News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 110 - 134 of 363
Old-growth trees, towering mountains, mountain meadows, acres of wildflowers, mountain streams, and fields of sparkling natural glass: It's no wonder that, for decades, the Obsidian Trail was designated as a "Heavy Use Area," with vague instructions such as "try to avoid." In more recent years, however, the Forest Service was forced to take further steps to limit user impact and designate it a "Limited Entry Area," requiring possession of an entry permit, the numbers of which... Full story
As part of its continuing quarterly speaker series, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) will be hosting a presentation by Oregon Wild's Central Oregon Field Representative Pam Hardy. She plans to talk about the organization's efforts to protect National Forests, wildlife and clean water. Some of Oregon Wild's most recent efforts, such as fighting for designation of new wilderness areas near places like Crater Lake, will also be on the agenda. Founded in 1974, Oregon Wild works... Full story
Perhaps you've seen them. Popping up along forest trails, or even in your own backyard, pinedrops are one of the more unusual plant species awaiting your discovery. Hikers frequently ask, "What are those things?" And that's a good question. The woodland pine drop is a parasitic plant that lives in a sort of biological "three-way," with a particular type of fungus and - not surprisingly, given its name - pine trees. Woodland pinedrops appear in the spring and on into the... Full story
For the second year in a row, a Sisters-area resident is the recipient of the Big Chainring Award. Phyllis Lewis was honored last week with the 2015 award. The Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) selected her for the honor in recognition of her volunteer contributions to pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly environments in Deschutes County. Last year's award went to Patrick Eckford, also of Sisters. Started in 1996, the Big Chainring Awards are presen... Full story
This is a great time of the year for wildflower viewing. However, due to the poor snow year, blooms are occurring earlier than ever; so, there is no time to waste if wildflowers are an interest of yours. Few places have more to offer in the wildflower arena than Cone Peak Meadows. Among wildflower enthusiasts, Cone Peak is well known; but, for the casual wildflower observer, it may be off the radar. The trail is 35 miles west of Sisters on Highway 20 and is easily accessed on... Full story
I had heard of Steins Pillar before but had never visited it until a friend suggested that we do just that and hike the four-mile round trip. So, off we went and discovered that Steins Pillar is 57 miles from Sisters in the Ochoco National Forest. Our first surprise was how lush the area was. It was also relatively cool on a very hot day. We had both traveled the area east of Prineville many times and thought of the area as being much hotter and drier. However, the valley... Full story
The loop trail around Suttle Lake is an excellent nearby hiking opportunity that is sometimes overlooked simply because it's so obvious. Nestled along the south side of Highway 20, right where the road angles up the steep grade to Santiam Pass, it is easy to drive right on by this pleasant hike. However, it's worth noting that this trail is ideal for an early season tune-up hike. (Note: There is currently an algae bloom in the lake and the Forest Service has placed a caution... Full story
The Deschutes Land Trust's (DLT) "Campaign for Whychus Creek" continued to gain momentum last Saturday with the dedication of newly acquired acreage that more than doubles the size of its Whychus Canyon Preserve. The addition, which was actually acquired last fall, is the product of several years of planning and negotiations. More than 100 guests attended Saturday's ceremony in what will be one of the last public opportunities to view the area prior to restoration activities... Full story
Certainly, the annual blizzard of pine pollen is annoying when it turns my red car yellow or coats my front porch with that yellow dust ready to be tracked into the house. Still, I didn't fully recognize the extent of the pollination in progress until I hiked to the top of Black Butte last week. Looking down at Sisters Country from more than 6,400 feet, we saw a haze over the local forests. At first we assumed it was smoke, and we could see some controlled burns, so that... Full story
Nearly 20 years ago, inmates seeking a little elusive outdoor freedom volunteered to do trail stabilization work at Suttle Lake. In the decades since, their work has held up well. However, since their principal building materials were logs, the structures they built have begun to rot and crumble over time. As a result, the loop trail around the edge of Suttle Lake has suffered significant damage from erosion and heavy traffic. Since the lake is popular for fishing and boating... Full story
The Forest Service announced that the bridge across Indian Ford Creek at Indian Ford Campground will be removed this week. Amy Racki, recreation team leader for the Deschutes National Forest, Sisters Ranger District, said that the rotting bridge has been condemned and has been closed to equestrian traffic for more than two years. Removal of the bridge has been necessitated by the determination that it poses a public-safety risk. The bridge links the Sisters Tie Trail with the... Full story
As part of the continuing quarterly speaker series offered by the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA), the organization will be hosting a presentation by nationally recognized professional trail builder and trail consultant, Woody Keen. Scheduled to speak next week, Keen's topic will be "Leave No Child Indoors: How to Make Trails Interesting for Children." Among his many trail affiliations, Keen spent six years on the board of the International Mountain Bicycling Association... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) held their annual meeting last week, and there was a lot to review from 2014. STA President Chuck Humphreys began the program by outlining STA's significant accomplishments in trail work in the Sisters area. He forcefully drove home his biggest point that "the trails are for everyone." STA supports trail use by all non-motorized trail users. Membership is comprised of hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians. Humphreys also applauded the launching... Full story
Last week in Sisters, Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) Executive Director Brad Chalfant outlined the history of Whychus Creek and what the Land Trust sees as the future for this important stream that flows through Sisters. He also took the time to discuss the role of the Land Trust in the Deschutes River Basin. Chalfant was introduced by Bjarne Holm, board member for the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA), which hosted the event. Holm praised the work of the Land Trust and Chalfant as... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) will be holding their annual meeting next Thursday on January 29, at 7 p.m. in The Pines Clubhouse at the west end of Sisters. Even though this is the club's annual meeting, the public is welcome. In addition to the meeting agenda, the STA will be having Marv Lang of the U.S. Forest Service as the guest speaker for the event. Although Lang's official title with the Forest Service is Recreation Forester for the Deschutes National Forest, he... Full story
Last year, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) began offering a series of formal quarterly presentations by speakers focusing on outdoor recreation. This year, the series continues. Scheduled to speak next week is Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) Executive Director Brad Chalfant. Chalfant and DLT have had a tremendous impact on conservation of land and natural resources in the Deschutes River Basin and, even more specifically, in the Sisters area. Actually, the DLT was sort of "born"... Full story
Three members of the Sisters Trail Alliance (STA) were recently awarded The President's Volunteer Service Award. Gary Guttormsen, Ann Marland, and Patrick Eckford were recognized for volunteering hundreds of hours of volunteer service for their work in the development and enhancement of Sisters-area trails. Marland and Eckford each received a Bronze Award for contributing over 150 hours of volunteer service, and Guttormsen received the Gold Award for putting in more than 500... Full story
It certainly wasn't the first time that Grammy Award-winners have performed in Sisters, but it's not exactly an everyday occurrence, either. In addition to developing a first-class network of trails in Sisters, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) sponsors a series of quarterly outdoor recreation talks. Last week, the local organization sponsored their first-ever fund-raising concert. By bringing the new age duo of Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel to Sisters, the STA has set the... Full story
Most every year, during periods of high rainfall and snowmelt, a portion of Camp Polk Road north of Sisters and just beyond the Sisters Airport has been prone to flooding. "That's actually called Trout Creek," said Tom Shamberger, operations manager for the Deschutes County Road Department. "Every year since I've been here it's flooded; and, ever since the Pole Creek area burned, the forest no longer has the capacity to absorb all that water." The result has been recurring... Full story
An excellent conditioning trail, the Black Crater Trail is just under four miles each way but is one of the steepest trails around, gaining 2,500 feet of elevation from where it takes off from the McKenzie Highway near Windy Point. Probably taking its name from the dark appearance of its densely forested slopes, it's not really particularly black; and that's a good thing since it is one of a limited number of local trails that has not been blackened by fire in recent years. Of... Full story
When Susan Sandberg, co-organizer for the Sisters bridge group, contacted The Nugget about a story on free bridge lessons to be offered to the community, she had no idea that the response would be so overwhelming. "I did this last year without any publicity," she said, "and we had four people sign up for lessons. I thought that was pretty good. But, after the article ran in The Nugget this year, we had 16 new people sign up. I guess that shows the power of the press!" DeAnn... Full story
The Suttle Tie Trail is a very pleasant walk in the woods. It's also an easy bicycle trail that is an ideal choice for family biking. At a modest one-way length of five miles, it can easily be turned into a 10-mile round trip through an attractive and healthy forest ecosystem. This route also forms an important leg in a trail system that interconnects Sisters, Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman and Suttle Lake. By piecing together the various trail segments, all of these... Full story
A climb of Belknap Crater had been on my to-do list for quite a while, partly just "because it's there," but also because it's perhaps the only easily recognizable local geographic feature that I hadn't previously summited. This is clearly not a technical climb by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a lot tougher than it looks. From the road, scaling Belknap Crater looks like a quick little scramble up a modest hill. Once there, however, it's much longer and steeper than... Full story
Would most people consider Yellowstone National Park closely related to our local ecosystem? Probably not; but, when you think about it, Yellowstone is just down at the end of our recently rebuilt and repaved Cascade Avenue. Simply follow Cascade Avenue (Highway 20) east for 728 miles, and you will arrive at Old Faithful. It's as easy as that; no other directions required! Central Oregon's relationship to Yellowstone is closer than you might think in other ways, as well. A qua... Full story
The Sisters bridge group is growing, and locals are continuing to express interest in the card game. So, for the second straight year, lessons will be offered to the public. Last year, the group's coordinator, Susan Sandberg, taught four newcomers the game in sessions at The Pines Clubhouse. "All four of those people are playing with us now," she said. "It was such a success that we decided to do it again." Sandberg already has two people who have expressed interest, and she... Full story
