Pancakes and friends at Camp Sherman

More than 270 people ate pancakes while a handful of "Friends of the Metolius" flipped cakes and eggs last Sunday at Camp Sherman's Community Hall. Further down the buffet line, another Friend of the Metolius offered ham. The next stop, after visiting with a few friends and neighbors - all volunteers - was orange juice or choice of coffee.

People ate like there was no tomorrow and one guest swore he never ate this much at home.

This is the first year that Friends of the Metolius have sponsored the Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast, but one of the members assured me the volunteer servers are the same, year after year, regardless of who sponsors the event.

They use same secret pancake recipe contributed years ago by the late Toni Foster.

This year, the only difference in the gourmet offerings was the addition of gluten-free pancakes - also made with a secret recipe. While that recipe somehow made its way into this corespondent's notes, I swore to never divulge the ingredients. I will reveal, however, they were the best gluten- free pancakes this correspondent has ever tasted.

Friends of the Metolius, whose mission is to preserve the Metolius Basin's ecology, has 400-500 members. Not all are local, or even property owners; many join as avid fishermen who want to preserve the river.

There are 12 members of the board. Saturday's FOM board meeting saw the resignation of two long-term members, Madeline Landis and Elke Dortmund, and the voting in of two new board members: Dennis Chapman, who was already a volunteer collecting pancake money on Sunday; and Tom Ryan who lives on the river.

Sunday's meeting agenda included an ongoing discussion of water quality analysis, which is done quarterly at various places along the river.

Future plans were discussed for the Heritage Demonstration Project. Signs about the project clearly define the contrast between a managed forest versus one that is not. FOM works closely with the Forest Service - who does the burning - while FOM decides which sections of the forest should be treated and in which ways they should be treated. Bill Anthony of the Forest Service provided a summary of future projects the Forest Service could budget.

FOM has a noxious-weed grant and are working toward controlling the yellow flag iris and ribbon grass, which is plentiful down by the river. There will be a further meeting on July 19 at the Community Center to specifically address the noxious-weed issues.

A key Friends of the Metolius project has been watching the land use decisions throughout Jefferson County, and they were discussed briefly on Saturday.

FOM worked with the Camp Sherman Historical Society and the Forest Service to rebuild three shelters at Camp Sherman, Pine Rest, and Pioneer Ford campgrounds. Ribbon cuttings were held last week.

The summer's interpretive walks will be starting soon. Information will be posted throughout the community as well as in The Nugget.

Look for more pancakes to be served in Camp Sherman on the sixth of July, the Sunday after the fourth. The Camp Sherman Community Association will be sponsoring the event. The date is never a secret. Only the recipes are.