Spotted owls meet new challenge in Sisters
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Already burdened by diminished habitat, the few remaining spotted owls around Sisters are faced with a new threat: their family relative, the barred owl. The barred owl (Strix varia) is the eastern cousin to our western spotted owl (Strix occidentalis). Like the spotted owl, the barred owl lives in forests, hunts at night, and feeds largely on small mammals.
They differ in that the barred owl is more of a generalist, opportunistic predator (feeding also on crayfish, snakes, even small birds and insects), has a broader habitat tolerance, and is slightly larger and more aggressive than the spotted owl.
In the last 100 years, barred owls have gradually extended their range westward, and around 1959, they began to formally “invade” the spotted owl’s range in British Columbia. By the 1970’s, barred owls were documented in Washington and Oregon.
With possibly fewer than 100 spotted owls in all of the Deschutes National Forest, biologists are worried by the proliferation of the barred owl. Sisters has lost most of
its spotted owl habitat as a result of wildfire.
There are no definitive numbers but most estimates are in the range of 2,000 remaining breeding pairs in the Northwest.
The barred owl is crowding out the less aggressive northern spotted owl
Sisters community mourns a tragedy
The Sisters Community is in mourning this week, grieving the loss of two teens who died in a dirt bike accident. on Wednesday, June 19. Their names are currently being withheld as the families request privacy.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reports that deputies were dispatched to a report of a dirt bike crash on U.S. Forest Service Road 1028, south of Skylight Cave off Highway 242. Four juveniles were riding in pairs on two dirt bikes on U.S. Forest Service Road 1028. Two of the juveniles did not arrive at their destination. Two of the riders checked the area and located the other two juveniles — a 14-year-old boy
and a 14-year-old girl — who had crashed their dirt bike and were seriously injured.
The juveniles on scene began life-saving efforts and contacted 911. A passerby assisted the juveniles until deputies arrived and took over life-saving measures. Paramedics arrived a short time after the deputies, continuing life saving measures. Both juveniles were wearing helmets at the time of the crash; speed and variable terrain appear to be factors in the crash, DCSO reports. Both youths were pronounced dead at the scene.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office detectives
See TRAGEDY on page 23
according to the USFWS (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). To ensure the survival of the spotted owl, a threatened species, the service is proposing the mass removal of over 470,000 barred owls across California, Washington, and Oregon over a three-decade span.
Conservationists and animal welfare advocates are debating the moral issue of killing one species to protect another.
District Ranger Ian Reid does not envision any such action in the Sisters District.
Big Ponderoo rolls into Sisters
Sisters is set to let loose with a multi-day celebration of Americana music in the second annual Big Ponderoo Festival, staged by SFF presents.
The two-day festival running Saturday-Sunday, June 29-30, features an array of alt-country and bluegrass, with blues-and-soulinflected bands and in the mix.
“Ponderoo leans toward fun, high-energy bands,” said SFF Creative Director Brad Tisdel.
This year, the festival will be presented at one venue, in Village Green Park. Two stages the Ponderoo Stage and the Pinecone Stage will run in tandem — when the music ends on one, it starts up on the other.
“The music’s going to start at noon on Saturday, and it won’t stop till midnight,” Tisdel said.
Music runs Sunday till 8:30 p.m.
See PONDEROO on page 7
Tollgate home destroyed in fire
A young family escaped a fire in a house on the western edge of Tollgate on Friday, June 21, that completely destroyed their home.
Firefighters from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) responded to a report of a house fire on Saddle Horn in the Tollgate subdivision near Sisters. Crews arrived to find a single-family home heavily involved in fire, with fire spreading to the grass and brush. The initial arriving engine crews from Sisters, supported by an engine from the Cloverdale Fire District, a ladder truck from Black Butte Ranch Fire Department, and the U.S. Forest Service were able to bring the fire under control, but the home and
See FIRE on page 11
Firefighters responded to a house fire in Tollgate. The family escaped unharmed, but lost everything in the incident. One firefighter was injured.
See OWLS on page 6
Forest Service biologists Laura McMahon and Liz Day are using technology to monitor for spotted owls in the forest near Sisters.
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
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.
Destroying America
To the Editor:
I appreciated Steve Woodside’s letter to the editor on June 19, where he wrote “the voting public can sit on a fence complaining about their choices in this election cycle, or they can understand where we are as a country, that there are people who actively want to destroy us from inside and outside our
country.” The fact that so much threat to our country is coming from the “inside” is what is so chilling, and it is time we woke up to why that is the case.
My friends, take a good hard look at the American university system. A recent book, “The College Scam,” by Charlie Kirk, lays out a compelling and fact-based case for how
See LETTERS on page 12
Sisters Weather Forecast
Hope springs from the muddy thoroughfare
By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
I am on my third rewatch of HBO’s legendary series, Deadwood. I have found this perambulation along the muddy thoroughfare of that Dakota Black Hills mining camp more resonant than ever, given the tenor of our times. Strangely comforting, too.
Deadwood is not for everybody. It is as raw as the lumber that built Al Swearengen’s Gem Variety Theater (a theater, yes, but also a saloon and brothel), notoriously violent and foul-mouthed. As was the historical town — although the rampant cursing was different in form than that used in the show. What scorched the ears of contemporary observers would probably sound downright quaint to us today: As a friend described it, “cussing by Yosemite Sam.”
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The
Editor in Chief & Co-owner: Jim Cornelius
Production Manager: Leith Easterling
Creative Director: Jess Draper
Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett
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Co-owner: J. Louis Mullen
is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are
Third-class postage: one year, $70; six months (or less), $45. First-class
Moving Day…
telephone call; the Chicago White Stockings topped the National League standings in the new sport of baseball. The 1876 election of Rutherford B. Hayes to the presidency was perhaps the sketchiest in history. Democrat Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, and appeared to have won the Electoral College, but there were 20 electoral votes unresolved. Congress formed an electoral commission made up mostly of Republicans, who awarded all 20 votes to Hayes and tipped the election into his lap. There were many complaints of disenfranchisement and stolen votes — of a rigged election.
Anyways… consider this your trigger warning if you decide to plunge in.
The historical Deadwood was founded in 1876 — illegally — in a gulch among the pine-clad slopes of the Black Hills, which had been ceded to the Lakota people in the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868. The Black Hills treaty still stands, for all the good it’s done the Lakota.
Anyways…
There was gold in them thar hills, and it drew prospectors in a flood that the federal government could not stop. In the classic boomtown manner, prospectors were swiftly followed by the folks who mined the miners — from legit shopkeepers, to pimps and prostitutes, to gamblers. The legendary Wild Bill Hickock showed up, not to bring law and order to Deadwood, but to play poker. A ne’er-dowell named Jack McCall shot him in the back of the head in the No. 10 Saloon.
Corruption was rampant in these early years of what came to be called The Gilded Age. The wealth gap between ordinary working folks and super-rich tycoons was cavernous, and every institution was for sale. Raw mining camps were merely the starkest version of a society that was caked in mud from top to bottom. And we can take a bit of comfort in that. Really. We tend to think that our own times are especially fraught, that politics are especially nasty and stupid, and that our institutions are sullied by partisanship and undue influence. All of that is true. My morning scroll through the news feed usually elicits language that would make Calamity Jane blush.
But we’ve been here before — only worse. And we got through it, and we got better. It takes courage, and it takes work to climb up out of the muck and walk tall.
There was a lot of lurid business in Deadwood — which is where the resonance (and the comfort) come in. The year 1876 was a wild one in American history. It was the nation’s centennial year. George Armstrong Custer got himself and a third of his 7th Cavalry command wiped out in the Battle of the Little Bighorn; Jesse James got his gang shot all to hell trying to knock over multiple banks in Northfield, Minnesota; Alexander Graham Bell made the first
The anti-trust laws that in the early 20th century broke up giant conglomerates that wielded extraordinary political and economic power have been watered down — but strong anti-trust legislation can be revived. We can take our modern-day George Hearsts down a peg or two. We can regain our common sense about crime and punishment, and law and order. Vigorous anti-trust legislation, banking reform that promotes small business, and open primaries would go a long way toward a better republic.
It’s on us to do it, but it can be done. Even in Deadwood, there were civic-minded folk who got tired of corruption and violence and put the joint to rights. More or less.
Staff and members of the Outlaws community moved into the new Sisters Elementary School classrooms on Thursday, June 20.
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
The beautiful Beardtongues
Sisters High School library up and running
done,” said library aid Faith Keeton.
School libraries are esteemed for encouraging students to explore literature and expanding their digital literacy and research skills. This is why the Sisters High School library has made so much progress over the 2023-2024 school year.
Beginning with a nonfunctioning and unorganized library system, Gail Greaney and a group of devoted students put in the work to create a functional and widely used library space for Sisters High School students.
“It’s up and running…it involved a lot of weeding but we’ve got most of the fiction
Tasks such as organizing pre-owned books, putting barcodes on books, and entering them in the new online system were just some of the many chores needed to create a working library.
The exterior decoration was carried out by a large group of students including seniors Brooke Harper, Hailey Asson, Presley Adelt, Molly Greaney, and juniors Faith Keeton and Layla Hicks.
This team worked throughout the three trimesters of the school year,
They bloom in shades of blue over the deserts, forests, and meadows of Sisters.
In the world of common names, some local wildflowers lean into a little poetry with titles like “Fairy Slipper,” “Blazing Star,” and “Spring Gold.” Common names for plants can be both illustrative or confusing. There are many flowers called “Spring Beauty.” Some plants have multiple common names. But how did a group of delicate wild blooms end up with the strange common name of “Beardtongues?”
The answer can be found in the flower. The scientific
name for this group of plants is “Penstemon,” which is derived from the Greek words “penta” (five) and “stemon” (stamen). This describes the flower’s five stamens, which are the male parts of a flower that produce pollen. In Penstemons, one of the five stamens is sterile, looks different than the others, and is often covered with hairs. To some it resembled a hairy tongue surrounded by a lip-shaped flower or “Beardtongue.”
Penstemons are the largest genus of flowering plants found only in North America. The Native Plant Society of Oregon counts 46 Penstemon species as native to Oregon. Their beauty inspired devotees to form the American Penstemon
to study penstemons in the wild and propagate and grow them in gardens. Many species increase in abundance after wildfires and are a favorite of bees.
If you are enjoying learning more about our native wildflowers it’s helpful to start learning scientific or Latin names. Here are a few of the most common penstemon species you may see in our ponderosa pine or mixed conifer forests, meadows, shrub-steppes or subalpine areas.
Penstemon fruticosus, or the shrubby penstemon, are a spectacular sight in full bloom on roadcuts and rock cliffs near Whychus Creek. This penstemon forms mats
Book festival returning to Sisters in September
Sisters Festival of Books is making a comeback.
The second annual Sisters Festival of Books (SFoB), a multi-day celebration of literature and storytelling taking place across multiple venues in Sisters, is set for September 13-15.
“After a successful launch in 2019, and then being put on an indefinite hiatus due to COVID, we are bringing SFoB back bigger and better than ever on the five-year anniversary of the festival’s inception,” said director Lane Jacobson.
SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR
BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS
Al -Anon
Mon., noon, Shepherd of t he Hills
Lutheran Church. 5 41-610 -7383.
Alcoholics A nonymou s
Monday, 5 p.m., Shepherd of t he Hills
Lutheran Church • Tuesday, noon, Big Book study, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church • Wednesday, 7 a.m.,G entlemen’s meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church • Thursday, noon, Sober Sisters Women’s meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
Thursday, 7 p.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration • Fr iday, noon, Step & Tradition meeting, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church. 5 41-5 48 -0 440. Saturday, 8 a.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration
Central Oregon F ly Tye rs G uild
For Saturday meeting dates and location, email: steelef ly@msn.c om Central Oregon Trail A lliance (COTA) Sisters Chapter meets 4th Thur sday 6 p.m. at Blazin Saddles Bike S hop sistersrep@c ot amtb.c om
Ci tizens4Communit y C ommunity Builders meeting, 3rd Wednesday of ever y mont h, 10 to 11:30 a.m. V isit citizens 4c ommunity.c om for loc ation.
Council on Aging of Cent ral O rego n Senior Lunch In- person community dining, Tues. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grab -and -go lunch Tues., Wed., Thurs 12:3 0 to 1 p.m. Sisters C ommunity Church. 5 41-4 8 0-18 43 East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th Wed. (September- June), Stitchin’ Post . A ll are welcome. 5 41-5 49 -6 061.
G o Fish Fishing G roup 3rd Monday 7 p.m., Siste rs C ommunity Church. 541-771-2211
Hear twarmers (f leec e blanketmaker s) 2nd Tuesday, 1 p.m., Siste rs Communit y Church. M ater ials provided. 541- 408 -8 505.
Hero Q uilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m. 5 41-6 68 -1755
Living Well W it h D ementia Sisters
Care Par tner suppor t group. 2nd & 4th Thurs., 1:3 0- 3 p.m. Siste rs C ommunity Church, Room 4. 5 41-6 47-0 052.
Milita ry Parent s of Sisters M eetings are held quarter ly; please c all for details. 5 41-388 -9 013.
Oregon Band of Brothers Sisters Chapter meets Wednesda ys, 11:3 0 a.m., Takoda’s Rest aurant. 541- 549- 64 69
Sisters Aglow Lighthouse 4th Saturday, 10 a.m., meeting by Zoom. 503- 93 0- 6158
Sisters Area Photography Club 2nd Wednesday, 3:3 0 p.m., at Sisters Communit y Church. 5 41-5 49 -6157.
Sisters Area Woodworke rs First Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. 5 41-231-18 97
Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd Tuesday 7 p.m., SPR D. 5 41-5 49 -8 8 46
Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. at Sisters C ommunity Church. Email sister sbridge2021@gmail.com.
Sisters Caregi ver Sup por t G roup 3rd Tues., 10:30 a.m., Siste rs Episcopal Church. 5 41-719 -0 031.
Sisters Cribbage C lub M eets 11 a.m. ever y Wed. at S PR D. 5 09 -9 47-574 4.
Sisters Garden C lub For monthly meetings visit: SistersGardenClub.com.
Sisters Habitat for Humanit y Board of D irectors 4th Tuesday, 4:3 0 p.m.
Location infor mation: 5 41-5 49 -1193.
Sisters Kiwani s 1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 11:3 0 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The Lodge in Sisters. 5 41-6 32-3663.
Sisters Parent Teacher Communit y 2nd Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Sisters Elementary School Commons. 917-219-8298
Sisters Red Hat s 1st Friday. For location infor mation, please c all: 541- 8 48 -1970.
Sisters Rotary 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, Noon, Aspen Lakes. 5 41-760 -5 64 5.
Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, Takoda’s Rest aurant. 541- 903-1123
Sisters Trails A lliance Board Meetings take plac e ever y other month, 5 p.m. In- person or zoom. Contact: info@sisterstrails.org
Three Sister s Irrigation Distric t Board of Direc tors M eets 1st Tuesday, 10 a.m., TSI D Of fice. 5 41-5 49 -8 815
Three Sister s Lions Club 2nd Thursday, 6:3 0 p.m., Spoons Rest aurant. 5 41-419 -1279. VF W Po st 813 8 and A merican Legion Post 8 6 1st Wednesday of the month, 6:3 0 p.m., M ain Church Building
Sisters Communit y Church 541- 549-14 62 (John).
SCHOOLS
Black Bu tt e School Board of Direc tors 2nd Tuesday, 3:45 p.m., Black But te School. 541- 59 5- 6203
Information and submission forms for sponsorships, author submissions, and more general details are available at SistersFoB.org.
Tickets go on sale July 1, and ticket details can be found at SistersFob.org. Author line-ups and more event details will be shared at that time.
The festival will include author events and signings at Sisters Movie House, a Literary Banquet Author Dinner, a Small Press and
Sisters School District Board of Directors O ne Wednesday m onthly Sisters School District Administr ation Building. See schedule online at www ssd6.org. 5 41-5 49 -8 521 x5 002. CIT Y & PARKS
Sisters Ci ty Council 2nd & 4t h Wednesday, 6:3 0 p.m., Siste rs City Hall. 5 41-5 49 -6 022.
Sisters Park & Recreation District Board of
Society
PHOTO BY MARET PAJUTEE
Penstemon euglaucous after the 2003 B and B fire west of Sisters.
See LIBRARY on page 12
See FESTIVAL on page 11
By Maret Pajutee Correspondent
See FLOWERS on page 13
By Olivia Nieto Correspondent
Roundabout SISTERS
Bill Bartlett Columnist
Hanging out with the cool kids
It often comes as a surprise to readers when they first learn that all writers for The Nugget, with the exception of our editor, are freelancers, not staff. We are paid in the customary industry way — by the story. As you might imagine, working for a weekly community newspaper isn’t going to change anybody’s lifestyle.
I don’t know all of my colleagues personally but I’d bet they have a similar attitude as mine: We’d do this work for free. It’s that satisfying. And interesting. And often, downright fun. In my case it frequently takes form by shadowing workers less than half my age. Take the story on owls (page 1).
One of the great perks of the work is doing a “ride along” as witness to young professionals doing their job, making their mark on Sisters. And what a ride I’ve had. With one of Sisters deputy sheriffs, ODOT crews
plowing roads in a snowstorm or blowing open 242 after a snow-packed winter, tracking wolves with an ODFW biologist, doing safety checks on snowmobiles with Forest Service specialists, flying with the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Or looking for poachers with OSP Fish & Wildlife.
Most recently I tagged along with Lauren DuRocher, Laura McMahon, and Liz Day, three blossoming Forest Service professionals assigned to the Sisters Ranger District.
We head out 242 and then deep into the woods. Our location is to remain a secret so as not to encourage human traffic and thereby potentially disturb the study. Geared up we begin our search guided by hand-held technology which more than once they over ride with instinct. The forest is second home to them and they are easily comfortable with their remote surroundings.
The enthusiasm they have for their vocation is at once obvious. McMahon stops suddenly in her tracks. I’m feverishly hoping she has seen the spotted owl we are investigating. “Look,” she says. “ A pygmy shorthorned lizard,” as she tries to scoop it up. No, says the lizard, as it darts into the brush.
The thing is, what?
Maybe two inches. I never saw it, that’s for sure. A few steps later Day stops and cocks her ear as she identifies birds by sound. Excitedly she tells me about a phone app from Cornell University called Merlin. It’s free and identifies most
birds instantly.
And so it goes. Casual talk about nature. Wildlife. Trees. After all, they do work for the Forest Service. We get into a chat about old growth. Fire resistance. Predators. They could talk in boring technical terms, but don’t. Not for my benefit. They may be biologists but they are first human, in the forest, in creation full of wonder and mystery.
There are dozens, maybe a hundred or more, of these “kids” (my term of endearment) positioned around
Sisters Country doing important and often invisible work. Trying to make a better world without getting in your face about it. I try to be in their world whenever I can. Yes, it’s informative, especially for the inveterate curious. More though, it’s inspiring. Hopeful. At a time of campus unrest, intolerable loneliness and suicide, and addiction among our young, faith is renewed. In a flash.
At least in Sisters. Who wouldn’t want to write about that?
That leads me to this. In any given issue of The Nugget 8…10…12 Sisters writers have helped fill the pages. If you enjoy their work, are appreciative of the diversity of voices and range of subjects, then you might consider a supporting subscription to help offset the burdensome increase in costs for paper, ink, printing, and postage which is growing far faster than the number of new advertisers who make The Nugget possible. (https:// donorbox.org/nugget-com munity-journalism-support).
Checking out wildlife monitoring technology with Sisters Ranger District biologists — a freelancer’s perk.
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
SAA’s Artwalk opens for Big Ponderoo
By Helen Schmidling Correspondent
Sisters Arts Association partners with SFF Presents to kick off the best part of summer with the Fourth Friday Artwalk and Ponderoo Arts Experience on June 28.
Years ago, SFF Presents coined the phrase: “All the town’s a stage,” and this weekend will be one for the record books. Galleries will generally be open from 10 to 6:30 or 7 p.m., and the family-friendly Artwalk and Ponderoo event begins with live music and art at 13 venues around town from 4:30 to 6 or 7 p.m.
Art walkers are invited to pick up a “Ponderoo Passport” and map from any of the participating locations, and have it stamped at each of the businesses they visit. Completed passports can be redeemed for a “Little Ponderoo,” a miniature wood rainbow trout created by Jason Chinchen and the Sisters High School Woods II students, and decorated by local artists and art lovers. Redeem passports at the Village Green check-in tent.
Also, be sure to sign up for the Sisters Arts Association’s “Quick Draw,” whereby two $50 gift certificates will be awarded, for use in galleries participating in Artwalk. This is made possible thanks to a generous donation from Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty in Sisters.
Here’s a rundown on who, what, and where to go, what to see, and who to hear!
Sisters Gallery & Frame hosts multi-talented artists, singer-songwriterpoets Beth Wood and Dennis McGregor, and artist Jennifer HartwigKlingbiel, aka “The Scratchboard Lady.” Some of McGregor’s original artwork from his forthcoming book “You Stole My Name Tool!” will be shown in person for the first time. Hartwig’s “Sunflower Chipmunk” will join half a dozen never-before shown works of delicate scratchboard. She has taken a year to
the enduring allure of abstract expressionism.” Also, being shown are Dominique Rovers, a wildlife artist from the Netherlands who explores the soul of each animal she paints, and Karen Ehart’s sculpted fused glass, a unique, multidimensional piece created with heart and soul. Music will be by singersongwriter-guitarist Alicia Viani, performing with Lilli Worona, a vocalist who also plays guitar and fiddle.
intuitively, they let their pieces take on a life of their own. Two Smoke Drifters will provide music.
focus on perfecting the combination of scratchboard with added color, and to revise simple black-and-white shadows for depth on fur and features. She will have 19 new cards and mugs.
Sisters Makers joins the Artwalk this month. Located in the former Chamber of Commerce building, 291 E. Main Ave. Christie Lower, an artist in residence at Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture, is featured. Coinciding with the theme, “Traditions and Migrations,” and inspired by the forced migration of birds due to forest fires, Lower is creating a full-scale barn owl sculpture from needle felting. The size and details of her work are a rarity in the world of needle felting. Melanie Rose Dyer Trio will perform their original music.
At Toriizaka Art, Henriette Heiny’s abstract poured art is featured in the June issue of Cascade A&E, where writer James Morris calls it “a vibrant testament to
Hood Avenue Art spotlights Alisa Looney, Susie Zeitner, and Scott Cordner. Looney’s original fused enamel images depict such natural events as seedlings sprouting through lava rock, water bubbling over snags, and fungi fruiting near tree roots. Zeitner has been working in fused glass for more than 25 years, making hanging light fixtures, mosaic glass yard sculptures and glass enamel paintings. Her latest commission is a 13-piece lighting installation on the Oregon Coast. Cordner’s fine art landscape photographs are printed on canvas and presented in handmade frames using renewable hardwoods. Bob Baker and Mark Barringer will keep the tunes rolling.
Stitchin’ Post’s own Valori and Jean Wells combine talents in a show called “Two Voices Speaking Creatively.”
Val’s block printing and Jean’s freeform quilting take textile art to the next level, with bold colors, new designs, and shapes. Always experimenting and working
Space In Common’s artist, Taylor Manoles, shows “Among The Mist,” paintings that explore themes of hope, longing, and the unknown life. They invite the viewer into their current moment, and, though the future may be unknown, there is joy in the waiting and beauty to be embraced. John Shipe Duo will accompany.
The Rickards Gallery presents “Light as a Virtue,” new work by David Mensing. “Capturing the character of light is one of the most daunting challenges a painter will face, because there is no source of light on the canvas. A painter can only create a sense of light by skillfully reflecting the light that is available in the room,” Mensing explains. “As a result, creating a painting that accurately captures the light is profoundly gratifying.” See how he’s done this while listening to music by The Overhollers.
Wildflower Gallery has new work by oil painter John Runnels and stained glass artist Mitch Saba. The Bunkhouse Two, musical
A fabric print from “Two Voices Speaking” by Valori Wells at Stitchin’ Post.
PHOTO PROVIDED
“Sunflower Chipmunk” by Jennifer Hartwig is featured at Sisters Gallery.
PHOTO PROVIDED of
Rovers, a wildlife artist created with heart and soul. Music will be by singersongwriter-guitarist
who also plays guitar and fiddle.
“Lovesense” by Christie Lower, a resident artist at Pine Meadow Ranch, is featured at Sisters Makers for their grand opening.
PHOTO PROVIDED
See ARTWALK on page 16
Keeping an eye on owls is routine — among many other tasks — for Forest Service district biologists, Laura McMahon and Liz Day. The Nugget accompanied them recently as they set out audio traps where computer modeling told them spotted owls may be present. Trapped, as in capturing sound waves, not the owls themselves.
“Their range is only about 1.2 miles,” McMahon said.
That’s miniscule in a vast forest, so finding them is akin to finding a needle in a hay stack. Day and McMahon patiently explained the ideal habitat as they traipsed about looking for just such locales. “They are very sensitive to heat,” Day pointed out. Indeed, when the air suddenly dropped noticeably and when the cover changed from mostly ponderosa to mixed conifers, it was right where computer maps suggested.
Now to find the perfect tree on which to attach a high tech listening device. Lauren DuRocher, environmental coordinator, watched as the
pair carefully calibrated the device, recorded its precise location, and attached it to the tree, wiping away any traces of human scent.
Northern spotted owls have been the center of controversy for three decades between environmentalists and the timber industry. Mapping and census taking of the owls is just one facet of healthy forest management DuRocher details. As a listed threatened species, DuRocher and her team have to consider any disruptions to its habitat when evaluating projects from recreation siting to harvesting.
The Forest Service thinks in decades, whereas forest users tend to view the forest as it is on any given day.
Speed is seldom a feature of Forest Service projects, often delayed by opposition. The Green Ridge restoration project near Camp Sherman is a prime example. The scopeof-work began seven years ago and implementation is tentatively scheduled for start in September.
Typical of competing interests, opponents are disturbed by the resulting sale of removed timber. The agency lists six priorities for the project including bolstering habitat for northern spotted owls and mule deer, favored
by many of the same in opposition.
The debate over the spotted owl, beginning in the 1980s with wide media coverage across the country, led to hostilities in some Pacific Northwest’s small towns. Though the issues were more complex, many reported the controversy as a struggle between loggers’ jobs and protection of the owls’ ancient forest habitat.
McMahon and Day typify the front line work of healthy forests. McMahon is a Supervisory Wildlife Biologist with a M.S. Natural Resources at University of Idaho (Moscow) and B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Science at OSU (Corvallis). Her background includes working for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, National Park Service, and California Dept of Fish and Wildlife.
Day holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Agriculture and Natural Resources at University of Delaware. She has worked for the Forest Service since 2018 as a Fisheries or Wildlife Technician at several Ranger Districts in the Northwest. (See related story page 13.)
Computer modeling and monitoring helps give a picture of owls’ true status in local woods.
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
PONDEROO: Festival is centered at Village Green
Continued from page 1
The festival is designed to be more intimate and relaxed than the mega-festivals that have proliferated in recent years.
“We want people to feel welcome, and it’s a really relaxed, friendly vibe,” said SFF Presents Executive Director Crista Munro.
“You’re going to see world-class artists with 1,200 people — that’s it,” she said.
The lineup includes: Shinyribs, the Oliver Wood Trio, Silverada (formerly Mike and the Moonpies), ShadowGrass, The Parnells, Fog Holler, Rock Ridge, and JoAnna Lee; The Brothers Comatose, Bella White, Hogslop String Band, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, The East Pointers, The Sam Chase and the Untraditional, and Skybound Blue.
Tisdel noted that the Pinecone Stage emphasizes regional musicians.
“It’s an opportunity for people to see really good regional music,” he said.
Tisdel is particularly excited to bring Bella White and the Oliver Wood Trio to the Ponderoo Stage.
Rolling Stone extolls Bella White as bringing “sublime Appalachian heartbreak” in her music.
Hailing from Calgary Canada, the young singer/ multi-instrumentalist grew up on the classic country and old-time music she first discovered thanks to her father, a Virginia native who played in bluegrass bands all throughout her childhood. On her debut album “Just Like Leaving,” White balances her old-soul musicality with a lyrical perspective that’s entirely ofthe-moment, embracing an intense self-awareness as she documents her coming-ofage in real-time.
The complete festival lineup can be found at https://www.bigponderoo. com/lineup.
The festival is homegrown, and patrons are participating in a community.
“We are a nonprofit with a really solid community engagement component,” Munro said. “This music festival supports the community with economic development, brings more people to town (and) just brings more art and culture to Central Oregon and its residents.”
The main festival action starts on Saturday, but the fun really starts a day earlier with the Ponderoo Arts Experience. The Ponderoo
Arts Experience begins with a sponsored art walk on Friday, June 28, from 4 to 7 p.m., which includes live music at 12 local art galleries and businesses around town from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (See related story, page 5.)
During the art walk patrons can pick up a Ponderoo Passport and map from a participating location and have it stamped at each of the businesses. Completed passports can then be redeemed for a Little
Ponderoo, a miniature wood rainbow trout created by Jason Chinchen and the Sisters High School Woods II students, and painted by local artists and community members.
We are a nonprofit with a really solid community engagement component. — Crista Munro
Chinchen is also the builder of the Big Ponderoo raffle guitar. Half of the proceeds will go directly to the Woods II program at Sisters High School, and the other half will provide support for SFF Presents’ cultural education outreach and programming in Central Oregon.
Day passes and allevents passes are still available. Visit https://www. bigponderoo.com/ for more information.
Jason Chinchen’s dreadnought guitar is up for raffle at Big Ponderoo, with funds going to support the woods program at Sisters High School, and SFF Presents’ musical outreach programs. The festival has a strong focus on community.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Summer support for grief
By Matt Van Slyke Correspondent
The first Friday of summer, on the surface, seemed standard for Sisters. Sun shined, shoppers strolled, tourists toured, and travelers traveled through, their trucks and trailers slowing to a crawl in the Cascade blockade.
For hundreds of locals, though, time stood still. It had stopped two days prior, following a tragic crash on the first day of summer break for students.
The sudden losses of two young lives — a boy and a girl, forever 14 — cast a pall over their families, friends, friends’ families, friends of those families, on and on.
The news and sorrow spread wider and weighed heavier nearer to the teens’ inner circle. Parents, seeing and feeling the impact on their sons and daughters, sought solace for all. Unable to stop the sadness, try as they might, they offered and secured support. Community churches and families opened their doors and their arms.
Grieving school leaders called in resources for students while consoling faculty and staff. Amid moving day for Sisters Elementary School, they learned that a district employee’s daughter
had died in Wednesday’s crash. Coworkers volunteered to transport their colleague’s things from the now-former location on Cascade Avenue and set them up in their new home, 15100 McKenzie Hwy.
Sisters School District #6 and the Tri-County School Response Team on Friday brought grief counselors and set up safe spaces at the high school for students to process with their peers.
Down the street, at The Hangar, Sisters Young Life hosted Community Support Time for students. They gathered, embraced one another and shared stories about the close friends who passed away so unexpectedly.
A projector at The Hangar displayed a photograph of the Honor Roll students, who had just finished freshman year. Below, dozens more photos taped to a whiteboard, alongside handwritten notes:
“Kind” “Beautiful” “Hilarious” “Incredible” “Bright” “Loving” “Fun”
People came and went, hugging, crying, sharing stories. Snacks were served: his favorite, Red Bull, and hers, Junior Mints; she loved them
most when they were frozen.
Togetherness helped. People gathered in groups –some around conversations, others around activities.
Foosball became a healthy distraction. Central Oregon Public Safety Chaplaincy brought with them Allie, a loving therapy dog.
A Spotify playlist, “Christian music that doesn’t sound like 2008 k-love,” echoed through the halls. Track 3 was Sparrows And Lillies by Pat Barrett:
“Brother, lay your head down.
Sister, don’t you know?
Ain’t no rest in worry.
Troubles come, troubles go.
I have seen the sparrow.
I have watched it fly.
Though she does not worry
Tell me why should I?
So, hold on love.
Things are gonna get better.
Things are gonna get better.
I know it’s hard. Hold on love.
Things are gonna get better.
Things are gonna get better.”
A simple sentiment, difficult to grasp in a fog of distress.
“Whatever you are
experiencing, we want you to know that you are not alone even though school is out for the summer,” the district wrote in a message sent Friday to school families.
SSD6 says Care Solace, a free, confidential service connecting students, staff, and their families to mental health care, is available anytime
at 888-515-0595 and www. caresolace.com/sisterssd.
Mental health partners at the Mosaic School Based Health Clinic, adjacent to Sisters High, will also support students all summer, said SHS Principal Steve Stancliff.
“They are here to support our Outlaw family.”
Support for the Outlaw family has been the focus in the community this week as Sisters comes to terms with a tragic event.
PHOTO BY MATT VAN SLYKE Camp
Rolfing practitioner works on improving movement
By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
Matt Faldmo’s journey into a career promoting wellness began with his efforts to improve his own well-being.
“I started with nutritional therapy,” he recalled. “I didn’t realize how much the food I was putting in my body was affecting me. So it started with food and nutrition.”
He has added a variety of modalities to his practice, located at Daybreak Wellness in Sisters, in an effort to meet the varied requirements of people in need.
“Everybody is so different and they need different approaches sometimes to get to a place of better health and wellness,” Faldmo said.
Faldo specializes in Nutritional Therapy, Biofield Tuning, Sound Therapy — and Rolfing Structural Integration is one of his approaches.
Rolfing is a holistic approach to bodywork aimed at realigning and balancing the body’s structure for better posture, movement, and overall well-being. It involves hands-on manipulation of the fascia — the body’s connective tissues. Faldo likens fascia to the body’s “suspension system” — the largest organ in the body, running from bones through muscle. It creates structure, shape and posture for the body.
“It’s the thing that if it’s not working, the rest of the body isn’t working,” he told The Nugget.
Faldmo says that Rolfing treatments are effective in making movement more efficient — for everyone from athletes seeking better performance to people just wanting to live better day-to-day.
It’s about “moving effectively and efficiently, no matter what the movement is,” Faldmo said.
He offers himself as evidence.
Faldmo has always sought first-hand experience with each modality he practices.
“I want to try everything,” he said. “ I want to see how it works for me.”
He acknowledged that he was initially wary about Rolfing.
“ I was skeptical at first,” he said. “It changed the way I moved my body.”
Those chafes were important to him, because Faldmo is active and athletic.
“Movement became more efficient,” he said.
Constraints that he was putting down to aging could be addressed.
“I realized all those things could change,” he said.
Rolfing work centers around what is known as a 10-series, which Faldmo’s web site describes as: “a structured series of sessions designed to systematically address different areas of the body. Each session builds upon the last, addressing specific patterns of tension and movement imbalances. By the end of the series, clients often experience significant improvements in posture, flexibility, and overall well-being.”
However, Faldmo told The Nugget that there are other approaches if a person is not ready or able to commit to the full 10-series.
Faldmo conducts an initial interview with a prospective client.
“That first interview is kind of figuring out what their goals are and where they want to go,” he said.
Faldmo said that Rolfing also “helps orient the nervous system in space. People can disconnect from parts of their body. So it’s a way for the nervous system to reset, too.”
Rolfing developed a reputation in the 1980s and ’90s of being exceptionally rigorous and even painful. Faldo
said that practitioners are working hard to dispel that reputation.
“It definitely doesn’t need to be painful,” he said. “It can be very intense, but it definitely can be tailored to the individual.”
Tailoring treatment to the individual is a key element of all of Faldmo’s work, and it is based on clear and
thoughtful communication.
“If your practitioner is not listening to you, that’s not a good practitioner for you,” he said.
Faldmo lives in Sisters with his wife Jill and two daughters, ages 12 and 14. The family settled on Sisters after a long search for a town with just the right elements of outdoor opportunities,
community, and good schools — and Sisters fit that bill.
Faldmo practices in Bend and in Sisters at Daybreak Wellness, 615 N. Arrowleaf Trail, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For additional information and appointment booking go to https:// deschutesrolfing.com.
Matt Faldmo has established himself as a Rolfing practitioner.
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
FESTIVAL:
Event is making a comeback in Sisters
Continued from page 3
Local Author Faire at Paulina Springs Books and Toriizaka Art, featuring over 15 small presses and local authors, and writing and publishing workshops.
Author submissions are open until July 31.
“We are in the process of establishing SFOB as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization,’” Jacobson noted. “Proceeds will provide funding for local school libraries and scholarships for graduating students.”
Sponsorship options will be available for publishers and businesses.
For more information, contact Lane Jacobson, SFOB director, at director@sisters fob.org or Dana Greenblatt, assistant director, at dana@ sistersfob.org.
FIRE: GoFundMe page has been set up to aid family
Continued from page 1
contents were a total loss.
The home was occupied at the time with the family able to escape without injury. Red Cross is assisting the family. One firefighter sustained injuries and was transported to the hospital. Property loss is estimated to be $200,000 dollars.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office and SCSFD investigated the fire.
According to SCSFD, the cause of the fire was determined to be an unattended Traeger smoker operated on the front porch which caught fire and spread throughout the house.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family — a single mother with three young children. According to organizer Chris Ruffin, “Right now, our primary goal is to secure a place for Amy and her children to stay. They also urgently need basic supplies, food, and childcare so that Amy can continue to work and provide for her family.”
The donation page can be accessed at https://www. gofundme.com/f/help-amysfamily-recover-from-housefire.
The GoFundMe page reported that local firefighters staged a fourth birthday party for one of the children, whose birthday fell the day after the fire.
WORD OF THE DAY…
Gustatory gəstətôrē
Concerned with tasting or the sense of taste.
Sisters-Area Events & Enter tainment
WEDNESDAY • JUNE 26
Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471
THURSDAY • JUNE 27
Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Open Mic
Music lovers can enjoy a variety of local talent in a lively atmosphere. 6 to 8 p.m. Info: sistersdepot.com/our-events.
The Suttle Lodge Live Music: "House Band" Benji Nagel showcases his talented friends every Thursday! 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages Info: www thesuttlelodge.com.
Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Ted Haynes presents "The Sunriver Murders," 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.
Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night
Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dog-and family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471
FRIDAY • JUNE 28
Downtown Sisters 4th Friday Artwalk 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Galleries and shops feature art and demonstrations. For additional information go to sistersartsassociation.org.
Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.
Village Green Park Big Ponderoo 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free community concert (no ticket required), art displays, and interactive arts events. Presented by SFF Presents. More information at www.bigponderoo.com.
Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Marcos Silva with Andrew Lion 6 to 8 p.m. An evening of jazz from Grammy-nominated, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator Tickets $20 at sistersdepot.com/our-events.
Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights 5 to 7 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15
More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.
Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show/Live Music: Switchback 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 more info call 541-549-2471
SATURDAY • JUNE 29
Village Green Park Big Ponderoo 12 to 11 p.m. Music festival featuring Americana, bluegrass, and alt-country, presented by SFF Presents. Tickets at www.bigponderoo.com. Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.
SUNDAY • JUNE 30
Village Green Park Big Ponderoo 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Music festival featuring Americana, bluegrass, and alt-country presented by SFF Presents. Tickets at www.bigponderoo.com.
Sisters Community Church Live Music: Jackson Michelson Summer Concert Series on the lawn. 6 p.m. Free (donation to local nonprofits who provide assistance for those in need in our community, is appreciated). Bring chairs or blanket. More info at www.sisterschurch.com.
Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For info visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.
Paulina Springs Books Sunday Scrabble 11 a.m to 12:30 p.m. Come to play Scrabble, socialize, and drink coffee. Open to all. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.
MONDAY • JULY 1
The Suttle Lodge Live Music: Megan Diana "Big Lawn Series," 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages
TUESDAY • JULY 2
Ski Inn Taphouse Hotel Live Music: Bill Powers 6-8 p.m. Free entry Info: www.sisterstaphousehotel.com.
WEDNESDAY • JULY 3
Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471
THURSDAY • JULY 4
Village Green Park Sisters 4th Fest Inaugural community festival presented by Rotary Club of Sisters and Citizens4Community. Pancake breakfast, car show, fun run, presentation of colors, mini-parade and music 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free For schedule car show and run registration, and more information see www.sisters4thfest.com.
The Suttle Lodge Live Music: "House Band" Benji Nagel showcases his talented friends every Thursday! 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages Info: www thesuttlelodge.com.
THURSDAY • JULY 4 (CONT.)
Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dog-and family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471
FRIDAY • JULY 5
Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.
Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Doc Ryan Trio (Dirt Band) 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets $5 at www.sistersdepot.com/our-events.
Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights 5 to 7 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15 More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.
Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show/Live Music: Fiddler Bob and Mark Barringer 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 more info call 541-549-2471
SATURDAY • JULY 6
Hardtails Bar & Grill Live Music: Sagebrush Rock on the outside stage 7 to 10 p .m. No cover. Info: 541-549-6114.
SUNDAY • JULY 7
Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music, community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For info visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.
Paulina Springs Books Sunday Scrabble 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Come to play Scrabble, socialize, and drink coffee. Open to all. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.
MONDAY • JULY 8
The Suttle Lodge Live Music: Fog Holler "Big Lawn Series," 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages
TUESDAY • JULY 9
Ski Inn Taphouse Hotel Live Music: Ben Johnson 6-8 p.m. Free entry Info: www.sisterstaphousehotel.com.
WEDNESDAY • JULY 10
Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471
THURSDAY • JULY 11
Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Open Mic Music lovers can enjoy a variety of local talent in a lively atmosphere. 6 to 8 p.m. Info: sistersdepot.com/our-events.
Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dog-and family-friendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471
Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Joe Wilkins in conversation with Ellen Waterston presents "The Entire Sky," 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. More info at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com. The Suttle Lodge Live Music: "House Band" Benji Nagel showcases his talented friends every Thursday! 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages Info: www thesuttlelodge.com.
FRIDAY • JULY 12
Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.
Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: DoubleWide 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets at sistersdepot.com/our-events. Frankie’s Upstairs Comedy: Aging with Laughter! 7 to 9 p.m. 21+ show. Stand up comedy hosted by Elizabeth Ueland. Advance tickets $20 at sistersdepot.com/our-events, $25 at the door 250 W. Cascade Ave.
Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights 5 to 7 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15 More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.
Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show/Live Music: Toothpick Shaker 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 more info call 541-549-2471
SATURDAY • JULY 13
Hardtails Live Music: Luckytown a tribute to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 8 to 10 p .m. Tickets $20 at www.BendTicket.com.
SUNDAY • JULY 14
Sisters Community Church Live Music: High Street Party Band Summer Concert Series on the lawn. 6 p.m. Free (donation to local nonprofits who provide assistance for those in need in our community, is appreciated). Bring chairs or blanket. More info at www.sisterschurch.com.
Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Featuring live music, community booth, vendors, kids activities, and more. For info visit www.sistersfarmersmarket.com.
ARU captures spotted owl in Sisters
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
The northern spotted owl was listed as threatened in 1990. In 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed upping its assessment. The owl faces multiple threats including large, extremely hot wildfires that char the bird’s preferred habitat and nonnative barred owls that outcompete the spotted owl for territory and food.
The northern spotted owl is one of the most studied birds in the world. Monitoring spotted owl populations throughout the species’ range in Washington, Oregon, and California is an extensive effort conducted among several agencies. These efforts are not designed to count the number of individual spotted owls but rather to gather sampling data from which population trends are derived.
Sisters Ranger District biologists are deploying autonomous recording units, or ARUs, across the landscape according to a hexagonal grid design to aid in this effort. In 7-8 hexagons at a time, they’ll place up to four ARUs/hexagon, for six-week deployment to monitor spotted owls. After the deployments, ARU recordings are taken back to District Headquarters for analysis. They’ll use software that’s been trained to scan the audio files for up to 40 different bird species, including barred and northern spotted owls.
“We have the technology right in the office,” said Laura McMahon, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist. “We do not
have to send it to a lab for analysis.”
Prior to ARU’s, biologists like McMahon would have to go out at day’s end into the night and call the owls with a mouth piece. While it might be successful it also drew the attention of barred owls who could then take over the spotted owls’ limited territory.
Liz Day, district wildlife biologist, explained how extremely accurate the units are, able to distinguish between dozens of different sound waves such as from other animals, wind, rain, and a host of acoustical interference.
A primary example is the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell University Lab focused on the detection and classification of avian sounds using machine learning (AI) to assist experts and citizen scientists in their work of monitoring and protecting birds.
BirdNET is a research platform that aims at recognizing birds by sound at scale.
McMahon and Day retrieve the data cards from the ARU’s and within days can produce the equivalent of months of work. From the results they can predict with a high degree of probability where owls are.
“A barred owl produces a distinctly different sound than a spotted owl,” said Day, noting that for the human ear it can be difficult to distinguish.
The same technology is used by other biologists to monitor various species. In Sisters County ARU’s are routinely deployed to capture wolf activity. Like humans, every wolf has a unique voice print.
or little penstemon shrubs. The flowers are large and lavender to blue-purple, and have 2 deep folds on the lower lip of the flower. The leaves have edges like a serrated knife and pointy tips.
Penstemon speciosus, or the Royal or Showy penstemon, is a sturdy beauty with large flowers in shades of light to deep blue, lavender, or purple. The flowers usually have white throats and are often mostly on one side of the stem. Leaves are smooth, lance-shaped, and clasp the stem a bit at their base. They are often found in dry sandy soils.
Penstemon humilis, or the lowly penstemon, is a common sight in ponderosa pine forests and sage brush deserts. It has deep blue flowers with shadings of pink or purple and small spade-shaped leaves at the base. Have you ever rubbed the whitish
bloom off a ripe plum? The bluish-green leaves of this humble penstemon have a little whitish bloom on them. This is called “glaucous” in technical botany terms. Leaves are arranged in a “basal rosette” or cluster around the base of the plant, in the shape of a rose.
Penstemon euglaucus, or the Glaucous penstemon, can form a ground cover in moist, mixed conifer forest openings in the Metolius basin or the Three Sisters Wilderness, especially after fires. The leaves have the same bluish-green bloom as Penstemon humilis, giving this species its name. It also has a basal rosette of leaves, but the leaves are oval to lance-shaped. The flowers are deep blue with a paleyellow beard (remember the beardtongue?).
Penstemon cinicola, or ash penstemon is found at higher elevations growing in dry sandy soil. It is common near Three Creeks Lake. Its leaves are smooth and green without powdery bloom or hairs, a botanical characteristic called “glabrous.” The leaves are
linear, folded lengthwise, and curved backwards. Flowers are blue-purple in color, and hairless except for hairs on the floor of the mouth and on the beardtongue.
Penstemon peckii, or Peck’s penstemon, is a rare species found only in the Sisters area, in moist places in dry forests and meadows near the Metolius River or Whychus Creek. Although some Peck’s penstemon flowers come in shades of blue, flower color is not much help in identifying this delicate beauty because the plant has 7 genetically determined color morphs ranging from blues to purples to pink to even white. A good characteristic is the lack of leaves around the base of the stem. If you feel the base, it is almost woody. The flowers have tiny sticky hairs, a character called “glandular.”
No matter what we call them, the Beardtongues or penstemons are a fascinating collection of wildflowers worth seeking out on your next ramble in your neighborhood or your National Forests.
From Dementor to doll
Katy Yoder Columnist
Who’s the person you can’t get out of your mind?
The one who broke your heart, haunted you day and night? That kind of heartache can feel like possession. Something that seems to stick around more adamantly the harder you try to make it go away. If that person’s still in charge when you close your eyes; or when you see something that reminds you of them; or you hear music that clinches your gut, then I have a dream for you!
For the past few years, I’ve been working on a memoir about the horses I’ve known and loved — or feared. They carried me through pivotal times. Kept me safe, challenged my abilities as a young rider, and launched me into some of the most body-crunching wrecks imaginable. Whether they were born on our farm or came to us as traumatized starving refugees from someone’s cruelty, each one shared space with my childhood trials and troubles including dating and the demise of youthful ideas about love.
The horse who shared my life from age five to 26 was my beloved Topper. Born when I was five, we grew up together. I trained him with my mother’s guidance, and a vaquero who was a dear friend named Bab Verdugo. With their help, Topper and I overcame obstacles like his reluctance to canter when I was on his back. When I was eight years old, Topper was three and ready to be ridden. Because he had extensive ground training, we were ready to walk, trot, and canter. When I’d try to get him into a rocking horse lope like our older horses, Topper just trotted faster, jarring me like one of those rodeo monkeys tied to the back of an agile border collie. I’d hold
on, trying to sit his trot and encourage him to finally take a lead and give me a break from his high stepping roadster gait. Nothing worked. It was time to take Topper to Bab.
Some trainers relied on spurs, whips, and brawn to get a horse to do what they wanted. Not Bab. He was an artist on horseback. His lighthanded, gentle, and intuitive gifts in the saddle, were passed down through his family line traced back to the earliest California Vaquero history descending from Jose Maria Verdugo, born in 1751 in Spanish Colonial Loreto, Baja California, Mexico. Along with his Spanish heritage, Bab’s mother was of Yaqui heritage. From his first job working with Morgan and part-Morgan horses, he followed his vaquero ancestral path of preferring Morgans because they resembled the horses the Conquistadors rode for their style, beauty, and ability to perform the hard work demanded of them.
I was lucky to grow up in a family that shared Bab’s love for the breed known for their versatility and classical look. I could write about Bab for days and still not encompass the beauty and depth of his ability to train a finished saddle and driving horse. But back to Topper.
In a matter of minutes, Bab had Topper, and then Topper and me, loping around his indoor arena like a seasoned team. That first lesson began years of instruction and visits to his ranch and training facility on Tassajara Road in Danville, California. Bab was a man I trusted. A man who laughed with sincerity and no sign of ridicule. He sang, “K-K-KKaty” to me at horse shows. I learned while writing this column that the song was a basis for a parody that ridiculed the Ku Klux Klan,
written by Geoffrey O’Hara in 1918. I love knowing that now. Being a man of color and living in modern day California, I never saw Bab being discriminated against, but away from the Morgan horse community and the wider world, I’m sure he had to contend with it.
Bab showed me nothing but kindness. He knew the cowboy I’m writing about in my current memoir, who was the antithesis of Bab Verdugo. Bab never knew what happened to me at the hands of that man, who used force and brawn to get what he wanted. I mistook his buckaroo-mastery on a horse as a sign of good character and kindness. I learned during the time we dated, that evil can ride on a horse as easily as good.
It took years to undo the damage caused by the cowboy’s deceit. After writing my first memoir, I realized it was more of a healing process than something to publish. I laid it down, using it for content in my current writing project. Only my husband read the first memoir, which gave him insights into some of the repercussions of earlier trauma.
Revisiting the years when Topper was older and I was riding wilder unschooled horses, I often ended up in a heap in some open meadow or grassy California hillside. Those wounds healed, the aches ended, and never kept me off the next troubled horse needing a second chance. Looking back, I understood physical scars lose their tenderness with time. Emotional wounds can linger, hidden and reactive to triggers that reanimate experiences I didn’t fully understand. Thinking about men like Bab Verdugo and remembering they exist was balm for a broken heart.
Just recently I had a dream that affirmed the scar
was healed. Here’s what I dreamed: I’m with people I knew in my late teens, but I’m my age now. I see them standing there, then notice the man who almost broke me is there too. He’s no longer taller than me, or stronger than me, or smarter than me. He’s a doll-sized, helpless figure that I picked up and looked at like a 1960’s Ken doll. He has no power. I can do with him what I want. After considering all kinds of vengeful options, I set him back down on the ground. He isn’t worth my time or
energy, and I know the story I’ll recount in my current memoir about him won’t evoke familiar anxiety or an overwhelming desire to run. In short, I’m over it! I’m grateful for knowing men like Bab Verdugo. I’m grateful for being married to a man who shares Bab’s kind countenance and lives his life authentically and compassionately. I know I’m blessed to have moved past the past. Writing about it went from being overwhelming and triggering to healing and freeing.
Katy Yoder and Topper.
PHOTO COURTESY KATY YODER
People behind The Nugget: Matt Van Slyke
Matt Van Slyke brings years of high-level journalism experience and a passion for storytelling to his role as a freelance reporter for The Nugget.
His partner Amanda Kestner initially reached out to The Nugget to inquire about freelancing opportunities.
“She knew that I love writing and love being out meeting people,” Van Slyke said.
Nugget Editor in Chief Jim Cornelius recognized his professional background and skill-set immediately.
“I didn’t know his full background, but I knew he’s worked in journalism — and it showed in the way he approached his first stories,” he said. “He’s got a really good ear and knows what a good story looks and feels like. And he likes to do the kind of stories we like to do, and the ones our readers respond to.”
Van Slyke has covered every kind of news story, but he particularly appreciates community and lifestyle stories — which abound in Sisters.
“At this stage in my life, it’s positive, community-oriented stuff,” he said.
He grew up in Stockton and attended California State University, Chico, in the Central Valley of California. His first gig in journalism was in the newsroom of a CBS affiliate in Sacramento. He was promoted to producer on
the lifestyle program “Good Morning Sacramento”.
“I helped launch their weekend edition,” he said.
Television news careers tend to require relocating.
“I wanted a little more hard news — and I wanted to move to the Pacific Northwest,” he recalled.
He moved to Seattle with FOX 13, where he expanded their morning show.
“We just took the whole morning,” he said. “I would do an hour or two of it.”
He worked at FOX 13 for five years, then did a stint in freelance public relations back in California. Then it was on to the legendary KRON 4, San Francisco’s independent TV channel — “the only place to go for local evening news,” as Van Slyke describes it.
It was good journalism work — but Van Slyke was growing dissatisfied.
“It was stressful as heck, and I was riding the BART three hours a day,” he said. “I didn’t want a city-scape for my kids’ childhood.”
He took a gig as an assistant news director in San Luis Obispo, then headed north again to take a news director position with an ABC affiliate in Yakima, Washington.
The COVID pandemic was a tough time, and when Van Slyke was offered an opportunity to work in PR remotely from home, he took it. Due to family circumstances, he
had an opportunity to move to Sisters with Amanda. He remembers reading The Nugget and falling in love with the community.
“I read the paper, and oh, it’s a lot of good, positive, uplifting community news,” he said .“I want to live there. I thought it would be in retirement, but we got here early.”
With young kids of his own, Van Slyke enjoys covering youth sports, and education. He’s a skilled photographer and an outgoing personality, so he enjoys crafting photo essays where he engages with folks in the community — some local and some passing through — to craft photo essays.
“Matt really adds a dimension to what we can do — and he certainly did a nice job with our baseball and softball coverage, which was weak last year,” Cornelius said. “I really enjoy working with him.”
Van Slyke is active in sports and the outdoors.
“I play hockey, I play softball, I coach baseball,” he said. “My kids and I are
going to go frog hunting in the forest tonight. I just kind of take advantage of
that’s here. I like to be outside. It’s just a great life we’ve carved out here.”
Matt Van Slyke has a young family he’s raising in Sisters. He brings a deep journalism background to freelance work with TheNugget.
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Market Day in Sisters…
— PHOTO ESSAY BY JON TURNQUIST —
Since June 2, the Sisters Farmers Market continues to be a bustling hub of locally grown food, fun, and families. The heat last Sunday was easy to beat between the splash pad and all of the delicious drinks offered by the numerous stands. Visitors also wound down in the shade with the newly added yoga session provided by Sisters Yoga Studio. Live bluegrass performances by The Hardly Heard, Linda Leavitt, and Tom Nechville gave visitors extra soul and charm while perusing the market stands.
duo of Gabrielle and Jordan, will be playing on the front porch.
Makin’ It Local hosts Cheryl Chapman of Silly Dog Art Glass. She employs traditional glass painting techniques to create shadowing and texture, then combines it with opaque high-fire glass enamels for detail and color. Each piece is kiln-fired as many as five times. Her artwork is featured on the 2024 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show poster. The Kelcey Lassen Duo will keep the music rolling.
has completed 10 new Raku murals, in addition to a variety of other new work. Sisters High School’s Americana Project student performers will be featured. There will also be live music at other stroll locations, Preston Thompson Guitars and Nechville Banjos West.
The Campbell Gallery’s artist Caprial Hope draws inspiration from Central Oregon’s rugged landscape and varied wildlife. From palette knife to fine detailed brushwork, her work spans the range from might to serenity and includes original paintings, prints, and stickers. Mike Biggers and Jim Cornelius will entertain.
At Canyon Creek Pottery, potter Ken Merrill
At the Village Green (the Big Ponderoo venue), there will be activities including a community weaving project, fish painting, a creativity table, and puppet theater, with food and drinks from local vendors. A sneak peek concert from festival bands The East Pointers and the Sam Chase and the Untraditional will take place on the Ponderoo stage from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Bring your Silipint or SFF stainless steel cup from a prior event if you plan to enjoy a beverage at the venue. Weekend ticket holders can pick up their festival wristband and a new Silipint at the box office tent, starting at 5 p.m. Vintage Silipints will be sold for $5 to those who need them.
The Sisters Scrabble Club Life is a GAME
Columnist
Each Sunday morning at 11 a.m., the Sisters Scrabble Club convenes at Paulina Springs Books. I’ve attended a few times, and while I’m not especially good at Scrabble, the games offer good company who play with infectious enthusiasm.
Though few men have attended so far, I always feel welcome.
Katie Lombardo founded the club early in her relationship with Lane Jacobson, owner of Paulina Springs, when they had to address a serious incompatibility: he doesn’t like Scrabble. Lane’s effort to indulge her and play the game not only “resulted in tears” (presumably his), but he actually dented his head hammering it in frustration against a table. I asked Katie what Lane offered her to offset such an attitude (what he brought to the table, so to speak, beyond a durable skull), and she said, “On the one hand he didn’t like Scrabble, but he had a bookstore, and he said if I formed a Scrabble club, I could host it here.”
Katie really loves Scrabble. She defends her ranking on the Internet Scrabble Club site (https:// isc.ro/), where she plays three times a day, and Lane — no joke — had her Scrabble study sheet laminated so that she wouldn’t ruin it in the bath.
She says, “Scrabble holds a special place in my heart. As a child, I played countless games with my mom until I became too much of a challenge for her. My lifelong love of words — song lyrics, poetry, and quotations — has always inspired me. Plus, I love the competitive factor. Scrabble beautifully melds all these passions into one game.” Since Scrabble ranks only mid-tier among games I enjoy, I wanted to understand both their extremes of sentiment. Lane told me, “Katie seems to feel similarly about my games that have 45-page rules.”
I asked how he’d compare it to poker, a game he’s expert at.
“I guess Scrabble does have aspects that resemble poker. At high levels of Scrabble play, you have to manage probabilities,” he said, addressing the fact that you anticipate putting together words like you do a hand, by calculating odds. “But,” he said, “the rules of the game are the game,” meaning that while there is strategy in blocking opponents and optimizing points, Scrabble requires extensive knowledge outside the core rules. There’s no reliable principle for deciding whether you can legally play a given word. To be really competitive, you have to memorize the official dictionary, or your club’s extensive house rules, or both. The number of game elements you learn and apply in poker is much smaller.
However, like me, Lane enjoys Magic: The Gathering, a game I discussed in my last column, where the best players acquaint themselves with a vast array of cards, many of which can be considered an exception to the general rules. It would be easier to memorize the Scrabble dictionary than the tens of thousands of Magic cards. While it’s true that a game of Magic involves only the cards currently being played, you typically don’t look at the cards in your
opponent’s deck, so as far as you’re concerned, your opponent might be playing with any cards, just like your Scrabble opponents might use any word. What actually seems to set Scrabble apart from Magic is that Scrabble plays with the medium of daily communication, and Magic with fantasy elements and abstractions that don’t apply directly to the real world. Like poker, Magic comprises its own world and exercises your general strategy skills more than any practical knowledge.
I have an idea, weakly held, that Scrabble appeals to the same instinct as learning social trends. We use words to express ourselves; we use clothing and other fashions to express ourselves. To be good at Scrabble, you must follow not just English but the more meticulous Scrabble English to become skilled. Why are some foreign-language loan words accepted and others aren’t? Why has one acronym graduated to a Scrabble word when another hasn’t? Scrabble explores emerging social significance.
The game of socialization isn’t won through strategy and intimidation so much as understanding what’s proper, and discriminating cultured from uncultured. During one game I’d joined, a player asked if she could complete a high-scoring,
perfectly legal synonym for “prostitute,” given it was a “coarse” word and so maybe not allowed by the house even if it was in the official dictionary. As it turned out, we’d all noticed the opportunity, and if I’d had the letters, I would have played it without qualm. Even though I have a degree in English and about three decades of editorial experience, I’m a mediocre player, and my lack of propriety might help explain why — I’m not quite as interested in customs as strategy … and, of course, impractical stories about monsters and heroes.
So I have these ideas about why Scrabble appeals to me just a bit, to Katie a lot, and to Lane not at all, but what about the other members? Club regular Janice Frew told me, “I like word games and games that aren’t as up to chance. The Scrabble draw bag is as much chance as I like in a game.”
Sandra Bianchi said, “While the players are good, they’re encouraging and not super-competitive. Everyone wants to do well, but the point is to have fun.”
In my last article, I introduced the concept of metagame, the game about the game, which is what elevates a casual game to a serious hobby. A player ranking system is a classic
metagame element, and while the Sisters Scrabble Club isn’t that competitive, it does have a High-Word List where each member displays the current maximum points they’ve scored in a single play.
Barbara Haynes said that for her, the game offers “great mental gymnastics.” She plays computer word games, but unlike Katie, not socially, nor does she participate in a metagame outside the club. For example, she plays Wordle, but doesn’t share her score, and when she plays Words with Friends, she plays against the computer, not with friends. Mental exercise is what most attracts her to word games.
Nancy Loring shared this attitude. “I’m 89, and Scrabble is supposed to stimulate your brain,” she said. I’d say it’s working: she crushed my score in a single play, laying down the word “DOZEN” with a wild-card tile on a 3x word multiplier, for 45 points and a new High-Word entry! While sharing the sentiments of the other club members, Diane Mayer has also embraced the metagame, notably with good-natured trash talk: “When I run into the other members in town, I’ll say, ‘I’m really gonna cream Katie.’ I love being a word nerd.”
Sisters Makers debuts with grand opening on Friday
By T. Lee Brown Correspondent
Creative-minded entrepreneurs, rejoice. A new nonprofit is forming in town, offering downtown office and studio space along with ambitious plans for resources and events. Sisters Makers kicks off with a Grand Opening this Friday, June 28.
With the help of local partners and supporters, a makers group spearheaded by Shannon Thorson secured a discounted lease on the City of Sisters-owned building at the corner of North Spruce Street and East Main Avenue, the former Chamber of Commerce building.
The mission of Sisters Makers is to support artists, makers, growers, and innovators with facilities, education, and advocacy. Some small entrepreneurs have already joined up, gaining access to space in the building, which also hosts vendors in collaboration with Sisters Farmers Market.
“I’m excited. It’s going well,” Thorson told The Nugget. The Makers building rents artisan and office spaces at roughly 30 percent below market rate, along with floating work space featuring locker storage and common space for classes, meetings, and pop-up retail.
“We’re not a hobby shop,” Thorson clarified. “It’s a very intentionally focused effort to help grow creatives that are moving and shaking.”
Developing a Sisters Makers District and promoting Sisters Country as the “Artisanal Capital of Oregon” are specified in the Sisters Country Vision established by local community and governmental entities five years ago.
“If we’re going to develop Sisters as Oregon’s artisanal capital, we need to create
a feeder system to build up our own artists,” Thorson explained. “We don’t want to build this solely on the backs of wealthier artists that move in from other places. Artists here need support to succeed and stay in this community.”
Thorson said she was grateful to the City of Sisters for its role in securing the building. City council members showed “huge understanding that as Sisters becomes more expensive to live in, we must supercharge our own entrepreneurs,” Thorson said. “The gap between income and cost of housing here is greater than even in really rural, lowincome communities.”
“People don’t really realize that,” Thorson stated. She has found that many people assume “everybody has money” in Sisters.
“That’s very much not the case,” she said. Homes in other small towns like Maupin are more accessible to purchasers such as new entrepreneurs and young people. Local entrepreneurship, Thorson believes, can support multigenerational living in Sisters.
Leafy Luxuries is one of Sisters Makers’ first membertenants in the new building. Founded by Winter Robinson and Christian Zundel, the company grows nutrientdense microgreens, selling at the farmers market and to restaurant chefs, among other distribution channels.
Said Robinson, “I’m excited to be one of the first people in the Makers building. It’s going to be a really great opportunity for artists, builders, younger people in general to really do stuff in the community. I feel like this is the first of its kind here in town.”
“The building is nice,” added Zundel. “For us it’s a
central location; I’m excited about the additional visibility. Our stall in the farmers market is right there.”
Sisters Farmers Market and its parent organization, Seed to Table, helped Thorson with the collaborative effort to lease the new Makers building (see related article page 19). The building opens directly onto Fir Street Park, where the market takes place on Sundays in season.
“Shannon is great to work with and really flexible with us,” market manager Willa Bauman said of Thorson. “She’s a strong supporter of Sisters Farmers Market, which we really appreciate.”
Thorson often refers to a familiar sight in the Pacific Northwest: fish ladders. Salmon and steelhead swim up rivers to mate, dig their redds, and lay their eggs. But dams prevent the fish from returning upriver to
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Colorful grow lights illuminate Leafy Luxuries microgreens and their growers, Winter Robinson (left) and Christian Zundel, plus Buddy (center). The company is among Sisters Makers’ first cohort of members.
PHOTO BY TL BROWN, W ROBINSON, C ZUNDEL
Synergy and collaboration fuel Sisters Makers
By T. Lee Brown Correspondent
“It is super exciting to see this sense of synergy,” said Shannon Thorson. She is the initiator of Sisters Makers, which celebrates its grand opening this week during 4th Friday Artwalk (see related article page 5).
In the Sisters Country Vision project, published in 2019, the concept of promoting and supporting makers rose to importance. Many artisans, small agricultural businesses, visual artists, and creators of handcrafted goods lacked space, a community gathering place, business education, and other resources.
“It’s because we didn’t have a Shannon,” explained Eric Strobel, who is Sisters area director for economic development organization EDCO. “We didn’t have the person that took the bull by the horns. That’s what it takes to get something off the ground.”
Thorson is motivated by her own experience as an artist and maker, working in construction as well as her own painting practice.
“I’ve always been around art; my dad was an iron artist and did beautiful, handpounded work. Creativity was always welcome in our family,” she said. She worked on iron art with her dad, and has used it in home remodels.
Over the years she came to recognize that problemsolving is a big driver for her. Another is “place setting” for other artists—similar to how a set designer prepares the scene for actors to take the stage.
“What gives me the most joy is solving problems for other artists,” Thorson said.
“That information comes anecdotally, from my own experience, and from feedback that we get in our community.”
EDCO is playing a “connector role” in the evolution of Makers, according to Strobel, connecting Makers with funding, ideas, and potential members.
“We have resources for traded sector companies and we’ll eventually be able to provide those to these artists, makers and growers,” Strobel elaborated. “We want the makers to be business-oriented; we don’t want (Sisters) Makers to be a hobby shop. We want it to be a place for businesses to grow.”
Strobel envisions baking the small business development center (SBDC) at Central Oregon Community College (COCC) into the new organization’s offerings. He continued, “Yes, someone can learn how to make something at Sisters Makers, but also how to sell it, package it, create a business plan. It’s for serious people that want to scale.”
Limited property and housing availability in Sisters makes it difficult to recruit large businesses to town, though the Sisters vision plan includes year-round revenue independent of tourism.
“So why not grow our own?” mused Strobel.
He sees high potential for Makers to partner with Sisters Business Association, Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations to bring in speakers for educational and community events. The beneficiaries will include small entrepreneurs like Winter Robinson, a Makers member and co-owner of microgreens producer Leafy Luxuries.
“Working with Shannon has been great,” said Robinson. “She has been very thoughtful and accommodating.” When the City of Sisters wasn’t quite on board with how microgreens production works, resulting in potential zoning problems, Thorson took the initiative to work with the City on the issue.
Sisters Farmers Market manager Willa Bauman noted that some market vendors are already using the Makers building for indoor sales. “It’s been going really well,” she said.
With plans for public activities such as coffee cuppings and educational presentations for all ages, Bauman is excited about the market’s
Shannon Thorson (right) initiated Sisters Makers and its lease on the City-owned building pictured. Collaborator Willa Bauman (left) of Seed to Table and Sisters Farmers Market helped propel the effort forward.
PHOTO BY TL BROWN
SYNERGY: Nonprofit offers crafters an outletfor goods
Continued from page 19
collaboration with Makers.
“It’s been great to work with Shannon,” Bauman enthused. “She brings so much energy and passion to this work. I love her ideas and her go-get-it attitude.”
Bauman interacts with dozens of craftspeople, artists, and small agricultural businesses—the vendor base for farmers markets. “In Sisters,” she said, “there is a need for training, space and infrastructure.
“I love the mission of Sisters Makers because of my background with Saturday Market in Eugene, which is a craft market,” said Bauman. Both in the Valley and in Sisters, “I’ve seen a need for accessible studio space for artists that are trying to make a living with their work.”
“Handcrafted is really important,” she added. “I think Sisters Makers will add
MAKERS: Organization is “incubator” for business
Continued from page 18
be productive and fertile, to ensure the health of their species and bring important nutrients to the forest.
Fish ladders were added to help fish get where they need to go. These passageways enable at least a small percentage of fish to go up and around the steep dams to their spawning grounds. Without the ladders, the fish wouldn’t stand a chance.
Small entrepreneurs in the maker, craft, agricultural, and arts sectors often face similar obstacles. They struggle upstream, blocked by out-ofreach real estate costs, lack of business knowledge, and competition from large corporations that engage cheap labor outside the U.S.
A town that wants access to genuinely local goods— which are attractive to residents and tourists alike—may need to provide structural support.
“We’re here to be a fish ladder for those who know where they want to go,” a Makers statement explains, “leaping and lunging to get there, but need a helping hand.”
Eric Strobel is the Sisters Area Director for EDCO, the nonprofit Economic Development for Central Oregon and a key collaborator in the Makers story.
“It’s awesome,” Strobel said of Makers. “I see Makers through an EDCO lens, as an incubator, producing small
a lot of value to the Sisters art community.”
The emergence of Sisters Makers and its grand opening event has involved many collaborators. Among them are the City of Sisters, EDCO, Explore Oregon, Sisters Art Association, Seed to Table, Age Friendly Sisters Country, Roundhouse Foundation and Citizens 4 Community (C4C).
Thorson hopes to engage C4C, COCC and School of Ranch in education for Makers. Pre-pandemic, COCC provided programming on-site in Sisters; Thorson hopes the college and its Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will “bring mentoring and educational resources back to Sisters.”
The Makers organization is currently sponsored by RE:Vive Construction Services and Milroy Thorson Custom furniture makers, both affiliated with Thorson.
“She’s a force,” EDCO’s Strobel said of Thorson. “She’s amazing. We are lucky to have her in the community.”
businesses that are educated, that are wanting to scale, and wanting to produce.”
In collaboration with local experts and possibly Central Oregon Community College, he envisions Sisters Makers providing essential education and resources.
“(Learning) how to write a business plan, having speakers come in—that doesn’t really exist here,” said Strobel. “We have authors and music coming here, but this doesn’t exist yet.”
The launch event will be the first time Sisters Makers participates in the monthly 4th Friday Artwalk, a program of Sisters Arts Association. Friends & Vine will provide food, beer, and wine.
Live music will be featured, along with a preview of the visitor information displays currently in development by Explore Sisters.
For the opening, Roundhouse Foundation curated artworks by Alfonso Fernandez and Christie Lower in the Makers building. Lower is from Eastern Oregon, where the animals and landscape inspire her needle felting and textile sculptures. Fernandez is a visual artist who comes to Central Oregon via Baltimore, Minneapolis, and Veracruz; he positions his work as “redefining cultural boundaries through art.”
Sisters Makers Grand Opening will take place Friday, June 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 291 E. Main Ave. All are welcome; no entrance fee or RSVP is required. For more information, visit sistersmakers.com.
The Nugget Newspaper Crossword
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DEADLINE: MONDAY, noon preceding WED. publication. PLACEMENT & PAYMENT: Office, 442 E. Main Ave. Phone, 541-549-9941 or place online at NuggetNews.com. Payment is due upon placement. VISA & MasterCard accepted. Billing available for continuously run classified ads, after prepayment of first four (4) weeks and upon approval of account application.
CATEGORIES:
101 Real Estate
1,518 sq. ft. 3BR/2.5 BA
New construction in historic district. 347 W. Jefferson. 2 blocks from coffee.
Many special features. $739,000. 541-420-7128
102 Commercial Rentals
STORAGE WITH BENEFITS
8 x 20 dry box
Fenced yard, RV & trailers
• In-town, gated, 24-7
EWDevcoLLC@gmail.com
OFFICE/RETAIL
SPACE FOR RENT
Great location across from Ace Hardware. Several space types available. Call owner
Jim Peterson/RE Broker. 503-238-1478
MINI STORAGE Sisters Rental 331 W. Barclay Drive 541-549-9631
Sizes 5x5 to 15x30 and outdoor
RV parking. 7-day access. Computerized security gate. Moving boxes & supplies.
103 Residential Rentals
PONDEROSA PROPERTIES
–Monthly Rentals Available–Call Debbie at 541-549-2002
Full details, 24 hrs./day, go to: PonderosaProperties.com
Printed list at 178 S. Elm, 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
~ Sisters Vacation Rentals ~ Private Central OR vac. rentals, Property Management Services 541-977-9898
www.SistersVacation.com
Downtown Vacation Rentals Popular 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!
201 For Sale
Huge estate reloading set-up. 12, 20, 28 Gauge reloaders, pistol and rifle reloaders, bullets, brass, primers, lots of powder, dies and jars of different size shot. Boxes of wadding and nice armoire and too much more to list. $450. CASH ONLY takes all. Not splitting up, must buy the complete outfit. Call Mike at 801-927-7512.
Portable air conditioner. Hardly used. Instructions and remote control with unit. $125 541-410-2870
202 Firewood Oak and plum firewood logs approximately 2.5 cords per load. Delivered, $500 per load. Custom rough-sawn saw-milling available. Live edge, coffee tables, custom dimensions. Please call or text 936-600-2132. Sunnyblueskys94@gmail.com
• SPRING SPECIAL • SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS
DAVE ELPI – FIREWOOD
• SINCE 1976 • KINDLING
Doug Fir – Lodgepole –Hardwood – Juniper – Fir DRIVE-IN WOOD SALES
– 18155 Hwy. 126 East –SistersForestProducts.com Order Online! 541-410-4509
204 Arts & Antiques
ATTENTION ARTISTS:
Retired frame shop owner has picture frames, mat cutter, and other materials for do-it-yourself framing projects. Call Lynn at 541-549-1601.
205 Garage & Estate Sales
Multi-Family/Art Warehouse
Sale. 592 N Sisters Park Ct. Blue-Green Industrial Bldg.
Home decor, lg. & sm. wood wall art, woodworking tools, furniture, sporting goods, lawn furniture, some clothing, and LOTS more!! Sat. June 29th, 9:00-4:00
HUGE MOVING SALE
9:30 to 3, Fri. 6/28 & Sat. 6/29. Furniture, gardening supplies, tools, construction materials, kitchen appliances, beds. Items priced to sell quickly. Former Airbnb, liquidating many high-quality items. 17960 Plainview Rd. HERITAGE USA
Open daily 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. 253 E. Hood Ave., Sisters. Happy Trails Estate Sales and online auctions! Selling, Downsizing, or Deaths? Locally owned & operated by... Daiya 541-480-2806 Sharie 541-771-1150
I’ve got your cats covered! Sisters-Tumalo-PetSitting.com 541-306-7551 • Julie Sisters Sisters Loving Local Animal Care
Serving Sisters, Tollgate, Black Butte, and Tumalo
• dog walks
• midday visits (including medicine, meals, snacks, elderly care, potty breaks, etc.)
• overnights
• farm care
• Save our number for emergency visits! Elizabeth & Jasper 541.610.4355
Bitty is a 2-month-old mini panther looking for a new home to rule. She is a playful kitten with a unique meow. Apply to adopt her at: sisterswhiskers.org
500 Services
GEORGE’S SEPTIC TANK SERVICE
“A Well Maintained Septic System Protects the Environment” 541-549-2871
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
• DERI’s HAIR SALON • Call 541-419-1279
Junk removal, new home, garage & storage clean-out, construction, yard debris. You Call – We Haul! 541-719-8475
DRIVEWAY SPECIAL!
Make your old asphalt driveway look new. Sealing. Crack repair. Free estimates, 503-949-6638
JP Seal Coat | CCB#159710 HAVE A SERVICE TO PROVIDE?
3 Sisters TeleNetworks, LLC
Cable jobs, security cameras, WAPs. CCB #191099 541-318-7000 • 541-306-0729
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 • Bonded & Insured • Serving Central Oregon Since 1980 Call 541-549-3008
504 Handyman
JONES UPGRADES LLC Home Repairs & Remodeling Drywall, Decks, Pole Barns, Fences, Sheds & more. Mike Jones, 503-428-1281
Local resident • CCB #201650
NEED SOME WORK done on your home? Check out the HANDYMAN advertisers in The Nugget! 600 Tree Service & Forestry LOLO TREE WORKS Tree Services: Tree Removal, Tree Pruning, Stump Grinding, Emergency Tree Services. ISA Certified Arborist Owner / Operator: Erin Carpenter lolotreeworks.com
/ Text: 503-367-5638 Email: erin@lolotreeworks.com CCB #240912
Removal & Pruning TRAQ Arborist/ CCB#190496 541-771-4825 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!
Sisters
Natural Dog Biscuits brandosbyjulie.etsy.com
Place your ad in The Nugget
501 Computers & Communications 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
Construction & Renovation
Custom Residential Projects
All Phases • CCB #148365 541-420-8448
541-390-1206
beavercreeklog@yahoo.com
Log repairs, log railing, log accent, log siding, etc. CCB #235303 Insurance & Bond
Lara’s Construction LLC.
CCB#223701
Offering masonry work, fireplaces, interior & exterior stone/brick-work, build barbecues, and all types of masonry. Give us a call for a free estimate 541-350-3218
Uncompromising quality. Local and personal. You can trust me.
All projects: From new construction to those little projects you don't seem to get to.
My team of local subcontractors and I will get it done right, fair, and pain-free so you can make your spouse happy.
Call Jared 503-949-9719
Earthwood Timberframes
• Design & shop fabrication
• Recycled fir and pine beams
• Mantels and accent timbers
• Sawmill/woodshop services EWDevCoLLC@gmail.com
From Ground to Finish
Accurate and Efficient
541-604-5169
CCB#233074
SPURGE COCHRAN
BUILDER, INC.
General Contractor
Building Distinctive, Handcrafted Custom Homes, Additions, Remodels, Cabin Renovations Since ’74
A “Hands-On” Builder
Keeping Your Project on Time & On Budget • CCB #96016
To speak to Spurge personally, call 541-815-0523
602 Plumbing & Electric
Ridgeline Electric, LLC
Serving all of Central Oregon
• Residential • Commercial
• Industrial • Service
541-588-3088 • CCB #234821
SWEENEY
PLUMBING, INC.
“Quality and Reliability”
Repairs • Remodeling
• New Construction
• Water Heaters
541-549-4349
Residential and Commercial
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
CCB #87587
The Nugget • 541-549-9941
603 Excavation & Trucking
Full Service Excavation
Free On-site Visit & Estimate
Tewaltandsonsexcavation@gmail .com
541-549-1472 • CCB #76888
Drainfield
• Minor & Major Septic Repair
• All Septic Needs/Design & Install
General Excavation
• Site Preparation
• Rock & Stump Removal
• Pond & Driveway Construction Preparation
• Building Demolition
Trucking
• Deliver Top Soil, Sand, Gravel, Boulders, Water
604 Heating & Cooling
ACTION AIR
Heating & Cooling, LLC
Retrofit • New Const • Remodel
Consulting, Service & Installs
actionairheatingandcooling.com
CCB #195556 541-549-6464
605 Painting
~ FRONTIER PAINTING ~ Quality Painting, Ext. & Int. Refurbishing Decks
CCB #131560 • 541-771-5620 www.frontier-painting.com
METOLIUS PAINTING LLC
Meticulous, Affordable Interior & Exterior 541-280-7040 • CCB# 238067
EMPIRE PAINTING
Interior and Exterior Painting and Staining
CCB#180042
541-613-1530 • Geoff Houk
606 Landscaping & Yard Maintenance
All Landscaping Services Mowing, Thatching, Hauling Call Abel Ortega, 541-815-6740
Keeping Sisters Country Beautiful Since 2006 candcnursery@gmail.com 541-549-2345
J&E Landscaping Maintenance LLC Clean-ups, raking, hauling debris, thatching, aerating, irrigation, mowing. Edgar Cortez 541-610-8982 jandelspcing15@gmail.com
Complete landscape construction, fencing, irrigation installation & design, pavers/outdoor kitchens, debris cleanups, fertility & water conservation management, excavation.
CCB #188594 • LCB #9264 www.vohslandscaping.com 541-515-8462
– All You Need Maintenance –Pine needle removal, hauling, mowing, moss removal, edging, raking, weeding, pruning, roofs, gutters, pressure washing. Lic/Bonded/Ins. CCB# 218169 Austin • 541-419-5122
Black Butte Ranch is HIRING!
Come be a part of the Black Butte Golf Maintenance Team. No experience necessary. Enjoy the outdoors! Full-time and part-time seasonal positions available. FREE golf and other great perks! Starting pay $19/ hr. Apply today: www.blackbutteranch.com
Check out all the great opportunities available!
Youth Trail Ambassador
The Sisters Trails Alliance is seeking high-school-aged students passionate about environmental conservation, outdoor recreation, or related fields. Encouraging tailored roles, we empower Youth Trail Ambassadors to enrich their resumes, college applications, and overall life experiences.
As a Youth Trail Ambassador, you'll greet and assist trail users during peak usage times, educate visitors about responsible trail use and environmental awareness, and gather feedback about their overall trail experience. To apply, please send a cover letter to coordinator@sisterstrails.org.
Part-Time Sales Associate
We are looking for a friendly, outgoing, and reliable Retail Sales Associate. Workdays would be Thursday, Friday, Saturday and fill in. Email application to: amber@ villageinteriorsdesign.com
SEEKING EXPERIENCED LEAD CARPENTER
999 Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the City of Sisters City Council will conduct an in-person public hearing at Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Avenue, Sisters, on July 10, 2024, at 5:30 PM regarding the application listed below. The hearing will be held in accordance with Sisters Development Code (SDC) Chapter 4.1 and the rules of procedure adopted by the Council and available at City Hall. Prior to the public hearing, written comments may be provided to Sisters City Hall at 520 E. Cascade Avenue, Sisters (mailing address PO Box 39, Sisters, OR 97759) or emailed to mmartin@ci.sisters.or.us. Comments should be directed toward the criteria that apply to this request and must reference the file number. For additional information, please contact Matthew Martin, Principal Planner at (541) 323-5208 or mmartin@ci.sisters.or.us.
The staff report and recommendation to the hearings body will be available for review at least seven (7) days before the hearing. All submitted evidence and materials related to the application are available for inspection at City Hall. Copies of all materials will be available on request at a reasonable cost. The City Council meeting is accessible to the public either in person or via Zoom online meeting. Meeting information, including the Zoom link, can be found on https://www.ci.sisters.or.us /meetings.
PUBLIC HEARING: July 10, 2024, at 5:30 pm
FILE #: TA 24-01
APPLICANT: Ernie LarrabeeLake House Inn, LLC
Pat Burke LOCALLY OWNED CRAFTSMAN BUILT
CCB: 228388 • 541-588-2062 www.sistersfencecompany.com
Custom Homes
Additions - Remodels
Residential Building Projects
Becke William Pierce
CCB# 190689 • 541-647-0384
Beckewpcontracting@gmail.com
CASCADE GARAGE DOORS
Factory Trained Technicians
Since 1983 • CCB #44054
541-548-2215 • 541-382-4553
T
www.NuggetNews.com
• Dump Trucks, Transfer Trucks, Belly
• The Whole 9 Yards or 24
Whatever You Want!
ROBINSON & OWEN
Heavy Construction, Inc.
All your excavation needs
*General excavation
*Site Preparation
*Sub-Divisions
*Road Building
*Sewer and Water Systems
*Underground Utilities
*Grading
*Sand-Gravel-Rock
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
CCB #124327
541-549-1848
BANR Enterprises, LLC
Earthwork, Utilities, Grading, Hardscape, Rock Walls
Residential & Commercial
CCB #165122 • 541-549-6977 www.BANR.net
701 Domestic Services
I & I Crystal Cleaning, LLC Specializing in Commercial, Residential & Vacation Rentals. Licensed, Bonded & Insured. 541-977-1051
BLAKE & SON – Commercial, Home & Rentals Cleaning WINDOW CLEANING! Lic. & Bonded • 541-549-0897
802 Help Wanted WE ARE HIRING! Join our team at Sisters Mainline Station and Chevron. Full-time and part-time work available. Looking for cashiers and gas attendants. Applications available at the Sisters Mainline Market, 1001 Rail Way in Sisters or on our website at Sistersmainlinestation.com
Able to read plans, run crew, well-versed in all phases of residential construction and remodel, concrete experience a plus. 40 hrs./wk., year-round, pay DOE. Company vehicle and fuel for right candidate. CMS has worked in Sisters for 50+ yrs., booked solid through 2026. Send resume to cpatterson@cncmsinc.com or call 541-550-8219.
Grocery shopper, restaurant delivery, and airport shuttle driver.
Flexible schedule. Part-time or full-time. Must be reliable, responsible, and prompt. Sisters Delivery And Shuttle, 541-213-0507
NEED ASSISTANCE?
Use The Nugget Newspaper's Help Wanted column!
803 Work Wanted POSITION WANTED; for Companion Caregiver.
Looking for part-time; must be close to Sisters downtown. References upon request. Please call 503-274-0214
REQUEST: Text Amendments to SDC Chapter 2.12 - Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial (TC) District that expand and clarify the types of uses allowed and the applicable development standards.
APPLICABLE CRITERIA: SDC Chapter 2.12 – Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial District, Chapter 4.1 – Types of Applications and Review Procedures, Chapter 4.7 – Land Use District Map and Text Amendments; City of Sisters Urban Area Comprehensive Plan; and Oregon’s Statewide Land Use Goals
for puzzle on page 23
of the following described lands,
to-wit: T15s R-11ewm Sec-8 Tax Lot 1200
CITY OF SISTERS
Improvements generally include the removal and replacement of asphalt pavement, the construction of raised reinforced concrete crosswalks, adjustment of existing utilities to finish grade, and PROWAG compliant curb ramps along with the associated pavement markings at each location. The work is located along McKinney Butte Road between highway US 20 and highway OR 242.
C L A S S I F I E D S
MCKINNEY BUTTE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS 2024 PROJECT
Bids due 2:00 p.m., July 9th, 2024 INVITATION TO
The invitation to bid, plans, specifications, addenda, and notification of bid results for this project may be viewed at Sisters City Hall at 520 E Cascade Avenue, Sisters, OR 97759; or printed or ordered online from Premier Builders Exchange at http://www.plansonfile.com.
From Ground to Finish
BID
Accurate and Efficient
541-604-5169
CCB#233074
SPURGE COCHRAN
BUILDER, INC.
General Contractor
Building Distinctive, Handcrafted Custom Homes, Additions, Remodels, Cabin Renovations Since ’74
There will be no Pre-Bid Conference for the McKinney Butte Safety Improvements
A “Hands-On” Builder
Keeping Your Project on Time & On Budget
• CCB #96016
To speak to Spurge personally, call 541-815-0523
602 Plumbing & Electric
Ridgeline Electric, LLC
Serving all of Central Oregon
• Residential
• Commercial
• Industrial • Service
541-588-3088 • CCB #234821
SWEENEY
PLUMBING, INC.
“Quality and Reliability”
Repairs • Remodeling
• New Construction
Sealed bids for the construction of the City of Sisters, McKinney Butte Safety Improvements 2024 Project, addressed to the City Recorder, City of Sisters, Oregon, will be received until 2:00 PM local time at City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Avenue, P.O. Box 39, Sisters, Oregon, on July 9th, 2024, and then publicly opened and read at 2:00 PM at City Hall, in Sisters, Oregon. Bids shall be clearly labeled: McKinney Butte Safety Improvements 2024 Project Improvements generally include the removal and replacement of asphalt pavement, the construction of raised reinforced concrete crosswalks, adjustment of existing utilities to finish grade, and PROWAG compliant curb ramps along with the associated pavement markings at each location. The work is located along McKinney Butte Road between highway US 20 and highway OR 242.
• Water Heaters
541-549-4349
Residential and Commercial
Licensed • Bonded • Insured CCB #87587
The Nugget • 541-549-9941
603 Excavation & Trucking
Full Service Excavation
The invitation to bid, plans, specifications, addenda, and notification of bid results for this project may be viewed at Sisters City Hall at 520 E Cascade Avenue, Sisters, OR 97759; or printed or ordered online from Premier Builders Exchange at http://www.plansonfile.com.
There will be no Pre-Bid Conference for the McKinney Butte Safety Improvements
Free On-site Visit & Estimate
Tewaltandsonsexcavation@gmail .com
541-549-1472
• CCB #76888
Drainfield
• Minor & Major Septic Repair
• All Septic Needs/Design & Install
General Excavation
• Site Preparation
• Rock & Stump Removal
• Pond & Driveway Construction Preparation
• Building Demolition Trucking
• Deliver Top Soil, Sand, Gravel, Boulders, Water
• Dump Trucks, Transfer Trucks, Belly
• The Whole 9 Yards or 24
Whatever You Want!
ROBINSON & OWEN
Heavy Construction, Inc.
All your excavation needs
*General excavation
*Site Preparation
*Sub-Divisions
*Road Building
*Sewer and Water Systems
*Underground Utilities
Jacob & Corinne Washburn, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15s R-10ewm Sec-14 Tax Lot 1600
C L A S S I F I E D S
604 Heating & Cooling
ACTION AIR
Heating & Cooling, LLC
Retrofit • New Const • Remodel
Consulting, Service & Installs
actionairheatingandcooling.com
TRAGEDY: School
Richarson Living Trust, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15
R-11ewm Sec-8 Tax Lot 1300
CCB #195556 541-549-6464
2024 Project. This project is subject to the provisions of ORS 279C.800 through 279C.870 regarding payment of prevailing wages. Bidders must be registered with the Construction Contractors Board (ORS 701.055) or the bid will not be received or considered.
605 Painting
~ FRONTIER PAINTING ~
Quality Painting, Ext. & Int.
RHM Legacy Trust, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15s R-11ewm Sec-8 Tax Lot 1400
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a petition has been filed with the Board of Directors of the Three Sisters Irrigation District by the following:
Refurbishing Decks
CCB #131560 • 541-771-5620
www.frontier-painting.com
METOLIUS PAINTING LLC
The Board of Directors of the District will sit in a regular session on July 9th, 2024, in Sisters, Oregon, at 10:00 a.m. for
Lappe Family Trust, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T14s R-11ewm Sec-33
Meticulous, Affordable
Interior & Exterior
541-280-7040 • CCB# 238067
EMPIRE PAINTING
Interior and Exterior Painting and Staining
CCB#180042
Black Butte Ranch is HIRING!
Come be a part of the Black Butte Golf Maintenance Team. No experience necessary. Enjoy the outdoors! Full-time and part-time seasonal positions available. FREE golf and other great perks! Starting pay $19/ hr. Apply today: www.blackbutteranch.com
the transaction of District business. Those persons with objections to said inclusion should attend this meeting at 68000 Highway 20 West, Bend, Oregon, or submit written comments or objections to the district office at P.O. Box 2230, Sisters, Oregon 97759 no later than July 8th, 2024. THREE SISTERS Irrigation District by Emilia Ellington, Financial Administrative Manager. For all the lastest from Sisters, Oregon... go online to NuggetNews.com
Check out all the great opportunities available!
community expressed heartbreak
999 Public Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Continued from page 1
In a message to parents, Sisters High School Principal Steve Stancliff expressed the grief of the school community:
responded to the scene, assisted by the Oregon State Police, who conducted a crash reconstruction. A medical examiner also responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Oregon State Police, Black Butte Ranch Police, and SistersCamp Sherman Fire District.
Sisters salutes...
541-613-1530 • Geoff Houk
Jason & Eryn Elbers, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15s R-11ewm Sec-8 Tax Lot 1200
606 Landscaping & Yard Maintenance
All Landscaping Services
Mowing, Thatching, Hauling
Call Abel Ortega, 541-815-6740
Jacob & Corinne Washburn, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15s R-10ewm Sec-14 Tax Lot 1600 Richarson Living Trust, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15 R-11ewm Sec-8 Tax Lot 1300
Keeping Sisters Country Beautiful Since 2006 candcnursery@gmail.com 541-549-2345
J&E Landscaping Maintenance
LLC Clean-ups, raking, hauling debris, thatching, aerating, irrigation, mowing. Edgar Cortez 541-610-8982 jandelspcing15@gmail.com
RHM Legacy Trust, requesting a change of District boundaries and inclusion within the District of the following described lands, to-wit: T15s R-11ewm Sec-8 Tax Lot 1400
The Board of Directors of the District will sit in a regular session on July 9th, 2024, in Sisters, Oregon, at 10:00 a.m. for
Youth Trail Ambassador
On June 11, Sisters VFW Post 8138 presented its annual Teacher of the Year Award which included a letter of recognition and monetary award to Jeff Schiedler, a teacher at Sisters Middle School for his support of Veterans groups in Sisters, patriotic influence in the classroom, and support of Veterans Day assemblies at the school. Vice Commander Earl Schroeder, Commander Pat Bowe, and Service Officer Bill Anttila presented the award. His name will be submitted for possible state and national recognition this summer.
The Sisters Trails Alliance is seeking high-school-aged students passionate about environmental conservation, outdoor recreation, or related fields. Encouraging tailored roles, we empower Youth Trail Ambassadors to enrich their resumes, college applications, and overall life experiences. As a Youth Trail Ambassador, you'll greet and assist trail users during peak usage times, educate visitors about responsible trail use and environmental awareness, and gather feedback about their overall trail experience. To apply, please send a cover letter to coordinator@sisterstrails.org.
the transaction of District business. Those persons with objections to said inclusion should attend this meeting at 68000 Highway 20 West, Bend, Oregon, or submit written comments or objections to the district office at P.O. Box 2230, Sisters, Oregon 97759 no later than July 8th, 2024. THREE SISTERS Irrigation District by Emilia Ellington, Financial Administrative Manager. For all the lastest from Sisters, Oregon... go online to NuggetNews.com
Part-Time Sales Associate
Portraits OF SISTERS
Complete landscape construction, fencing, irrigation installation & design, pavers/outdoor kitchens, debris cleanups, fertility & water conservation management, excavation.
CCB #188594 • LCB #9264
www.vohslandscaping.com 541-515-8462
– All You Need Maintenance –Pine needle removal, hauling, mowing, moss removal, edging, raking, weeding, pruning, roofs, gutters, pressure washing. Lic/Bonded/Ins. CCB# 218169 Austin • 541-419-5122
701 Domestic Services
I & I Crystal Cleaning, LLC
Specializing in Commercial, Residential & Vacation Rentals. Licensed, Bonded & Insured. 541-977-1051
BLAKE & SON – Commercial, Home & Rentals Cleaning WINDOW CLEANING!
Lic. & Bonded • 541-549-0897
Jason Chinchen channels his passions and talents with a craftsman’s touch. Hunched over a whirring CNC machine or coaxing maple, walnut, or African black wood into the guise of a dreadnought guitar while teaching his students the value of detail, are a few things you might find him doing in his classroom at Sisters High School. Music and woodworking are all too familiar to this born-and-raised craftsman and musician. “This job melds all my passions,” he says of his role as a teacher. “I’d be doing this craft anyway. But here I get to translate that passion to these kids and inspire them. It’s a perfect fit for me.” Jason has been playing the guitar since he was six years old and crafting wood since high school — now he puts those fine-crafted instruments into use with his band, Juniper and Gin, and teaches the art of finessing wood into sound-emitting shapes. But Jason’s creative interests vary He also operates his photography business, Analogue Tintypes, a 1800s photography technique that takes as much patience and poise as crafting a wooden instrument. A single image can take up to 15 minutes to capture and develop on a glass plate. Jason moved to Sisters only four years ago but has become a fixture in the local woodworking and musical community He says, “I’m just grateful to be here and be a part of all this.”
*Grading
*Sand-Gravel-Rock
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
CCB #124327
541-549-1848
BANR Enterprises, LLC
Earthwork, Utilities, Grading, Hardscape, Rock Walls
Residential & Commercial
CCB #165122 • 541-549-6977
www.BANR.net
Notice is hereby given that the City of Sisters City Council will conduct an in-person public hearing at Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Avenue, Sisters, on July 10, 2024, at 5:30 PM regarding the application listed below. The hearing will be held in accordance with Sisters Development Code (SDC) Chapter 4.1 and the rules of procedure adopted by the Council and available at City Hall. Prior to the public hearing, written comments may be provided to Sisters City Hall at 520 E. Cascade Avenue, Sisters (mailing address PO Box 39, Sisters, OR 97759) or emailed to mmartin@ci.sisters.or.us. Comments should be directed toward the criteria that apply to this request and must reference the file number. For additional information, please contact Matthew Martin, Principal Planner at (541) 323-5208 or mmartin@ci.sisters.or.us.
“As a school community our hearts are broken as we mourn their passing, and our thoughts, prayers, and condolences are with their families and loved ones,” he wrote. “Both of them were beloved by staff and their fellow students, and their loss is felt deeply across our entire school community.”
The school district provided resources to support those who were grieving the loss.
We are looking for a friendly, outgoing, and reliable Retail Sales Associate. Workdays would be Thursday, Friday, Saturday and fill in. Email application to: amber@ villageinteriorsdesign.com
SEEKING EXPERIENCED
LEAD CARPENTER
Able to read plans, run crew, well-versed in all phases of residential construction and remodel, concrete experience a plus. 40 hrs./wk., year-round, pay DOE. Company vehicle and fuel for right candidate. CMS has worked in Sisters for 50+ yrs., booked solid through 2026. Send resume to cpatterson@cncmsinc.com or call 541-550-8219. Grocery shopper, restaurant delivery, and airport shuttle driver.
Flexible schedule. Part-time or full-time. Must be reliable, responsible, and prompt. Sisters Delivery And Shuttle, 541-213-0507
The staff report and recommendation to the hearings body will be available for review at least seven (7) days before the hearing. All submitted evidence and materials related to the application are available for inspection at City Hall. Copies of all materials will be available on request at a reasonable cost. The City Council meeting is accessible to the public either in person or via Zoom online meeting. Meeting information, including the Zoom link, can be found on https://www.ci.sisters.or.us /meetings.
PUBLIC HEARING: July 10, 2024, at 5:30 pm FILE #: TA 24-01
APPLICANT: Ernie LarrabeeLake House Inn, LLC REQUEST: Text Amendments to SDC Chapter 2.12 - Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial (TC) District that expand and clarify the types of uses allowed and the applicable development standards.
APPLICABLE CRITERIA: SDC Chapter 2.12 – Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial District, Chapter 4.1 – Types of Applications and Review Procedures, Chapter 4.7 – Land Use District Map and Text Amendments; City of Sisters Urban Area Comprehensive Plan; and Oregon’s Statewide Land Use Goals
802 Help Wanted
WE ARE HIRING!
NEED ASSISTANCE?
Join our team at Sisters Mainline Station and Chevron. Full-time and part-time work available. Looking for cashiers and gas attendants. Applications available at the Sisters Mainline Market, 1001 Rail Way in Sisters or on our website at Sistersmainlinestation.com
Use The Nugget Newspaper's Help Wanted column! 803 Work Wanted POSITION WANTED; for Companion Caregiver. Looking for part-time; must be close to Sisters downtown. References upon request. Please call 503-274-0214
PHOTO AND STORY BY Cody Rheault
The Nugget Newspaper was founded as an independently owned, weekly newspaper in the mountain town of Sisters, Oregon in 1978.
The Nugget is widely read by members of the Sisters community.
The Nugget provides comprehensive coverage of city government, school, forest service, and other local news. Weekly features include editorials and letters to the editor, business features, columns, music and arts, and stories on local events and people.
You can help support the mission of The Nugget, your community newspaper... Stop by the office at 442 E. Main Ave. (we’d love to connect with you), scan the QR code below, or click the “donate” link at the top of www. nuggetnews.com. You choose the amount of support you wish to provide.
