School land exchange agreement reached

Negotiators hammered out terms of a conservation easement and clinched a transfer of over 260 acres west of Sisters from Deschutes County to the Sisters School District on May 14.

The district now can use the parcel west of the Sisters High School for a future school site and outdoor nature lab.

Prior to signing the order officially transferring the land, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners insisted that the specifics of the easement be spelled out.

The commissioners wanted assurances that adequate effort would be made to protect Peck's penstemon, a rare, native plant, located in the Trout Creek stream bed on the northern portion of the land, and that the property will be managed according to conservation principles.

The Deschutes Basin Land Trust will hold the conservation easement. The trust can go to court, if necessary, to stop inappropriate use of the land.

Representatives of the county, the school district, the land trust and other affected parties met on Wednesday, May 14, to iron out the final wrinkles of the exchange. They struggled over where to draw the easement's boundaries, and whether and where to allow equestrian and pedestrian trails.

The land is essentially a rectangle running north of McKenzie Highway. The conservation easement boundary line is located about one-third of the distance north, so the bulk of the land falls within the easement's confines. The potential future school site comprises a square to the east, bordering McKinney Butte Road.

Ted Wise, a land trust board member and biologist, raised the issue of whether public access would be allowed over the easement area.

The Tollgate subdivision adjoins the acreage given to the school district, and homeowners hoped to continue enjoying pedestrian access. But Wise, concerned that heavy foot, bicycle or equestrian traffic would impair the rare plant habitat, noted, "If you are going to put in a trail, there are going to be associated costs."

Stuart Garrett of the Oregon Native Plant Society agreed.

"The closer the boundary is drawn to the plant habitat, the more likely it is that people will wander off (in the restricted area of the easement)," Garrett said.

The parties banned equestrian use in the confines of the easement, while allowing pedestrian trails. These foot trails will be limited to certain areas to meet concerns of the land trust and other adjoining landowners.

Sisters School Superintendent Steve Swisher is "very positive" about the guidelines.

"The district's concerns were met because we have access to transportation plans and it works well that the boundary line creates a nice big rectangular chunk set back from the road," he said.