News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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History is capricious. Who we remember and who we forget often has more to do with who had the better press agent than who was most accomplished. Most folks in Oregon have at least heard of John C. Fremont, who traveled through this country in the 1840s, mapping out the expansion of the United States. Before Fremont was a Mountain Man named Jedediah Smith. Few other than fur trade buffs know that name today. I was gratified last week to hear that a new popular biography of... Full story
Merry Christmas to the people of our wonderful community here in Sisters Country. Just a few short weeks ago many of us gathered for the Christmas parade and the definitive marker that it is now officially Christmas in Sisters Country — the lighting of the tree at Fir Street Park. As our community ushered in the joy and excitement of the holiday season, I found myself asking some deeper questions that many wrestle through, especially those who aren’t necessarily feeling all that “Christmas cheer” due to the pressures of this... Full story
Sisters has lost two mighty ponderosa pines, one at Sisters Woodlands Development. And one by a tree poacher, in the Deschutes National Forest behind Crossroads. Click here to see related story. We know who is responsible for the first loss, at the corner of Pine Street and West Sisters Park Drive. Sisters Woodlands Development, which states it is committed to saving as many trees as it possibly can, mysteriously felled one of the largest ponderosa pines on its 35-acre site last month. This approximately 42-inch DBH... Full story
I was a youngster in 1975-76, when the American Bicentennial celebrations were underway, and I was obsessed. I dove into the American Revolution with all the passion you might expect a 10-year-old to bring to, say, “Star Wars,” or some such. I have always been a history nerd. I watched Disney’s “Johnny Tremain” in school, the kids cheering when the Minute Men ambushed and gunned down the Redcoats. Don’t imagine that happens anymore. I read the covers off of Esther Forbes’ nov... Full story
The BBC in London, often criticized for perceived pro-Hamas leanings, ran a story last week headlined: “Israel Gaza: Hamas raped and mutilated women on 7 October, BBC hears” The subhead ran as follows: “The BBC has seen and heard evidence of rape, sexual violence and mutilation of women during the 7 October Hamas attacks.” Meanwhile on college campuses across the U.S. and the world, thousands of students, many carrying Palestinian flags or wearing a keffiyeh (Arab headgea... Full story
A few months ago, I addressed the issue of the increase in traffic at the west end roundabout and the surrounding area. Today, I am addressing pedestrian safety in this area, specifically McKinney Butte from McKinney Meadows to the roundabout. Currently, as you travel east down McKinney Butte from McKinney Meadows to the roundabout there is: a 25 mph near Fremont westbound, a 25 mph near The Hanger eastbound, a 25 mph near Desert Rose/Wellhouse westbound, and a 25mph near Arrowleaf /Mckinney Butte westbound. There are no... Full story
At Sisters Middle School we have an outstanding outdoor science program called ECoS (Earth, Community and Self). It is offered to eighth graders and consists of five overnight, unforgettable expeditions and a few other amazing day trips. Some of the opportunities provided in ECoS include backpacking, building a snow cave, surfing, rock climbing, tree climbing, repelling, and much more. Mike Geison is the founder of ECoS and this is now his ninth year running it with his... Full story
The topic of wolves is extremely controversial, and they are often seen as either good or bad. But no species is good or bad, as it's only we humans who classify their behavior as acceptable or not. Like any hotly debated issue, the more we understand and find similarities and commonalities, the more we can find acceptance - and in the case of the wolf, coexist. With wolves now taking up residence in Central Oregon and dispersing through Jefferson, and Deschutes counties,... Full story
The weather in Sisters is doing what it always does to me at this time of year. My soul hears the ancient horn call of the mythic North. A couple of nights ago, I fired up the electronic campfire (YouTube) for a tale of “Beowulf.” And because my mind works the way it does, it led me to thinking about “settler colonialism,” a term we hear a lot these days. The working definition of settler colonialism is: “…a type of colonialism in which the indigenous peoples of a colonized re... Full story
During recent discussions about the potential expansion of Sisters’ urban growth boundary (UGB), Sisters City Councilor Andrea Blum noted that she hears from constituents who think Sisters has hit a “sweet spot” and should just stay the way it is. It’s an understandable sentiment. We probably all have an idea of Sisters’ “sweet spot,” a point at which our community is or was “just right” and didn’t need to change. I tend to think that Sisters’ “sweet spot” came right around... Full story
In response to Bill Bartlett’s November 8 article about forest permits, I offer pertinent additional information and clarification not about bark stripping, but the stripping of nearly all the branches on multiple incense-cedar trees. This was not “cutting a few boughs here and there.” I was that first person to call the Sisters Ranger District Office. While hiking the Greenridge Trail with a friend recently, we saw two men some distance below the trail, spread far apart, cutting branches off trunks with pole pruners at le... Full story
Last week, Sisters marked Veterans Day observances, Americans’ annual opportunity to honor those who have served the country in our armed forces. Sisters students met with veterans and celebrated their service in assemblies (see “Roundabout Sisters,” page 3). Bend hosted its always-impressive Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 11. What Americans know as Veterans Day grew out of solemn observations of Armistice Day, marking the moment when the guns fell silent on the W... Full story
Timing is always tricky with a weekly publication. Take Halloween this year, on a Tuesday, literally the day when The Nugget is rolling off the press on its way to Sisters. So, no way to capture freshly the excitement of the annual children's parade put on by Sisters Park & Recreation District and Rotary Club of Sisters. Reporting on it would be eight days later, by then old news. Veteran's Day is always November 11, but local observances fell during the week, so they would... Full story
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in various U.S. cities recently got my attention. Curious as to what the protestors were actually supporting, I read from various news sources. To my surprise some of the “journalistic” accounts made little if any mention of Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack on Israelis living in Gaza. The journalists, like the protestors, seemed more focused on Israel’s retaliation following the horrendous attack. After more research, reading and watching video, I discovered how many protestors support a very de... Full story
At The Nugget Newspaper, I have the privilege of manning the front desk and greeting community members as they walk in the door or call on the phone. This public contact is actually my favorite part of the job. Even after living in Sisters for 14 years and having kids in Sisters schools dating back 18 years, I have never had the opportunity to interact with as many people from Sisters as in this role at The Nugget. I continue to meet people that, in some cases, have lived in... Full story
On a rainy Rogue River trip, Jim and I contemplated a fire. A fire would offer warmth even if drying out was not possible. My ammo can contained kindling, and I set about making a fire in our tiny Weber barbecue turned fire pan. I was about to flick my Bic…. In early adulthood I was lucky to learn a trade. I worked as a framing and finish carpenter in Fresno, California. A lasting take-away from that job was an abiding love of wood. Especially redwood. Fresno is in the heart of redwood country. West, along the coast, are t... Full story
It is now widely known in our community that the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has come out publicly against the Green Ridge logging project due to concerns over the cutting of large and mature trees in old-forest patches, and scientifically contradictory restoration goals and methods. We are not only concerned about degraded aesthetic and recreational experiences on Green Ridge, but also irreparable harm to our life support systems. We recently messaged our far-reaching email list letting members of the Sisters community (an... Full story
Nearly every day, I encounter members of our community who are impacted by loneliness. As a behavioral health specialist with St. Charles Sisters Family Clinic, I help patients with mental health concerns like depression or anxiety. When I meet with a patient, I always ask about their social support and what they do each day. Often, the answers I get start with the phrase “I used to be able to...” or “before COVID we had...” My patients talk about lost gatherings, from walking and coffee groups, to support meetings, to week... Full story
Over 30 years ago, biologists realized the Metolius River had a serious problem. As the Forest Service (USFS) moved toward "Ecosystem Management," they recruited botanists, including me, to look closely at plants in the National Forest. There was a strange striped grass taking over riverbanks and islands in the river. This grass was so aggressive it crowded out native plants that supported insects important to wildlife and fish. It was Ribbongrass (Phalaris arundinacea var.... Full story
In a generation where “celebrating diversity” is the mantra of the day, have you noticed how strikingly similar life has become in our country? Perhaps not quite so much in Sisters, where individuality seems to thrive — thank God! But if you travel the U.S., you may have observed huge neighborhoods filling expansive suburban developments—each house the same as the next. Of course, it’s cheaper and faster to build doppelganger houses, but how does a homeowner distinguish their home from their neighbor’s? After a long day, d... Full story
“Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.” — Saint Augustine The pursuit of happiness is the unavoidable hardwired disposition of every human heart. We were designed to desire true happiness. We can pretend we’ve moved beyond such “selfish, juvenile” behavior, but the fact remains that everyone is driven to achieve maximum happiness. Blaise Pascal put it this way: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war... Full story
As a community we have much to be proud of in Sisters. By most traditional measures, we have one of the strongest school districts in the state. We believe that a comprehensive education grounded in the community’s core values is key to the success of all students in Sisters Country. Prior to the pandemic, the Sisters School District started to engage the community around creating a new mission and vision for our schools. This process included a dozen meetings with diverse stakeholder groups to get feedback on the c... Full story
The explosion of intense violence in Israel is a savage spasm in a long-standing frontier conflict. It is often said that “they’ve been fighting each other there for thousands of years,” but that’s not really an accurate depiction of the conflict between Jews and Palestinian Arabs in the land that is now the state of Israel. The current conflict has its roots in the 19th century, in the Zionist movement, which sought to establish a Jewish homeland in a Middle East then un... Full story
Only the lonely Know the way I feel tonight Only the lonely Know this feeling ain’t right — Roy Orbison Loneliness is a melancholy theme in generations of songs. It’s not just a trope, though — it’s a serious matter. If the Surgeon General of the United States is right, it’s a major health threat: “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depr... Full story
A friend of mine wore a T-shirt the other day exhorting us to "Keep Calm and Circus On." It struck me as an apt slogan for the times, for surely we are living in a circus - though perhaps not the kind my friend adores. Our republic is careening in a clown car toward a presidential election rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden that a substantial plurality of Americans - or a clear majority depending on how you look at the data - don't want. A recent NBC poll shows Biden... Full story
