The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

To The Eagle:

It is my opinion that only those who have lived here for about 40 or 50 years, can really understand why we have so little faith in the "experts" that we are told to let handle things, like our white-tailed deer. Years ago, you would have been able to drive around a large amount of well kept farm land with over 200 white-tailed deer on it. The land owners kept the land in perfect shape so that their cattle and other critters thrived, which in turn, kept the deer population high. This land brought in tax money to our county. The farmers kept the ditches cleaned out and the coyotes thinned out, which helped their calves survive as well as the fawns. On any given night, you would see 100 deer. All seemed to be going well until the "experts" came.

Within one year, the deer population dropped. Fields that had once been well tended were left to grow tall with no feed or nutritional value for any animals. The reasoning was that this would provide cover for the deer. Why would they need it now, when they didn't need it before? So, the "experts," by their own admission, took away a huge amount of food source from the endangered deer and at the same time, provided the coyotes with perfect cover.

A lot of various things went on during the passing years, and one was a flood. Now you would think that with the road around the refuge closed, and the deer's food source under water, that these "experts" would set up feeding stations for these deer that they were supposed to be taking care of. Seems logical, but nope, they didn't. How do I know? Well, I asked them point blank and they admitted that they did not.

There once was a big building on the refuge and the "experts" brought oil slicked ducks there from the coast. They made sure they got them cleaned, fed and kept very warm and dry. Then they let these fish-eating ducks loose in our sloughs. Nice, huh?

"Experts" said the deer were in "imminent" danger so they had helicopters fly over them and throw explosives at them to drive them into capture. When all was said and done, a lot of these deer died. You know, the ones they are supposed to protect. Now they want to take deer from Puget Island and put them back there. That makes no sense. Aren't they still in imminent danger?

Just go look at the place that was taken from the farmers by the "experts" to expand this deer herd. Every place where there used to be a multitude of deer for our viewing pleasure, is now gone and replaced with water. Neighboring property owners couldn't fix their driveways because they might take away deer habitat but the "experts" were allowed to put thousands of acres in this "deer refuge" under water. This was not a "refuge" for the deer, it was a death camp, as witnessed by all of us who have seen it all through the "eyes of time."

Kay Chamberlain, Skamokawa