Trail plan raises wildlife concerns

A series of wildlife images captured by a trail camera on a proposed downhill mountain bike trail near Sisters is remarkable in clarity. Moreover, against high odds, the same camera caught a pair of cougars, a black bear, and numerous mule deer.

The camera is the property of Adam Bronstein, a local wildlife and wilderness advocate with the newly formed group Wild Ecosystems Alliance, one of a number of opponents to the Forest Service's proposed trail activities on 21 existing and future trails across the District, including new trail construction, the addition of existing routes, and existing system trail realignment and abandonment.

Proposed trail actions in the Sisters Trail Additions and Replacement project (STAR) would provide a variety of user experiences unavailable on the existing trails. Overall, about 54 miles of new non-motorized trail are proposed to be added to the Sisters trail system and 8 miles removed for a net addition of about 46 miles.

Currently, there are about 392 miles of non-motorized system trails on the Sisters Ranger District. Trails proposed for this project were derived from a larger list initially created by various trail user groups and vetted by Forest Service specialists.

New trail construction includes the construction of a route that does not currently exist. According to the Forest Service, new trail construction is considered when the proposed trail would provide a unique user experience not already available in the greater trail system, potentially reduce user conflict, and/or provide trail system connectivity. This project proposes 4 new trails totaling 16 miles.

The proposal, introduced in July 2023, included a public comment period that ended September 23, 2023. A decision is expected to be reached next April with implementation slated to begin next June.

Lauren DuRocher, Acting District Ranger for the Sisters District, said, "We received a wide variety of comments. As a result of public input and further analysis there will probably be modifications and adjustments to the plan. We always appreciate public feedback."

Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) who hold a special use permit from the Forest Service to act as trail stewards in Sisters Country are an integral stakeholder among other area users groups who have been part of the process and analysis. Stephanie Presley, STA Executive Director, told The Nugget that, "We have been very welcome and valued at the table and are an ongoing part of the process. We hear from many users of the need to expand the trail system and/or minimize conflict from competing users."

STA is accompanying some of the Forest Service specialists who are out marking existing and potential trails.

Included in the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife comments are references to the impact on wildlife: "The Project intersects USFS designated Deer Habitat, and two Conservation Opportunity Areas and multiple Priority Wildlife Connectivity Areas identified in the Department's Oregon Conservation Strategy. Increased human activity is related to changes in wildlife behavior including increased stress. In addition, bicycles can cause degradation of wildlife habitat through erosion and widening of trails. Although the Project plans to abandon eight miles of trail, the realignment and construction of some trails, especially Brush Creek Trail and Trail A, transects important summer ungulate habitat that is currently intact and functionally uninterrupted by roads or trails."

In expressing his concern Bronstein said: "Do we want Sisters to look like Bend-which is essentially a wildlife desert-or do we want to leave room for the critters we are lucky enough to share our forests with? To give them space, we would have to begin showing some restraint. The political and local pressure for recreation to continue to grow and expand has a cost.

"We're displacing native wildlife at a dizzying rate. Time for the Forest Service to put on the brakes and develop an Environmental Assessment with a reasonable range of alternatives for the STAR project. Discovering this wildlife superhighway along the proposed downhill mountain bike trail is an extraordinary circumstance."