Letters to the Editor 7/24/24

Seed to Table

To the Editor:

As the new Executive Director at Seed to Table, I’d like to thank our community for welcoming me so warmly. Seed to Table truly is a community supported and community serving nonprofit. I look forward to continuing to meet and learn from all of our great partners, supporters, and community members.

Recently, I had the honor of attending an awards ceremony with other nonprofit representatives to receive a grant from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation. This is the second year in a row we have welcomed their support. The ceremony, and this partnership process, have been humbling and inspiring. I learned more about the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians, the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, and the foundation’s long history of generous giving ($24,929,248 to date!).

At Seed to Table, this grant will support two of our three programs — our K-12 Education and Feeding Families food distribution programs. Each year, we welcome 1,500 student visits to the farm through field trips and farm camps to inspire student learning and engagement outside the classroom. And, from our 4-acre farm plot, we grow and distribute 100,000 pounds of produce annually. Eighty percent of what we grew last year was made available to our community members at no charge or on a sliding scale. In addition to our weekly produce share, we have 12 community partners who help distribute our produce every week, such as the Kiwanis Food Bank, Wellhouse Market, the Council on Aging, Family Kitchen, Family Action Network, and Sisters School District.

The mission of Seed to Table is to increase the health and wellness of the Central Oregon community by providing equitable access to farm-fresh produce and by providing opportunities in farm-based education. In 2023, we were able to meet more of the demand for our services and our veggies than ever before.  We are so grateful for the grants from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation and for the support of our community, donors, and funders who make this possible.  

Holly Haddad — Seed to Table

Crosswalk

To the Editor:

I read that a pedestrian was hurt badly crossing the highway in a crosswalk with her husband holding up the crosswalk flag.

Over the Fourth of July week I crossed the crosswalk by the Sno-Cap three times, and each time two cars forced me back to the curb by not stopping. That crosswalk is poorly painted. I’ll donate the paint so the City can repaint them all to give us even odds.

John Heffernan

Vitriolic statements

To the Editor:

Recent letters to your paper regarding the presidential campaign have contained some very vitriolic statements about Donald Trump. One letter in particular made numerous unfounded allegations that are simply false.

There were several references that the MAGA movement is somehow a vile organization. In reality “Make America Great Again” is nothing more than a desire to return to low gas prices, low unemployment, a comprehensive energy policy where we are independent from oil rich nations and would sell oil instead of buying it. Simply because someone says something doesn’t make it true. Trump was never influenced by Putin, never said he will toss our constitution aside and be a dictator. Some insane comments allude that we don’t tax the rich enough. I suggest that you research the facts and you will find the wealthy pay a great amount of taxes and are often those who own corporations that hire people. They take all the risks and costs. You could tax them 100 percent and it would make no difference. We don’t have a tax problem, we have a spending problem.

The other comment indicated that Trump lies about everything. Really? I would refer you to the stream of lies that Biden has espoused for nearly all of his life. There are so many that it would be impossible to list them all here. I will go out on a limb here and assume that the person who said all of this has never watched or listened to any news outlet other than CNN, NBC, or any other liberal outlets. You have been lied to for so long that the lies have become your truth.

A common statement made by the media is that Trump will destroy our democracy. I have yet to see an example of how that would be true. The media and the left have to vilify conservatives because they have no rational agenda. Socrates said that when the debate is lost insults become the losers tool.

President Trump was nearly assassinated Saturday, July 13. Are we really at a point in our history where we cannot recognize how the American people are so divided and bitter?

Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are not part of the solution why is that so.

I challenge you to research all that you hear and sort fact from fiction. You may be surprised just how much you have been lied to.

God bless America.

Owen Herzberg

Duped

To the Editor:

As I grow older it’s sad to see the internet do to Steve Wooodside what our parents said it would do to us. Falling for such anti-American propaganda from foreign countries. I fear for my country as do lots of us younger Americans do. We sadly see people our parents age so easily duped and scammed. Years ago they’d aggressively press against strong-man politics, but now they embrace it like thirsty families in Jonestown.

Bob Mackey

Forest Service shuttle proposal

To the Editor:

 Our Deschutes National Forest does some very good things, such as prescribed burning to clear out historically dangerous fuel loads, and the wrongly maligned Green Ridge forest management project, designed to preserve — not harm —the older growth forests. But two recent USFS proposals are a direct threat to those who enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and traditional natural activities in our taxpayer-funded forest.

The Forest Service proposes to introduce to numerous trails in the Sisters area two commercial shuttle services that want to make a profit shuttling large groups of mountain bikers to our forest trails. The shuttle proposal would permit commercial, for-profit businesses to inject large groups of mountain bikers into some of the most popular and already over-crowded trails in the Deschutes Forest.

The Forest Service has failed to provide the public with even the most basic information necessary to evaluate this proposal. (The USFS in another highly contentious proposal seeks to greenlight e-bike use on our forest trails.)

The shuttle proposal contemplates sudden increases in bike traffic on 15 or more trails in the Deschutes National Forest. For example, under the shuttle proposal, even just one of the two companies could deliver 15 mountain bikers to the Three Creek Meadow Trailhead, in groups of 15, four times per day, each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, thereby injecting up to 180 mountain bikers per weekend at that trailhead alone.  

A family planning to spend a quiet weekend camping and hiking at Three Creek Meadow or Suttle Lake would not expect — and should not expect — to have a commercial business suddenly deposit 60 mountain bikers each day during Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, in high density groups.

Moreover,  Stagecoach Adventures, one of the two companies the USFS proposes to approve, does not appear to have a website, and is not a business licensed or registered to do business in Oregon, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's office. The Forest Service has refused to provide information about Stagecoach Adventures and its owners, and has refused to provide concrete information as to the money it plans to take in from the two companies vying for commercial access to our trailheads.

Moreover, the USFS does not plan to conduct any analysis concerning  the shuttle proposal's potential or actual environmental impacts resulting from the repeated delivery of such large groups of mountain bikers on these trails including, among other things, impact on wildlife. 

The stated deadline for public comments on the shuttle proposal was July 19.

Stephen Poss

Indigenous name

To the Editor:

Regarding “Misspelled lake name honors Oregon pioneer,” (The Nugget, July 17, page 12):

It is wholly possible that this lake had an indigenous name before pioneers arrived.

I think this article could be more inclusive in honoring indigenous peoples of the area instead of the discussion in the article regarding white men and families being killed. As well as naming it after a pioneer who took it from indigenous peoples. This land was here and being utilized before white peoples showed up here to claim it.

Patricia Schmitt

Truth, lies and policy

To the Editor:

I’m reluctant to add to the incessant white noise found in this newspaper about Donald Trump’s lies. Some individuals spend an extraordinary amount of time (Mark B. Parchman, “I spent 3 hours researching . . .”) compiling what they believe to be a disqualifying number of lies, distortions, and misinformation coming from the former president that they believe is prima facie evidence that he is not worthy to be elected president again. Yet, they believe that their candidate is above reproach in the area of truthfulness. I took 30 seconds for an online search under the search term “Joe Biden’s lies” and the first four out of 1.75 million entries were the following:

• Washington Post: “The false and misleading claims President Biden made during his first 100 days in office,” April 26, 2021;

• PolitiFact: “How has Joe Biden fared on the Truth -O-Meter,” September 29, 2020;

• Washington Examiner: “Seventeen times Biden lied, plagiarized and exaggerated,” December 12, 2023;

• National Review: “Washington Post Fact Checker Gives Up On Recording Biden’s Lies,” May 3, 2021.

Now one may choose to visit these sites and sift through the information to dispute or inform oneself or merely recognize that no politician is above exaggeration, vituperation, or misinformation to advance their candidacy and chance for electoral success. Those who hate Donald Trump will not allow themselves to be convinced that he is no different than any other politician who wants to win votes. Joe Biden’s advocates surely feel that he is above all that.

The political atmosphere will undoubtedly worsen before it’s all over, but in the end it is not personality, but policy that matters most. Lyndon Johnson was a deplorable person, but he strong-armed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law; Ronald Reagan’s children hated him, but he brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. It’s important to keep the safety and prosperity of the United States as our goal, not cheap and valueless political squabbles.

Dale Streeter

E-bikes on trails

To the Editor:

I have submitted the following concerns to the Forest Service regarding e-bikes on the PRT.

Comments period ends August 2 and for questions (File Code 1950) contact cristina.peterson@usda.gov.

User conflict: One goal of the proposal is to reduce conflict among users. As a Sisters resident, I mountain bike, hike, or ski the PRT almost every day. Seems to me this proposal will increase conflict. Currently there are problematic encounters between hikers (including dog walkers who let their dogs run freely) and mountain bikers. Horses use the area. Trails are narrow and winding, often obscuring sight lines. Adding motorized bikes to the mix will create even more possibilities for conflict and injury. Who will establish and enforce right-of-way rules on the trail? Will e-bikes be allowed on Equestrian Trails where non-motorized bikes are currently allowed?

Increased risk of injury: Many people who are on e-bikes (including those who rent them for a weekend) are not experienced riders. The PRT is single-track dirt riding. Most inexperienced riders do not understand the dynamics of riding on powdery, dusty trails where sharp rocks, tree roots, and other hazards are frequent. Failure to respond properly to trail conditions can lead to serious crashes and upsets, made worse by heavy e-bikes. Sisters does not have an urgent care center and is not able to provide adequate emergency care to people who are likely to be injured on weekends and after hours.

Trail maintenance: Proper trail maintenance requires countless hours of brushing, leveling, planting, and removing obstructions (downed trees and debris). With the dedication and labor of many local volunteers the PRT system has been expanded and maintained to form the excellent trail network that so many enjoy. Some volunteers are no longer able to do the heavy work that is required on a continuous basis to maintain the system as it is now. Adding the impacts of e-bikes, coupled with increased use if shuttle services from Bend are allowed, will make maintenance even more problematic and without maintenance the trail could become unusable.

Enforcement: E-bikes are evolving. Larger tires, automatic shifting, rugged suspensions, heavier, longer lasting batteries; all these “improvements” are creating vehicles that are better used on forest service roads than on mountain bike trails. Who is going to enforce the Class 1 restriction? If a non-motorized mountain biker sees someone gaining on them on a single track trail, are they expected to stop and make sure the rider is on an allowed class of e-bike? Is a hiker who is forced to the rough by someone doing 15 MPH on an e-bike expected to ask what class of bike is going by? We already have problems with unauthorized dirt bikes on the PRT. Who is going to enforce this “permitted” class of e-bikes? Better to prohibit any and all motorized, power-assisted vehicles and educate the public with signage and mapping apps that clearly state the restrictions and provide alternatives that allow e-bikes.

Dixie Eckford