Land swap proposed near Sisters

Legislation may be soon be introduced in Congress that would allow a Sisters man to exchange 1,240 acres he owns in the Steens Mountains for 690 acres bordered by Squaw Creek in Sisters.

George Stroemple bought the Blair Ranch in the Steens in 2001, according to Paul Dewey, a lawyer in Bend who is one of Stroemple's representatives in the exchange.

Dewey said the Blair parcels in the Steens are "in the middle of a cow-free wilderness, and is amazing habitat at 7,000 feet to 8,000 feet with a wild and scenic river as part of it."

The Sisters parcel is approximately three miles south of Sisters, adjacent to 50 acres Stroemple owns along Squaw Creek and accessed by Three Creeks Road.

Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony said the land, with riparian and potential steehead habitat, "is not land we would usually think of disposing of -- it is in an area of the forest where we would generally try to retain or acquire more land."

Two environmental groups, the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) and the Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC), -- reluctantly and with reservations -- support the exchange.

Dewey, an environmentalists who lived for eight years along Squaw Creek and protected the area from hydro projects and logging, said that advocating for this exchange "doesn't mean I am for trading all of Squaw Creek land to private ownership.

"I am in favor of exchanges when there is a net public benefit, and in this case where there are development restrictions and a conservation easement protecting the creek," Dewey said.

Those protections were also of critical importance to Tim Lillebo of the ONRC and Bill Marlett of ONDA.

They noted that the legislation would prohibit commercial development on the Sisters land, explicitly prohibiting golf courses or destinations resorts. Marlett said Stroemple has told them he hopes to build one or two more homes for family members.

The 300 foot set-back of any development from Squaw Creek was also an important consideration.

Marlett also thought Stroemple would better manage the land than the Forest Service.

District Ranger Anthony agrees that "we have been challenged (in managing the land)... there have been a lot of parties, gun shooting and habitation along the creek.

"However, we don't believe selling or exchanging is the solution. Retaining lands and getting the resources to manage them is more appropriate, not trading out of them when we have difficulties," said Anthony.

The district ranger said there was support for the "goals of the Steens Mountain Area, (but) we feel there are other lands that would be better suitable or in the public interest for exchanges, other lands in or out of the Sisters Ranger District. Or the government could procure (buy outright) lands in the Steens, as opposed to trading out of lands (such as those in Sisters) we would try to retain."

Anthony also worried that "we have worked with many groups to acquire land such as this, with instream flow, for ecological and social reasons. This exchange might undermine efforts to acquire such lands in the future."

Lillebo and Marlett agreed that purchase outright of the Steens land would be better than an exchange.

However, Lillebo said Congressman Greg Walden had impeded the use of more than $20 million that was authorized for land purchase as part of the legislation that created the Steens Wilderness.

The Nature Conservancy was interested in acquiring the Blair ranch but backed off when they learned that they would not be reimbursed.

Marlett said that the Harney County government has a policy of "no net loss" of private lands and particularly opposes federal purchase.

Stroemple is not particularly interested in acquiring lands other than those adjacent to his 50-acre homesite in Sisters, acknowledged Dewey.

So, without the ability at this time to purchase the Steens land outright, the environmental groups are accepting the exchange, as long as there are protections for the Squaw Creek property.

In addition to the development restrictions, Lillebo said that it was very important to "maintain public access on the east side of Squaw Creek (though he would like vehicles kept back farther from the water's edge), and that ... we make sure that the Steens (property) will go to cow free wilderness" when acquired by the government.

Stroemple has also offered $100,000 to the Secretary of Agriculture for fisheries habitat work on Squaw Creek under management of Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, said Dewey.

District Ranger Anthony said that the forest service will give input on the exchange "when some elected official sponsors legislation and the Forest Service is contacted to provide information."