Volunteers clean up forest dump site

Someone dumped the remains of a concrete block wall in the forest west of Sisters - and volunteers have cleaned up the mess.

Gary Guttormsen, vice chair of the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) and head of the trails committee which does all planning, design, maintenance and building of local trails, recently received a request from the Forest Service for removal of debris located on FS Road 2059/850 near Indian Ford Campground, which is part of the Sisters Tie Trail.

Sisters Tie Trail is an STA trail, and it is their responsibility for cleanup and maintenance.

Three members of Sisters Trails Alliance - Gayla Nelson, Donna Timmerman and Joel Timmerman - responded immediately and picked up over 1,000 pounds of concrete block wall debris. Several of the individual pieces weighed over 150 pounds.

According to Nelson, it appeared that the debris might have been part of a demolished exterior concrete patio wall. It was painted on both sides, white on one and a light tan on the other. It appeared that it could have been dumped there in summer or fall of 2014.

The concrete was reinforced with rebar and wire mesh and had an electrical outlet within the wall. It is believed the wall was about six feet long and three feet high.

The volunteers hauled the debris to the Sisters Ranger District headquarters, where it was placed in their large dumpster with the help of Forest Service personnel.

Nelson said, "To those who use public lands as dumping grounds, please remember that this land is your land, too. You wouldn't want that unsightly debris in your yard, would you? Let us all help keep America clean. It is very disappointing that members of our community consider our National Forest as an acceptable place to dump their debris."

Anyone with information about illegal dumping in the forest is encouraged to call the Sisters Ranger District at 541-549-7700.