In Our View: Cheers & Jeers

Cheers: To bald eagles. An eagle found wandering along Highway 14 in Vancouver this week appears to be recovering nicely at an Audubon Society care center in Portland. The bird has a broken wing and damage to one eye, injuries consistent with a collision with an auto.

The bald eagle population in the contiguous United States had once declined to an estimated 500 nesting pairs, but the species has become a conservation success story; there now are more than 5,000 nesting pairs. The iconic bird was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007 and from the State of Washington’s list in 2017. One of the keys to that recovery has been the banning of pesticide DDT, which caused the thinning of eggshells. Kudos to those who helped usher our local bird off the highway and to staff at the care center. We hope the bird will soon be soaring majestically.

Jeers: To bridge lifts. High water levels on the Columbia River mean more bridge lifts on Interstate 5. Last week, there were four lifts on Friday and six on Saturday, with the typical lift halting traffic for 15-20 minutes.

It is anachronistic for a span that carries more than 130,000 cars a day to be a drawbridge, but that is the reality we are stuck with for now. Maritime law gives river traffic priority over highway traffic, and that calls for a bridge lift whenever a tall vessel must pass underneath. Lifts are prohibited during rush hour, but they remain aggravating for drivers at any other time of day.

Cheers: To preventing sewage spills. Twice last fall, incidents at Vancouver’s Westside wastewater treatment plant resulted in raw sewage being expelled into the Columbia River. The first, officials have determined, was caused by birds, and it marked the first such spill in 26 years. The second, less than a month later, was the result of human error. The good news is, the city is working to prevent a repeat, including through the design of an independent emergency pumping system. City officials erred in failing to inform the public of the spills in a timely fashion, but we trust they’ll learn from the incidents and improve prevention and response measures.

Jeers: To poachers. At least 11 people in the Northwest are facing charges related to the illegal killing of bears, deer, elk or bobcats. In many cases, officials say, killers left their prey to waste, collecting little meat or hide. They also recorded video of their conquests to share among the loosely organized network of poachers.

“For some of these people, it was kind of a demented social club,” one official said. “For some, it was about ego and bravado — who could kill the biggest, the most.” Eight people were initially charged last year in Skamania County, and now the investigation is focusing on Wasco County in Oregon. The depravity of the poachers and their disregard for the law is disturbing.

Cheers: To Shower Outreach Project. Food with Friends, a nonprofit organization, provides shower facilities throughout our community for residents who otherwise would have no way to wash up. A mobile trailer moves to different locations and serves about 100 people each week.

Recently, the organization received a $35,000 grant from the Ed & Dollie Lynch Fund to help provide a second shower facility. “Showers are not just a comfort or luxury, they are a necessity,” said Jamie Spinelli of Food with Friends. Assistance for the homeless reflects the community work that Ed and Dollie Lynch performed throughout their lives, and son Michael said, “It’s become clear we need new and additional tools to truly make a difference in this situation.”