Rainier's Public Service Web Site
Friends of Dibblee Point
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New E-mail Address:
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Friends of Dibblee Point
Volunteers help clean up Dibblee Point May 26, 2008 Dibblee Point Beach in Rainier got a major spring cleaning May 17, thanks to the 63 volunteers who showed up to participate in the SOLV’s “Down by the Riverside” event, sponsored by the Oregon Lottery. Members of Friends of Dibblee Point were joined by both returning and new volunteers including members of Oregon Equestrian Trails and Starbucks Coffee. Participants picked up litter throughout the 110-acre site, removing approximately 8 yards of trash and 17 tires. The cleanup was supported locally by the Columbia County Land Development Services, Rainier Sanitary, Rainier Chevron and the Oregon Way Starbucks in Longview. The day ended with a potluck barbecue where the volunteers gathered to enjoy the sunshine, good food, a clean beach and each other’s company.
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Friends of Dibblee Point Annual Meeting Highlights February 22nd, 2008, 6 p.m. Present: Lori Baker, Tom and Ilene Iverson, Ron and Joan Works, Cathyrn Hammond, Jenifer Pfleeger, Darrel Whipple. Getting updated since last meeting: Barrels: beach use is increasing, after holiday weekend 3 were full. Ron and Joan noticed same. Could use a couple of new ones, we’ll keep an eye out for them. Signs and Business cards: distributed the new business cards and brought in a sign for folks to see, several signs are on trees at the beach and so far are hanging in there. Both the cards and the sign say “Help Keep this Area Clean and Safe – Report Illegal Activity to the Oregon State Police – 503-397-3131” Beach use increasing: folks are fishing, but it sounds like it will close in a week for a while. We decided it was too early for a port-a-potty; we will talk about if we should rent one in April at the March meeting. Teevin graded roads: Pretty cool. This was an unsolicited donation thanks go to Paul Langner the terminal manager and Bob Howard the Teevin employee who spent 5 hours grading. Dibblee is lucky to have such a great neighbor. Lori will send a “thank you” to the local papers. Annual Meeting Business: Membership letter: Group approved sending the letter after some discussion on if we should ask for membership renewal and/or donations. It was decided that we would continue to ask folks to become and renew their memberships as we spent over a thousand dollars in 2006. We have $1069 now, which is great, but we will spend a hunk of it this year and we would rather have a little extra in the bank the scramble next year to raise a lot of money. It was suggested to include a line in the return coupon for folks to check if they are interested in volunteering or becoming more involved with the core group. Cathyrn and Jen will do the mailing. Lori will revise the letter and update the contact list. Lori will also send out a press release to the local papers. One board position to fill and clarification of length of terms: Lori Baker was reelected to the board and will continue to serve as chair and recorder – term to expired in 2012 Tom Iverson – term expires in 2011 Cathyrn Hammond – term expires in 2010 Joan Works is treasurer. $ Report 2007: Joan Works prepared the ledger and financial summary for 2007. Lori presented a break down of expenditures and income by category. See attached. Beginning balance Jan 07 = $792.17 Ending balance Dec 07 = $1069.73 Budget 2008: Lori Baker presented a budget for 2008, it was approved. See attached Activity and volunteer reports: Lori presented the volunteer activity log for the year. 2007 saw a total of 75 volunteers putting in 556 hours. The annual activity report listed all the great things that occurred in 2007 including a record turn out at the cleanup and a record receipt of memberships and donations! See attached. New Business: DBR 08: May 17th, 2008 Solv has requested that groups participating in DBR consider incorporating invasive species removal. After some discussion fdp decided not to plan and/or publicize any type of invasive removal. We will concentrate our efforts on trash removal; so far there has been enough for even the large volunteer turn outs. BBQ – yes! Gate at the entrance – email from Terry Deaton Lori received an email from Terry Deaton who owns a home on Barton road, asking for fdp’s support in trying to place a gate at the entrance of Dibblee Point. Terry reported after hour use of the beach and drug activity and recently heard gun shots. She believes a gate that was opened and closed by the local police will stop misuse of the beach. The membership present at the meeting was strongly opposed to a gate at the entrance. We do not feel the issues at Dibblee Point warrant such a measure. We believe that things are generally much improved. We also believe that our mission is to work for public access to the site. We feel good about the signs that we recently purchased and have hung at several locations throughout the site with the phone # to the Oregon State Police so folks on the beach know who to call if there is illegal activity going on and can do so while on the site. Meeting date: change of date?? We discussed changing the meeting date. Terry Deaton had mentioned she would like to attend fdp meetings but they conflict with REDCO meetings. After clarifying that fdp meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month and redco meets on the 4th Thursday of each month, we decided to keep the meeting date the same. Next Meeting: March 20th, 6pm at the Cornerstone in Rainier
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Friends of Dibblee Point is a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to protecting and improving the ecological, scenic and recreational values of Dibblee Point. Dibblee Point is a 110-acre parcel along the Columbia River, located just outside the city limits of Rainier, Oregon - west of the Lewis and Clark Bridge that connects Rainier and Longview Washington, at river mile 65. The site is owned by the State of Oregon and managed by the Department of State Lands. Columbia County owns a small parcel, within the 110 acres. Approximately 60 acres is leased by a local sand quarry operator, BC Excavation. Located on the Lower Columbia River near Rainier, Dibblee Point is a popular day-use area for fishing, picnicking, horseback riding, swimming, canoeing, nature walks, water skiing, and boating. Some Dibblee Dos & Don’ts. The public is welcome to enjoy hiking, nature study, fishing, picnicking, horseback riding, and boating at Dibblee Point, subject to the following DSL restrictions:
Friends of Dibblee Point—How It Started. A group of area citizens became concerned about the illegal dumping, littering, and vandalism at Dibblee Point. They joined together to take action to reverse the downward cycle of abuse to this natural treasure and formed the Friends of Dibblee Point (FDP). FDP joined the Oregon Adopt-A-River program, coordinated by SOLV, the statewide Oregon non-profit organization founded in 1969 by Governor Tom McCall. As a partner in the Adopt-A-River program, FDP is committed to conducting twice-a-year site cleanups for a minimum of two years. On a brisk Saturday morning on November, 17 2001, more than 50 volunteers from Rainier, Longview, Kelso, Portland, and Vancouver, turned out for the first Dibblee Beach cleanup. At the end of the day they had collected five tons of trash, including three car hulks, and assorted recyclable scrap metal. They collected and removed for eventual recycling more than 300 used automobile tires. The volunteers were supported by several businesses and government agencies, including, among many others:
FDP’s vision is that it will grow and thus be able to undertake such projects as cutting trails, posting on-site maps, and promoting the site as a valuable wildlife habitat that could serve as an ecology laboratory for area schools. FDP also hopes to help bring together government, business, and the community in a joint effort to carry out this mission. The potential also exists to include Dibblee Point and Dibblee Island within the water trail currently being developed by the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership. Questions about the use of Dibblee Point should be directed to the Rainer Police Department, Columbia County Sheriff, or DSL. Mapping Project. A confusing network of trails runs throughout the site. These were at one time, unofficial roads, created by 4-wheel drive vehicles and ATVs using of the site. Off-road vehicles are no longer allowed at Dibblee Point by the Division of State Lands. Now these trails are popular with the horse community and local folks looking for a good nature walk. The majority of the area is cottonwood forest and other native vegetation that one would expect to find along the Columbia. Some invasive plant species, such as English Ivy, also occupy the area. A small lake is located on the site. Three principal roads dissect the site. Two are considered public access roads, and one is the "haul road" for the lessee. The haul road is to be gated at some point in the near future. These roads are maintained by BC Excavation, much tothe public's benefit.Mapping Project. The Friends of Dibblee Point have initiated a project to digitally map the site. FDP will use this geographical information to produce a large display map to be located at the site entrance and handout maps to distribute to site users. The map would include the major roads, side trails, and other interesting features. The 4 ft. by 8ft. display map will benefit both the using public and the industrial lessee operating the site's quarry. Public use of the “haul” road is potentially dangerous due to the high use by heavy equipment and dump trucks. Public access to portions of the leased area is beneficial to the community. A partnership between the lessee, the Division of State Lands, BCX, and Friends of Dibblee Point—on behalf of the community—is great for everyone. Bird Box Project. FDP found a way to raise funds to support the ongoing effort to collect and dispose of trash left by visitors at Dibblee Beach.Thanks to Mike Scott of Rainier who donated the wood, Richard Caulfield is making custom bird houses that are available for sponsorship. Birdhouse locations. FDP has sponsored installation of 50 birdhouses along trails on the east end, 35 of which at latest count were occupied by families of birds,. A map that includes the locations of these birdhouses would be helpful to the birdhouse project and to volunteers monitoring the status of the birdhouses.FDP invites the public and business owners to sponsor bird houses placed at Dibblee Beach. Sponsorship cost is only $7.50 for a small bird house or $15.00 for a large one. Each sponsorship lasts for one year and is renewable. Each bird house is numbered and sponsors will receive a map of the area, including the location of their bird house, and a sponsor’s certificate. Sponsorships are tax deductible. |
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