News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 177
Two weeks ago, a Caldera poet witnessed sudden waves and turbulence at Blue Lake. (The Nugget, November 6, 2002) As it turns out, the phenomenon observed by Gwen Morgan was seen in other areas around the country. Forest Service geologist Larry Chitwood said that the major earthquake in Alaska triggered waves in lakes as far away as Louisiana, where water disturbances were generated in Lake Pontchartrain. "There's a pretty good case that the wave actions observed at Blue Lake were probably induced by the big Denali... Full story
A phenomenon variously described as a swirling rush of water, a vortex or a whirlpool was seen Sunday afternoon, November 3, on the otherwise placid surface of Blue Lake. Caldera resident artist Gwen Morgan was sitting on the dock at the west end of the lake when it happened. "I wandered down to the lake in the afternoon, and I was in the middle of writing a piece," Morgan said. "Suddenly there was an upwelling and swirling of water about 15-20 feet from shore between the dock and the marina building. "I looked out toward... Full story
Sid Eisenbeis Photo provided Ask any travel agent. You're not likely to find a cruise that takes you from California to the Hawaiian Islands, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Philippines and, then, all the way north to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. You're even less likely to keep a journal that reads, "Patrolling off Yellow Beach, Leyte Island and under intermittent air attack." Those words were penned aboard the USS Burlington (PF 51) nearly a year before the Japanese surrender in World War Two. Sisters resident Sid Eisenbeis... Full story
More than 40,000 acres of Sisters area forestland is up for sale; and, for the present, no one is saying who the new owners might be. Last month, Weyerhaeuser accepted bids for three blocks of land they termed "Central Oregon's premier timberland and development properties." Steve Ketz of Weyerhaeuser's Federal Way office is handling the sale for the company. Bids were due last month, but he says that nothing has been finalized yet. "The interest level was so high that we're still evaluating the offers," Ketz said. When... Full story
The St. Edward's church building was moved through Sisters to its current site in May of 1983. Although the history of Catholics in Sisters predates the formal establishment of a church, St. Edward's took root forty years ago -- in 1962, when Rex and Minerva Trowbridge donated land for a church. The following year, Bishop Francis P. Leipzig provided plans and authorized construction of a small mission church on the site. The design was modeled after a similar project in Wallowa. Under the guidance of Father Francis McCormack... Full story
Several Sisters area streams have below-standard water quality, according to an updated analysis by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). All the local streams were listed due to elevated water temperatures. According to Bonnie Lamb, a natural resources specialist with the Bend DEQ office, temperature is only one of several criteria used in water body evaluation. She pointed out, however, that temperature is an obvious factor and does not preclude the existence of other problems for which data do not exist. Sq... Full story
Father Jim Logan Although new to Sisters and St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church, Father Jim Logan is a native of Central Oregon. Most recently from Prineville, Logan grew up in Bend and is descended from Central Oregon ranchers on both sides of the family. "Both of my parents are from big Catholic families and grew up on ranches in the area," said Logan in explaining his roots. "My dad was one of seven kids and my mom one of nine." Logan himself is the fourth of eight children, all of whom still live in Oregon and most in... Full story
Travis Moyer of the Oregon Department of Forestry amid the charred trees of an untreated stand. When the Cache Mountain Fire swept into Black Butte Ranch, firefighters were able to make a stand largely because of forest management practices that were implemented nearly a decade ago. "We started on this side of the Ranch, so we had enough done that we can see it's a success," said Lorri Heath, Cascade Division Fire Management Officer for the U.S. Forest Service. Heath was referring to the forest management practice of "fuels... Full story
Tom Fitzpatrick addresses participants in a tour of the Cache Mountain fire site. On July 23 lightning struck a remote area on Cache Mountain, and local forest and fire officials knew within minutes that they had a serious problem on their hands. What they didn't expect was how difficult it would be to convey the sense of urgency to agencies outside the local area. Last week, the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) conducted a public debriefing on the Cache Mountain Fire. Scott Aycock, Program Coordinator for... Full story
In commemorating the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, the nation observed the first Patriot's Day -- an entirely appropriate thing to do. What seems a bit puzzling are the noises some folks are making about having the day proclaimed as a national holiday. Excuse me? Can you imagine a national holiday for, say, Pearl Harbor Day? One television network conducted a poll on the question. To the public's credit, 60 percent opposed the idea. The flip side is that, apparently, 40 percent like the idea. Are they... Full story
Fr. Adrian Morrin and Fr. Tom Faucher in Penrith, England, on their way to Scotland. Although the Diocese of Idaho has invoked its prior claim on former Sisters priest Fr. Tom Faucher, it will still have to wait a while before getting him back. Instead of Boise, Faucher is currently preaching his message in Scotland as part of a well-earned sabbatical. Faucher arrived in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, on July 12, where he is filling in for Scottish priest Fr. Neil O'Donnell, who himself is on sabbatical in the southwestern United... Full story
The staff at Suttle Lake Resort is all smiles -- despite what could be a long delay in construction of a new lodge. After another meeting with Forest Service officials last week, Suttle Lake Resort managing partner Mike Abbott was very discouraged about his company's chances of starting construction on the new Suttle Lake Lodge. "Everybody wants to know when the new lodge is getting started," Abbott said. The answer, as it has been for the past several years, is "probably not this year." As in past years, Suttle Lake... Full story
In an era when bureaucracy tends to make everything harder than it has to be, two state agencies have found a way to make their operations in the Sisters area more efficient. Wayne Rowe is the Sisters Unit Supervisor for the Oregon Department of Forestry, and he likes the way an inter-departmental program is working for the area. "We had this opportunity with ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) who need people in the winter when we used to lay them off," Rowe explained. ODOT needs people to plow snow in the winter at... Full story
Jennifer King is the new chef at Suttle Lake Resort. More accustomed to landing big fish, the Suttle Lake Resort management team has quite a catch in its new chef. Direct from the Caribbean, Jennifer King recently signed on as head chef at Suttle Lake. King, who is originally from Tumalo, last worked as a chef for the Carambola Beach Resort in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She was back home visiting when she saw the opening at Suttle Lake. "I didn't really know if I wanted to stay here (in Central Oregon) just working at... Full story
Fr. Thomas Faucher. Six years ago this week, W. Thomas Faucher arrived in Sisters to assume the mantle of parish priest at St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church, which had been without a priest for two and a half years. It wasn't an auspicious beginning. Upon arrival, he promptly slipped and fell, shattering his quadriceps tendon in three places. As a result, he celebrated his first Sisters Mass from a wheelchair. "It was the day of the Pole, Pedal, Paddle race," he recalled. "They thought I was the first casualty of the... Full story
We have a host of people with environmental interests telling us what is green. When one of my four children was a toddler and learning his colors, he tried to do the same thing. "Green!" he'd proclaim, when asked about a color. Any color. I guess he figured that if he stuck with that answer, eventually, he'd get it right. With many of today's "environmentalists," we're seeing about the same level of scientific understanding. The term "environmentalist" has come to have a special connotation. Sort of like the word "gay," it... Full story
Volunteer Gene McMullen surveys with a staff. Metolius redband counts are up -- way up -- again this year; and counting isn't even complete yet. "Redband" is the name now applied to native populations of what we used to know as rainbow trout. They're still rainbows, of course, but "redband" is kind of an aristocratic appellation used by fish aficionados. It's intended to distinguish the wild variety. Scott Cotter is Assistant District Fisheries Biologist for the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest, and... Full story
The collapsed Black Butte Tower will be salvaged. Ice and snow may have toppled the historic fire lookout atop Black Butte but, thanks to a grant from the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, the story of the 1934 tower is not quite over yet. The grant of $5,000 is designated "to salvage, sort, archive and assess the ruins of Black Butte Tower." Maret Pajutee, Ecologist for the Sisters Ranger District, explained that the foundation's participation means much more than the face value of the grant. "Partnerships are important because... Full story
Crossings at Canyon Creek will be consolidated. A Forest Service project to enhance the health of Canyon Creek, including important bull trout habitat, is nearing completion this week. According to Assistant District Fisheries Biologist, Scott Cotter, the project began nearly two years ago when biologists determined that an abandoned bridge crossing was restricting stream flow and resulting in excessive sediment deposits. Finishing touches are being applied this week by a Job Corps crew from the Civilian Conservation Center... Full story
The High Desert Forum is known for bringing top-notch speakers to Central Oregon, but Sisters' reputation for quilting may have an influence, too. Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Oman, David J. Dunford, was in Central Oregon last week to address the Forum, but most of his time was spent in Sisters. "My wife, Sandy, is a quilter," Dunford explained, "so we've been to Sisters before." The Forum's Executive Director, Bruce Bishop, confirmed that staying in Sisters was part of the deal for getting the Dunfords to... Full story
Mark Rapp has been promoted ... away from Sisters. For years, The Nugget has reported on the fire suppression work led by Assistant Fire Management Officer, Mark Rapp. No more. Starting this week, the "assistant" will be dropped from Rapp's title; but, from Sisters' point of view, there's a downside. Rapp is leaving the Sisters Ranger District to report as Fire Management Officer to the Fort Rock and Crescent Ranger Districts. For the 15 years that he's been in the Sisters Ranger District, Rapp has been closely identified... Full story
Although David J. Dunford, the former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Oman, spent much of last week in Sisters, his real purpose for being in Central Oregon was to speak to the High Desert Forum on the Middle East. On Wednesday night, April 17, at the First Presbyterian Church in Bend, that's exactly what he did. Dunford started with the premise that "I don't need to remind anyone how important the Middle East is to U.S. interests." He asked how many people walked to the Forum; the answer: none. The answer was the same... Full story
The Deschutes Basin Land Trust is bringing an important part of the Metolius Basin under its protective wing. The Trust announced Wednesday, April 17, that it has secured from Willamette Industries an option to purchase 1,240 acres of forest land on Lake Creek, a principal tributary of the Metolius River. With 4,260 acres already under its protection, the trust is already a major factor in Central Oregon conservation. The Lake Creek transaction would increase that figure by 30 percent. Founded in 1995 to protect "special"... Full story
When Blue Lake resort was sold to a Portland advertising executive a few years ago, the area dropped out of the public eye for a time. Gradually, however, Blue Lake is reemerging as a part of the Central Oregon picture. Under the auspices of Caldera, a private non-profit organization, Camp Caldera was founded as a summer camp program for at-risk inner city children. In subsequent years, the camp's programs were expanded, facilities were upgraded, and construction begun on a new central lodge. As of last year, nearly half of... Full story
As the horror of September 11 eases into history, an increasing cadre of Americans entertain themselves trying to find fault with America. This phenomenon of self-flagellation is more than a bit curious. Americans are far from perfect; but, all things considered, we're not that bad. Sure, we're an arrogant and provincial bunch, but our hearts are usually in the right place. Those who are "ashamed to be an American" would be hard pressed to find a better alternative; but, if railing against our society serves to assuage some... Full story
