The Nugget Newspaper // Vol. XLV No. 41 // 2022-10-12

The Nugget

Restoring Sisters Country wetlands

By Cody Rheault Correspondent

Mike Riehle stands kneedeep in life returning.

“Not long ago this whole area was dry,” he says, gesturing over weeds and decaying willows. “We’re hoping these efforts will fix that.”

That area, the Lower Black Butte Swamp, is a 50-acre parcel that was once parched land, and is now by design — flooded with water.

The gradual decline in this regional ecosystem was set in motion by the void left from one of nature’s finest eco-engineers — the beaver. Beyond its iconic status as Oregon’s state symbol, these mammals have a unique talent: fabricating natural dams that disperse water into the surrounding environment. Their constructs are a vital resource, irrigating surrounding vegetation and cultivating habitat for wildlife to thrive in.

In 2011, the last known beaver disappeared from the swamp. Without their dams, Indian Ford Creek, running through the wetland, narrowed and the surrounding ecosystem lost its lifeline as water levels dropped. Willows died, their silvery corpses now dotting the

Sisters

By Ceili Gatley Correspondent

The Sisters School District is seeing an increase in enrollment numbers to start the 2022-23 school year.

One of the most notable statistics is the number of students attending Sisters Elementary School.

As of October 3, the numbers were the highest at the elementary school, totaling 398 students. There are 90 second graders, the highest grade level numbers in the elementary school. Sisters Middle School came out at 356 and Sisters High School at 393, with high numbers in the ninth and 10th grades.

The total number of students

undergrowth, grass sedges collapsed, and noxious dryclimate weeds, such as the common mullein and tansy ragwort, colonized the landscape. As the biology of the swamp changed so did the presence of wildlife. The former wetland became a dry

wetland, absent its bio-diversity. The remaining water source was the perennial flow of Indian Ford Creek along a single, narrow channel.

Five wells, placed and monitored throughout the wetland just south of Black Butte Ranch, revealed that

numbers up

enrolled in in-person classes and online stood at 1,147.

According to Superintendent Curt Scholl, “enrollment is the highest it’s been since I’ve been superintendent here.”

The enrollment numbers include all students, including those who are choosing to continue online school remotely at all grade levels, with four students at the elementary school working online.

For Sisters schools, enrollment numbers are generally higher in May/June than they are in September/ October.

“That is good for us, that

News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Candidates seek Sisters’ votes

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

Hearing from three of the four candidates running for Sisters City Council at last week’s candidate forum, it is evident there is considerable agreement among them as to what the important issues are on Council’s radar.

with the decay in wetland habitat came a concerning drop in groundwater levels.

Riehle, the fisheries biologist for the Sisters Ranger District, says the concern turned to worry,

There are four candidates running for three positions: incumbents Michael Preedin and Gary Ross, and two new candidates, Sarah McDougall and Susan Cobb. The two top vote getters will serve four years, the third will serve two. Mayor Preedin was unable to participate in the forum due to long-held previous plans. All four candidates provided information to The Nugget to help voters make their choices.

When each was asked why they are running for City Council, their responses all indicated an interest in

Recounting life in Sisters’ forest

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

Buddy Blair, 66, works at Sno-Cap. He does food prep and maintenance. His wife, Adrian, 38, is the kitchen manager at the iconic eatery on Cascade Avenue. That’s where they met three years ago. They raise two children, 17 and 4, to whom Buddy is the step-father. They all live together in the forest.

Not by choice, by necessity.

It’s not important for the rest of us to know the circumstances that cause them to be forest dwellers. The bottom line is that they cannot afford to live in the community in which they each work. Two other Sno-Cap workers are also forest dwellers, as are as many as 300 others, depending on the season, according

to housing advocates and an annual federally sponsored census. Blair will be one of six

panelists at the October 20 community forum “Houseless

Buddy Blair lives in the forest and will be part of a Town Hall discussion on houselssness on October 20.

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

Sisters Ranger District employees interweave cottonwood branches into a man-made dam in the Lower Black Butte Swamp.

PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT

Letters to the Editor…

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address, and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond, or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.

Supporting Morgan Schmidt

To the Editor:

We support Morgan Schmidt for County Commissioner.

County commissioners oversee services, policies, and public funds for our people, lands, and waters.

Tragically, our county has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the state. Morgan will collaborate with the experienced professionals and make behavioral health a priority, and forge partnerships with local organizations and mental health care providers so our whole community can be well.

Morgan supports women of all professions and walks of life to make their own medical decisions. Morgan will collaborate with city governments to thoughtfully build more housing that can support local businesses, families, communities, and our Central Oregon way of life.

Wednesday

October 12 Sunny 79/46

Thursday October 13 Sunny 79/45

None of us want people living in tents on the street or in the forest; no one wants to “become Portland.” The only way that will happen is if we do nothing.

Morgan knows that having a continuum of stable, dignified housing options makes our communities safer and saves taxpayer dollars. Morgan believes the County’s role is to align with the integrity and intent of our land use system: planning for affordable, livable cities while preserving the forests, farmland, waters, and open spaces that we all love.

Deschutes County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. This has brought benefits to our community, as well as challenges, like soaring house prices, traffic jams, strained infrastructure, and unsustainable pressure on our lands, waters, and wildlife. Our lands and water are irreplaceable.

Morgan believes taxpayers deserve to have

Sisters Weather Forecast

Friday October 14 Sunny 80/45

Saturday October 15 Sunny 78/44

Sunday October 16 Sunny 80/44

Monday October 17 Mostly Sunny 74/33

Candles in the dark

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

For anyone paying attention, these are unsettling times. Downright scary, in fact. For the first time in decades, the specter of a nuclear strike looms as a real possibility as Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine falters and is rolled back. Even as I write this, Russian missile strikes are targeting Ukrainian cities — deliberately killing civilians — in retaliation for an apparent Ukrainian operation that damaged the Kerch Strait Bridge in Crimea.

Is this sort of thing scalable in a manner that can reverse decades and centuries of environmental degradation? Don’t know. But I do know that in a corner of Sisters Country, a few days’ work by enthusiastic and dedicated people wrought beneficial change. Better to light a candle than curse the dark.

Tuesday October 18 Partly Cloudy 69/41

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Somewhere over the rainbow…

Sue Strater caught a rainbow on McKenzie Pass as September turned to October. It must have been a harbinger of Indian Summer.

The knock on effects of this war are wre-king havoc on energy markets, with a major winter crisis looming in Europe; scarcity of energy and fertilizer is driving up food prices and creating shortages that threaten the livelihoods and the very lives of vulnerable populations.

Meanwhile, our social fabric continues to unravel as political radicals of various stripes pick out the threads that weave us together and gleefully yank on them from left and right.

As a friend noted, despair may be a sin, but it’s not necessarily an irrational response.

And yet…

There are countless candles being lit in the darkness by people who are not willing to simply sit down and quit because our problems are so large, so complex, and so far out of our individual control. They just keep chipping away. They may not be solving the big problems of the day, but they are certainly mitigating them — and that shines a light in the face of darkness.

I found myself thrilled by the work being done at Black Butte Swamp, recounted in Cody Rheault’s front-page story this week. By building beaver dam analogues, Forest Service personnel and Heart of Oregon Corps are restoring and recreating wetland habitat that is vital to forest health. It’s another Sisters project that will doubtless be a model for possibilities.

Cody was struck by how extraordinarily quickly the water rose as the work was done. In mere minutes the landscape was changing. As a friend said, that’s hopeful in a bunch of ways — not least in helping us recognize that the ecosystem seeks to revert to balance and health.

Central Oregon is confronted with significant challenges when it comes to housing. Lack of affordable housing combines with other economic and social pressures, including a flailing health care system that doesn’t do well with mental health services, to create a crisis of homelessness (or “houselessness” as many advocates prefer).

It’s a big and complex problem, and it’s understandable that people might throw up their hands after struggling to untangle the knot. Or grow frustrated that “they” have not figured out how to simply cut through it. The desire to exercise compassion toward folks in difficult straits clashes sometimes with legitimate concerns about safety, security, and quality of life in Sisters Country. The tensions are not readily resolved.

A lot of work has been happening quietly in the forest — work that won’t “solve” the problems around houselessness, but has a real impact on the forest and on people’s lives.

Small things like extending public shower hours have a big positive impact on the lives of folks who are trying to make a go of it while living in our forest. Work parties cleaning up trashed areas help mitigate the impact of problem campers. A network of government agencies and local providers has grown up to try to connect those in need with services that can actually help them.

Small wins are worth celebrating.

Citizens4Community, with support from The Nugget , is hosting a Town Hall on Thursday, October 20, at the Sisters-CampSherman Fire District Community Hall. It’s titled “Houseless in Sisters.” Hopefully, many voices will be heard on this challenging topic and positive steps lined out that we can take as individuals, and as a community.

We aren’t going to solve the big problems — but we can light a candle or two together.

The abundance of Harvest Faire

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

What a difference a year makes. Last year’s Harvest Faire, sponsored by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, was a cool, wet affair that dampened spir its and sales. Not so 2022, when some 200 vendors — nearly a fourth making their first Sisters appearance — took over three blocks of Main Avenue on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to postcardperfect weather both days, attendees were treated to a festival setting with numer ous food options, music at the Fir Street Park band shell, and, of course, shop ping of the arts-and-crafts variety. That included craft

foods and beverages.

It could also have been a dog show, as hundreds made the stroll. Parking, as might be expected, was tight, and cars and vans were dis persed over a dozen blocks. As many locals as possible walked, but bikes were rarely seen as the passage ways were tight and often jammed.

Vendors guessed among themselves as to the num ber making the event, with nobody guessing less than 3,000 and some estimating 5,000 to 6,000. Midday was the peak for both days given the availability of food. The Barn and its food trucks benefited handsomely from the affair, given its frontrow, center seat.

Merchants and eateries

up and down Cascade and Hood avenues expressed delight at the overflow crowds, many of whom wan dered into their businesses leaving with purchases.

Just when it looked like a slight break Saturday, scores of families showed up with kids who had just finished soccer. The entire weekend was multigenerational with large numbers of grandpar ents strolling with children and grandchildren.

“What an outstanding day,” said Lola Caruthers who along with three of her friends drove over from Sweet Home. Jill Young, a companion, added: “This is very special, so many dif ferent things.” Rita Udall,

Voters may amend City Charter

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

Sisters residents in Precinct 30 will see a Cityreferred measure on their November 8 general elec tion ballot asking if voters approve several proposed amendments to the municipal Charter.

The individual proposed Charter amendments will not be listed on the ballot, but a description of them is avail able on the City of Sisters website (www.ci.sisters. or.us) and at City Hall.

Reviewing and updating the City Charter was listed under Good Governance in the FY 2021/22 City Council goals. During a workshop

on October 27, 2021, the Council reviewed proposed changes to the Charter and determined they would move forward with minor clean-ups and revisions that were prior itized by staff and legal coun sel. Two more workshops were held in March and May 2022. In June 2022, Council passed a resolution referring the Charter amendments to the voters.

The City considers many current Charter provisions to outdated, which “hinder effective and efficient munic ipal operations.”

Among other things, the proposed amendments would clarify certain city manager

University students to work on sustainability

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

Students from the University of Oregon Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) visited Sisters on Friday, October 7, to meet with City staff and personnel from the Sisters School District (SSD) and Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD).

They toured the school district administration build ing and the elementary school with Superintendent Curtis Scholl to get an initial

SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR

overview of the facilities. They also walked around town to observe traffic, side walks, parks, paths, parking, and transitions to other uses in the neighborhood.

The Sisters City Council earlier approved $85,000 for an agreement with the University of Oregon for their SCYP during school year 2022/23. The school dis trict and SPRD have joined in and will benefit from the program, while reimburs ing the City $15,000 for the

BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS

Al-Anon Mon., noon., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. 541-610-7383.

Alcoholics Anonymous Thurs., 7 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration / Sat., 8 a.m., Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration / Mon., 5 p.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Big Book study, Tues., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Gentlemen’s meeting, Wed., 7 a.m., Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Sober Sisters Women’s meeting, Thurs., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church / Step & Tradition meeting, Fri., noon, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church. 541-548-0440.

Central Oregon Fly Tyers Guild

For Saturday meeting dates and location, email: steelefly@msn.com.

Council on Aging of Central Oregon Senior Lunch In-person community dining, Tues. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grab-and-go lunch Tues., Wed., Thurs. 12:30 to 1 p.m. Sisters Community Church. 541-480-1843.

East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th Wednesday (September-June), Stitchin’ Post. All are welcome. 541-549-6061.

Go Fish Fishing Group 3rd Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Community Church. All ages welcome. 541-771-2211.

Heartwarmers (fleece blanketmakers) 2nd Tuesday, 1 p.m., Sisters Community Church. Materials provided. 541-408-8505.

Hero Quilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m. 541-668-1755.

Citizens4Community, Let’s Talk 3rd Monday, 6 to 7:30 p.m. RSVP at citizens4community.com

Military Parents of Sisters Meetings are held quarterly; please call for details. 541-388-9013.

Oregon Band of Brothers – Sisters Chapter Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m., Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-549-6469.

SAGE (Senior Activities, Gatherings & Enrichment) Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sisters Park & Recreation District. 541-549-2091.

Sisters Aglow Lighthouse 4th Saturday, 10 a.m., meeting by Zoom. 503-930-6158.

Sisters Area Photography Club 2nd Wednesday, 3:30 p.m., at Sisters Community Church. 541-549-6157.

Sisters Area Woodworkers 1st Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. 541-231-1897.

Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd Tuesday, 7 p.m., SPRD. 541-549-8846.

Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. at Sisters Community Church. Email sistersbridge2021@gmail.com.

Sisters Caregiver Support Group 3rd Tues., 10:30 a.m., Sisters Episcopal Church. 541-771-3258.

Sisters Cribbage Club Please call for details. 541-923-1632.

Sisters Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors 4th Tuesday, 6 p.m. Location information: 541-549-1193.

Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 a.m., Brand 33 Restaurant at Aspen Lakes. 541-410-2870.

Sisters Parent Teacher Community 2nd Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. at Sisters Saloon. 541-480-5994.

Sisters Parkinson’s Support Group 2nd Thurs.,1 p.m. Sisters Library 541-668-6599

Sisters Red Hats 1st Friday. Location information: 541-848-1970.

Sisters Rotary 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, Noon, Aspen Lakes. 541-760-5645.

Sisters Trails Alliance Board every other month, 5 p.m. varies from in-person to zoom. Info: info@sisterstrails.org

Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, Takoda’s Restaurant. 541-903-1123.

Three Sisters Irrigation District Board of Directors 1st Tuesday, 4 p.m., TSID Office. 541-549-8815.

Three Sisters Lions Club 2nd Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Spoons Restaurant. 541-419-1279.

VFW Post 8138 and American Legion Post 86 1st Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., The Hanger, Sisters Community Church. 847-344-0498.

Weight Watchers Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. weigh-in, Sisters Community Church. 541-602-2654.

SCHOOLS

Black Butte School Board of Directors 2nd Tuesday, 3:45 p.m., Black Butte School. 541-595-6203

Sisters School District Board of Directors One Wednesday monthly Sisters School District Administration Building. See schedule online at www.ssd6.org. 541-549-8521 x5002.

CITY & PARKS

Sisters City Council 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-549-6022.

Sisters Park & Recreation District Board of Directors 2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 4:30 p.m., SPRD bldg. 541-549-2091.

Sisters Planning Commission 3rd Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Sisters City Hall. 541-549-6022.

FIRE & POLICE

Black Butte Ranch Police Dept. Board of Directors Meets monthly. 541-595-2191 for time & date.

Black Butte Ranch RFPD Board of Directors 4th Thursday, 9 a.m., Black Butte Ranch Fire Station. 541-595-2288. Cloverdale RFPD Board of Directors 3rd Wed., 5:30 p.m., 67433 Cloverdale Rd. 541-548-4815. cloverdalefire.com.

Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Board of Directors 3rd Tuesday, 5 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 541-549-0771.

Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD Drills Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 541-549-0771.

PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT

The Annual Harvest Faire drew huge crowds to Sisters on a perfect Indian Summer weekend.

Tatom,

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

In the race for Deschutes County Commissioner Position 1, three-term incum bent Tony DeBone is opposed by Oliver Tatom, making his first run. Tatom’s previ ous elected experience is as a board member of Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and Deschutes Rural Fire Protection District. He is a paramedic and regis tered nurse who, until two weeks ago, was employed by St. Charles Health System. He resigned to pursue his quest for the Board of Commissioners.

He and his wife, Amy, live in Bend with their two chil dren — Sylvia (10) and Dean (8). DeBone and his wife, Kathy, share a small farm between La Pine and Bend with two dogs, a cat, a horse, three pigs, and some chick ens. A son, Michael, works for an area contractor.

The Nugget met with both candidates so that each could share their experiences on the campaign trail and talk about their priorities. DeBone is a self-described techie who embraces technology as a key tool in how the County will meet the demands of a growing population requiring more services.

Tatom agrees that manag ing growth is a key compo nent of the commissioner’s job and why, among other reasons, he got in the race. He was largely motivated by a number of decisions of the Commission with which he vigorously disagrees.

One of them was the recent decision by the com missioners in a 2-1 vote to accept the recommendation of a County-appointed hear ings officer that rezoned 710 acres of farmland near Terrebonne into 71 10-acre ranches. Tatom found that vote contradictory to prudent land use. DeBone was one of the two commissioners vot ing to accept the rezoning.

Both candidates talked about housing in stark terms, primarily the lack of afford able units. Each articulated the complexity of Oregon land use laws that, from their origin over 50 years ago until this day, are the source of ongoing debate and inter pretation and a point of con flict between developers and preservationists.

DeBone is a walking encyclopedia of statistics: “79 percent of Oregon land is owned by federal, state, or local government, leav ing 21 percent for infrastruc ture, commerce, and housing. Deschutes County’s popula tion has grown rapidly — 29 percent — double the rate of the Portland metro area.”

“Bend is in its teenage

vie for commission seat

years,” he said, a reference to the growth spurt and occasional chaotic nature of development in the county.

Tatom said: “The region has changed a lot since I was a kid, and much of that change has been for the good. We have a more diver sified economy with plentiful opportunities for meaningful work.”

we chose for our kids.”

Tatom was also offended by DeBone’s and fellow commissioner Patti Adair’s response to COVID man dates and their decisions with respect to abortion coverage for County employees, which let stand the current policy, not adopting changes more aligned with the provisions of Oregon’s Reproductive Health Equity Act.

Each rated their chances of winning as good.

“I’m in the right place for the right job,” DeBone, a Republican, said.

“I think voters are ready for a change,” Tatom, a Democrat, countered.

DeBone joked that a lot of the job of commissioner is like working in the “com plaint department.”

In terms of Sisters Country, Tatom sees hous ing as a stressor as it is countywide.

“I want to see Sisters maintain its unique iden tity and a one-shoe-fits-all approach is not what I see for Sisters,” he said.

He stressed that the County needs to be in partnership with local government.

In a campaign state ment he elaborated: “Not all change is progress, how ever. The physical and social infrastructure has not kept up with the population, and it feels like our communi ties are now plagued by the very problems many of us left bigger cities to escape: A housing crisis and a child care desert. Air choked with smoke, and reservoirs empty of water. Anger and division. This is not the environment

DeBone acknowledges the larger Democrat voter registration in the county, but believes he’s a known entity in a national and statewide mood that he says favors Republicans in this midterm cycle, citing the president’s low polling numbers and Christine Drazan’s leading in two recent polls for governor.

Tatom sees the voter registration advantage ben efiting him, and believes he will be part of a wave that turns the Commission to an all-Democrat composi tion. Both candidates have been surprised in their doorto-door canvassing that so many would-be voters know little or nothing about what a county commissioner does.

DeBone said: “The issues facing Sisters are the same — water, housing, traffic. But what’s good for Bend isn’t necessarily good for Sisters or La Pine. People in Sisters want open spaces and not the kind of tight density state planners imagine.” He added: “People are going to keep coming here and the Commission is going to spend most of its time deal ing with land issues.”

For his part Tatom says: “We can produce abundant housing and protect our pub lic lands.” He talked about geographic equity and chip ping away at the problems.

DeBone talked at length about how technology is changing everything.

“Broadband and Amazon home delivery has made it such that our economy is forever changed and that

affordable housing with good jobs in a wired, remote work world is where my priorities and skillsets will necessarily be,” he said.

candidates have been surprised in

what a

does.

Tony DeBone.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Oliver Tatom.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Adair, Schmidt in county contest

nearby, in addition to natural and cultural resources.

and bring strong leadership to the process,” she said.

In interviews with The Nugget strong differ ences between candidates Patti Adair and Morgan Schmidt become evident. Adair, the incumbent run ning for Deschutes County Commissioner Position 3, speaks animatedly with a focus on tasks — those she’s accomplished, and those she wants to do.

Schmidt, her opponent, is making her first run for public office. She speaks in measured tones with a focus on policy. It’s Adair’s and current commissioner Terry DeBone’s decisions while serving that moti vated Schmidt to enter the race. Schmidt is displeased, especially with Adair’s past responses to COVID-19 man dates, and land use approvals.

Schmidt served as a pas tor with First Presbyterian Church in Bend. She credits her work in ministry as devel oping what she says is one of her key strengths: listening. By inference she suggests that Adair does not always listen to the voices of others.

“I pay attention to experts on vital issues,” Schmidt said, in describing her core con cerns of land use, water sup ply, and housing.

“This race is mostly a ref erendum on how we grow,” Schmidt said.

When Schmidt talks about housing she keys on homelessness.

Adair too talks about housing, primarily its afford ability, and depriving younger workers and families of own ership, and forcing them into rental prices in the County that exceed statewide aver ages. Adair has most of her attention directed at economic issues.

“Gas at almost $6, slow ing construction, inflation are having a disastrous impact on our citizens,” Adair said.

She takes an incremental approach to problem-solving, and cites the recent adoption of a 57-acre parcel on which will stand single-wide work force housing between Bend and Redmond. Her support to complete Senate Bill 391 is energized with the potential for 10,000 ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units).

Schmidt says we have a housing crisis.

“Our top priority must be to collaborate with city gov ernment to thoughtfully build more housing,” she said.

She was strenu ously opposed to a recent Commission decision to con vert 710 acres of farm land near Terrebonne into 10, 71acre parcels for ranchettes.

“People think that because I was a pastor that I am soft, but I will have strong policies

When The Nugget asked what it’s like on the campaign trail, Adair reported going door-to-door with her list of accomplishments.

“I tell people that I am the hardest working Commissioner they’ve ever had,” she said.

She seems content to run on her record as she seeks her second term.

We asked each candidate about how their election would benefit Sisters Country specifically.

Adair who lives near Cloverdale on a ranch, said: “I have a natural kinship with Sisters.”

She believes she has strong support in Sisters and referenced a major contribu tion from Greg Willits as evi dence. An unscientific poll of yard signs in Sisters shows Schmidt as having strong support among city residents.

On the outskirts of Sisters, among ranchers and farmers, Adair appears to have broad support.

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent Morgan Schmidt.

Schmidt is aware that Adair has name recognition and the theoretical advantage of incumbency but believes she and her supporters have made considerable inroads among the electorate.

“I am flattered by the financial support I am receiv ing,” she said.

When canvassing she is surprised at how many voters do not have a full or clear pic ture of what a Commissioner does. Explaining it gives her an opportunity to discuss her priorities for Sisters Country, which are having a supporting role as Sisters grapples with growth.

Adair seems to delight in getting into the daily nittygritty of the job. She appears to thrive on small details or complex workings of the Commission. As an example, she boasts about getting rid of juniper trees that “are sucking up a lot of our water.”

With the help of a BLM grant she’s hoping to get the uprooted trees converted to pellets for wood stoves. In the big picture she says: “We are facing a perfect storm with the economy.

“The County’s budget is $400-plus million and it employs some 1,100 to 1,200 people across all the service districts.”

Schmidt says that it is important to keep pace with economic pressures and wants to be sure employment remains strong in the county.

“We don’t want kids living in basements or people living on the streets or in the forest,” she said.

The last day to register to vote is October 18. Ballots go out October 19 for the November 8 vote.

The Ranger’s Corner

Ian Reid Sisters District Ranger

Fall 2022

It’s autumn yet summer clings on. But the shortening days allow reflection on our busiest time of year. By all accounts, 2022 was another successful season. Favorable weather was a contributing factor in a relatively mellow local fire season. Equally important was a safe, yet aggressive, initial attack that kept most wildfires less than one acre. The exception on the Sisters Ranger District was the 280-acre Fly Creek fire in early August, when over 3,000 lightning strikes pummeled Oregon in a 24-hour period. Firefighters from many different orga nizations worked together to keep the Fly Creek fire from impacting the many homes and private properties

This type of coopera tion across jurisdictional lines helped recently select Central Oregon as one of 10 national focal landscapes to pilot the 10-year wildfire cri sis strategy. The Deschutes National Forest will receive over $41 million in the next three years to treat 50,000 acres of hazardous fuels in Central Oregon. To achieve this objective, we will need all tools in the land man agement toolbox, including commercial and non-com mercial thinning, mowing, and mastication, and pre scribed burning. Recently, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore lifted the pause on prescribed burning while a national review was con ducted. Locally, that means we will soon be commenc ing our fall burning program adjacent to Sisters and Camp Sherman. And we are inch ing ever closer to publishing a final decision to treat about 20,000 acres of overstocked forests on Green Ridge, in addition to working on the next planning area called Cougar Rock just north of Sisters.

With the cooler tempera tures and greater humid ity recovery, we dropped

PHOTO PROVIDED

Patti Adair.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Sisters High School Hall of Fame inducts new members

By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent

The Sisters High School Hall of Fame inducted four individuals, one team, and an organization on Saturday, October 8, at the high school.

The Hall of Fame is sup ported by the Outlaw Booster Club, which also raises funds annually for cocurricular activities associated with the school district.

Following introductions by emcee Tim Roth and ath letic director Gary Thorson, the Sisters High jazz choir sang the national anthem. Miki McFadden, former Olympian and past volley ball coach for the Outlaws, took the microphone as the guest speaker. She was intro duced by Hall of Fame cochairs Don Pollard and Kris Kristovich.

The first inductees of the night were the 2007 vol leyball team and its coaches Diane Bremer and Don Minson, who entered the state tournament ranked fourth but battled through match after match to win the state title.

Members of the team included Sam Stoneback, Rachael Tenneson, Kali Ulmer, Aria Garau, Brooke Goins, Felicia Pledger, Haylee Schaab, Shea Kotal, Emily Douglass, Lanie Milroy, Dani Thompson, Jessie Snow, and Jenny Kaiser.

Sara Small, class of 2012, is one of the most deco rated athletes in Sisters High School history as a threesport athlete: soccer, basket ball, and track- and-field. Small, who still plays soccer professionally overseas, was a first-team All-State selec tion as goalkeeper on a team that made the state finals two years in a row. Small also won the state pole vault title her junior and senior years. Small competed for both Wake Forest and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock as a collegian.

The next inductee, 2007 grad Audrey Tehan, is a wellknown figure in the com munity for her leadership of the nonprofit Seed to Table, but she was also recognized for her athletic contributions

and involvement with the Integrated Environmental Expedition (IEE) program at Sisters High School. While in high school Tehan earned first-team league honors as a soccer player and was a mem ber of the Nordic ski relay team that won a state title. She played soccer at Whitman College before transferring to Southern Oregon University. She returned to Sisters and served as the girls’ soccer coach, volunteered with the IEE program, and ultimately launched the Seed to Table program, which produces volumes of fresh produce for the community and provides educational opportunities for local students.

Dusty Macauley, already a member of the Hall of Fame as a team member of the 1998-99 state champion foot ball teams, was recognized for his individual accomplish ments as a quarterback for the Outlaws. During his time on the team, Macaulay compiled a record of 34-2. In the two state championship games he threw for 522 yards and five touchdowns. Macauley went on to play for Pacific Lutheran University, where he started at quarterback for his final two years. In his acceptance speech, Macauley emphasized repeatedly the tremendous support he and his teammates experienced from the entire community.

“We played harder because we didn’t want to let the community down,” he said. “That’s how much we felt the backing of the whole community and is why I will always consider Sisters home.”

Julia Rahm, from the class of 2010, was inducted for her deep involvement in the per forming arts at Sisters High School and her leadership in diversity education and the human dignity coalition. During her high school years, Rahm performed in the jazz

choir, concert choir, musical theater, and the Americana Project and even directed a one-act play. Following grad uation she attended Sarah Lawrence College in New

York, where she continued her studies in music and the ater. She obtained a master’s degree in vocal performance

The Sisters High School Hall of Fame honored athletes, artists, and community contributors last weekend.

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KRIS

Obituary

Robert Ernest Grooney

Robert Ernest Grooney passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by friends and family, at his home in Sisters.

He grew up tough, with five brothers during the Great Depression in Hollywood, California. Even though his father was a musical conductor who always wore a top hat, they had to be innovative to get by, trading a dozen “alligator pears” (avocados) that grew in their back yard for a dozen eggs from the neighbor. He and his brothers even earned enough nickels to buy their mom a washing machine and take themselves out to the movies. He had a paper route at a very early age, which was no doubt the start of his business prowess.

In high school he participated in a youth military program similar to ROTC of today. Subsequently, at age 15, he was able to join the Marine Corps due do his tall height and excellent bearing. He served in the Pacific Campaign of World War II, where he received a Purple Heart, and fought in the battle of Iwo Jima. He also drove a jeep for a colonel and served as an MP and had a few stories of detaining drunken sailors and Marines from bars.

After the war, Bob got a job at Ralph’s Grocery in Southern California, where he quickly excelled, and became the youngest store manager in the region. He was invited to Japan to help set up a grocery store, where he gained a lifetime appreciation for Japanese culture and food; he would often surprise Japanese tourists in The Gallimaufry by speaking to them in Japanese.

He met his wife, Claudia, when she was a bookkeeper at Ralph’s and they honeymooned in Hawaii. Years later, they were

driving through Sisters to visit Claudia’s parents and fell in love with the small town. They decided to do whatever it took to live here and started Grooney’s Gallimaufry in 1979 as a health food store. Eventually, after years of adaptation, The Gallimaufry became a gift/liquor store. Together they ran the store for nearly 40 years. During that time, he was involved in just about every organization in Sisters: Kiwanis Club, Sisters School Board, CATS (Community Action Team), the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, Men Against Violence, and even emceed at the sled dog races.

Bob and Claudia traveled to many countries with a distillery tour group, enjoying Scotland a few times. Even though he could be tough when needed, he was always a softy for babies, and he got to see pictures of his first great-great grandson, who was born this August.

“Papa” as he was affectionately known by his family was quick-witted and always prepared with a joke. A very funny man, he was the life of any party, and loved to entertain.

Bob is survived by his wife, Claudia, and his daughters: Sheri, Tanisha, Vicky, Tami, and Kim, as well as his nephews Denis and Mike, grandson Spud, and many more grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life is to be held on his birthday, April 3, 2023, in Sisters. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Kiwanis Club of Sisters.

fall classes.

All school year, upperlevel and graduate students will work on actual City, SSD, and SPRD projects, and plans related to their coursework on campus. In the fall quarter, they will be working mainly with the school district on how to repurpose the current elementary school and administration building, possibly including use by SPRD.

November 22 is the date scheduled for their final presentations for fall term. The City, SSD, and SPRD will receive all their data, reports, and final presentations to be used as appropriate.

Consideration of the specific classes for winter (which begin January 9, 2023) and spring classes (begin April 3, 2023) is ongoing and yet to be determined but could include supporting the newly formed destination management organization (Explore Sisters), public information, bicycle planning, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Sustainable City Year Program is a university-community partnership program

founded at the University of Oregon in 2009. In this unique model, existing courses, faculty, and students from across campus are purposefully directed toward a single Oregon community for an academic year to address issues identified by the City.

According to information from the program, SCYP is more than just students working on a project for a class. It is creating Oregon’s future workforce, developing a connection with local government and Oregon communities, and generating creative, out-of-the-box ideas by highachieving students and faculty experts.

The SCYP is a collaboration of faculty and students from multiple academic disciplines, including architecture, landscape architecture,

business, journalism, public policy and management, law, and others.

The benefits for the city participating are many, including increased capacity, expanded conversations, innovation, broad outreach, energy, political space, and creativity beyond what would be possible in nine months just utilizing staff.

Working with the program also involves a much smaller price tag than contracting with an established consulting firm.

Past projects have been directed toward affordable housing, environmental sustainability and resiliency, economic development, tourism promotion, transportation and infrastructure, quality of life and city livability, and community involvement and information.

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being of service.

Preedin had two reasons for running: “I love interact ing with people, serving the community, and helping plan for our future… I’d like to help complete some of the ongoing projects started dur ing the last four years.”

Those ongoing projects include the Highway 20/ Locust Street roundabout, Explore Sisters (the new des tination management orga nization), the East Portal multi-modal hub, various street improvement projects, instituting housing efficiency measures, and wildfire mitigation.

four of the candidates identified

concerns Sisters’ rapid growth, the lack of affordable housing, and our residents who are houseless.

Cobb told The Nugget , “We are in very dangerous times, and I want to help Sisters approach our shared future bravely, proactively, compassionately, and inclu sively… Looking at chal lenges in advance assures we can talk about solu tions rationally, implement what we can to be prepared, improve as needed, and therefore not be scrambling to address adverse events while in them.”

McDougall began watch ing Council meetings last spring via Zoom to get a

better understanding of how the city runs. After being asked to run, which she hadn’t previously con sidered, she decided she is “very interested in being part of the process in the role of City Council.” She has an extensive volunteer resume and sense of community service.

“Sisters is going through a period of rapid growth and needs residents to invest time to insure we plan for addi tional growth and manage change well,” she said.

McDougall thinks she is up to speed on most topics, and is “fascinated with how the City runs.”

Current Councilor Gary Ross offered, “There are several activities and criti cal projects that the City is currently involved in that I would like to follow through to completion. Concurrently, we are in the process of hir ing a new city manager. I think all of these are impor tant enough for me to want to see them through to comple tion. I believe that continu ity of the Council will be important to ensure that all of this has the best chance of success.”

All four of the candi dates identified as concerns Sisters’ rapid growth, the lack of affordable housing, and our residents who are

houseless.

Issues you would like to see the Council address in the next four years:

Gary Ross: “Top of the list is providing affordable hous ing to individuals who wish to live in our community. The proliferation of short-term rentals (STRs) and rarely occupied second homes has removed significant rental and ownership opportuni ties from our current housing inventory. This has been suc cessfully addressed in other tourist destinations and we need to examine all avenues to address it here. This issue drives so many other topics the City has been discussing and struggling with, includ ing our houseless popula tion, attracting and retaining essential workers, and poten tial boundary expansion.”

Sarah McDougall: “Sisters’ most urgent need is affordable workforce housing. People who keep our city open and vibrant often cannot afford to live in Sisters, including teachers, medical professionals, and restaurant and retail workers. The answers are complicated and multifaceted. While it is important to keep Sisters’ charm and character by not losing our old-growth trees or allowing tall buildings, we must be at least open to discussing all reasonable

solutions, including those that are new or unfamiliar.

“I have been working with the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) for about a year. I have watched how the City has addressed the needs of our local unhoused. Without placing blame, what I have seen are missed oppor tunities to work together toward solutions. While it is not the place of the City to become a service provider, I would like to see the Council work more with local nonprofits such as SCWS to find right-sized solutions to assist our unhoused neighbors.

“In general, any topic discussed needs to be seen through the lenses of plan ning for growth and manag ing change.”

Michael Preedin: “New things we should consider doing include assisting the school district in future uses and long-term planning of the elementary school prop erty; look even harder at fire mitigation, and defin ing what that means to local homeowners and business owners; look at UGB expan sion as directed by state land use laws, and the ongoing Comprehensive Plan strate gies. We should try and get urgent care/medical labora tory facilities into town. I think we have the bandwidth for a new public amenity. Something like a commu nity center or pool facility or indoor sports courts. The key

Sarah McDougall.

Michael Preedin.

Susan Cobb.

Gary Ross.

will be to work with other partners to gauge community interest/priorities and combine resources.”

Susan Cobb: “We are all going to be facing weather temperature extremes, droughts/flooding, increased fire frequency and duration, increased migration to Northwestern states, and many more challenges. I hope to influence forward thinking such that planning based on past rates of growth, past weather patterns, past water flows, etc., are given more frequent updates based on the latest known scientifically proven resolutions and reports.

“Wisely managing growth is the key… I will advocate to be prepared for the worst. That means looking at growth through the lens of the climate crisis, which shows increased risks. Affordable housing is indeed a priority for Sisters… I am additionally concerned about houseless people… More and more people moving west and north in U.S.A. will be coming with less. We need to have a plan for them, which is also good for Sisters.”

What do you like about living in Sisters?

Susan Cobb: “Fresh air, dark skies, good people, four seasons, lots of ways to be involved, quilting, and being with family”.

Sarah McDougall: “My husband and I moved to Sisters for a quieter life and the ponderosas. We were both ready for the small-town vibe

of Sisters. We enjoy walking the trails and around town, sitting on our porch drinking coffee and saying hello to people and dogs walking by… I also have found people to be very friendly, which makes me happy.”

Gary Ross: “Small-town friendliness. People know you by your dog, car, bike, house, or yard, even if they are meeting you for the first time in person. (Oh, you have the Dalmatian…) A town full of laidback events where you can walk or bike everywhere. Great businesses where they know and greet you when you walk in or have your favorite beverage waiting before you order! It’s like my childhood in Maine, amongst the birches and ash trees, was dropped in the ponderosas and junipers of Oregon.”

Michael Preedin: “As an Air Force veteran, I have lived all over the world and chose this particular city above anywhere else. I love it that much.”

The last day to register to vote is October 18. Ballots will be mailed out October 19. There is a ballot drop box in front of City Hall, which will open on Friday, October 21, and close on November 8 at 8 p.m. You may also mail your voted ballot in your postage-paid return envelope by 8 p.m., Tuesday, November 8. Ballots that are mailed, postmarked by the United States Postal Service by 8 p.m. on Election Day, and received by the Clerk’s office by November 15 will be accepted. Remember to sign your ballot envelope.

Read additional Outlaw sports coverage at HOUSELESS IN SISTERS

Thurs., Oct. 20, 5:30-7:30 pm

5:30 p.m., beverages and cookies 6 p.m., panel discussion followed by Q&A

Sisters Fire Hall Community Room, 301 S. Elm St.

Citizens4Community (C4C) presents a forum for Sisters residents to learn more about local houseless topics from the experts, with an opportunity for dialogue about this critical issue affecting Sisters Country

Moderator: Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief, The Nugget Newspaper

Speakers: Buddy Blair Forest Dweller

Lois Kaping Faith-Based Advocate

Ian Reid Sisters District Ranger

Colleen Thomas Deschutes County Administrator

Andrea Blum Sisters City Council

Lt. Chad Davis Deschutes County Sheriff ’s Office

Presented by:

thanks to our sponsors:

more information:

RIZO

is gal assessed true to her breed in both her scent drive and vocal excitement. It ’s unclear how much house-training or indoor time Rizo has had the plea sure of knowing, so st ar ting from scratch with the ba sics is likely going to be needed Her histor y of being chained may have created some fear when meet ing new dogs on leash. Rizo is an all- around happy, play ful pup loving the freedom of outdoor fun and excitement!

Sisters High School Graduation Night Fundraiser

An October fest graduation aiser for the senior 023 will be held , October 29 f rom 5 o 9 p.m. at Sisters High hool. Wonderf ul ction and ra e items , including a ek at a Hawaii home, a Sonoma house nd Pacific Cit y . Beer, wine, dinner, and ainment. E arn wonderf ul prizes and contribute to g cause. Tickets include dinner and a drink $30 if purchased by 10/1. $40 if purchased after 10/1. Purchase tickets in advance at www eventbrite.com/e/oktober fest tickets-417568186687, in-person at Sisters High School or Deri’s Salon (20 8 S . Cedar St., Sisters). Cont act Kelly Davis Martin at kad_ martin@hotmail .com

Tempor ar y Help Needed for Tuesday Free Meal Service Seeking a sta er/leader for November and December 2022 Tuesday f ree meal ser vice. On-site need is f rom 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Sisters Community Church. ere is some planning/shopping to be done ahead of time. Call 541-760 5677 for more information Weekly Food Pant ry e Wellhouse Church will have a weekly food pantr y on ursdays at 4:30 p.m. (222 N . Trinit y Way) Both drive through pick-up and shoppingst yle distribution are available Plea se call 541-549-4184 for information.

Announce Your Celebr ations! Birth, engagement, wedding , and milestone anniversar y notices from the Sisters community may run at no charge on this Announcements page. All submissions are subject to editing for space. Email nug get@nug getnews .com or drop o at 4 42 E . Main Ave Deadline is 5 p.m. on Fridays

Bees & Brews

Are you a Sisters Country beekeeper or someone interested in the hobby? Let’ s get together to swap tips and tales from our honey bee adventures. Monday, October 17 f rom 5 to 7 p.m. at High Camp Taphouse. Call Clyde 541-549-0998 for more info.

Sisters Garden Club Puzzle Sales

ank you to the Sisters Communit y for supporting Sisters Garden Club by helping them sell their 25th Anniversary Edition “Quilts in the Garden” Puzzle. Puz zles are currently available for purchase for $20 at the following locations: Ray ’s Food Place, e Gallimauf ry, Fika Sisters Co eehouse, and Metamorphosis Salon. Purchase puzzles now before they are all gone. ey make great gif ts Cont act 971-246-040 4 for more information.

Save the Rubb erbands Business owners: Are you the recipient of a bundle of Nug gets each week? ose f at rubberbands are highly valued by the Nug geteers that bundle your papers each week . If you can save them, we’d love to use them again. Questions? Call Janice at 541-549-9941.

Craf ters Wanted Qualit y craf t consigners wanted for 4 6th Snowflake Boutique, November 4 & 5, 2022. Jur y will be held at Highland Baptist Church, Redmond, October 17 at 6 p.m. Fore more information: www.snowflakeboutique.org ; Tina 541-4 47-164 0 or Jan 541-350 -4888

Free Pet Food Budget tight this month, but you still need pet food for your dog or cat? Call the Furr y Friends pet food bank at 541-797-4 023 to schedule your pickup. Pickups available ursdays , beginning at 12:30 p.m . Located at 412 E . Main Ave., Ste. 4, behind e Nug get

SISTER

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Family Caregiver Suppor t Group

elma’s Place Adult Day Respite Program in Redmond host s a monthly support group for those caring for someone with Alzheimer ’ s or another dementia-related disease. e support group is held every third Wednesday of the month from 4:30-5:30 p.m. is is a f ree family-caregiver support group featuring local organiz ations For more info call 541-548-3049.

Sisters Seeking Applicants for Advisory Boards

Central Oregon Health Council Seek s Input

If you’re having trouble paying for the things you need to live and you’re earning too much money to qualify for financial assistance, the Central Oregon Health Council wants to hear f rom you. Join us on November 1 f rom 6 to 7:30 p.m . for an evening listening session in Sisters and share your story. You will receive $50 and a f ree meal for participating. Your input will help shape f uture decisions about funding. To R SVP and get location information, call 541-610 -4317 or email

lquon@quondc .com

P d

e Cit y is accepting applications for its boards and commissions . ere are positions open on the Planning Commission, Budget Committee, Urban Forestry, Parks , and Public Work s Advisor y Boards . More information can be found at ci.sisters .or.us/bc. Applications are due by November 13 . Call 541-549- 6022 for more info.

Sisters Garden Club Monthly Meeting

e Sisters Garden Club would like to invite you to come hear founder Robine Bot s of Harmony Farm Sanctuar y at the October 15 meeting. She will discuss the Sanctuary, what it does, how it operates , and volunteer opportu nities . e meeting will start at 9:30 a .m., doors open at 9 a .m. It will be held at Sisters Community Church, 130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy. For more information call 971-246-040 4.

Free Lunches For Seniors e Council on Aging of Central Oregon is ser ving seniors (60+) f ree lunches on Tuesdays , Wednesdays, and ursdays at the Sisters Communit y Church located at 130 0 McKenzie Hwy., Sisters . e Tuesday meal is sit down f rom 11 a .m. to 1 p.m. and also o ers activities and information about health, communit y resources , and nutrition. On Wednesdays and ursdays lunche s are o ered drive-through style, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and seniors can drive through the parking lot to pick up a meal on those days . Come on by ; no need to make a reser vation. For more information call 541- 678-5483

Ce lebration of Life for

Jim Anderson

e Sisters communit y is invited to share in the celebration of the life of Northwest Naturalist Jim Anderson at Sisters High School, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 15

Celebrating Sisters High School seniors

By Kelly Davis Martin Correspondent

There is no doubt that the graduating class of 2023 is special. Unique. Deserving.

Sure, all the graduat ing classes of Sisters High School could claim those adjectives to some degree, but this year’s senior class really has had an exceptional high school experience. The COVID-19 shutdowns began during their freshman year, and they lost out on the expe riences and initiation that comes during that formative time. They had a sophomore year in isolation, and a junior year that included social dis tance, masks, and modified education.

They have only been able to attend a handful of dances and indoor events, their entire four years.

And now, after their dis tinctive time at Sisters High School, they are the leaders of the school. Leaders who are getting ready to launch into adulthood but who also have yet to get to have their full right-of-passage. Their maturity comes from experiencing the pandemic with the world, but not from socializing at school. The 2023 graduating class is deserving of a bit of celebra tion this year.

Their first full year of “regular” high school is also their last year. I am not sure we can cram four years of experiences into

nine academic months, but I think we can surely try. With this in mind, the parents of the 2023 graduating class are beginning their work to continue the tradition of cel ebrating the seniors in a safe and inclusive way.

The longer-term goal is a drug- and alcohol-free grad uation party in June 2023, after the graduation cere mony occurs. The parents of the senior class aim to make it a night for them to gather, enjoy each other’s company, and celebrate all they have achieved — to make it spe cial and memorable for all.

To make the senior graduation night party a reality, the parents of the senior class work to orga nize a fundraiser. The tra dition is to raise funds with an Octoberfest dinner, raf fle, and auction. This year the Octoberfest fundraiser will be held on October 29, starting at 5 p.m., at Sisters High School. A ticket for the Octoberfest dinner (21 years and older) will include drink and dessert. There will be amazing raffles and auction items, includ ing a week stay in Hawaii, a FivePine package, and weekend stays in Sonoma and Nashville. There have been generous donations from local businesses and families. Tickets can be pur chased for $40 in-person at Deri’s Salon, at Sisters High School, or online at: https:// bit.ly/3EzZXG3.

Quilters inspect the harvest of new fabrics for sale at the juried arts and crafts fair, which brought several thou sand people to Sisters.

HARVEST: Event drew thousands on sunny weekend

Continued from page 3

one of the group, explained:

“So many of these markets are the same from tent to tent, not much choice. We were worried that we’d miss some thing with so many options.”

At this point, 2 p.m. Saturday, they all had arms full of bags while trying to down some Ramona’s Kitchen Mexican popsicles.

Dry Canyon Stampede, a seven piece band, played Saturday. Some listeners were dancing to the tunes, while others sang along to familiar country lyrics. Bill Keale entertained Sunday, a day not as hectic as Saturday.

Dave Bartholet, a vendor from Seaside who had two spaces, felt he spoke for most of the exhibitors when saying what a successful outing it had been.

“I had so many people still in my tent at 4 p.m. on Saturday when the Faire

was supposed to close that I stayed open another hour and rang up another $250.”

Chocolatiers and fudge makers were grateful that temperatures did not go higher, for fear their displays of goodies might melt or lose shape.

FRIDAY • OCTOBER 14

Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy

8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

The Barn in Sisters Live Music: Pine Hearts Duet 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Weather permitting For more information find The Barn in Sisters on Facebook.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For info call 541-549-2471

Paulina Springs Books Elise Wolf of Native Bird Care presents Being Stewards: Creating a Fantastic Space for our Common Wild Birds at 6:30 p.m. Info: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

FRIDAY • OCTOBER 21

The Barn in Sisters Live Music: Honey Don’t 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Weather permitting For more information find The Barn in Sisters on Facebook.

Hardtails Karaoke with KJ Mindy 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. For more information call 541-549-6114.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For info call 541-549-2471

MONDAY • OCTOBER 24

Paulina Springs Books Author Reading: Mar y Fifield & Kristin Thiel 6:30 p.m. “Fire & Water: Stories from the Anthropocene.” More information: PaulinaSpringsBooks.com.

FRIDAY

OCTOBER

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

WETLANDS:

Project showed immediate impact

and in January of 2022 the District drafted plans to find a solution. Their solution was simple: construct a series of BDAs (Beaver Dam Analogue), or man-made

dams, to restore the native habitat, and replenish the underlying water table as nature once did. In June, natural materials were collected, and in September physical work began on the Lower Black Butte Swamp Restoration Project.

A LIDAR image, taken in 2011, was utilized to 3D map the terrain, and sketch a plan for reestablishing the native

path of the creek, identifying key points to construct the dams. Using one-foot contour lines they would methodically restore the swamp’s natural flow.

Despite modern technology, constructing a beaver dam by hand requires basic hand tools and the realization that nature’s architects know something humans don’t.

“Beavers are great

engineers but they haven’t exactly shared their formula with us,” Riehle says.

Sisters Ranger District Hydrologist Jamie Sheahan Alonso, echoed his sentiment.

“No one on our core team has ever done this before,” she said.

The concept of BDAs isn’t new, but the art of constructing and implementing them, and their desired impact on

the local ecology, is a study in progress.

A total of 26 BDAs were constructed along a 2,500foot stretch of Indian Ford Creek, requiring considerable resources and crews in a process once designated to a handful of beavers. Prior to building, members of the Youth Conservation Corps snorkeled, collecting and relocating 310 fresh water

The lower black butte swamp spans 50-acres and was once a thriving biodiverse wetland. New efforts to restore it to its original habitat have re-irrigated the plain.

mussels from the construction zone.

To build a man-made dam involves strength and the ability to shape nature’s fabric. Lodgepole pines are embedded into the creek bed three feet deep, and across the width of the creek.

Cottonwood branches are then handwoven along the length and depth of the poles to the bottom of the creek,

then consecutively stacked to create a water break. Clumps of sod and grass sedges are hand-placed at the bottom of the weave to prevent water from seeping under and uprooting the poles. Juniper branches are inserted perpendicularly into the weave, stretching upstream and downstream to reduce the water turbulence, further securing the integrity of the

design and preventing poles from being uprooted by the current.

As teams stack branches, the weave increases in depth, and sod is reapplied, acting as a mortar sealing the branches

into place.

Once dams are set in place, the effects are immediate: Creek water levels rise multiple feet within minutes and begin seeping horizontally into the dry plain. The

intended effect on the water table is quickly observed too.

“After our first three dams were built, we noticed a sixfoot rise in the water table

page

Lauren Durocher, Environmental Coordinator for the Sisters Ranger District and core member of the planning team, walks among a flooded field of common mullein, a dry climate noxious weed that will die off as the land rehabilitates.

PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT

within the 24 hours,” Riehle said.

Upstream, the formerly dry and arid landscape now sits under a foot of water as a result of only a handful of dams. That water will eventually soak into the earth, says Sheahan Alonso. And with that comes a reinvigorated landscape that will someday turn green again.

The challenging manual labor was done by the Heart of Oregon Corps, who provided over 20 personnel for the project, and employees of the Sisters Ranger District. An excavator was also hired to set poles into the creek bed and dig up sod for the dams.

John Deluka, the Sisters Ranger District wildlife biologist, stood waist-deep in the effects of his freshly constructed BDA, weaving another cottonwood branch into place while ruminating on its rising benefits.

“This ecology is suffering and I hope this project will bring back the beavers and other wildlife that once thrived here,” he said.

Deluka noted that 115 bird species have been recorded in the swamp alone and more than a dozen animals, including elk, roam the terrain.

“I expect those numbers to increase after this project, and I hope to hear a symphony of frogs when this place recovers,” he said.

Wildlife is a key attribute to restoring the biological habitat, but that wildlife is only a glimpse of the bigger ecological picture, he said.

The Lower Black Butte Swamp is a small part of a larger ecosystem that directly affects the climate. Scientific studies show that three percent of the earth’s surface is wetlands, similar to the Black Butte Swamp. And one third of CO2 and methane is absorbed into its soil, which is then naturally converted into oxygen. Restoring the “wet” to a wetland reactivates that function.

Deluka says with the return of healthy habitat, the land and those within it can only thrive.

And in the Black Butte Lower Swamp, those restorative effects are beginning to take shape. Much of the wetland is now wet again. Riehle says the noxious weeds will die off with the overabundance of water, and the sedges, willows, and other native habitat will start to recover in time. He ultimately hopes the water table will continue to rise and nature will find its way back, and hopefully beavers will reinhabit the area.

“Water is life,” said Deluka. “And we’re just trying to restore that.”

John Deluka, wildlife biologist for the Sisters Ranger District, weaves a cottonwood branch into a newly constructed BDA. Water levels quickly rise once they are constructed using natural materials, and creek water slowly dissipates horizontally into the dry areas of the swamp with the hopes of restoring native wildlife habitats. Dams are a simple construct that were once relegated to beavers, nature’s great eco-engineer.

Dead willow branches and thriving wetland ecology were replaced by the noxious weeds, such as the tansy ragwort, when the swamp dried up. Restorative efforts are hoping to reverse this process and bring native species back to the swamp after reintroducing water to the area.

Moving natural materials between the 26 dams is an arduous and timeconsuming process. Nadia Barkawi, a biological wildlife technician for

Water levels quickly rise when dams are

placing

success.

Jamie

Alonso,

hydrologist

the

Ranger District,

into

PHOTOS

industrial fire precaution lev els to Level 1, which means firewood cutting can occur all day. Likewise, we have dropped campfire public use restrictions and campfires are now allowed in all areas of the Sisters Ranger District unless expressly prohibited by forest order.

Shifting from fire to water, the Lower Black Butte Swamp restoration project was another successful effort this past field season, using old-fashioned grit and determination to mimic natural processes and help recharge a historic wet meadow system by building beaver dam analogues in part nership with Heart of Oregon Corps.

Fall also means many of our developed campgrounds are closing. While we had some staffing challenges at Three Creek Lake this summer, we tried to make the best out of a difficult situation by offering free, first- come first-served camping, and still providing basic services. We also used community feedback received around the Central Cascades Wilderness permit system to improve that experience this summer in its second sea son of implementation. These improvements allowed for more spontaneity, especially for day trips, and hopefully reduced the number of permit no-shows.

On the evening of October 20, we will be joining other local organizations and pre senters in a community forum on houselessness in Sisters Country. It is an important and complex topic, and we would welcome your presence, thoughts, and ideas on poten tial solutions around this dif ficult issue.

We welcome several new employees to the Sisters Ranger District. Andrew Myhra takes the helm as fire management officer/Cascade division chief. And we are lucky to hire local resident Jamie Sheahan Alonso as our new district hydrologist. Skyler Ogden comes to us off the Umpqua National Forest filling our developed recre ation specialist vacancy, while Luke Lassell was hired as our presale crew leader. Heather Evans will also join us to pro vide additional capacity in archeology.

Like many, I was saddened to hear of the recent death of Jim Anderson, who was a friend to the Forest Service. When we arrived in Sisters five years ago, Jim was one of the first folks to stop by and say hello. Jim was a friend of Reub Long, co-author of The Oregon Desert (1971). Reub writes, “If heaven hasn’t any old rusty patched-up wire fences, I’ll never feel at home there”. Here’s to rusty fences, Jim.

Artist to be featured in library exhibit

Artist John Vale will be featured in an art show at Sisters Library on Friday, October 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. The artist will be accompa nied by music by Obsiden.

Vale began his journey in art in 1992. He created water features and other pieces from stone. He began with displays of his work in several nurser ies and moved on to a display in the renowned Lawrence Gallery. He opened his first gallery in Lake Oswego, Water Stone Accents, and featured several artists with a bamboo tea house as his office. He also made desktop fountains for Made in Oregon stores and other catalogs.

He moved on to featuring a few water features at the Street of Dreams homes, and an interior fountain was fea tured in Home Magazine. He was also honored for his work at a Black-Tie Dinner Party for Clackamas Arts Alliance.

After a long illness, he sold his business in Lake Oswego and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona and then on to Florida. He opened his second gallery in St. Augustine, featuring many

renowned artists. He had a beautiful outdoor garden gal lery, as well as an indoor gal lery, Water + Stone Gallery, which was featured in Arbus Magazine. He and his wife, Collette, were honored as entrepreneurs in the art com munity. They had several artist openings of other art ists, including Tom Torrens and Richard Warholic, and hosted the Arbus Magazines Anniversary Party.

When the economic downturn happened in 2008, they had to close their doors. At this time, they returned to Oregon, and Vale did not resume his art until March 2022. He moved to Central Oregon six years ago, and was touched by its beauty and wildlife. He now features many pieces of art, inspired by herons, dragonflies, quail, hummingbirds, swallows, owls, and more. He mainly makes artwork that can be featured for indoors and gar dens. They are constructed with stone, and natural live edge juniper, and copper. He features the wildlife he admires. Sisters Library is located at 110 N. Cedar St.

CHARTER: Measure would alter language in document

Continued from page 3

responsibilities; permit the Council to adopt Council rules through resolution; remove certain Charter sec tions that may not be in con formity with state law; and remove gender-specific pro nouns throughout the Charter.

The City Charter is the foundation of Sisters City

government. Like the U.S. and Oregon Constitutions, a City Charter functions as the fundamental governing docu ment for a municipal corpora tion. Charter revisions, like revisions to the Constitution, can only be enacted through a vote of the electorate. The current Sisters Charter was originally adopted in 1948 by a vote of the citizens. It was first amended by approval of the voters in 1967 and again in 2003.

Amendments would take effect January 1, 2023.

Artist John Vale will be featured in an art show at Sisters Library on Friday, October 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Outlaws face

with top teams in

By Rongi Yost Correspondent

The Lady Outlaws vol leyball squad won the Silver Bracket at the annual Bend Clearwater Classic held on Saturday, October 8, where they faced some of the top 5A and 6A teams in the state.

At home two days ear lier, Sisters swept Harrisburg with scores of 25-12, 25-19, and 25-11.

Pool play for the Clearwater Classic was held at Summit High School, and Sisters faced off against strong, talented teams from 6A West Linn, 6A South Salem, and 5A Redmond. The Outlaws went 2-4 in the morning pool play, which placed them in the Silver Bracket for the afternoon as the lowest-ranked team in that bracket.

Throughout the season the Lady Outlaws have relied on statistical leaders Gracie Vohs, Gracelyn Myhre, Bailey Robertson, and Mia Monaghan, but Coach Rory Rush told The Nugget that with the very competitive morning she knew the depth of her team was going to be tested.

They were tested indeed and came through with fly ing colors, as the afternoon bracket play was high lighted by a group that Coach Rush calls her “stellar sophomores.”

Rush said, “I was incred ibly proud of the emotional push we got from our stel lar sophomores. They had the energy in the afternoon, and really were the dif ference makers in every match.”

The emotional energy Rush mentioned was evident all afternoon. Kathryn Scholl and Molly Meyer were dom inant at the net with count less blocks and kills for the Outlaws. In addition, the serving and setting of Holly Davis led to multiple long runs. When the team needed a boost for their tiring defense, Jordyn Monaghan came in and anchored a defensive effort that absorbed every attack that came her way.

These talented underclass men led the statistical charge and the Lady Outlaws fired on all cylinders. They buzzed through opponents 5A Dallas (25-21, 23-25, 15-13), 5A West Albany (25-12, 27-26) and 6A West Salem (2510,25-17) to win the Silver Bracket Championship. Sisters got better and better with each match and their depth was on full display.

Rush said “The Clearwater Classic has been a high-level tournament put

on by Bend High School with some of the best volley ball teams in the state com ing to play for an invite-only tournament. Even though we dropped down to a 3A classi fication, we weren’t about to break the tradition of attend ing this tournament. It’s a tradition for Sisters volley ball, and a championship in the tournament made it even sweeter.”

Earlier in the week, and due to a lack of officials, the Lady Outlaws’ match against Harrisburg was moved from Wednesday to Thursday night. After seven days off without a game, the Outlaws were ready to play and jumped right back into conference play. The Eagles came into the match with something to prove, but the Outlaws outlasted every run they made.

In the second set Hannah Fendall went on a sevenpoint run to put the Outlaws on top 16-9. Later in the set, the Outlaws lost their focus and Harrisburg went on a six-point run to pull to within two, 20-18. The Eagles didn’t score again except for a side out point due to an Outlaw error.

Gracie Vohs finished the match with 19 kills and three aces, and Gracelyn Myhre tallied 15 kills and three aces. Fendall dished out 29 assists and Mia Monaghan recorded 16 digs.

Rush said, “I thought they played us tough. They had us scrambling a few times and tested our team’s com munication, but I was very pleased how the girls moved to the flight of the ball and battled through those series of runs by them.”

The No. 1 ranked Outlaws were scheduled to play at No. 5-ranked Pleasant Hill on Tuesday, October 11. They will play at home against Creswell on Thursday, October 13.

SCHOOLS: Starting enrollment is high, especially at SES

we have good numbers now and after the 10-day drop,” said Scholl at the school board meeting Wednesday, October 5.

Scholl is entering his eighth year with the Sisters School District as superin tendent, and is entering a full in-person school year after two years of pandemic restrictions in the classroom. Scholl has made it a goal for this school year to spend two hours a week in each school building interacting with teachers and students in the classrooms.

Scholl described his ideas on the increase in the num ber of students at the ele mentary school: “Our higher numbers in the elementary schools are attributed to the general population growth in Sisters Country, and I specu late that the ability to tele commute has given some younger families the abil ity to work remotely and choose a smaller community to raise their family — but that is more speculative than anything.”

The higher numbers of

students in all the schools poses a scheduling conflict, figuring out when teachers can have more prep time between classes.

“The impact on program ming is that we need more ‘specials’ to provide teachers with their prep time. So, in addition to PE, we also have Music, Art, and STEM that students are rotated through as we provide their home room teachers with their daily prep,” said Scholl.

Staffing for the three schools has been another thing they have to figure out, with a lack of affordable housing for teachers and their families.

Scholl spoke about inten tions to seriously look at affordable housing for staff.

“We are collaborat ing with the University of Oregon graduate program looking at land planning and how we can best utilize this asset (the soon-to-be former elementary school site), and how we support potential future employees,” he said.

They are touring the ele mentary school campus and looking at how to best use that property, potentially for affordable housing options.

Higher numbers are causing even more of a need for the new elemen tary school building, set for

groundbreaking this fall. The new building is located adja cent to the existing middle school, creating a shared campus area for all three Sisters schools.

According to the SSD website:

“The City of Sisters passed a $33,800,000 gen eral obligation bond to pay for the construction costs of a new elementary school within Sisters School District (SSD), as well as related support and mainte nance costs associated with the district’s 2016 Master Plan.

“It will allow for increased safety, transpor tation, operational, and educational benefits for all the students in the district. Fifth grade will return to the elementary school loca tion, which is better aligned with educational best prac tices and provides addi tional capacity in the middle school.”

According to Scholl at the school board meeting, they are on track budgetwise with the bid packages to proceed with construc tion of the new elementary school, breaking ground this fall. The expected date of competition is April 2024, with classes beginning in September 2024.

in Sisters,” sponsored by Citizens4Community and The Nugget Newspaper , which will be held at the Sisters Fire Hall Community Room at 301 S. Elm Street from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to participate.

He is relaxed and even nonchalant about addressing the gathering. Buddy is not ashamed nor bitter about his family plight.

“It could happen to any body,” he said.

You can’t help but notice Buddy’s prosthetic leg. He removes it to show just how proud of it he is.

“Brand new, four grand,” he said, holding it up. “Cancer when I was 16.”

No bitterness, no self-pity, just cold, hard reality. Its cost is covered by Medicare.

Blair lived in traditional housing, a single family home in Redmond, for 44 years with his previous wife. He’s known Sisters for his entire life, once having lived in The Pines, former Brooks Scanlon log ging camp housing that con sisted of railroad cars off their wheels.

Buddy is fastidious in his appearance and in the way he maintains his home, a trailer in the forest, south and west of town by a few miles. He gets agitated with some of his fellow forest dwellers — a minority — who are bad housekeepers, especially those who leave trash or debris around their sites.

“This is our home,” he says emphatically, “and I don’t want neighbors who trash it up.”

Other than living in the woods, his life is not exceptional.

“We go to work, take the kids to school, shop, just try and get by,” he said.

He’s working to rebuild his credit, and was able to buy a decent used car. He can’t imagine, though, ever being able to afford to rent here, where a one bedroom — if you can find one —is around $2,500 per month. Then there’s the security deposit

and first and last month’s rent, the application fee, and it’s just not in reach even with both working. Add to that, they have a dog. But Buddy and Adrian are not ones to quit or give up on making it happen.

Adrian has been around Sisters for most of her life. Her parents were owners of the original Ski Inn before a giant ponderosa took it out.

Working at Sno-Cap is ideal, as their jobs give them some flexibility, especially Buddy, who, once he gets his tasks completed, is free to take on family chores. Elloey, 4, is in Montessori School and the older boy is at Youth-Build, learning a trade.

Buddy’s a plumber by trade, but now his specialty is the famous fry sauce at Sno-Cap, where he has figured out a way to streamline the making of it.

When asked if he could wave a magic wand and do something to make being houseless more bearable, he was instant in his response: “Longer shower hours.” He’s referring to the two public showers in Village Green, which are locked at 6 p.m. each night.

“Sometimes we don’t get off until 7 p.m. or we have school stuff, so we miss out,” Buddy related.

(Shower hours have report edly been extended).

Their two-axle trailer is small, yet they all manage.

“We have a big yard,” Buddy said with a grin.

They also have a storage locker in town, where they have a few rooms of furnish ings set aside for the day when they move out of the forest and into traditional housing.

“Houseless, homeless, for est dweller. Call it what you’d like. Sometimes I just think of myself as an Ewok,” he says with a wink, as he heads off to work.

Lady Outlaws on undefeated roll

By Rongi Yost Correspondent

The Lady Outlaws soccer squad started their week with a 1-1 tie at Pleasant Hill (PH) on Monday, October 3, and two days later shut out the Hawks at La Pine, 7-0.

In Tuesday’s road game, the Billies came out with confidence and pressure, and immediately put the Outlaws on their heels.

Sisters had a difficult time adjusting to the artificial turf, which was extremely fast, and their defense had to work hard the entire game. Both teams had a few oppor tunities to score, but neither could find the back of the net, and at the half the score was deadlocked 0-0.

The Outlaws came out in the second half with bet ter play, and were able to connect their passes. In the 60th minute, Sisters got on the scoreboard. The ball was played wide to Becca Clausen, who beat her oppo nent and shot the ball into the lower left corner of the goal.

Coach Brian Holden said, “With 20 minutes left, we tucked our players in and back to clog up the middle, but we had trouble getting the ball out of our defensive third.”

Sisters kept the Billies from scoring until there were only three minutes left on the clock, when PH managed to get a goal and tie it up 1-1.

“It was a heartbreaking goal,” said Holden. “But our girls will continue to grow each game, learn from their mistakes, and stay close as a team.”

Holden made note of Becca Clausen and Tatem Cramer.

“I’m proud of Becca,

as she’s become a reliable winger,” said Holden. “She knows what to do with the ball and plays the game the same from start to finish.

Tatem played an extremely strong and physical game, and I’d like to see this con tinue from her.”

After the heart-wrenching tie, the Outlaws came out against La Pine with confi dence and put on a display with their crisp passes.

Clausen, with an assist from Shae Wyland, scored at the 15-minute mark. The defense passed the ball from side-to-side and then Wyland passed the ball up the line to Clausen, who cut inside and made a great goal from the corner of the 18.

Five minutes later Cramer scored off an assist from Analise Backus, and at the half the Outlaws were up 2-0.

Marley Holden scored just four minutes into the second half off an assist from Izzy Schiller. Both Holden and Schiller play in the mid field, and they played the ball back and forth, and were calm and patient in the mid dle. Schiller laid the ball off to Holden, who sent the ball into the lower left corner of the net.

Just a few minutes later, Ella Davis beat her defender,

dribbled to the inside, and made a great pass to Holden in the middle for the score. Holden scored on an unas sisted goal three minutes later, to give her a hat trick for the day and push Sisters to a 5-0 advantage.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Schiller dribbled to the outside, beat her oppo nent, and made a beauti ful shot from the corner of the 18 into the upper right corner of the goal. Sisters a final goal came when Holden passed the ball through the Hawks’ center back up to Cramer, who broke away and had a powerful shot that went off the crossbar and into the goal. Sisters held the Hawks scoreless for the remainder of the game and recorded the win.

Holden said, “It was nice to see some of our younger players get time and oppor tunity on the field. Tallis Grummer in particular dis played good passing in the midfield and created a couple good goal opportunities for herself.”

The Outlaws are 7-0-3 in league and remain in second place overall. Sisters was to play at home against Siuslaw on Monday, October 10. They will travel to Santiam Christian on Thursday.

Sisters author launches new adventure

What do a winged horse, a flying unicorn, a Native American jingle dress dancer, and quantum physics have in common? They are all involved in the plot of a new middle school-age book from local author Jean Russell Nave.

“Starprancer and the Blue Crystals” is a sequel to “Starprancer at Wild Horse Cave,” released last year. The adventure is centered around two young ladies, Aila and Lily, with Starprancer, the winged horse, leading the girls on another quest involv ing saving the lives of a mare and foal, part of the Black Canyon Wilderness Mustang Band east of Prineville, Oregon.

“Some thought that book left too many loose ends. I heard from readers that they wanted to know about what happened later on to some of the characters from the first story,” said Nave. “This got me thinking about each char acter. When you write fiction, you live with the characters who have come into your head. You care about them because they become so real. I was looking for a central theme or character for a sequel and one night, while watching an episode of ‘Oregon Field Guide,’ I heard the story of a Native American woman who performs a sacred heal ing dance, the Jingle Dress Dance. Her story gave me a new character and a wonder ful theme for this book.”

involved with sports.

Aila’s love, besides sports, is art. Though Nave isn’t a professional artist, she does her own illustrations for her books and offers lots of encouragement to Aila to keep up the art. Aila says that art helps her relax.

“Starprancer and the Blue Crystals” is a 135-page illus trated book for middle schoolage readers. The story begins when late one spring night, just past midnight, a mustang mare in a Central Oregon band of wild horses struggles to give birth to a new foal. The foal’s position in the mother’s womb presents an impossible birth. Unaided, both mare and foal will die.

“Starprancer,” a winged horse-angel, receives a mes sage about the stressed mare. She needs human help to straighten out the foal’s bent leg, which is causing the birthing difficulty. Starprancer knows just the right two girls who could help with this situation.

At 1:01 a.m., Starprancer and her unicorn assistant, Jamil, arrive at the girls’ back yard in Sisters, awakening Aila. She and her sister, Lily, run outside, hear the story of the endangered mare, and agree to help.

Other challenges await the girls, but ultimately a healthy foal is born. They named her Lucky Girl. This is their story.

Aila and Lily are real peo ple, so they were excited to be in another book.

“Starprancer, who has now been in three of my books,” said Nave, “came flying back into my mind, offering some of her own ideas.”

This book gave Nave an opportunity to work with the girls again and to get more feedback from their perspec tive as to how the story could work best.

Lily has become so involved with the story-writ ing process that she thinks she may want to become a writer when she grows up. She is actively writing stories in school while also being very

Starprancer uses many attributes that we are just beginning to learn about relat ing to the world of quantum physics. This prompted Nave to add an appendix for the curious student at the back of the book. This appendix explains some of the things that look like magic but someday will perhaps become everyday features of our future lives. She hopes one or two readers will become inspired to learn more about the amazing untapped quan tum world.

“Starprancer and the Blue Crystals” is available for $7.95 on Amazon or for $6.95 at Paulina Springs Books.

By Jacqueline E. Mathews,

Jean Nave’s new book is out.

PHOTO PROVIDED

ALL advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not know- ingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

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COST: $2 per line for first insertion, $1.50 per line for each additional insertion to 9th week, $1 per line 10th week and beyond (identical ad/consecutive weeks). Also included in The Nugget online classifieds at no additional charge. There is a minimum $5 charge for any classified. First line = approx. 20-25 characters, each additional line = approx. 25-30 characters. Letters, spaces, numbers and punctuation = 1 character. Any ad copy changes will be charged at the first-time insertion rate of $2 per line. Standard abbreviations allowed with the approval of The Nugget classified department. NOTE: Legal notices placed in the Public Notice section are charged at the display advertising rate.

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C L A S S I F I E D S

102 Commercial Rentals

MINI STORAGE

Rental

W. Barclay Drive

to 15x30 and outdoor

parking. 7-day access.

security gate.

boxes &

STORAGE WITH BENEFITS

gated, 24-7

103 Residential Rentals

Fully furnished main-floor designer condo. New appliances, washer/dryer in primary suite, nearby spa, club house, movie theater, Wi-Fi, walk to downtown Sisters, all utilities paid. 1-to-3 month+ $1,800/mo. 801-674-6265

NEW HOME IN CLEARPINE

3 bedroom, 2 bath, all appliances. Available now $2,800. Cascade Home Rentals: 541-549-0792

Sisters Fully Furnished Studio Nearby spa, club house, movie theater, Wi-Fi, walk to downtown Sisters, all utilities paid. 1-to-3 month+ $1,200/mo. 801-674-6265

PONDEROSA PROPERTIES

Monthly Rentals Available–Call Debbie at 541-549-2002 Full details, 24 hrs./day, go to: PonderosaProperties.com

Printed list at 221 S. Ash, Sisters Ponderosa Properties LLC CASCADE HOME & PROPERTY RENTALS

Monthly Rentals throughout Sisters Country. 541-549-0792

Property management for second homes. CascadeHomeRentals.com

104 Vacation Rentals

Discounted Winter Rates

Furnished Cottage & Condos. 30-day Minimum Stay. SistersVacationRentals.net 503-730-0150

Stay at Black Butte Ranch!

Have Certificate worth $1,861 in lodging I am willing to sell for $1,300. Must make reservations through BBR and stay prior to 3/31/23. For more information, email: themackfam@comcast.net

~ Sisters Vacation Rentals ~ Private Central OR vac. rentals, Property Management Services 541-977-9898

www.SistersVacation.com

Downtown Vacation Rental Five star. 1 and 2 bedroom. SistersVacationRentals.net Great pricing. 503-730-0150

C L A S S I F I E D S !

It pays to advertise in The Nugget Newspaper Deadline is Monday before noon, 541-549-9941 or online at NuggetNews.com

Uploaded every Tuesday at no additional cost to you!

202 Firewood

SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS

DAVE ELPI – FIREWOOD

• SINCE 1976 •

Doug Fir – Lodgepole – Juniper

DRIVE-IN WOOD SALES – 18155 Hwy. 126 East –SistersForestProducts.com Order Online! 541-410-4509

204 Arts & Antiques

JEWELRY REPAIR & CUSTOM DESIGN

Graduate gemologist. Over 45 years experience. Cash for gold. • Metals Jewelry Studio • Wed-Sun., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 220 S. Ash St. Suite 1 541-904-0410

205 Garage & Estate Sales

Happy Trails Estate Sales and online auctions!

Selling, Downsizing, or Deaths?

Locally owned & operated by... Daiya 541-480-2806 Sharie 541-771-1150

301 Vehicles

We Buy, Sell, Consign Quality Cars, Trucks, SUVs & RVs ~ Call Jeff at 541-815-7397

Sisters Car Connection da#3919 SistersCarConnection.com

401 Horses

20 yr. old Kiger mustang $700.

Needs confident rider. Call 541-508-8367 or 541-617-1255

403 Pets FURRY FRIENDS

helping Sisters families w/pets. FREE Dog & Cat Food

No contact pick-up by appt. 412 E. Main Ave., Ste. 4 541-797-4023

Three Rivers Humane Society

Where love finds a home! See the doggies at 1694 SE McTaggart in Madras • A no-kill shelter Go to ThreeRiversHS.org or call 541-475-6889

500 Services

The Guide is online at SistersOregonGuide.com

BOOKKEEPING SERVICE

~ Olivia Spencer ~

Expert Local Bookkeeping!

Phone: 541-241-4907 www.spencerbookkeeping.com

MOVING TRUCK FOR HIRE

–COMPLETE MOVING, LLC–Sisters' Only Local Moving Co.!

Two exp. men with 25+ years comm. moving. Refs! ODOT Lic. Class 1-B • Call 541-678-3332

SMALL Engine REPAIR

Lawn Mowers, Chainsaws & Trimmers

Sisters Rental 331 W. Barclay Drive 541-549-9631

Authorized service center for Stihl, Honda, Ariens/Gravely, Cub Cadet, Briggs & Stratton, Kohler, Kawasaki Engines

HOUNDS 2 HORSES

Pet & Ranch Care Services

20+ years exp. servicing CO families & pets. Insured & vet referred. Kristine, 541-322-8843 www.hounds2horses.com

501 Computers & Communications

SISTERS SATELLITE

TV • PHONE • INTERNET

Your authorized local dealer for DirecTV, ViaSat HS Internet and more! CCB # 191099 541-318-7000 • 541-306-0729

Technology Problems?

I can fix them for you. Solving for Business & Home Computers, Tablets, Networking Internet (Starlink), and more!

Jason Williams Sisters local • 25 yrs. experience 541-719-8329 Oregontechpro.com

502 Carpet & Upholstery

Cleaning

M & J CARPET CLEANING

Area rugs, upholstery, tile & dryer-vent cleaning. Established & family-owned since 1986. 541-549-9090

GORDON’S

LAST TOUCH

Cleaning Specialists for CARPETS, WINDOWS & UPHOLSTERY

Member Better Business Bureau

600 Tree Service & Forestry TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENT

TREE SERVICES: tree removal, trimming, stump grinding, brush mowing, Firewise compliance.

— Certified Arborist — Nate Goodwin 541-771-4825 Online at: www.tsi.services CCB#190496 • ISA #PN7987A

4 Brothers Tree Service

Sisters' Premier Tree Experts!

– TREE REMOVAL & CLEANUP –

Native / Non-Native Tree

Assessments, Pruning, High-Risk Removals, 24 Hr. Emergency Storm Damage Cleanup, Craning & Stump Grinding, Debris Removal.

– FOREST MANAGEMENT –

Fire Fuels Reduction - Brush Mowing, Mastication, Tree Thinning, Large & Small Scale Projects!

Serving Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman & Sisters Area since 2003

** Free Estimates **

Owner James Hatley & Sons 541-815-2342 4brostrees.com

Licensed, Bonded and Insured CCB-215057

LOLO TREE WORKS

Tree Services: Tree Removal, Tree Pruning, Stump Grinding, Emergency Tree Services.

ISA Certified Arborist Owner / Operator: Erin Carpenter lolotreeworks.com

Call / Text: 503-367-5638

Email: erin@lolotreeworks.com CCB #240912

601 Construction

Custom Homes

Residential Building Projects Concrete Foundations

Becke William Pierce

CCB# 190689 • 541-647-0384

Beckewpcontracting@gmail.com

Junk removal, new home, garage & storage clean-out, construction, yard debris. You Call – We Haul! 541-719-8475

• DERI’s HAIR SALON • Call 541-419-1279 We’ve got your cats covered! Sisters-Tumalo-PetSitting.com 541-306-7551 • Julie

GEORGE’S SEPTIC TANK SERVICE

“A Well Maintained Septic System Protects the Environment” 541-549-2871

~ WEDDINGS BY KARLY ~ Happy to perform virtual or in-person weddings. Custom Wedding Ceremonies 20+ years • 541-410-4412 revkarly@gmail.com

• Bonded & Insured • Serving Central Oregon Since 1980 Call 541-549-3008

504 Handyman

SISTERS HONEYDO

Small project specialist. Repairs, painting/staining, carpentry, drywall, lighting, grab bars, screen repairs.

25+ yrs. Maint. exp./local refs. Scott Dady 541-728-4266

Andersen’s Almost Anything Handyman services. Small home repairs, RV repairs, hauling, cleaning, etc. No plumbing or electric, sorry. CCB#235396 541-728-7253 call or text

JONES UPGRADES LLC

Home Repairs & Remodeling Drywall, Decks, Pole Barns, Fences, Sheds & more. Mike Jones, 503-428-1281

Local resident • CCB #201650

Custom Homes • Additions Residential Building Projects

Serving Sisters area since 1976 Strictly Quality

CCB #16891 • CCB #159020 541-549-9764

John Pierce jpierce@bendbroadband.com

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public funds managed carefully so that people get the services they need. Morgan is ready to invest wisely, while being fiscally respon sible by being fiscally strategic. Morgan is forward-thinking, not regressive, and believes in making strategic investments that will ben efit all of the residents of Deschutes County.

Morgan will lead with confidence, backed by data, and driven by a vision for the future.

Jim & Debbie Barnes

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To the Editor:

I am supporting Morgan Schmidt for Deschutes County Commissioner Position 3.

One week ago, a group of Sisters resi dents met with Morgan at Fika Coffee to get to know her better. I found her to be a good listener, a good speaker, and someone who represents the values that align with our community.

In this age of “the divided states of America,” it was a pleasure to listen to some one who seeks common ground with others, but also takes a clear stand on housing issues, women’s health, and mental health aware ness. She will be a wonderful asset to our greater community. Vote for Morgan Schmidt.

Paul Bennett

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Remembering Jim Anderson

To the Editor:

My eyes filled with tears as I read the touching tribute by Jim Cornelius at the pass ing of Jim Anderson (The Nugget, September 28, page 2 ). I agree, we have truly lost a treasure.

I first met Jim when I owned and directed Camp Tamarack and shared him with the campers and families that participated. He always had wonderful, fun, teachable stories that moved listeners to be more aware of how they treated the planet. At one time, I enjoyed with others a presentation at which he was accompanied by a great horned owl. As he talked, he inadvertently brushed the talons of that beautiful bird, causing it to excitedly attempt to take flight (not possible since it was tethered to Jim). Immediately Jim’s focus switched from his audience to the owl with the words, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Come sit.” It was such a wonderful display of respect that I’ve often used it as an example to parents as to how to show respect for a young child, even when they don’t understand the words spoken.

Years ago, when my six-year-old grand son, who was enamored with birds of all kinds, was visiting, I ran into Jim at the gro cery store. In mentioning that Tully was here, Jim responded, “Please, bring him by my house.” When we arrived, we were informed that if Tully could stay with him for a couple of hours the two of them would make a visit to a raptor center. Off they went, and two hours later the excited twosome sat at my kitchen table sharing all they had seen. Before saying

“goodbye,” Jim left two signed copies of his book, “Tales from a Northwest Naturalist,” one for Tully, and one for his teacher back home who had so skillfully guided his knowl edge and interest.

Today, Tully is a student at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, becoming a trans plant from the east because of his love of Oregon, partially due to the kindness of our very own Northwest naturalist.

I will miss Jim and hope there will still be many opportunities for The Nugget to revisit his articles.

Edie Jones

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Support McLeod-Skinner

To the Editor:

This election, we have an opportunity to send Central Oregon’s own Jamie McLeodSkinner to the House of Representatives.

We need someone in Washington DC to represent rural Oregon. We face problems here that are not understood in a visceral way by Portland politicians. Our wildfire and drought issues have touched all of us. Jamie has devel oped and implemented policy and systems for land, water, and natural resource manage ment, and most recently led wildfire recovery in Talent when their town was almost entirely burned to the ground. She helped them get the funds for housing and infrastructure quickly.

She maximized infrastructure investments to upgrade water systems.

We saw those fires outside of Central Oregon, and of course, through the Santiam Pass, in Detroit, and Mill City.

I want someone looking out for us who understands how our issues are different from the urban population centers. I want someone in D.C. who has actually trav eled throughout rural Oregon, talking to our small communities. She understands what connects us — our needs are universal, not Democratic, Republican, or Independent. We all want health care, food on our tables, safety from fires and drought, and quick assistance when natural calamities strike. She believes in science, which guides her decisions, as well as her vast education in civil engineer ing, regional planning, and law with a focus on natural resources, water, and Indian law. Please join me in supporting Jamie McLeodSkinner for Congressional District 5.

Abby Kellner-Rode

s s s

Read before you vote

To the Editor:

We are living in the worst two years of our country since 1776. We are running headlong into a socialist police state.

If you read the Constitution of the United States and then read Lenin’s Marxism and CCP Communism, then [you will] have a good idea how our country should run. Everyone needs to read the beliefs of the plat forms of the political parties before you vote, then decide who you want in power.

Chet Davis

amazing adventures, and met a lot of wonderful people, but every time I come back I real ize how lucky I was to have grown up here.”

from Roosevelt University in Chicago and studied for a year in Paris. Rahm recently published her first book of poetry, is working on a vocal album, and continues her work in social justice with the Valkyrie Ensemble, a vocal/opera group based in Chicago who seeks to promote women and wom en’s stories through music.

Rahm expressed tremen dous gratitude for the teach ers at Sisters High School that helped her develop as a performer, including Gary Bowne and Michelle Summers.

“It feels really invigorat ing to be back here. There is a place inside me that reawakens each time I return to Sisters, to the land, to the community, to my own count less memories that are etched into the fabric of this town,” she said. “I have to admit that during much of my youth I imagined my life outside of Sisters. Since graduating from high school I have had lots of

The final inductee of the night was Family Access Network (FAN) as a special community contributor. FAN got its start back in 1996 with Theresa Slavkovsky as one of the initial employees as an advocate. She was joined by Dawn Cooper about ten years later and the pair have served an estimated 800 fami lies per year with basic needs, including food, heat, medical, dental, and eye care, school supplies, clothing, obtaining health insurance, and more.

As one nominator put it, “Theresa and Dawn have worked to open doors to hope, help, and new pos sibilities for Sisters stu dents and their families.”

Nominations are open for the next class of inductees. Categories for recognition include athletes, coaches, spe cial contributors, and teams or organizations. According to its website (wwshshall of fame.org) the Outlaw Hall of Fame is designed to honor those who have contributed to the rich heritage and tradi tions of the schools.

Sisters School Board snapshot

By Ceili Gatley Correspondent

The monthly Sisters School District meeting with the board of directors and superintendent was held in person and via Zoom on Wednesday, October 5, at the Sisters School District Office building.

• Board Director David Thorsett led the meeting, starting with a business and finance report from Sherry Joseph. She concluded that they are ahead of expensesfor-revenues for the year and budgets are well pro jected and in good shape.

• Principal Steve Stancliff presented to the board an update on the first couple weeks at Sisters High School. He spoke about the successful open house held last week, giving parents the opportunity to engage with teachers. He also spoke about creating activities for career and college prep for students in grades 9-11. The high school is also trying to figure out how to keep the aviation program integrated with the high school sched ule with lack of in-person instruction opportunity. “We have no desire to cut the program; we just have to investigat how to keep it running,” said Stancliff.

• Molly Pearring, dean of students at Sisters Middle School, presented on behalf of Principal Tim Roth and spoke on the “Belong, Prepare, and Inspire” goals for the middle school. They are creating periods

for structured activities for students in their “house” classroom to set goals for the school year. One of the largest goals for the “pre pare” portion for the middle school is to increase scores in comprehending informa tional text by integrating some of those skills into various subjects in the 5th7th grades. The “inspire” portion of the goal setting seeks to create career readi ness at the middle school level.

• Joan Warburg, princi pal at Sisters Elementary School (SES), is striving to create an environment to teach younger kids how to be leaders and drivers in community through goalsetting, and help students “own” their own learning.

The staff at SES is also working toward multi-teared systems of support for stu dents, including sensory break spaces, goal-setting initiatives, and an emphasis on student/staff connections.

• SES is collaborating with the Sisters Ranger District and the Whychus Creek restoration through the Deschutes Land Trust to get kids out planting trees along the creek, as well as working with different spe cialties within the Ranger District to create environ mental science experiences for students.

• The elementary school will also be starting lunch clubs that include STEM classes, music, arts, and PE, for more opportunities for kids to have things to

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participate in.

• Amy Johnson pre sented for the YTP (Youth Transition Program) with her student, Maddox, who participated in the summer job program through YTP that offers kids with dis abilities an opportunity to get into a summer job. The YTP’s goal is to create job placements for students and an environment where the students can learn confi dence, responsibility, and job skills. The YTP works with partners in the com munity to create a space for the kids to have a minimum wage paying job placement within the community.

Curt Scholl’s super intendent report covered enrollment numbers after the 10-day drop period in Sisters schools. (See related story on enrollment, page 1).

• Scholl also updated board members on the bond bid packages for the con struction of the new elemen tary school. He updated the Board on the collabora tion with the University of Oregon looking at land use management and affordable housing options (see related story, page 3).

To see the full agenda and for announcements about future meetings, visit the Sisters School District web site at ssd6.org/schoolboard/ meetingagendas/.

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Jerry Baldock caught a shot of a very serious owl hanging out on a fence at a ranch east of town.

PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK

New Pilates program launches

By Katy Yoder Correspondent

Ivy Castellana was a bal let dancer for 20 years. With her career came injuries and muscular imbalances. She began exploring modalities that could bring healing and strength to her body.

She was introduced to Pilates and found techniques using balance and mind/body practices that brought encour aging results.

“I used Pilates to recover from the abuse of dancing,” she said.

After seeing the positive results of Pilates, she decided to pursue it as a career. She chose the Ron Fletcher Pilates form of study. Ron Fletcher was a student of founder Joseph Pilates.

“Ron was one of the many lineages of Pilates practice,” she said. “Different people took what they learned from Joseph and Clara Pilates and evolved it in different ways. Some have chosen a more classical approach while oth ers have created a contempo rary style.”

Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. It was initially called Contrology because Pilates’ emphasis was very focused on the mind/body connection. Some of the main objectives

of Pilates are controlling the body, precision in movement, and restoring the body’s mobility and flexibility.

Castellana went through both levels of Ron Fletcher’s program. After completing her studies, she taught Pilates for seven years in a Denver studio. She and her two boys, now 12 and 15 years old, call Sisters home. An employee of Sisters Coffee Co., Castellana never lost her love of teaching Pilates.

“Back in March a Reformer (a Pilates machine) crossed my path and I asked myself why I wasn’t teaching Pilates again. Buying it really solidified my decision and interest to teach,” she said.

The Pilates Reformer is a traditional piece of Pilates equipment that looks like a bed with springs, and has a sliding carriage, ropes, and pulleys. The creation of the Pilates Reformer dates back to the original Pilates studio in New York in the 1920s and was designed by Joseph Pilates.

Castellana opened her Sisters studio in June. The studio has two Reformers, which are used for individual and semi-private sessions.

“When I work with my cli ents one of the most reward ing aspects is when they have one of those aha! moments,”

Castellana said. “I love see ing their excitement when they realize their body had so much strength, or that they have certain muscles they weren’t using. They often remark that they didn’t know they could get that kind of relief. Pilates affects people on so many different levels. You can make it work for every body type.”

A generalist practitioner, even though she has a dance background, she teaches all kinds of clients with a myriad of physical challenges and goals.

“Sometimes I work in con junction with other practitio ners like physical therapists to bring relief, strength, and healing to clients,” she said. “Doing Pilates can also be a great workout. You can get winded when you’re really focused and working on a deeper level than when you’re at the gym.”

Sheryl Lillegard is one of Castellana’s clients. She came to Core Connection Pilates to relieve pain.

“I’m not taking Pilates just to stay toned, but because I have been suffering from hip pain for over a year. The work is helping strengthen my core, correct my posture, and is definitely helping reduce my pain,” said Lillegard during a recent session.

Although Pilates and yoga are very different, Castellana says there are similarities, like focusing on the breath, precise movements, and alignment and balance.

“Learning that deeper acknowledgment and under standing of the body can make it intense. Clients range from people recovering from injuries or older clients who want to keep their bodies moving. I’ve worked with younger clients who just pre fer exercising this way. I also teach mat classes with no equipment, just you and your body going through very clas sic moves created by Joseph Pilates,” said Castellana.

Some of Castellana’s

clients prefer doing multiple sessions per week, while oth ers use Pilates as an adjunct to other forms of exercise.

“We’re offering an intro ductory special of three pri vate sessions for $150. After that I will offer $60 for an individual private lesson or packages of five and 10 ses sions at a discounted rate,” said Castellana.

Castellana doesn’t have a website yet, so the best way to reach her is via email: ivyterese@icloud.com. Text her at 303-808-4383. Core Connections Pilates is located in a wellness collective at 392 E. Main Ave. Castellana will have information available there as well.

Ivy Castellana working with Sheryl Lillegard on proper positioning.

PHOTO BY KATY YODER