News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 35 - 59 of 363
The recent kerfuffle involving newly imposed camping restrictions at so-called “No Name Lake” on the eastern slopes of Broken Top is yet another example of impact resulting from irresponsible user abuse in local wilderness areas. The new restrictions impose a quarter-mile setback for wilderness campers using the area. Such campsite setbacks are not uncommon at other wilderness lakes. Jean Nelson-Dean, public affairs officer for the Deschutes National Forest said, “Pe... Full story
It’s looking more and more like 2019 will be the last year that the public will have free and unfettered access to local wilderness areas. Two years ago, prompted by the perception that wilderness areas were being too heavily used, the Forest Service began the bureaucratic process of restricting trail use in the three wilderness areas in Sisters Country: the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters wilderness areas. Referred to as the Central Cascades Wilderness Strategies Project, the proposed change was announced i... Full story
Elise Wolf, a professional in wild bird rehabilitation, will be the speaker at a presentation sponsored by the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) Thursday, February 21, in the Sisters Camp Sherman Fire Station Community Hall. Wolf is the director of Native Bird Care of Sisters, an avian rescue center right here in the Sisters area. Her topic will be "Sisters' Extraordinary Birds: Up Close & Personal." The talk is the latest in the Bjarne Holm Speakers Series sponsored by STA. The STA series focuses on local outdoor recreation and... Full story
It's official. Two grants have been approved for key Sisters-area trailhead upgrades. The first grant was awarded to the Deschutes National Forest, Sisters Ranger District, and is a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant for a permanent vault toilet at the Whychus Overlook Trailhead. The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has been instrumental in developing and maintaining this trail, and has been paying for a porta-potty at the site for the last three years. The grant is from... Full story
The recent deaths of U.S.-bound Guatemalan children, while in U.S. custody, have thrust the plight of such children and their families into the spotlight. Even before these deaths, however, a local woman learned of a mission to support these poverty-stricken children in Guatemala. She didn't just wish she could do something to help, she actually went to Guatemala to learn more about it first-hand and put her concern into action. Susan Sandberg, a member of Sisters Community... Full story
"No significant impact" or "negligible" is the repetitive mantra of the Forest Service in their perfunctory "analysis" of their draconian measures limiting access to virtually all of our local wilderness. Poised for adoption in 2020, these restrictions may not have significant impact from their point of view; but they sure as heck have plenty of impact on me. Like many Sisters-area residents, the fact of my living here is not an accident; and access to our wonderful... Full story
Right now, it's kind of a "shoulder" season for hiking in our area, when the high mountains may not be the best choice and other possibilities come to mind. For more than a few residents of Sisters Country, however, those "other possibilities" might include giving some thought to warmer and sunnier climes to the south. One of the most popular southern destinations is Arizona; and, as far as my wife and I are concerned, there is no better place than Sedona. So, each year I... Full story
In spite of the increasing popularity of snowshoeing in Central Oregon, the Sisters area has never had a dedicated snowshoe trail. Until now. The Peak View Snowshoe Trail is now official and connects the Upper Three Creek SnoPark with the Jefferson View Shelter. In a cooperative project, the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA), the Central Oregon Nordic Club (CONC), and the Deschutes National Forest have collaborated to bring this new trail into existence within the boundaries of... Full story
When my wife's charming, but eccentrically goofball, Uncle Bob suddenly hit me with a very serious request, believe me, I paid attention. "When I die," he suddenly said one day, "I want you to promise to scatter my ashes at the top of Black Butte." Naturally, I assured him that I would. That was several years ago, and I had no idea what his poignant request would eventually entail. The Uncle Bob in this case is World War II pilot and longtime Black Butte Ranch resident Bob... Full story
Unless a fall trip to New England is on your agenda, your best bet for viewing the brilliant leaf colors of autumn is a visit to Clear Lake. This is always my favorite local fall hike. Heck, it's everyone's favorite fall hike around here, and long-range weather forecasts suggest that there are still more excellent fall hiking opportunities to be enjoyed in the days ahead. Just over Santiam Pass and only about a half-hour away, Clear Lake's fall leaves create a Cascade... Full story
Over the last few years, I've heard multiple conflicting stories about the status of the Jefferson Lake Trail in the far northern extremity of Deschutes National Forest. This trail closely parallels the out-of-sight Jefferson Creek, which forms the southern boundary of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The trail lapsed into disuse in the wake of the B & B Fire, which mercilessly ravaged the area in 2003. Subsequently, more hearsay reported that the trail had so much downed... Full story
Russ Petersen from Deschutes County Search and Rescue (DSAR) will head up a presentation scheduled for next week as part of the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) speaker series on local outdoor recreation and natural resource issues. Four years ago, the series was launched by the late Bjarne Holm, for whom STA posthumously named the series in 2016. Since its inception, the purpose of STA's series has been to enhance outdoor public recreation opportunities in the Sisters area and... Full story
In the continuing search for forest that is still green, we once again headed to the west side of the Cascades, through the Milli Fire-ravaged east side of McKenzie Pass to the Scott Mountain Trailhead. This destination is occasionally overlooked but offers great views of the western aspects of the Three Sisters. As it turned out, even with our perpetually smokey skies, the view was superb. The trailhead for Scott Mountain takes off from the McKenzie Highway just a few miles... Full story
"Green, green, it's green they say on the far side of the hill...." Go ahead, sing along if you want; it's true! If you can bear to drive past yet more miles and miles of charred forest, it is green just over the hill - specifically, just over McKenzie Pass. So, that's where this week's hike takes us. I've hiked on by the spur trail leading to Four In One Cone a number of times; but I've always been on my way to somewhere else, and there just didn't seem to be time to take... Full story
I was disheartened to learn from Gary Guttormsen that various portions of the relatively new Whychus Creek Trail system are already suffering from user abuse. Guttormsen is the trails coordinator for the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) and spends a great deal of his time volunteering to help keep the local trail systems in top shape. Foremost among his concerns were horrendous amounts of trailside dog poop and outright vandalism. So, in order to assess the situation first-hand,... Full story
In the wake of last year's 24,000-acre Milli Fire, the good news is that almost all trails within the burn perimeter are open for use. The bad news? Well, that's pretty obvious: more forest destruction has been added to our ever-growing local inventory of thousands of burned and blackened acres in Sisters Country. The Forest Service is working hard to clear trails of debris and fallen trees. In the meantime, even trails that have not been fully cleared are still passable,... Full story
Although we're seeing trails opening up in the high country, it's still worth taking note of alternative areas that are (nearly) all-season hiking destinations. After all, not every day lends itself to a high mountain expedition. The Badlands Wilderness east of Bend is always a great place to get out and do some free-range roaming. The Oregon Badlands Wilderness is a fairly recent addition to our nation's wilderness areas and was officially established in 2009 by President Bar... Full story
Time is short for the public to weigh in on a U.S. Forest Service reservation system that could severely limit future use of wilderness areas in local National Forests. If implemented, the system would affect all wilderness areas in Sisters Country. Last month, citing increasing user pressure and dwindling resources, the Forest Service published notice of a 30-day comment period for the "Central Cascades Wilderness Strategies Project," which would affect wilderness areas in... Full story
Springtime in Sisters? Well, yes; but, according to the Sisters High Desert Chorale, it's also "Singtime in Sisters!" That's what the chorale hit upon for the title of their annual free, spring concerts for the community, which will be conducted next week on May 18 and 20. "The music for this year's spring concert is as whimsical and eclectic as a Central Oregon springtime," said the group's director, Connie Gunterman. "Musically we offer a little bit of everything and there are sure to be favorites for everyone. We continue... Full story
Hikers are reporting an inordinate number of ticks on the loose as the spring hiking season begins to take shape. Since ticks can carry a number of diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease, it makes sense to learn how to avoid these obnoxious little critters. The former disease is more common east of the Rockies but is not unknown in Oregon. Lyme disease, however, is a malady that can pose a greater danger in our area. Even so, the disease is both... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) announced that Jeff Kitchens, Deschutes field office manager for the Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District, will be the speaker for the March installment of the Bjarne Holm Speaker Series. His topic will be: "About the Lands No One Else Wanted - The Story of Our Public Lands." Over the last four years, STA has sponsored a series of public talks focused on local outdoor recreation and natural resource issues. The Bjarne Holm Speaker... Full story
As is often the case, I planned an extensive vacation trip for late fall to escape the dreary days between hiking and skiing seasons. I returned, however, only to find that the snow season has yet to materialize. So, my hiking friend and I have been out on the trails again; and I've had quite a bit of feedback that indicates we are far from alone in making some lemonade out of a lemon of a snow season. In November of 2016, we were snowed out of a planned hike in the Badlands... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) is off to a quick start in 2018 with their first public speaking presentation of the new year on Thursday, January 18. The speaker will be the Deschutes National Forest's new ranger for the Sisters Ranger District, Ian Reid. Although new to the Sisters area, Reid has deep roots in Oregon and with the National Forest Service. He will be discussing future plans for the Sisters Ranger District, impacts of the recent fire season, the role of... Full story
I wasn't planning for our first hike of 2018 to be in January, and I certainly didn't expect it to be at higher elevations. At least, that was the case until the new Sisters District Ranger, Ian Reid, told me about his family's New Year's Eve climb of Black Butte. "I will say one of the few benefits of this low-snow year is being to able to access some hikes we normally wouldn't get to this time of year," Reid said, as he told me about his family's Black Butte outing last week... Full story
One of my hiking friends recently contacted me to share an unusual, and unforeseen, injury that occurred during a hike. Most of us are aware of, and recognize, the danger presented by heatstroke; but very few people seem to be aware of another very serious danger that lurks in the hot sun. I certainly wasn't; and, as it turns out, first responders who arrived on scene weren't aware either. As if the dangers directly presented by heatstroke were not enough, a Sisters-area... Full story
