No more the 'creek that Sisters forgot'

Until recently, Whychus Creek didn't get a lot of respect in Sisters. The over-allocated irrigation rights on the stream left it dry in summertime and folks in the Sisters Country had other prestigious streams like the Metolius River to brag on and love.

In recent years, as water rights were returned to the creek and conservation efforts took hold, the creek has come back - and it's getting a lot more attention and tender-loving-care.

Efforts to restore steelhead runs to Whychus Creek have garnered regional and even national support.

Last Friday, the second Ford Family Foundation Leadership Program class in Sisters threw a party to celebrate a rising awareness of the creek and its historical and contemporary role in the Sisters community.

The class is in the midst of a project called "Whychus Creek ... Telling the Story," which includes an interpretive installation on the Creekside City Park bridge that celebrates the restoration of Whychus Creek and the potential return of steelhead and salmon. The installation will help educate people about the diverse history of the creek and motivate the community toward stewardship of the watershed.

The class unveiled an artists' rendering of the proposed installation, which will be made of durable materials to minimize city maintenance.

"We're looking at materials that are sort of bombproof," said class member and project leader Rod Bonacker, of the U.S. Forest Service. "The emphasis is more on pictures and symbols than text. We have some really topnotch design people who have been willing to contribute their time to work with us."

Class member Jinny Pitman described the installation, which is conceived to weave around the structure of the bridge, as "a flowing ribbon of information."

The group will engage in fundraising for the installation - the educational outreach group Wolftree has already pitched in with a $500 contribution - but class member Howard Gorman emphasized that the project is about building community leadership and raising awareness of the creek.

"Money doesn't, by itself, energize," Gorman said. "People energize."

Bonacker noted that the class itself had to first be energized to believe in the value of restoring steelhead to the creek. He jokingly described his shock that members questioned the importance of the effort.

"They had the audacity to ask, 'what's the big deal about steelhead in Whychus Creek? Why is that important?'" Bonacker said. "It's a really, really great question."

Bonacker recounted the iconic status of salmon and steelhead in the culture of the region from the earliest times up to the very recent past.

"Fish were a part of your life if you grew up in the Northwest, a really important part," he said. "And it's been that way for 10,000 years in the Northwest."

Restoring that iconic symbol of renewal and the cycle of life is an important cultural statement, Bonacker believes. More importantly, it is a bellwether for the health of the watershed.

"The return of steelhead sort of symbolizes the renewal of the creek," Bonacker said.

For more information or to donate to the cost of creating the interpretive installation, call 541-549-2091. To volunteer, e-mail [email protected]

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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