Sisters trail boosters win new grants

It's official. Two grants have been approved for key Sisters-area trailhead upgrades.

The first grant was awarded to the Deschutes National Forest, Sisters Ranger District, and is a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant for a permanent vault toilet at the Whychus Overlook Trailhead. The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has been instrumental in developing and maintaining this trail, and has been paying for a porta-potty at the site for the last three years. The grant is from federal transportation funds which are administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD).

The new grant will provide for an accessible, permanent vault toilet facility at the parking area on the Three Creek Lake Road for the relatively new Whychus Creek Overlook Barrier Free Trail. The Whychus Creek trail overlooks scenic Whychus Creek and connects to the trail system along the creek's eastern bank. Whychus Creek is listed among the nation's Congressionally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. The wooded and scenic accessible overlook trail sees hundreds of local users and, perhaps, even more not-so-local visitors.

The installation is expected to be completed this summer. The RTP grant award is for $43,000, and STA has provided a grant match of volunteer labor.

The STA has been active in promoting trails and programs to enhance trails in and around Sisters. This particular project involved a concerted effort by STA members Gary Guttormsen and Patrick Eckford working closely with Amy Racki, recreation team leader for the Sisters Ranger District.

"STA supported the Forest Service and Sisters Ranger District in the preparation of the RTP grant proposal," said Eckford. However, he emphasized that Racki "did the lion's share" of the hard work leading up to the grant award.

STA Board Chair Catherine Hayden congratulated those who worked on the project.

"Well done," she said. "That is great news. Thank you for all your hard work."

The second grant for local trail improvements is for a new trailhead for the Peterson Ridge Trail system, which has been approved by the OPRD. Racki pointed out that, while this grant has been approved, the formal awarding of the grant is awaiting action by the Federal Highway Administration, which is expected this spring. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2020.

This project provides for construction of a permanent trailhead facility for the popular Peterson Ridge Trail, including 25 new, off-road parking spaces and a vault toilet. The existing trailhead site, information kiosk, and parking are all presently within a city neighborhood and adjacent to private property. The project would move the existing trailhead out of the Tyee Drive neighborhood to a new location 850 feet south on Three Creek Lake Road (Forest Road 16).

In addition to the permanent toilet and off-road parking, the new trailhead design will feature a new informational kiosk, bike racks, a staging area, and room for future expansion. The current kiosk on Tyee Drive will be removed and that access point will be redesigned to accommodate local access only. STA will build new connector trails to the existing trail system. The concept was approved over four years ago, but funding has not become available until now. This was the third time the trailhead grant application had been submitted.

On behalf of the Sisters Ranger District, Racki thanked the City of Sisters, Sisters Chamber of Commerce, Oregon Equestrian Trails, Blazin Saddles, FivePine Lodge, neighborhood residents, Sisters Parks & Recreation Department, and the Sisters Trails Alliance for their work on behalf of the project.

STA significantly helped with the planning, writing and presentation of the grant proposal to the review committee. In addition to working on compiling the grant application, STA also helped with the procurement of matching grant funding support. The grant request is for $152,000.

Guttormsen, STA's trails committee chair, was among the first to break the news to fellow STA members:

"Great news, all! We got the funds to build the new PRT trailhead."

His announcement brought a flurry of excitement and celebratory messages from STA members.

"Wow! Finally! Whew! What an amazing, wonderful team. Good work and congrats to all," said STA secretary, Chuck Humphreys.

Katie Williams, an STA director, was equally expressive. "Woohoo!!! Great work Gary and team. That's very exciting news!"

The funding support for the project was predicated in large part due to the extreme popularity of the Peterson Ridge trails and, in no small part, to the economic and cultural impact that the trail system has on the entire Sisters area. Data submitted in the grant request cited annual trail usage by more than 30,000 hikers, equestrians, and cyclists.

Impact surveys suggest that as many as three-fourths of those trail users are from out of town and many come to Sisters specifically to use the Peterson Ridge Trail system. The data also stated that these visitors may contribute as much as two million dollars to the local economy, and that the trail system is a key "quality of life" asset for the people of Sisters Country.