News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 177
Riverfest, Central Oregon's annual celebration of the Deschutes River Basin, is set to begin on Friday, May 2. Sponsored by the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, Riverfest events are designed to heighten public interest and broaden understanding of Central Oregon's waterways. "We really want to highlight that it's a great opportunity for people to get to know their watershed," said Bea Armstrong, Riverfest Coordinator. "There are 22 events planned, with something for everyone -- for kids and for adults; and we definitely wan... Full story
Less than two weeks into the Iraq campaign, war commentators proclaimed that the war was stalled and not going according to plan. Theater Commander Gen. Tommy Franks responded, "We have the power to be patient." By the time the ink dried on the pundits' impatient manifestos, U.S. tanks were rolling into Baghdad. Perhaps nothing has distinguished the Iraq war from previous conflicts more than the proliferation of people willing to talk about it. Probably the most interesting of these war commentaries have come from "embedded"... Full story
For the last several years, the Forest Service has devoted considerable resources to wildfire prevention and forest health programs. Sisters has been one of the areas to benefit. According to Jinny Pitman, Fire Prevention Specialist with the Sisters Ranger District, the Forest Service would now like to take wildfire prevention one step further. Next week the Forest Service will be putting together a program to help instruct local residents on ways to increase wildfire survivability. "The idea," said Pitman, "is to help... Full story
Spring has officially arrived and, with it, the Forest Service is studying its options for the season's prescribed burns. "As soon as conditions allow, we'll start going," said Daryl Davis, Assistant Fire Management Officer for the Sisters Ranger District. "Dana Espinoza, our fuels technician, was out checking planned burn areas," said Davis. "He said it's still too damp to meet the conditions for these planned burns, but we could start within the next few days. Of course, that all depends on the weather." The Forest Service... Full story
The Squaw Creek Stewardship Committee is looking for a few good men and women. The group, which was recently established under the auspices of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, established a primary role of developing connections between the community and the Squaw Creek stream system. The committee plans to meet once each month and would like to expand its membership to include more local residents. Squaw Creek, above Sisters, has been formally designated a national "Wild and Scenic River" by Congress. The creek and its... Full story
Because of my background, people sometimes ask what I think about the prospect of war in Iraq. Some are surprised when I say that I'm not very enthusiastic; as a rule, most military people don't "want" war any more than firefighters want fires or police want shootouts. I tend to look askance at people who answer polls as undecided; and, while I don't want a war, if I were asked "should" we be going to war, well, I guess I'd have to answer that I really don't know -- and there I'd be, filed away among those dreaded... Full story
For the second year in a row, an Oregon State University biologist has planted thousands of Chinook salmon fry in the Metolius River and its tributaries. With a name that sounds as if it could belong to the hero of a romance novel, Jens Lovtang would rather be the hero of a salmon success story. Prior to construction of the Pelton Round Butte project, Chinook and sockeye salmon -- as well as steelhead -- successfully spawned in the Upper Deschutes River system. As part of the dam re-licensing process, various interested... Full story
Jeremy Fields (left), Brian See and Nate Goodwin have returned from shuttle recovery work in Texas. Photo by Dave Priest Last month's loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia affected us all, but some local Forest Service employees were impacted more directly than most. Jeremy Fields, Nate Goodwin and Brian See are Sisters Ranger District employees who were part of a Central Oregon team dispatched to Texas to take part in the search and recovery of shuttle debris. Sisters resident Ben Curtis also made the trip as part of the... Full story
For more than a hundred abused horses, an existence of torment and uncertainty finally came to an end last Saturday, March 1. Nearly all of the horses seized by the Deschutes County Sheriff last December were auctioned off to a gathering of carefully screened bidders who pledged to provide good homes for the mistreated animals. "Lots of people bought more than one horse," said Sheriff's Advisory Council member Liz Wunder. "We only had 15 that didn't sell, and some of those may yet sell." She explained that some of the approve... Full story
The public seems to have confidence in the Forest Service to make the right choices to manage and protect the Metolius Basin. Last week, the comment period closed for the Forest Service's draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and the Metolius Basin Forest Management Project shifted into a new phase. "Most of the feedback has been positive," said project leader Kris Martinson, who noted that more than 150 comments were received. Now, the Forest Service faces the task of reviewing the comments, a process that the agency... Full story
Black History Month in Sisters? It's almost an oxymoron. Oregon is a state with a history of intolerance and limited diversity. Sisters is far less diverse than the state as a whole. Some might consider Black History Month to be something of a non-issue in Sisters. If anything, just the opposite is true. Those of us grew up in rural or suburban Oregon might have cause to wonder what all the fuss is about, and that's exactly why something like Black History Month is necessary. In today's world, we're learning that the history... Full story
While Central Oregon's non-winter is raising the specter of summer water shortages, Hoodoo Ski Area is suffering right now. The local ski area's tough year got a lot tougher when the resort was forced to shut down for two weeks due to a combination of warm weather and a lack of snow. Last weekend, however, things were looking up at Hoodoo, as a cold snap and a very modest amount of new snow allowed the resort to reopen amid some cautious fanfare. "I want to be up front in saying that our conditions are less than ideal," said... Full story
On June 19, 1903, Pope Leo the XIII issued a papal decree that continues to affect life in Oregon east of the Cascades. Prior to that time, there was only one Catholic diocese covering all of Oregon. Pope Leo's decree recognized the need for change, and the Diocese of Baker was born. The name came from Baker City, which was the principal Eastern Oregon population center of that era. In 1903, Sisters was a tiny rural community at the confluence of Cascade Mountain trails, and Bend was merely that -- a bend along the Deschutes... Full story
Mere weeks ago in Bend, Sierra Club activists and others rallied with Governor John Kitzhaber in support of Ted Kulongoski's gubernatorial campaign. That was then. Now, some of those same people are indignant over Kulongoski's selection of State Forester Jim Brown as his chief environmental advisor. In most circles, Brown is considered a moderate with a balanced approach to environmental issues. Activists don't like moderation. In response to the appointment, extremists made the curious accusation that Kulongoski favors jobs... Full story
Stream protection will include using boulders like these to keep traffic back from stream edges. Photo provided Bull trout habitat in the Metolius Basin is another of our local treasures that people are loving to death. The same cold, clear streams where campers prefer to congregate are the only places where the bull trout can play out its life cycle. Recreation activity compacts streambank soils, tramples vegetation and stirs up sediment -- all of which are harmful to the bull trout and its long term future. The Forest... Full story
Fishermen have occasionally been known to curse underwater snags when a fishing line becomes tangled on one. However, such snags -- "large wood" to biologists -- produce benefits to the fish that are far greater than the annoyance of ripping off an incidental hook. Scott Cotter is a fishery biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, and he's working on a project with the Sisters Ranger District to introduce even more such snags into the Metolius River. These trees, he says, provide fish habitat and maintain the stability of the... Full story
As the result of a 1999 congressional mandate, the Forest Service was granted a new tool in forest management -- common sense -- and it's being used in the Metolius region. Under a stewardship program called "multi-party monitoring," diverse interests are sitting down at the same table and walking the woods together in an effort to achieve the best possible results for forest management. In implementing this program for the Sisters area, the Forest Service has brought together a team with membership that ranges from Sierra... Full story
Last month, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office seized 128 mistreated horses from a ranch near Brothers, and the story made the national news. "It was the worst case of animal abuse I've ever seen,"said Sheriff Les Stiles. What followed, however, was a dramatic rescue effort involving hundreds of people who donated their time, money and horse supplies to aid the stricken animals. The rescued animals were cared for at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and local veterinary facilities. In spite of the poor condition of the... Full story
It's not often that a monumental blunder is actually a potential blessing in disguise; and, of course, it remains to be seen whether the opportunity will come to fruition. Regardless, we have a "Lott" to be thankful for. When former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott put his foot in his mouth by publicly pining for the days of racial segregation, he gave the Republican Party -- and the nation -- a chance to make some real progress in the awkward arena of race relations. Privately, a few walking anachronisms have clung to a... Full story
The Forest Service hopes to create open stands that are resistant to catastrophic wildfire. Photo provided News reports seem to conjure up an image of vast destruction: the Forest Service plans to "log and burn 17,000 acres of National Forest land northwest of Sisters...." according to a recent Associated Press story. The actual plan calls for fire treatment and forest health measures similar to those already being employed throughout the Sisters region. In a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released last week, the... Full story
Two of the many horses helped by volunteer efforts. Photo provided By now, most of Central Oregon and much of the country has learned about the plight of 129 mistreated horses discovered east of Bend last week. The story was picked by most television networks, including CNN. What hasn't made the news, however, is how a group of Sheriff's Office volunteers sprang into action to coordinate the horse rescue effort. Just hours after a vendor discovered the shocking scene at a small horse "ranch" near Brothers, members of the... Full story
The new lodge at Hoodoo is ready to welcome skiers. Photo provided It's like being ready for the prom but not having a date. That's where it stands right now for Hoodoo Ski Area at the summit of Santiam Pass. The popular local family ski area has sunk millions of dollars into capital improvements, but it still lacks the one thing that ski areas need most. "The lodge is finished!" said Hoodoo's new Marketing Director, Pam DeMarsh. "What else do we need? Oh yeah, SNOW!" Like everyone else in the Pacific Northwest, DeMarsh is wo... Full story
A restoration crew downs a tree for use as an erosion barrier. Photo by Mike Riehle Although an unusually dry fall kept firefighters looking uneasily over their shoulders, the Forest Service was still able to move ahead with rehabilitation projects to begin mitigating damage from one of the area's more serious wildfires. The Eyerly fire north of Sisters is one of the burns in the Sisters Ranger District to receive early attention. Already the focus of an emergency reseeding project, the Eyerly burn had winter wheat and rye... Full story
Despite receiving only a trickle of funding, the Forest Service is moving forward with rehabilitation of Trout Creek Swamp west of Sisters. The swamp is an old grazing site that was established back in the 1930s when ditches were dug to drain the swamp for pastureland. The alterations also removed the stream flow from its historic path. Last year, the Forest Service launched a restoration effort to return the site to its natural state, said fisheries biologist Mike Riehle. "It's a sizable meadow project, and we haven't done... Full story
Waiting for the torch... Photo by Jim Cornelius Littering the road's edge like so much roadkill are brown heaps of forest debris. Local residents are wondering how much longer the piles will persist. Jinny Pitman, Fire Prevention and Education Specialist for the U.S. Forest Service says, "Mother Nature has a role in all of this." Pitman and her cohorts are anxiously awaiting more precipitation. "Even though we've had rain, you can see that, just below the surface, it's still dry," she said. Pitman is part of a team of... Full story
