The Nugget Vol. XLV No. 23
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Fire season has arrived in Sisters By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
It doesn’t look like it, and it doesn’t feel like it, but fire season has arrived in Sisters. The day after the region’s fire chiefs closed outdoor burning in Central Oregon, an escaped burn on Wednesday, June 1 on a property on Wilt Road north of Sisters drew a heavy response from local firefighters, who were able to knock the blaze down. “We got on it pretty quick,” said Sisters Deputy Chief Tim Craig. Seven engines and two water tenders from SistersCamp Sherman Fire District, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Oregon Department of Forestry responded. “We were able to hit it pretty hard, which is why we were able to keep it to the two-acre size,” Craig reported. Craig noted that the property owner “was mistakenly under the impression that she had one more day” to burn, after the closure at midnight on May 31. “The property owner had lit a small burn pile and left when she thought it was out — and obviously it wasn’t,” Craig said.
PHOTO COURTESY SISTERS-CAMP SHERMAN FIRE
Firefighters knocked down an escaped burn on a property on Wilt Road last week. Burning season is closed. That’s a reminder that vigilance is required to make sure fires are dead out before stepping away from them — and that goes for campfires, which are still allowed in the forest. Craig said that, despite a wet spring, conditions are still ripe for wildfire. While late rains — including rain just this weekend — have
City urges water conservation By Sue Stafford Correspondent
Despite above-normal precipitation levels and below-normal temperatures in April, state climatology experts predict it will be warmer and drier than normal in the coming summer months. Snowpack and reservoir levels are currently below average for this time of year, and ongoing drought conditions are affecting both the local community and natural resources. With that prediction, the City of Sisters is encouraging community members to conserve water and reduce water waste. The City’s water supply comes from groundwater,
Inside...
and the City has been implementing efforts to ensure they can continue to provide the community with a reliable supply from this high-quality drinking water source. The City began practicing water conservation in 2011 when the Public Works Department installed subsurface drip systems along Main Street. Since then, City Hall has been retrofitted and the City flower beds throughout town are now irrigated with the same subsurface drip system. Public Works Director Paul Bertagna said that the drip systems save 50 percent of the City’s irrigation water. The splash pad in Fir Street See WATER on page 23
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
greened up the small fuels like grasses, heavier fuels are still feeling the effects of long-term drought. Fuel moisture is actually low in trees and other heavier fuels. “The heavier fuels are really receptive to fire right now,” Craig said. “We’re just seeing more active fire than we would normally be seeing based on the weather
we’ve been having. It wasn’t enough over the winter to bring those fuel moistures up.” All of that adds up to the continued need to continue to be cautious about fire, and not let complacency creep in as the spring rains dissipate, temperatures rise, and Sisters Country starts to dry out.
Man arrested for murder near Sisters Deschutes County Sheriff ’s Office (DCSO) deputies arrested 22-yearold Alexander Mark Smith of Redmond on Friday afternoon for murder and multiple other charges in connection with the death of 55-year-old Sisters-area resident Tina Lynn Klein-Lewis. Lewis’ body was found on Tuesday, May 31, on her property at 67450 Cloverdale Road, which is near the intersection with Highway 20 east of Sisters. According to the District Attorney, she was found by her boyfriend in the bucket of a tractor. The DA reported that on June 3, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a welfare check call at 16373 Jordan Road east of Sisters. The caller reported that an unknown man on the adjacent property asked him to call medics because he See MURDER on page 14
That’s a lot of bull By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Wednesday night is the start of the 80th Sisters Rodeo with the opening performance promoted as Xtreme Bulls. Saddle Bronc Riding is generally thought of as rodeo’s classic event — requiring strength certainly, but also a large serving of style and precision. It’s a lot more technical than it looks. If saddling up on a 1,200- or 1,300-pound wild horse isn’t enough adrenaline, getting on the back of 2,000 pounds of angry, contorting, pure muscle should do the job. Bull riding is called “the most dangerous eight seconds in sports.” Climbing on the back of a frothing one-ton bull evolved
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
Bull riding is one of the most exciting —and most dangerous —sports in the world. It’s featured at Sisters Rodeo. from the fearless and occasionally fool-hardy nature of the American cowboy. The risk of serious or permanent
injury cannot be overstated especially considering the See BULLS on page 30
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Bunkhouse Chronicle ....... 11 Entertainment .................13 Obituaries ...................... 22 Classifieds................. 26-27 Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements...............12 Wildfire Preparedness ......15 Crossword ...................... 25 Real Estate ................ 28-32