Letters to the Editor 11/05/2014

To the Editor:

I wish to thank both Bob Meyer of Sisters and Jayne Miller, director, Oregon Cougar Action Team, for their positive responses to the unfortunate cougar confrontation with a domestic goat near Sisters.

As to not farming or raising domestic livestock close to adjoining public lands, that's the job of the Deschutes County Planning Commission. However, refusing a building permit for a ranch house or allowing someone to raise cows because of a possible cougar contact is just not in the cards.

I served on the planning commission back in the '70s, and not once was there ever a mention about land-use conflicting with cougars. However, deer winter range was an issue and is still respected. Besides, there were not enough cougar left in Oregon at that time to bring that subject to the table.

If mule deer migrating through Sisters Country are not encouraged to stay and snack on backyard goodies, they - and cougars traveling with them - will go on. The pestiferous mule deer wandering all around the City of Sisters and outlying community eating everyone's kitchen gardens and landscaping are nothing but moochers hooked on hand-outs - which has everything do with human and wildlife interactions.

I agree completely with Miller's admonition on ODFW's cougar numbers; at best it's a spit-in-your-hand guess. The department has a hard enough time coping with "game" management without trying to find money and personnel to conduct an accurate wildlife/cougar study. As it is, the department depends on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Specialists to do the dirty work of destroying wildlife causing problems.

Sure, it would be far more humane, better for our cougar population-and great PR for ODFW-if those cougar, "caught-in-the-act" were tranquilized and set free far from some other person's backyard, but I fear we'll never see that happen.

Jim Anderson

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To the Editor:

This quote from bell hooks (sic) seems appropriate: "To build community requires vigilant awareness of the work we must continually do to undermine all the socialization that leads us to behave in ways that perpetuate domination."

Roger Detweiler

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To the Editor:

The Rotary Club of Sisters, in partnership with the Sisters Library, wishes to thank all the businesses that participated in the annual Halloween Parade through town. This is one of our community signature events and it happens because you go to the expense of purchasing candy, make time to stand outside your businesses, smiling at hundreds of children, and spend energy thinking up clever costumes. It is appreciated.

To those parents who trekked around Sisters on Halloween afternoon, thank you. We're creating special memories together.

Kathryn Godsiff, President

Rotary Club of Sisters

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To the Editor:

Healthy Beginnings completed its annual 12-point Kid Inspection on October 17 at Sisters Elementary School. We were so happy to have seen 39 community children. Each of these children received a screening in 12 different areas, with referrals made to community resources as needed.

Health and education professionals volunteer their time to make sure children get started out in life with their best foot forward: Health and hearing screening by an RN; speech screening by a speech pathologist; developmental (infant and toddler development, preschool concepts, preschool motor skills); and vision screening by retired teachers; dental screening by a dental hygienist; nutrition screening by a dietician; behavior screening by a retired specialist in early childhood behavior, and more!

The screenings per child are valued at $3,000 - the estimated cost to attend each professional with a private appointment.

Very special thanks go out to our volunteers and other supporters, like Sisters Kiwanis who help support the Sisters screening with volunteers and financial support and Sisters Elementary School, specifically Principal Becky Stoughton, who went above and beyond by hosting us and getting the word out to the Sisters community about the screening.

For Sisters parents and caregivers who missed our screening, we will be in Redmond on November 7 and in Bend on December 5. Please check Healthy Beginnings' website at www.myhb.org for a full listing of our upcoming community screenings.

Shelley Irwin

Screening and Volunteer Coordinator