to work on the problem,” he said. “Since it was after midnight, it took over an hour and several angry phone calls to get the right people out of bed, but she was successful and the case was re-opened that night.”
Boise police agreed to pick up Amanda and her male companion, he said, but requested that Tim and Jeffrey stay away and let them handle it. But rather than waiting for the panhandlers to appear, officers went straight to the supermarket and began asking questions.
“This raised suspicion and led to Amanda getting tipped-off, so off she went on the run again,” he said. “The guy that provided us with the initial tip quickly learned of this and called me with the news. At this point, we were very discouraged, but decided the best plan was to get the word out as fast as possible.”
Tim Bentz faxed multiple flyers and distributed them everywhere. The response, he said, was amazing. Tips rolled in one after another. Word came that the two were spotted at a Wal-Mart in Nampa, ID, about 20 miles outside of Boise.
Tim Bentz placed a call to 911 and headed west to Nampa. Officers were successful in picking them up. He collected his daughter then drove home through the night, arriving in the early morning hours of Dec. 14.
“Since being home, we have had several long conversations and I have talked with the 19-year-old boy,” he said. “I believe we have resolved the core reason why she ran away, and we will be starting family counseling next week.”
Amanda will return to classes at Prairie High School after the holiday break, he said.
“She’s a good student and I have no doubt she can get back on track in no time,” said Tim Bentz.
Amanda Bentz declined to give comment on her time on the road or since returning home.
Why the case was closed
Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Bieber said there isn’t much officers can do with run away cases.
“We have at least five to 10 a day in Clark County,” he said. “We don’t look for them usually unless something about the case leads us to believe the person could be in danger.”
Otherwise, he said, searching for runaways is all the sheriff’s office would be doing.
Bieber said the sheriff’s office does not have the resources to respond to each runaway case. Individuals who have run away are entered into a national database.
Amanda’s case received more attention because they had reason to believe she had been abducted, he said.
Tim Bentz said reporting Amanda’s phone call to the sheriff’s office hampered their efforts to find Amanda.
“Aside from local people not looking anymore, the fliers I was distributing around the country had the case number on them and asked people to call 911 if they saw her,” he said. “Unfortunately, this meant anybody calling and referencing this case number would be told the case was closed and they must be looking at an old flier.”
In addition, he said, if she would have been picked up by the police for any reason, she would have been released because there was no longer an active missing person’s case on her and she was taken off the national runaway database.
Tim Bentz said he is not out to publicly “burn” the sheriff’s office for closing the case. The detectives were all very helpful and gave him plenty of good advice while he was tracking Amanda down, he said.
Bieber said the case had been closed because they believed the Bentz family had gone to find their daughter. Cases are often left open until the runaway has returned home, he said. However, in this case the detective believed the family was on their way to her.
“Tim and Amanda Bentz came into our office last week,” said Bieber. “I was able to explain to her the basic resources that went into her case and the pending cases, such as homicides, that were put on temporary hold to look for her. She was receptive to it.”
Bieber said he is pleased and relieved for the family that she is home.
Tim Bentz said even though he understands the challenges facing the sheriff’s department, he found the process frustrating.
“It wasn’t illegal for her to runaway,” he said. “Once the sheriff’s department learned that her case was not an abduction, they lost the ability to do a lot of things that would help track her down. They had to walk away at that point.”
Tim Bentz said he would like to thank all of the people working at homeless shelters who provided about 90 percent of the useful information that brought Amanda home. The River of Life Mission, The Sanctuary and Corpus Christi of Boise all were instrumental in locating her, said Bentz.
Brandy Slagle
Staff reporter
The office holiday party can be an opportunity to let loose and congratulate each other on hard work during the year.
But Ron King, founder and president of 3 Kings Environmental in Battle Ground, had a different idea for his staff this year.
King flew staff members to New Orleans, LA, to perform restoration work on devastation from Hurricane Katrina. He paid for airfare, lodging and two meals each day of the nearly week-long visit for each employee who elected to go.
King said he had originally planned to camp with other volunteers but ended up paying for his staff to stay in a hotel in the upper ninth ward.
“I figured that if I wanted to help the people of New Orleans, it would be better for us to spend money there and support their businesses,” he said.
King’s staff was divided into two groups who worked on rebuilding homes with Habitat for Humanity.
King worked on a home for a 33-year-old single mother who lost everything. She had been saving for five years to buy a house for her and her 13 year-old son, he said. The money she saved ended up purchasing clothing and supplies after the storm.
“We interviewed her,” said King. “She said the hardest things to lose were all of the baby pictures of her son and personal things from her childhood. There was nothing for her to hand down.”
The company where she has been employed closed their offices after Hurricane Katrina hit, he said, and she was working on city restoration.
“A lot of businesses closed down there,” he said. “And they aren’t opening them again.”
King said the home was nearly complete and keys should be handed over to her before Christmas.
King said he and his staff also worked with the city’s parks department to chop down dead trees and plant new ones as well as lay down fresh mulch for trails.
“There was no bridge without the homeless living under it,” he said.
King said he saw makeshift camps comprised of over 100 canvas tents. Other camps that had been established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency had 80-100 camping trailers crammed side-by-side on empty lots.
“Even seeing it, it’s hard to believe that people are living like that,” he said. “You are not supposed to live in those things long-term. They had been there for two years.”
At least 40 of the trailers had caught fire due to electrical problems, he said.
King said that he grew up in accommodations provided by the Vancouver Housing Authority and his mother needed to be on welfare to make ends meet.
“I know what it’s like to be poor,” he said. “They deserve better.”
Crime was rampant throughout the city, he said. In two days there were over 10 shootings.
When King’s staff went to visit the lower ninth ward they encountered Brad Pitt who was hosting a reception for his housing project that will construct about 150 environmental friendly homes.
“It was the same day there was flooding up by Chehalis,” he said. “It seemed strange that was going on at home while we were there.”
Since returning from the trip, King’s office has received multiple e-mails and telephone calls from families they helped on their visit.
“They wanted to let us know what we did was meaningful,” he said. “If you weren’t moved by what you saw then something had to be wrong with you. You would have to be a cold person not to be moved by that. It’s impossible.”
Having opened in 1994, 3 Kings Environmental performs clean-up of hazardous waste and demolition. They have been located on SE Grace Ave in Battle Ground since 1999. King said he was glad his staff joined him in the clean-up effort and that they might return next year to help more people in need.
“It seems like the right thing to do at Christmas,” he said
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Many people agree that high water along Dike Access Road will be a problem for motorists when Wal-Mart and the new Woodland High School are built, but nobody seems to know exactly who will be responsible for ending the flooding.
A Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge ruled in October that Wal-Mart would not be responsible for fixing the drainage system that causes frequent flooding during the winter. Judge James E. Warme reasoned that flooding existed before the retailer submitted plans to build, and consequently it could not be responsible for repairing a pre-existing condition.
The cost of improving a drainage system that serves the roadway has been estimated at ranging from $640,000 to as high as $7 million, but no firm estimate has been calculated.
“I don’t think anybody knows the cost,” said Steve Canter of the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT). “You can’t estimate the cost until you know exactly what needs to be done.”
The Woodland Diking and Improvement District built and maintains a diking and drainage system that includes much of the city and considerable farm land near the Columbia River. The diking district, however, did not build the interstate highway or the access ramps.
Jim Donald of the diking district said WSDOT is responsible for the flooding.
“WSDOT designed the overpass,” Donald said. “Burris Creek comes off the hill and runs through a canyon. The creek used to meander.”
When I-5 and the ramps connecting the interstate to Dike Access Road were built, the creek was redirected into a ditch.
“The trench doesn’t hold the water, and when it overflows, the water goes onto the road,” he said.
Canter said that the state “has an interest.”
“The flooding impacts the interchange,” he said.
Canter, however, said the source of the water “comes from the city or the Port (of Woodland).”
The culverts that collect water may be inadequate to carry the excess that flows during high rainfall periods. The culverts “probably” are on state property, he said.
“A limitation would be the size of the culverts,” Canter said. “We don’t know their condition at this time.”
Darlene Johnson, an owner of Woodland Truck Line, urged the city to become involved in a lawsuit brought by citizens to force Wal-Mart to take responsibility for fixing the drainage problem. She has said that the taxpayers of Woodland will have to pay for drainage improvements.
“The (Superior Court) decision made it clear that Wal-Mart was not responsible,” she said. “So, then, who is, if the flooding needs to be fixed?”
Vancouver attorney John Karpinski who represented Woodlanders Against the Wal, a citizens group that opposed the new store, also said taxpayers would be responsible for controlling flooding along Dike Access Road.
In an e-mail to Johnson, Karpinski wrote, “The court said it was the city/taxpayers’ job.”
Former City Attorney Paul Brachvogel told the council in early December that the city would not be responsible for improving the drainage under I-5. He said that the responsibility would be borne by the diking district.
A good portion of the city west of I-5 lies within the diking district. The diking district assessment is $2.25 per $1,000 of real property value, Donald said.
Mayor-elect Chuck Blum said he, too, believes some responsibility may lie with the diking district.
“I’m not 100 percent clear on this,” Blum said. “I don’t have an answer.”
Dike Access Road closes from time to time when the water is too high for any vehicles. Donald said that the road has been closed at least twice in one year. The road is the main access to the city’s industrial area and to the Port of Woodland.
WSDOT’s Canter, however, said that flooding is not severe enough to require that the road be closed often. It did close earlier in December during the unusually high rainfall that brought flooding along I-5 between Chehalis and Olympia.
“Prior to this last storm event, the last time we officially closed the interchange to high water was Dec. 31, 2003,” he said.
“If we have six inches of water on the road, for example, it doesn’t close,” Canter said. “It’s probably not uncommon to have some water over the road.”
Johnson has said that when most of the traffic along Dike Access Road comes from personal cars or pickups, complaints will increase. The larger trucks that supply the industrial district have little problem getting through the high water on most days, and she said the drainage doesn’t need to be improved for the existing traffic.
Blum blames the city’s “previous administration” for failing to comment on the drainage condition when the Wal-Mart issue was appealed to Superior Court.
“All they had to say was that this is not an issue with Woodland now, that the road is used by vehicles that can get through,” he said.
Blum said that all who are planning to build near Dike Access Road, including Woodland High School and a church, as well as Wal-Mart, should contribute to a discussion about the flooding problem.
Woodlanders Against the Wal, citing a lack of funds, decided in early December not to appeal the Superior Court decision.
Wal-Mart’s site plan shows a store with 157,263 square-feet of indoor retail space and another 6,385 square-feet of covered outdoor retail space. A paved parking lot and driveways will cover 423,662 square-feet, and pedestrian areas cover 23,673 square-feet. According to plans submitted by PacLand for Wal-Mart, there will be 615,674 square-feet of impervious or paved area on 18.5 acres.
The Cowlitz County commissioners have announced vacancies in boards, committees and commissions that serve county government.
All vacancies are to be filled with volunteers. Only those serving on the Board of Equalization are compensated. Regular members are paid $65 per meeting day. The Board meets four to five times a year.
Those interested in any of the following vacancies are urged to contact Vickie Musgrove, clerk to the board, (360) 577-3020. Information about the vacancies, along with an application form, are available on the county Web site, www.co.cowlitz.wa.us by clicking on Board of Commissioners.
Planning commission
A four-year term is open on the Planning Commission which meets the third Wednesday of the month, 7:30 p.m. The vacant position is for District Three which is in west Longview, Castle Rock and Toutle. The Planning Commission reviews land use applications in unincorporated Cowlitz County.
Noxious Weed Control Board
Three, 4-year terms are open on the Noxious Weed Control Board which meets the third Thursday, 7 p.m. The open positions represent District 5 Woodland, District 4 Kalama, and District 2 Castle Rock. Applicants should have some knowledge of noxious weeds.
Board of Equalization
A three-year term is open on the Board of Equalization which reviews property taxation matters and hears property tax appeals and complaints. Meets in July, August, September, October and November. Applicants should have some knowledge of property valuation.
Public Facilities District Directors
The county commissioners will appoint one person to fill an unexpired term on the Public Facilities District. The District reflects the interests of cities and towns and unincorporated areas in matters dealing with sports facilities, entertainment facilities, convention facilities, regional centers.
Mosquito Control Board
Two positions are open on the Mosquito Control Board which operates, maintains and supervises the control of mosquito populations. Terms are for two years. Meets two to four times a year. One vacancy is for District 1 which is the Woodland-Kalama area.
Regional Support Network Advisory Board
A three year term is open on this Board which reviews mental health plans, polices and programs, and makes recommendations. Meets once a month.
Food Advisory Committee
The Food Advisory Committee advises on matters pertaining to health, safety and well-being, seeking to prevent the spread of disease by food. Term is for three years.
Developmental Disabilities Board
This Board advises on the needs of people with developmental disabilities. Term is for three years.
Substance Abuse Advisory Committee
This Committee advises on the needs of people with alcohol or other drug abuse problems. Term of appointment is three years. Meets every other month or as deemed necessary by the chair.
Solid Waste Advisory Committee
This committee assists in the development of solid waste handling programs and policies, and reviews proposed rules and ordinances prior to adoption. Meets two to four times a year.
Yale Valley Library District Trustee
A five year term is open on the Yale Valley Library District board which manages the district and finances, submits an annual budget, and sets the tax levy. Applicants must live in the district.
Applications for all of these positions are due by Jan 18. Interviews will be held at the discretion of the County Commissioners.
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Legos, once building blocks for children, have moved out of the playroom and into the classroom at Woodland Middle School.
In technology teacher Tim Brown’s room, students use educational Legos to learn about computer programming, robotics and research. Nine seventh and eighth graders earned first place in a regional Lego robotics competition that took place over two weekends earlier in December.
Thirty-five teams from Southwest Washington and the Portland area competed in four areas, including research and oral presentation.
Building robotics is much more than child’s play, Brown said. Using a kit as the basic tool, students must write a program for the computer that runs the robots, and they must complete specific missions. The Woodland students chose power generation as their theme.
The team, “Green Thunderbolts,” was led by students Natasha Lamb and Katelyn Hendrix. The team built a robot named “Squishy” from standard Legos and a microcomputer. The team programmed the microcomputer to perform certain tasks on a four-by-eight-foot mat.
Teams were judged on the number of “missions” their robots could finish in two-and-a-half minutes. Mission completion accounted for 25 percent of the score.
Another 25 percent came from a research project. The students did an energy efficiency audit on the Woodland Public Library, a 98-year-old building. Team members presented the audit and a recommendation to judges and answered questions about the research project. The team took first-place honors for the research project.
The team was also required to present the robot and the programs to professional engineers and answer questions about the technical aspects of the project. The ability of team members to work together counted for 25 percent of the score.
Students participating in the Lego robotics competition, in addition to eighth graders Lamb and Hendrix, are Andrew Gillaspie, Jennica Krohn and Robyn Young, eighth grade, and Haley Groshong, Sarah McCombs, Kaisa Peterson and David Sharshakov, seventh grade.
The regional competition took place at Salmon Creek Elementary School, and Brown said only a few teams came from public schools.
“Most that compete are private schools or teams organized by engineers, or home schoolers,” he said. “There are very few public school teams.”
Next, the students will compete in the Oregon state competition set for Jan. 19 at Liberty High School in Hillsboro. Brown said the Oregon league contains about 385 teams, making it the largest league in the U.S.