Cheers: To Friends of Vancouver Lake. The group formed in late 2018 to combat an infestation of Eurasian milfoil in the lake, and this week it demonstrated its progress. Members helped inject an herbicide into the lake to ward off the noxious weed. “This is a real community win,” said Kathy Gillespie, co-chair for Friends of Vancouver Lake. “It feels like somebody had the lake’s back this morning.”
Vancouver Lake is a 2,300-acre body of water popular for swimming, boating, rowing and other recreation, but milfoil has been expanding in the water since first identified two years ago. Untreated, according to the group, the milfoil could render the lake unusable by next year. The cost of the treatment is about $150,000 and the organization received money from Clark County and the Port of Vancouver along with private donations — including big assists from the Firstenburg Foundation and the Ed and Dollie Lynch Foundation. We hope the efforts keep the lake usable for years to come.
Jeers: To being “confrontational and highly intoxicated.” That is how police in Lincoln City, Ore., described seven Clark County men who were arrested July 4. The men face charges related to harassing a Black family on a beach, shooting off illegal fireworks and challenging responding officers to a fight. Police said the men yelled racial slurs and used Nazi salutes toward the family.
According to the Lincoln County district attorney, “Lincoln City police were cheered and applauded by numerous witnesses.” The men involved, however, deserve jeers for their behavior and for being an embarrassment to Clark County.
Cheers: To listening. The Clark County Council has unanimously agreed to moderated listening sessions with public input about systemic racism. The decision follows a controversial statement by council Chair Eileen Quiring in which she denied that systemic racism exists in our community.
As one organizer said: “Systemic racism is bigger than any one person. It, frankly, is a different conversation than any one councilor.” Hearing personal experiences from local citizens is the first step toward understanding and developing ideas that make Clark County a better place for all residents.
Jeers: To threatened deportations. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week announced that international college students must leave the United States or face deportation if fall classes are offered only online. That could impact thousands of students across the country, including dozens at Clark College and nearly 100 at Washington State University Vancouver. “We know it causes angst and uncertainty, and we’re concerned about this ruling,” a Clark spokeswoman said.
Several universities have sued the Trump administration to overturn the rule, and some have announced one-credit in-class courses as a workaround to keep students from leaving. But the larger issue is xenophobia that diminishes the United States’ global standing. For decades, education has been one the country’s greatest exports, drawing students from throughout the world.
Cheers: To Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. As detailed by The Columbian, there is plenty to do at the site, even as the fort remains closed. “I have seen parents with young children here teaching their children to ride a bike, hit a ball, or just run through the green space of the parade ground,” said site Superintendent Tracy Fortmann.
That is just one of many examples of outdoor recreation opportunities as the region slowly reopens from coronavirus restrictions.
