News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 51 - 70 of 70
Western larch trees in the Metolius Basin are losing their needles - and it's not because of changing seasons. Western larch in the Sisters Ranger District are suffering from a fungus known as "larch needle cast." The only deciduous conifer native to Oregon, western larch are commonly found along stream courses in the Metolius Basin and on Green Ridge. According to Brian Tandy, silviculturist for the Sisters Ranger District, both larch needle cast and larch needle blight can affect the western larch. Although they are two dif... Full story
Sisters residents who missed the Sisters Watershed History Fest can catch a glimpse of the past at a couple locations in town. A series of photos entitled "Sisters Then and Now" lines the walls of Sisters City Hall. Local photographer Patrick Faughnan captured specific images that were depicted in historic photos as they appear today. Faughnan's comparisons include a classic scene of the Hotel Sisters. Also at City Hall are copies of the "Sisters in a Nutshell" flyer, featuring a timeline of significant events from Sisters'... Full story
More than 200 people traveled back in time Saturday, June 27, during the first Sisters Watershed History Fest. The event, held at Sisters High School, featured historical displays, presentations and activities celebrating the dynamic cultural history of the Sisters community. But the festival was more than an exploration of the past. Participants and organizers viewed Sisters' "old west" culture as one that depended on the natural resources within the Sisters watershed. "We want to understand where (the community) came from... Full story
The largest restoration project ever proposed in a late successional reserve on the Deschutes National Forest will now stand the test of public appeals. Three separate appeals were recently filed with the U.S. Forest Service against the Santiam Late Successional Reserve (Santiam LSR) Restoration Project. A local coalition of environmental groups and individuals filed a joint appeal against the proposal, which includes over 2,500 acres of commercial timber harvest north of Suttle Lake and east of the Pacific Crest. The... Full story
One of the largest trophy fish in the Sisters watershed became a "threatened" species Friday, June 5. After nearly six years of litigation, the bull trout received federal listing under the Endangered Species Act in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. In part due to the damming of its migratory waterways, the bull trout has met tremendous decline in the northwest. In Oregon, it is illegal to fish for the species except in the Metolius River and Lake Billy Chinook. Other more emotional factors may have also l... Full story
Foresters will cut down trees and clear underbrush along Highway 20 west of Sisters, but they'll leave the big trees standing. Trees over eight inches in diameter will remain standing as part of the 9,300 acre forest management project. The Sisters Ranger District released a decision last week on the Highway 20 Integrated Vegetation Management Project. The restoration effort will involve cutting trees under eight inches, underbrush mowing, and prescribed burning. According to Sisters Ranger District Landscape Architect Rick... Full story
The east end of Sisters will have a vastly different look, with the completion of a Forest Service project at the intersection of Highways 20 and 242. As part of the National Forest Scenic Byway program, an interpretive portal will be developed for the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway. The "East Portal" will mark the byway's eastern gateway and will be located just inside the Sisters city limits. The project went to bid in April, and work could begin as early as June 1. The portal will include an interpretive kiosk... Full story
Up to 2,474 acres of the Sisters Ranger District is scheduled for commercial timber harvest in a massive effort to restore the health of the forest and reduce the risk of wildfire. The Deschutes National Forest announced the project in a decision notice published April 22. Over 3,500 acres northwest of Sisters will receive intensive treatment as part of the Santiam Late Successional Reserve Restoration Project. Thirty-four miles of roads will be closed. Deschutes National Forest Supervisor Sally Collins acknowledged that the... Full story
In the name of forest health and the protection of human dwellings adjacent the forest, the Sisters Ranger District has rekindled their annual ritual of controlled burning in Sisters' backyard. As part of the Natural Fuels Reduction Program, the "Underline Project", one mile west of Tollgate off Forest Road 1012, got the torch on Thursday, April 16. According to District Fire Fuels Specialist Mark Rapp, this area was once proposed for a timber sale due to the concentration of large trees. Today, with decreased logging and... Full story
Visitors to Suttle Lake can expect big changes over the next five years. The Suttle Lake Resort has proposed complete redevelopment of the Sisters Ranger District site which would replace the existing campground with 15 new cabins, adding an overnight lodge and an automobile bridge across Lake Creek. The proposal would also provide four-season access to the resort, according to Sisters Ranger District Lands Forester, Jeff Sims. "We have quite a few summer campgrounds, but nothing that provides year-round recreation in that... Full story
Twenty-four thousand cubic feet of fire-killed timber is scheduled for harvest from the Pole Creek Burn west of Sisters. The Sisters Ranger District recently announced its intention to salvage trees from the 18-acre burn, which consumed forest "with unusual intensity" in June 1997, according to Forest Service reports. Reforestation of the charred site will follow the harvest. The intensity and early-season occurrence of the blaze caused a unique phenomenon that may have spared larger trees from the saw blades. Considerable da... Full story
A giant land exchange between Crown Pacific and the U.S. Forest Service is 16.2 acres smaller after a parcel inside the City of Sisters was removed from the swap. The supervisors of the Deschutes, Fremont and Winema National Forests announced their decision on the controversial land swap on Thursday, March 19. Crown Pacific was expected to sell the dropped parcel to Bill Reed, owner of the nearby Ponderosa Lodge. "This parcel was not consistent with the overall purpose and need of the Crown (Pacific) land exchange," said... Full story
The Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series thrives off the support of its sponsors. Many of those sponsors are giving a hand to their kids' hometown schools. According to Sisters School District Superintendent Steve Swisher, Sisters Starry Nights and the Sisters Schools Foundation were created in 1996 in response to the district's financial challenges. "Budget cuts over time threatened (our) arts and music programs," Swisher said. "(series chair) Jeri (Fouts) and (high school principal) Dennis Dempsey were talking about... Full story
Two Sisters community organizations recently filled board of directors vacancies left by the unexpected death of Charles Trachsel. Trachsel, who suffered a fatal heart attack February 1, served as chief of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District for over 30 years, followed by a four-year term on its board of directors. He had also just begun his second year as a board member for the Squaw Creek Irrigation District (SCID). Fire chief Chuck Cable explained that Trachsel "was appointed to his (board) position in Spring... Full story
The Sisters Ranger District's decision to close 16.9 miles of National Forest roads is part of a nation-wide trend in forest road management. The closure still leaves over 1,500 miles open to the public. "Our actions are consistent with the philosophy (U.S. Forest Service Chief Mike) Dombeck's been taking about - (closures) being essential for managing the National Forests as well as providing (public) access to the forests," Anthony said. "Roads have a long-term impact on the land, and management feels there are too many... Full story
The Deschutes National Forest is due for a pruning - but this time timber is not part of the harvest. The U.S. Forest Service plans to rid the Deschutes National Forest of nonnative plants, called noxious weeds. Treatment of the undesired flora is likely to include the use of chemical herbicides, as well as hand picking, insect control and prescribed burning. Exotic plants were introduced into the forest from Europe and Asia many years ago and now threaten native plant populations. Other threats stimulating the control... Full story
Karla Bonhoff and John David Souther brought a sold-out crowd to its feet on the opening night of the second annual Sisters Starry Nights concert series. The Sisters High School auditorium was filled Saturday, February 21, for the benefit for the Sisters Schools Foundation. Bonhoff returned to Sisters for a second year accompanied by musician and songwriter J.D. Souther. Joining Bonhoff and Souther were Kenny Edwards, also a Starry Nights veteran, and Rob Meurer of Christopher Cross fame. The John Congdon-Scott Foxx Trio... Full story
Musicians David Wilcox and Tim Lauer and comedians Mack and Jamie repeatedly brought nearly 700 guests to their feet in the opening night of the third-annual Starry Nights Concert Series. The first concert in the three-event series, which benefits the Sisters Schools Foundation, completely sold out 350 general admission seats from the single outlet in Sisters in just one hour, according to Sisters School District Superintendent Steve Swisher. The balance of the audience included event sponsors and their friends and families.... Full story
Local Forest Service staff discussed plans for the Suttle Lake Resort, as well as other forest projects, with over 30 residents from the Sisters area at a recent open house held at the Sisters Ranger District. District Ranger Bill Anthony and the district staff hosted their annual open house on Thursday, January 22, to educate the public about the past year's events as well as current and upcoming projects. Anthony said that most public meetings staged by the Forest Service focus on specific forest issues but that this forum... Full story
Years of litigation culminated in a settlement Friday, January 22, as residents of Panoramic View Estates ended their lawsuit against David Hurtley and the Hurtley Irrigation System. Ten residents living in or near the Panoramic subdivision filed suit against Hurtley in 1996. They alleged that he interfered with their water rights, denying them irrigation water and using it for his own purposes. Four of the plaintiffs claimed that Hurtley trespassed on their property to install shut-off valves on their irrigation pipelines.... Full story
