The Nugget Newspaper // Vol. XLVII No. 34 // 2024-08-21

The Nugget

Highway tangle…

A fuel truck and a pickup truck got tangled up on Highway 20 east of Sisters on Friday, August 16. The crash closed the highway and snarled traffic for hours but it could have been much worse. There was no fuel spill and the occupants of the vehicles were OK.

Project to protect wildlife moves to next phase

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

The Highway 20 corridor between Sisters and Suttle Lake is a diverse landscape dotted with vast stands of ponderosa pines, leafy aspens, horse camps, a butte, bucolic meadows, and wildlife. Anywhere from 350 to 600 mule deer and elk are killed annually along the

stretch from collisions with vehicles.

That’s about 90 for every mile of the corridor we learned from Cidney Bowman, wildlife passage coordinator for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). In discussing the issue with The Nugget Bowman elaborated:

See WILDLIFE on page 15

Predicted water shortage evaporates

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

The back of an intensely warm July seems to have been broken —and hay, alfalfa and orchard grass growers in Sisters Country are breathing a sigh of relief. While their water supply has been reduced to 70 percent as of August 12, that’s an improvement over

last year. Given the spate of hot weeks it was a surprise to Jim Williams, Water and Hydro Manager for Three Sisters Irrigation District. The District supplies water to 185 users with 7,572 acres. Williams told The Nugget : “Last year this time I’m thinking we were already down to 50 percent,

See WATER on page 16

Fire disrupts PCT treks

By Stuart Ehr Correspondent

One of the great thru-hikes of the world, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), has been a monumental challenge for the class of 2024.

This is the time of year that thru-hikers from around the world and all 50 states arrive in Sisters, either hiking northbound (NOBO) from the Mexican border, or southbound (SOBO) from the Canadian border, and attempt to hike a continuous footpath from one national border to the other. A journey of 2,650 miles, or 6.2 million steps if you prefer. Sisters is where NOBOs and SOBOs

See HIKERS on page 12

Rider marks a lifetime on the trail

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

“A perfect day for my birthday!” Gerry Jimerson proclaimed on Saturday, August 17, as she stood next to Sam, who had just taken her on a nine-mile trail ride out of Sisters Cow Camp.

A day in the saddle and an afternoon relaxing with friends at Sisters Cow Camp is as fitting a celebration of a 91st birthday as it is possible to have for a woman who has spent her life in the saddle — and decades maintaining trails and camps in Sisters Country.

Jimerson has taken the lead on maintaining Sisters Cow Camp southwest of Sisters off Forest Road 15 for 35 years. She’s a three-decade star volunteer with the local chapter of Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET). A trail addition established out of the camp in 2012 was named Jimerson Loop in honor of all the work she and her late husband Don put in on the trails and at the camp.

The work isn’t exactly glamorous. In addition to helping friends restore corrals, Gerry steps up seven

days or so to clean up the “potty house.”

“Somebody had to do it,” she said with a grin. “I just fell into it.”

That kind of see-a-needfill-a-need ethic comes directly out of her upbringing on a ranch in Huasna Valley, California.

“My dad (was) a rancher,” Jimerson recalled. “My first horse was named Fanny. I had her before I was born. I did boy things, because I was a girl and my dad had me.”

Hard work and time in the saddle have been the hallmarks of Jimerson’s long life ever since. She attributes her longevity and spry good health to those elements.

“I don’t smoke. I never drank,” she said. “I worked hard all my life. So I guess that’s it. I can still get on a pony.”

While living in Norco, California, she took up horse training. As with her work

See JIMERSON on page 19

Gerry Jimerson with Sam, celebrating her 91st birthday with a trail ride out of Sisters Cow Camp.

PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS

OPINION

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.

Expand county commission

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my appreciation to those making the effort to expand the size of the Deschutes County Commission. With a current membership of only three representing the rapidly expanding population of the county, adding to the viewpoints of those representing us is long overdue. Approving this expansion is particularly critical since only one of three current commissioners shows any interest or ability to properly manage the county.

The rampant violations of the county code and ordinances so pervasive in the county must be addressed. Essential to this effort is the election of those to the proposed new positions who have a demonstrated will and the leadership ability to undertake what is

necessary to see that the county government carries out the existing mandates of the governed.

Roger Detweiler

s s s

STAR project

To the Editor:

This is my first time writing into The Nugget , but Bill Bartlett’s “journalism” regarding the STAR project incensed me enough to write in. Mr. Bartlett is vague and misleading throughout the article, only mentioning specific parts of the far-reaching STAR project once and not making it entirely clear if those named trails are the “downhill”

See LETTERS on page 20

Sisters Weather Forecast

Rematches on tap in Northwest elections

By Randy Stapilus Oregon Capital Chronicle

This November will not bring a rematch of two candidates vying for president, but rematches of candidates who previously ran against each other turn out to be a big theme in politics in the Northwest this year.

And the dynamics of those rematched candidates could have a big effect on politics, both on the legislative level and nationally.

In Oregon, one of the closest congressional races from two years ago is being rerun. Democrat Andrea Salinas prevailed in the 6th Congressional District 2022 by 2.4 percent over Republican Mike Erickson, and both are running energetic campaigns again in the district this year.

51 emerged for U.S. House races and 287 for Oregon legislative seats. In these races, the incumbent usually has the upper hand, having won last time and having the extra advantage of incumbency.

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Editor in Chief & Co-owner: Jim Cornelius

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Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May

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Co-owner: J. Louis Mullen

Colleen Pollard captured shots of the aurora borealis from her home in Indian Ford

Oregon’s premier congressional race in the 5th District (including Sisters), and what could become its closest in November, is a rematch as well. Though Republican incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer had a different Democratic opponent for the district two years ago, she faced her current contender, Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum, in two legislative races in 2018 and 2016. Chavez-DeRemer lost narrowly the first time and by a larger percentage the second. Those contests were an important part of Bynum’s case for why she should be the Democratic nominee there this year.

Taken together, these races amount to an aboveaverage number of rematches for Oregon on the congressional side. In 2022, there was only one instance: when Republican Joanna Harbor competed for a second time against U.S. Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer in the 3rd Congressional District, losing by big margins both times in the deep blue district.

There are also rematches in Oregon this year in the state House: nine to be exact.

All but two feature Democratic incumbents who prevailed two years ago: Nancy Nathanson of Eugene, Ben Bowman of Tigard, Courtney Neron of Wilsonville, Ken Helm of Beaverton, Farrah Chaichi of Beaverton, Tawna Sanchez of Portland, and Hoa Nguyen of Portland.

The two incumbent Republicans are Cyrus Javadi of Tillamook and Anna Scharf of Salem. Rematches are not unusual in politics. In 2022,

But they don’t always win the second time, especially if the incumbent has run into trouble or runs the second time in a year less favorable for their party. While the last two presidential-level rematches in the 20th century went for the incumbent – in 1956 between Republican incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower and Democrat Adlai Stevenson, and in 1900 between Republican incumbent President William McKinley over Democrat William Jennings Bryan –the four in the previous century went to the challengers.

A University of Virginia study of rematches for U.S. Senate seats reviewed 46 elections, and in just six occasions did the loser the first time go on to prevail in the second.

“This speaks to the strength of incumbency, a well-known factor in electoral politics,” said researcher Geoffrey Skelley. “Most of the exceptions involve friendly political environments, such as the open-seat avengers in the third category who won after initially losing.”

What does this mean for the Northwest?

The historical precedents in rematches would suggest an edge for the Democrats in Oregon’s congressional races, since the overall voting trends in the districts have favored Democrats. The 6th Congressional District has a clear Democratic lean overall, as measured by a mostly Democratic state legislative delegation and by the 2020 win in the area the district now occupies of Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump, 55.2 percent to 42.1 percent. Also, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in both the 6th and 5th districts.

In legislative races, the incumbents almost all start with favorable conditions. Challengers will have to find some reason to convince a slice of the electorate to change its mind from a couple years past.

That happens just often enough to encourage plenty of challengers every cycle to try again. But asking voters to change course is hard to do, and don’t expect it to happen often this year.

PHOTO BY COLLEEN POLLARD

Country Fair continues tradition

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

The 27th annual Country Fair in Sisters, a community fundraiser project of Church of the Transfiguration, delighted hundreds of attendees Saturday in near perfect weather. The cool, sunny day motivated fairgoers to gobble up old-fashioned goodies ranging from jams, preserves, and jellies to cookies and pies to pulled pork and chili.

“And, of course, their amazing Marionberry cobbler,” said Mary Gillespie from Cloverdale, a regular fair-goer.

She comes primarily

for the books, the hundreds donated for the event and which patrons haul out in large bundles, even one pulling a wagon stuffed with “a year’s worth of reading.”

“But it’s the cobbler that gets me here even before the doors open,” said Paige Lawrence from Camp Sherman. Church members, dozens in all, run the entire affair baking and cooking and canning, making up gift baskets, and setting up tents, games, and music.

Some two dozen baskets were raffled off. The assortment appealed to every taste and fashion from fine wines to Lancôme cosmetics. From home accessories to

sporting swag. The baskets were arrayed indoors while everything else transpired in the abundant shade of the church lawns.

Intermittent music played in the background, alternating between DJ Rodger Gabrielson, and the fivepiece Jazz Folks ensemble. The vibe from the music and the crowd was mellow as folks sauntered among the cornucopia of tasty and fun activities.

Rigs from area fire departments were on hand for kids of all ages who could get a hands-on demonstration of the equipment.

Bigstock returns to Hoodoo Ski Area

Bigstock is returning to Hoodoo Ski Area on September 6-7 as a benefit for Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) and Cascadia Wildlands.

Billed as “Two Days of Music in the Mountains,” Bigstock will be headlined by award-winning artists, including Greensky Bluegrass, Margo Price, and Oteil and Friends, featuring Melvin Seals, Steve Kimock, Jason Crosby, Johnny Kimock, Tom Guarna & Lamar Williams Jr., and more.

The event includes two days of music, food and drink vendors, educational tables, late-night shows

in the lodge, and optional camping at 5,000 feet in the heart of the Oregon Cascades.

“We’re so excited to have expanded Bigstock to two days of music in the mountains. It feels good to giveback and to gather for the love of music. Hoodoo is a great venue and is thrilled to host such a meaningful event,” said JJ Jones, founder of Bigstock.

Now in its 15th year, Bigstock Fundraiser has a sole mission of raising funds through philanthropic events. From the early years of backyard concerts

Young talent takes the stage at The Barn

A new band in town, Salty Squirrel Hunters, debuted with their first concert Friday afternoon at The Barn. The group of middle- and high school-aged youth were students in the Branch to Fruit advanced music camp offered by SFF Presents.

The show kicked off with a sparkling original tune, written and performed by seventh-grader Everett Danger Spurgeon on banjo. Then Tristan Marshall took

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) Skipping the August meeting, nor mally the 4t h Thursday, and resuming in September.

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 Weds., 1-2:3 0 p.m. T he Lodge in Sisters. 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 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

center stage with his ukulele and stunned the audience with a complete rendition of Queen’s epic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Marshall didn’t sing; his uke carried the melody. Freddie Mercury would be pleased.

An eighth-grade homeschooler, Marshall took inspiration from the great Hawaiian ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro. “I changed the parts I didn’t like,” he said. “I played what sounded good to me.”

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

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

Families enjoyed the downhome fun of the Sisters Country Fair.

By T. Lee Brown Correspondent

Ellen Waterston named Oregon’s Poet Laureate

Governor Tina Kotek has named Ellen Waterston of Bend, a celebrated poet/ writer, teacher, and speaker who founded the Writing Ranch and the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, to a two-year appointment as Oregon Poet Laureate. Waterston will be Oregon’s 11th Poet Laureate and succeeds Anis Mojgani, who has held the post since 2020.

“Ellen Waterston stands out for her commitment to community engagement, her focus on bringing different ways of living and different parts of the state together, and her notable ability to describe the moments, places, and people that make Oregon, Oregon,” Governor Kotek said. “I am eager to see how she applies her talents in the literary arts to serving the state as Oregon’s eleventh Poet Laureate.”

Much of Waterston’s award-winning poetry and prose is inspired by the remote reaches of southeastern Oregon’s Outback. She has published four poetry titles: “I Am Madagascar, Between Desert Seasons,” “Vía Lactéa” and “Hotel Domilocos,” of which poet and author John Calderazzo said, “In a world of both staggering beauty and loss, from the tropics to the high desert, Ellen Waterston offers us intimate conversations among

heart, mind, and place, stories that speak to hope, recovery, and joy.”

Lawson Fusao Inada, Oregon’s fifth Poet Laureate, wrote, “The truth is: Ellen Waterston’s poems arrive. They situate themselves naturally, to proceed in compelling, telling ways. Each poem leaves something behind.”

Waterston’s poems have appeared in anthologies and journals, been featured on Writer’s Almanac and landed her numerous fellowships, grants, and residencies. Her poetry awards include the WILLA Award for two of her collections and the Obsidian Prize for Poetry. Waterston is currently completing a fifth collection featuring a series of commissioned poems celebrating remote locations across the West.

“Inspired by the example of the Poets Laureate who have preceded me, I am eager to share my love of poetry, place, and the power of the written word with Oregon’s diverse audiences,” said Waterston, “and to kindling creativity and community as I go.”

Poetry has always been at the center of Waterston’s writing, but she is also the published author of three awardwinning literary nonfiction titles: “Walking the High Desert,” “Where the Crooked River Rises,” and “Then

There Was No Mountain.”

“We Could Die Doing This,” a collection of essays, will be published fall 2024.

In addition to her work as an author, Waterston founded the forprofit Writing Ranch, offering retreats and workshops for established and emerging writers, and the Bend-based literary arts nonprofit, The Nature of Words, which she directed for over a decade. She subsequently founded the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, annually recognizing a nonfiction book proposal that examines the role of deserts in the human narrative, now a program of The High Desert Museum. She has instructed creative writing at high school and undergraduate levels and authored the original feasibility study for OSU Cascades Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing, where she now teaches.

University and a Master of Arts in Archaeology from the University of Madagascar. She has three children and three grandchildren and lives in central Oregon.

A 20-person committee of writers, poets, and cultural leaders reviewed Poet Laureate nominations earlier this year; the committee’s top candidates were submitted to the Governor for her consideration.

Her work as an author and literary arts advocate was earlier recognized with an honorary Ph.D. in Humane

Letters from OSU-Cascades and, in 2024, with both the Literary Arts of Oregon’s Stewart H. Holbrook Award and Soapstone’s Bread and Roses Award. “We celebrate Ellen Waterston for her work creating a vibrant literary life east of the Cascades,” said Soapstone. “She created unique and important events, focused attention on the literature of the High Desert, and mentored numerous writers while writing poetry and nonfiction works that have become an essential part of the literature of Oregon and the West.”

Waterston received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard

The Oregon Poet Laureate fosters the art of poetry, encourages literacy and learning, addresses central issues relating to humanities and heritage, and reflects on public life in Oregon. Waterston will provide at least 10 public readings per year in settings across the state to inform community, business, and state leaders about the value and importance of poetry and creative expression. The program is funded by the Oregon Cultural Trust and administered by Oregon Humanities. Past Oregon Poets Laureate are: Edwin Charles Markham (1921–1940); Ben Hur Lampman (1951–1954); Ethel Romig Fuller (1957–1965); William Stafford (1974–1989); Lawson Inada (2006–2010); Paulann Petersen (2010-2014); Peter Sears (2014-2016); Elizabeth Woody (2016-2018); Kim Stafford (2018-2020); and Anis Mojgani (2020-2024).

Ellen Waterston.

PHOTO BY SCOTT NELSON

Ashley Tuttle John H. Myers

SAA Fourth Friday Artwalk: Summer’s End

By Helen Schmidling Correspondent

Summer is winding down, temperatures are cooling, and families are heading back to school. Where has the summer gone? Sisters Arts Association’s final Summer Fourth Friday Artwalk on August 23 offers one more opportunity to explore the galleries of Sisters with friends.

Space in Common hosts oil painter Raina Verhey, whose impressionistic landscapes of the high desert and stone are a modern depiction of ancient and sacred spaces. Raina moved west from Georgia as a teenager. Her work is based on travels through Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.

The Rickards Gallery welcomes mosaic glass artist Mare Schelz. Mare’s new show, “Optic Flow,” is filled with colorful glass depictions of nature that flicker and catch your eye as you wander through them. Some

are familiar, some are abstract; all are eye-catching.

Sisters Gallery & Frame’s featured artist, Caroline Stratton-Crow, works in two- and three-dimensional realms from danc ing junipers in water color and acrylic, to clay figures, spirit masks, and astrological projec tions. Her horses are an expression of freedom, strength, and power. Owls, symbolic of wis dom, and crows, which are quick-witted and smart, represent magic.

Toriizaka Art spotlights work by Nguyen Thanh Binh (Vietnam). Born in 1954, he graduated from the fine art university in Saigon in 1983. His paintings are rendered with subdued hues of creams, browns, and whites, punctuated with reds and blacks. Binh’s preference for simplicity in composition and design reflect his own way of life. The paintings often express his sorrow and the sorrow of many in his generation. The elegance of his nudes and women in traditional Ao Dai moves beyond the form of his subjects to capture their grace and beauty. Japanese haiku inspires Binh. Just as a haiku contains only three lines, its meaning is profound. Similarly, art can have great meaning with minimal color and detail.

Rae Roberts. Hood Avenue Art this month features three artists.

Ceramic Artist Susan Yokoyama’s clay artistry began in the rich soils of Kula, Hawaii, and is now inspired by the colors of Central Oregon. Her interest is in the structure of Japanese tea bowls created using the raku process. Ruth Carroll paints dramatic landscapes of Oregon and her native California, primarily in oils. Pastel and oil painter Kathleen Keliher is known for her plein air studies that she develops into larger studio paintings.

by Kathy Deggendorfer,

The Campbell Gallery at Sisters Artworks displays drawings by Maren Inga Veloso. Inspired by her mother’s Norwegian heritage, Maren created many of these images in the public library on Orcas Island last

September, after she came across a digital archive of antique embroidered shawls (Halskläde) from the 1800s, and a book about traditional Norwegian knitwear. She grew up around piles of sweaters and a collection of carvings made by generations of her family. Maren’s work also adorns ceramics by her childhood friend, ceramist Laura Campbell. Wildflower Studio features signed and numbered limited edition prints by local artist Norma Holmes. Norma works in pastel, and paints both plein air and in her studio. Wildflower also carries Norma’s book, “Land Escapes,” where she explores in depth several eastern Oregon destinations. The gallery also has new prints, cards and stickers by Kelly

Stitchin’ Post’s guest artist is Sharon Carvalho, whose “Piece by Piece” collection is free-flowing, organic, and improvisational. Starting with the vaguest of ideas, Sharon’s art is inspired by shape, color, and serendipity. It involves piecing, applique, and mixed media, including fabric she designed and printed, commercial prints, and decorator textiles with lots of texture. It often consists of melding photographs she has taken and repurposed to her own style of mixed media. Using photo-editing software, she mixes images with other art and prints on cottons, silks, and other media.

Makin’ It Local features newly released giclee prints

Inspired by her surroundings, color, and texture, Kathy’s vibrant and colorful watercolors are whimsical representations of ranch life, her travels, and the environment. Please be kind, and remember to shop local. All of the galleries — and most of their artists — are local and welcome your support. Sisters Arts Association reminds you to sign up for its Quick Draw where two tickets will be selected at random, each good for a $50 gift certificate.

one of Sisters’ favorite artists.

Fall colors by Kathleen Keliher at Hood Avenue Art.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Stained glass by Mare Schelz at The Rickards Gallery.

PHOTO PROVIDED

“Shaman’s Delight“ by Caroline Stratton-Crow at Sisters Gallery.

PHOTO PROVIDED

“Carmel Bouquet” by Kathy Deggendorfer at Makin’ It Local.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Of aAGEcertain

Sue Stafford Columnist

Is the system broken?

Before moving to Sisters in 2004, I researched the medical community in Central Oregon – doctors, clinics, hospitals, emergency services – and was encouraged that quality medical care would be readily available. And it was, in the beginning.

When I moved, I had just turned 60 and was not yet eligible for Medicare. My first job at hospice offered me excellent group health insurance coverage. I quickly established relationships with several medical practices where I found it easy to book timely appointments with doctors who spent time getting to know me and my medical conditions.

Prior to turning 65, I made sure I had established my medical team in preparation for going on Medicare, at a time when some practices were already limiting the number of patients they would see on Medicare. My internist was a gem! She was younger and I figured she’d be my doctor to the end. During COVID, she quit practicing. Now in my 70s, a new doc needed to be found, easier said than done.

Over my 20 years in Sisters, the medical environment in Central Oregon has undergone a disappointing decline, hugely

impacted by the COVID epidemic. Gone are relaxed appointments involving meaningful conversations about “how I am doing.” Fifteen to 20 minutes max.

Timely appointments for immediate needs don’t exist anymore unless there happens to be a last-minute cancellation. Booking three, four, or more months out is the norm. More often than not, it is not the doctor who I see but the physician’s assistant. If I need to be seen right away, the standard directive is to go to urgent care.

During my Medicare annual wellness check I was told if I wanted to discuss anything other than what is on the checklist I would be charged for a second appointment. Given how difficult it is to get an appointment I figured as long as I was there, I would ask some questions. My bill reflected the second appointment charge.

I recently contracted COVID-19 while visiting in Portland, and the state of our broken healthcare system was made glaringly evident. After testing positive for COVID, I called my doctor’s office in Central Oregon to request a prescription for Paxlovid be sent to a Portland pharmacy. My very brief phone call never got beyond the person who answered the phone. I was informed the office didn’t do that anymore, and I would have to be seen in the office first (which made no sense to bring my COVID-positive self into the public) before I could receive a prescription. I had just seen the PA and had lab work done two months before. When I reiterated that wasn’t possible because I was in Portland, the voice at the end stated dismissively, “Then go to urgent care.”

That wasn’t the first time I had been offered that advice by that office. It happened last winter when

I was very sick (with what, I didn’t know) and couldn’t get an appointment. I did go to urgent care in Redmond, and tested positive for strain A of the flu which had me down for two months. Being seen in Sisters would have been easier.

Last week, I did find another of my doctors who immediately sent the prescription to Portland.

The following 24 hours were a nightmare of misinformation from the Portland pharmacy and my insurance company, and long holds on the phone with both. It was only because of my persistence and the friend with whom I was staying being willing to make several trips back to the pharmacy that I finally prevailed. Had I not made three separate phone calls to my insurance company until I reached someone who knew what they were talking about, I would have been on the hook for a $1,745.09 payment for Paxlovid.

Every time I run into these all too often recurring situations, I am thankful that I am familiar with the healthcare system and still have the cognitive ability to pursue the appropriate action. With large pharmacies and other bottom-line entities buying up medical practices and hospitals, healthcare is becoming about profit and not what’s best for the patient. This is a scary time to be an elder citizen with healthcare needs. I recently heard about a new physician who moved to Bend and was highly recommended. She doesn’t take Medicare patients.

In the news recently was word of The Center and St. Charles merging. Desert Orthopedics closed their doors. The earth is moving under our feet, and we are powerless to stop or redirect it. Our healthcare system is broken. What are our elected officials doing other than taking pot shots at each other?

Sisters Book Festival offers workshops

Sisters Book Festival, set for September 13-15, will offer a series of workshops with noted authors.

Notions of wealth: A generative writing workshop exploring poverty and creativity — Friday, September 13, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Authors Tina Ontiveros and Chris/tina Vega both grew up in poverty. They will host a generative writing workshop exploring these themes and the economic impact of poverty on our writing practices, storytelling, and personal narratives.

In this 90-minute workshop, participants will engage with writing prompts and storytelling practices that encourage them to acknowledge and release stigmas associated with poverty, and encourage a reclamation of narratives of power, dignity, and alternative notions of wealth. Workshop participants can expect to leave with several writing “seeds” that can serve as the base for future, thoughtful writing in essay, poetry, memoir, and/ or hybrid genres.

This workshop is intended to expand the lens with which we all view and discuss notions of poverty and wealth. All are welcome, regardless of where they fall on the economic spectrum or whether or not they have lived experiences of poverty.

Writing Workshop for Parents — Sunday,

September 15, 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Publisher and poet Chris/ tina Vega will guide participants through a writing session meant to rekindle the imagination, get participants writing, and explore the connections between our writing and parenting practices. Workshop activities will include an iteration of the literary game “Sugar, Porridge, Spoons,” guided writing prompts about the intersection of parenting and creativity, and free writing exercises.

Poetry of Belonging: A Workshop for the PoetryCurious — Sunday, September 15, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

You belong to language, and language belongs to you. Do you have memories of trying to connect to old poems in school, but feeling confused and uninspired? Consider this your invitation from poet/singer-songwriter Beth Wood to think about poetry in a different way. Poetry is everywhere! And poems can lead us to healing, preserve and convey stories, and help us process emotions while connecting with others. In this 90-minute interactive workshop, participants will engage in wordplay with writing exercises and games and share our work in a supportive space. All levels of writing experience are welcome.

• Waldorf-inspired curriculum

• ERCD welcome

• Enrolling children from birth to 3 years of age for fall

541-250-1046 • 611 E. Cascade Ave.

(At the new SPRD Community Center)

Child Care Center

EVERY WEDNESDAY • 5:30 PM

5:15 PM SIGN-UP WITH PAT UPSTAIRS Arriving late? Buy-in until 6:30 p.m.

$20 buy-in with rebuys and add-ons. FOR MORE DETAILS GO TO SISTERSSALOON.NET

Kreunen is new head volleyball coach

By Rongi Yost Correspondent

Josh Kreunen was recently hired as the new head girls volleyball coach.

He brings with him a wealth of personal and coaching experience. Kreunen started playing club volleyball when he was a sophomore in high school and played through high school, college, and beyond. While in high school, Josh played as a setter and outside hitter, and was voted to the All Regional Team as a setter his senior year. He graduated from Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Washington, and went on to play Division 1 volleyball at University California Santa Barbara (UCSB). During his tenure at UCSB, the team was ranked ninth nationally.

He continued to play competitively indoors, and on the beach. He had the honor of playing at the USA Volleyball Nationals six times in his playing career, the most recent in the Men’s 45 and over division in 2019 where he took fourth place.

Kreunen began his coaching career in 1999 as a graduate assistant for the men and women’s teams at UCSB. From there he coached high school volleyball for the next 15 years. He was voted Coach of the Year in the Greater St. Helens League four different times while he was coach at Union High School.

In 2013, Kreunen moved to Denver and coached at Regis University for four years, while he also coached club volleyball, which he has done for the past 11 years. He led his Denver Volleyball Club to a 10th place finish at Nationals and 10 of his

players went on to play at D2 and D3 schools.

This past year, Kreunen coached two teams with the Athena Volleyball Club in Hillsboro.

Kreunen told The Nugget he had plans to move to Bend in October to be close to family and friends, and also to continue coaching Athena volleyball with its expansion in the area. As he got more involved with the Central Oregon volleyball community, he heard of the opening in Sisters for a head volleyball coach. He looked into the program, talked with several people, was impressed with Sisters’ volleyball history, and decided he wanted to be a part of it.

Obituaries

Ronald D. Cooper March 4, 1940 — August 1, 2024

Ronald D. Cooper, born March 4, 1940, to parents Rolla and Lorene in Hubbard, Oregon. Ron passed on August 1, 2024, quietly at home with wife and children close by.

Ron attended OIT, Portland State College and Portland Community College, earning an associates degree in mechanical engineering. Ron worked for several companies in the Portland area and 2 years in the state of Maine, designing and building sawmills.

in Florida. Ron enjoyed sharing stories about his father who was a boxer and boxed under the name Tiny Cooper. He was Northwest Heavyweight Champion. He died young, leaving his wife and three sons.

Kreunen went through the interview process, and was immediately hired.

Kreunen told The Nugget that his philosophy is that “great athletic programs and great teams are based on the quality of people involved, more so than the quality of athletic talent.” He added that there’s purpose beyond yourself, and that is the team. He stated that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

He shared his goals for this year’s Sisters High School volleyball team.

“Because of Sisters volleyball history, the immediate goal is to win another state title,” said Kreunen. “Goals along the way are to continue to improve the program through strong teamwork, smart volleyball, and competing at a high level every time we set foot on the court.”

Ron was a lifetime member of The Pudding River Rod and Gun Club in Molalla, volunteered for the Hubbard Fire Dept., and was a member of the Sisters Rodeo Association. Ron enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping. His interests were in antique cars, drag racing, shooting trap, collecting guns.

He was very proud of his two children, Scott Ronald, presently living in Texas with wife, Denise, and their daughter Jenna; and Joey Lynn, presently living

Ron was a person that could do everything! He could rebuild the engine of your car, put a new roof on your house, and repair the finest piece of jewelry. He is preceded in death by his brothers, Mike and Jerry. Survivors include wife, Diane; son, Scott Ronald; daughter, Joey Lynn; two grandchildren, Shane Groth and Jenna Cooper; and several nephews and a niece. Ron was very social and had many friends on both sides of the mountain.

“Coop” will be missed.

Josh Kreunen will coach the Outlaws’ powerful volleyball program.

PHOTO BY RONGI YOST

Regulators trim proposed rate increases

By Lynne Terry Oregon Capital Chronicle

Oregon insurance regulators have cut the health insurance rate increases proposed by insurers earlier this year, but individuals are still likely to pay an increase of 5 percent and could see rates jump by 11 percent.

Financial specialists in the Department of Consumer and Business Services said in a release Wednesday they had lowered the rate increases proposed by five companies offering plans on the individual market while keeping the rate proposed by Kaiser Foundation Health Plan the same. The changes would cut the weighted average increase for all companies from 9.3 percent to 8.1 percent. They left Kaiser Foundation Health Plan’s rate as is at 5 percent – the lowest of six companies that will offer individual plans next year.

Most Oregonians are insured through their employer, Medicaid or Medicare. About 145,000 residents purchased health insurance policies for this year on the federal marketplace, which is the only way to obtain subsidies.

The rate reviews will go up for final public comment in early August, and officials will make a final decision later that month.

The rate cuts proposed by the department followed months of review by the public and state insurance regulators to make sure the policies comply with the Affordable Care Act, which requires that insurance cover certain preventive procedures at no extra cost. The reductions in the rates the companies first proposed in May follow a determination by officials that components of several company filings were above allowed limits.

Under the law, the state is in charge of reviewing and revising rates to ensure they are “reasonable and not excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory.”

“I’m glad we were able to find ways to save Oregonians money in a time when budgets are tight,” Andrew Stolfi, Oregon’s insurance commissioner, said in a release. “Our health insurance market is competitive, and we have five carriers offering plans in every Oregon county next

year, which gives Oregonians more options to shop for plans to fit their budget.”

Regulators made the biggest cut to Moda Health Plan’s proposed 9.4 percent rate increase, trimming it by 1.8 percent to 7.6 percent. They trimmed Providence Health Plans’ proposal by 1.7 percent, bringing it to an increase of 9.5 percent. The biggest rate increase will be in PacificSource Health Plans, at 11.1 percent, just down from an initial 11.6 percent proposed by the company.

Regulators also reviewed rates proposed by eight insurers who offer plans on the small group market to employers with up to 50 staff members. Those rates could go up an average of 12.2 percent if the current rates stand after public comment. Regulators only trimmed the proposals of two insurers: They brought UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company’s proposal down from an increase of 13.2 percent to 12.7 percent and UnitedHealthcare of Oregon’s down from 18.8 percent to 13.3 percent.

Republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 courtesy https://oregoncapital chronicle.com.

SFF Presents undertakes zero waste

SFF Presents is committed to reducing its environmental impact at their events, with a special focus on waste management. After receiving considerable grants from The Environmental Center in Bend and Can’d Aid’s Crush It Campaign, the organization has made significant progress in diverting refuse, and eliminating single-use plastics.

The Environmental Center’s Community Innovation Fund grant of approximately $5,000 enabled SFF Presents (SFFP) to purchase tailored bins and other infrastructure resources and helped to provide funding for a new “Zero Waste Lead” at the Big Ponderoo and Sisters Folk festivals. In addition to the lead, SFFP volunteers are assigned to supervise the zero waste stations during events to ensure waste is being properly sorted by festival attendees.

At the recent Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival at Village Green Park, festivalgoers diverted 53 percent of refuse away from landfill. The average for festivals across the country is just eight percent. The diverted items included recyclables, redeemable cans and bottles, and food compost, which was dropped off locally at Mahonia Farms.

In 2024, SFFP has completely eliminated single-use

plastic cups at their events and requested attendees bring Silipints and Steelys from previous SFFP events for beverage service. Over 2,300 patrons attended this summer’s SFFP events, saving thousands of disposable cups from ending up as landfill. At Big Ponderoo, 220 festival goers brought existing Silipints and received a merchandise voucher in lieu of a new Silipint.

In the artists’ greenroom, organizers established a system for washing utensils and tableware, which saved a significant amount of single-use items going into the landfill.

SFF Presents has also received a grant of over $7,000 from Can’d Aid’s Crush It Campaign. This grant focuses on sustainability training, auditing,

resource evaluation, best practices, and forward planning.

“At future events, we’ll be asking patrons to sort trash, food compost, recycling, and redeemable cans and bottles correctly into the designated bins. This simple action significantly reduces landfill waste and supports our sustainability goals,” said SFFP Workflow Specialist Ruth Williams, who has been leading the effort along with Ty King, SFFP’s logistics and facilities manager. By participating in SFF Presents’ zero waste efforts, patrons contribute directly to the environmental sustainability of Big Ponderoo, the Sisters Folk Festival, and the wider Sisters community. For more information, visit www.sffpresents.org.

SFF Presents volunteers help with sustainability program.

PHOTO PROVIDED

TRAILGRAMS: Trail blazin’ around Sisters

Canyon

Meadows Loop

By Bill Bartlett Columnist

This delightful, easy to moderate outing is occasionally confused by other nearby trails. It is not the Three Fingered Jack trail or even the Jack Lake Trail (there is no Jack Lake trail per se). At the Jack Lake trailhead you are treated to options one of which is Canyon Creek Meadows Loop part of which is on the Old Summit Trail.

The loop section is just at five miles with an elevation gain of roughly 600 feet. There are branches that can turn it into a 7.6 mile or longer excursion either to Wasco Lake or to within great photo opportunities near Three Fingered Jack mountain. This also doubles the elevation.

Why go? Jack Lake itself, acquired within minutes, is not the reason. It is small and only mildly picturesque. It’s the entirety of the trail with wildflowers much of the summer, tranquility and light traffic comparatively speaking, say as compared to Suttle Lake Loop trail.

About a fourth of the hike is alongside pristine Canyon Creek which at one point has a 15-foot doubledrop waterfall.

When to go? Primetime is July through mid-October. You’re apt to be in snow in early June, and starting in late October. If you go then, bring your snowshoes.

What to expect? Until the first hard night freeze there will be mosquitoes. Come prepared and don’t let that dissuade you. The first mile or so of the hike confronts you with the scarred remains of a 2003 wildfire. This may sound uninteresting, but it’s not. To the contrary it is mystical and full of life, for out of the ashes has sprung new growth, some now 15 feet tall. The burned trees

interspersed with live ones make for superb abstract photos. Try shooting in black and white with high contrast. Smartphones will let you convert the photos to interesting sepia or monochrome images right in the phone’s software.

Flowers include rose spirea, rockcress, Sitka valerian, skyrocket, mountain paintbrush – mostly alongside the creek – and various aster. There are reports of huckleberry.

This is bear country which should not be a deterrent. The odds of seeing one are small. Birds are plentiful, but you must be alert.

As it is a loop trail you can go either direction. If you want the most uphill at the start and not the end, then go clockwise.

There are toilets at the trailhead.

Getting there Drive west on Highway 20 for about 13.5 miles and take a right onto Jack Lake Road (Forest Service Road 12) and simply follow the signs. It’s 3.7 miles on pavement then about seven miles on good dirt road. Unless there’s snow, no four-wheel or all-wheel drive is needed. What you’ll need

You will need a $1 permit, a small price to pay for the sheer beauty. You must reserve at recreation.gov and carry them on your person. As mentioned, bug spray and as usual a hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water are advised. Wear suitable footwear and if it gives you more comfort, carry bear spray.

The Canyon Creek Meadow Loop offers many photo ops for Three Fingered Jack.

PHOTO BY BONNIE MORELAND

Creek

Sisters Star Watch

Plea se join the Sisters Astronomy Club on Saturday, August 24 for an evening under the stars . e star watch will begin at 8:30 p.m. with

an informative presentation at Sisters Park & Rec District (SPRD) o ce building , after which visitors will move out onto the adjacent parking lot where telescopes will be set up to view the night sky. e event is f ree and all are invited . SPRD is located next to Sisters High School at 1750 McKinney Butte Rd . For more information email ron.thorkildson@gmail.com.

Open Studio with PMRCA A Artists in Residenc y

Join the sixth Open Studio of the 2024 residenc y season at Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture on ursday, August 29, f rom 4 to 6 p.m. Presenters for this event include multimedia artists Ren Allathk ani, Kathleen Caprario, and Christina Martin. Presentations are in Pine Meadow Ranch’s Classroom, 68467 ree Creek s Rd. is event is f ree and open to the public . Registration is required at https:// roundhousefoundation.org/ events/. For more info call 5419 04- 070 0 or email inquiries@ roundhousefoundation.org

Sisters High Deser t Chorale

Sisters High Desert Community Chorale will begin rehearsals Monday, September 9 at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, 121 Brook s Camp Rd . f rom 6:30 to 8:30 p.m . All voices are welcome and no auditions are necessary. For further information contact Irene Liden at 541-848-874 6 or lidenmez zo@gmail.com

Weekly Food Pantry

e Wellhouse Church hosts a weekly food pantr y ursdays at 3 p.m. at 222 N . Trinit y Way Both drive-through pick-up and shopping-st yle distribution are available. Info: 541-549-4184.

Free Weekly Meal Service

Family Kitchen hosts weekly togo hot meals on Tuesdays , 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sisters Community Church, 130 0 McKenzie Hwy Visit www.FamilyKitchen .org

Free Lunches for Seniors

For those 60+, the Council on Aging of Central Oregon o ers a f un, no-cost social lunch every Tuesday, 11 a .m. to 1 p.m. at Sisters Community Church, 1300 McKenzie Hwy. No reser vations needed. No-cost Grab-N- Go lunches take place weekly on Wed . and urs ., f rom 12:30 to 1 p.m. Call 541-797-9367.

STAR S Seeks

Dispatch Volunteers

While working from home, help STAR S transport Sisters Country resident s to nonemergenc y medical appointments . Needed: A computer, the abilit y to use online apps, and a telephone. Call 541-9 04-5545 . STAR S is an AFSC Action Team.

A NNOUNCEMENT S

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, August 22

Sisters Beekeepers Meet The Barn in Sisters

Saturday, August 24

Metolius Interpretive Walk

Camp Sherman Bridge

Saturday, August 24

Sisters Star Watch

Sisters Park & Rec Building

Sisters Beekeepers Mee t

Calling all Sisters Country beekeepers and those intrigued by beekeeping . Gather to swap tales , share tips , troubleshoot woes , and toast successes

Meet ursday, August 22, at 5 p.m. at e Barn in Sisters . Call Trac y at 970 -481-4477 for more information or see you there!

Friends of the Metolius Interpretive Walks

Join Mike Riehle on this f ree interpretive walk f rom Camp Sherman Bridge to Allingham Bridge & back. Saturday, August 24, f rom 9 to 11 a.m. Mike, a retired fish biologist, will share his many years of experience studying and managing the native fish that depend on this river for spawning and survival. While walking along the Metolius , Mike will discuss the diverse aquati c life, the unique fish habit at, and the variet y of native fish. Meet near the Camp Sherman Bridge fish-viewing platform. Children are more than welcome, but dogs are not appropriate. Wear sturdy footwear and bring water. For information call 541-318-8389.

Sisters 4 -H Dog Group for Youth

Have fun and meet new friends while learning about care & training of dogs , including anatomy, parasites , feeding , di erent sports that dogs can do, and more. Sisters K9 Paws 4-H encourages youth to set goals and helps to develop selfconfidence and problem-solving In August group members can show their dog at the Deschutes County Fair 4-H Dog Show. is group is open to children 9-18 years of age who weigh as much as their dog. Projects are available for Cloverbud children ages 5 to 8 . Register at Deschutes Count y Extension 4-H, 541-548-6088, ext. 2. New enrollment starts Oct. 1. For more information, cont act: Nanc y Hall 541-9044433, nancyhall4h@gmail.com.

STARS Seeks Volunteers to Transpor t Patients

Help Sisters Countr y residents get to nonemergency medical appointments in Sisters , Redmond, and Bend . Attend a free t wo-hour training. Emails from STARS dispatchers allow you to accept dates and times that work for your schedule, and a mileage reimbursement is included. Learn more at www starsride.org. STARS is an AFSC Action Team.

Camp Sherman Pancake Breakfast

Bring your family and f riends to a traditional Pancake Breakfast at the Camp Sherman Communit y Hall, Sunday, September 1, 8 to 11 a .m. Enjoy all-you- can-eat ham, eggs, pancakes , orange juice, and co ee. Adult s $12; children 5–10 years $6 , under 5 f ree. Proceeds benefit Camp Sherman Historical Society and Friends of the Metolius . For more information call 541-595-2719.

Sisters Habitat Volunteers Needed

Are you looking for something fun to do with your free time? Volunteer with Sisters Habit at for Humanity! Call 541-549-1193 .

Historic Guided Walking Tours

Join ree Sisters Historical Societ y for a free tour of Downtown Sisters L andmarks on August 21 or 25, or the Camp Polk Pioneer Cemetery on August 21. Learn more about who and what has helped “make Sisters , Sisters ” All tours begin at 10 a .m. (except August 25 at 3 p.m.), cover about a mile+, and take 1-1.5 hours. Families are welcome. Reser vations are needed, so stop in the Sisters Museum on Fri/Sat/Sun, call 541549-14 03 or email museum@ threesistershistoricalsociet y.org with your contact info.

Living Well With Dementia Sisters Suppor t Groups

Living Well now o ers t wo support groups . A support group for the care partners and family of those diagnosed with some form of dementia meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month f rom 1-2:30 p.m. at e Lodge in Sisters , 411 E Carpenter Ln. A support group for the person diagnosed with some form of dementia in the early stages meets the same days and times , also at e Lodge Info: 541-6 47-0 052.

Renaissance Sisters Concer t Renais sance Sisters will present a concer t of recorder music from the Renaissance thru contemporar y and jaz z on Sunday, September 8 , at 3 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. Donations will benefit SistersGRO, an independent nonprofit that partners with local donors and Sisters High School to ensure access for all SHS graduates Reception to follow concert For more information contact Lola Knox at 541-390-4 615 or 4tayknox@gmail.com

Happy Trails Horse Rescue Seek s Volunteers

Calling all horse lovers! Happy Trails Horse Rescue needs volunteers! Can you help them help horses? New Volunteer Orientation the first and third Sundays at 10 a .m. or call 541-241-0783 to schedule! Learn more at https://www happytrailshr.org.

Sisters Garden Journal

Sisters Garden Club has a Garden Journal that is available for $15 at Paulina Springs Books , e Gallimauf ry, ree Sisters Floral, C&C Nursery, & Metamorphosis, all in Sisters e multiyear journal includes pages for notes on weather, monthly garden activities , plant details , and more. Sales support the Club and other local nonprofits . Get your copy now ey make great gif ts . Call 97124 6-040 4 for more information

Public Pickleball Courts ere are three pickleball courts available 7 days a week at the middle school tennis courts. All of the tennis courts are permanently lined for pickleball. ere are three temporar y nets up against the fence that can be moved out onto the court and used or you can bring your own nets . Please put the net back when you are done. Questions? Call Karen at 503-871-4172.

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

LUKE

Meet Luke! is dashing boy is ready to jump into his forever home after being transferred to HSCO. Luke will love to play and go on walk s with his adopter. His high energy will keep his adopter active for years to come. If you’re ready for a new pup in your life, stop by the shelter today

SISTER S- ARE A C HURCH ES

Baha’i Faith

For information, devotions, study groups , etc., contac t Shauna Rocha 541-6 47-9826 • www.bahai.org www.bahai.us • www.bahaiteachings .org

Calvar y Church

484 W. Washington St. , Ste. C & D • 541-588-6288 10 a .m. Sunday Worship • www.ccsisters.org

Chapel in the Pines Camp Sherman • 541-815-9153

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

e Church of Jesus Christ of L at ter-Day Saint s 452 Trinit y Way • Branch President, 5 41-420 -5670; 10 a .m. Sunday Sac rament Meeting

e Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration 121 N Brook s Camp Rd. • 541-549-7087 www.transfiguration-sisters.org

8:30 a .m. Ecumenical Sunday Worship

10 :15 a .m. Episcopal Sunday Worship

e Resting Place meeting at Sisters Communit y Church, 130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy www.restingplace.us • hello@restingplace.us 5 p.m. Sunday Worship

Seventh-Day Adventist Church 541-815-9848

11 a .m. S aturday Worship

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (ELCA) 386 N . Fir Street • 541-549-5831 www.shepherdof thehillsluther anchurch.com 10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters Church of the N az arene 67130 Har rington Loop Rd. • 541-389-8960 www.sistersnaz .org • info@sistersnaz .org 10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters Communit y Church (Nondenominational) 130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy. • 541-549-1201 www.sisterschurch.com • info@sisterschurch.com

9:30 a .m. Sunday Worship

St . Edward the Mar tyr Roman Catholic Churc h 123 Trinit y Way • 541-549-9391

5:3 0 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass • 9 a .m. Sunday Mass

12 p.m. Monday Mass • 8 a .m. Tuesday-Friday Mass Wellhouse Churc h 442 Trinit y Way • 541-549-4184 ht tps://wellhousechurch.churchcenter.com 10 a .m. Sunday Worship

POLICY: Nonprofits, schools , churches , birth, engagement, wedding , and anniversar y notices may run at no charge. Business items do not run on this page. All submissions subject to editing and run as space allows . Email lisa@nug getnews .com or drop o at 4 42 E . Main Ave. Deadline is 5 p.m. on Fridays

Drought has cost hydropower over decades

By Alex Baumhardt Oregon Capital Chronicle

Persistent drought in the West over the last two decades has limited the amount of electricity that hydropower dams can generate, costing the industry and the region billions of dollars in revenue.

The sector lost about 300 million megawatt hours of power generation between 2003 and 2020 due to drought and low water compared with the long-term average, researchers from the University of Alabama found. That equals about $28 billion in lost revenue. Half of the drop in power generation was due to drought in Oregon, Washington, and California, which produce half the hydropower generated in the U.S.

The researchers published their findings July 23 in the journal Environmental Research Letters

The three states have been the most affected financially and environmentally by the decline in power production. Economic losses in California were estimated to be more than $8.7 billion, and in Washington more than $4 billion. In Oregon, the hydroelectricity sector is estimated to have lost more than $1.5 billion in revenue over those 18 years.

When there isn’t enough hydropower available, utilities are forced to purchase energy from fossil fuel producers, mostly from natural gas companies, that drive up emissions.

The purchase of gas-powered electricity to supplement a lack of hydropower drove carbon dioxide emissions up 10 percent over the 18 years, the study found.

To reach their conclusions, the researchers analyzed stream flows from hydrogenerating facilities across the U.S. from 2003 to 2023, and compared them with drought maps over that same period. They noted that droughts in the Western states were more severe and more frequent than in other parts of the U.S., causing the most significant losses.

Hydropower electricity from Oregon and Washington dams fell to historically low levels last year. Both Oregon and Washington generated 20 percent less hydropower in 2023 than in 2021.

Republished under Creative Commons license

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 courtesy https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

Sisters-Area Events & Enter tainment

WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 21

The Barn Live Music: Critical Blues Band 6 to 8 p.m. on the outdoor stage. Info: www thebarninsisters.com.

Sisters Saloon Poker Night Texas Hold’em 5:30 p.m. to close upstairs. 21+. $20 (add'l $5 when bounty chip is played).

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

THURSDAY • AUGUST 22

Ski Inn Taphouse Hotel Live Music: Haute Melange brings a special night of Gypsy jazz swing The band includes violinist Bob Baker, Scott Johnson on guitar, Jon Harnum on guitar and trumpet, Dillon Schneider on guitar and Evan Brawn on stand up bass 6-8 p.m. Free entry Info: www.sisterstaphousehotel.com.

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Jeff Alessandrelli presents "And Yet" with special guest Carrie J. Walker 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. More info at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

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.

Luckey's Woodsman Megan's Terrific Trivia 5:30 p.m.

Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Located at 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. B. 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.

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 • AUGUST 23

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.

Makin’ It Local Artist Reception: Kathy Deggendorfer 4 to 7 p.m. "Patterns" featuring newly released prints. Refreshments and decent wine served. 281 W. Cascade Ave. More info: www.makinitlocal.com.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Madras Airport The Airshow Festival 1 to 11 p.m. Airshow, aircraft displays, classic car show, live music, fireworks. Tickets and info: www.airshowofthecascades.com.

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Live Music: Rockridge 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Info: 541-549-2471

SATURDAY • AUGUST 24

Hardtails Live Music: In The Pink a tribute to Pink Floyd, bring a special 3-hour performance with light show to Sisters, 8 to 11 p.m. Tickets $25 at www.BendTicket.com.

Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Silvertone Devils 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets $10 at www.sistersdepot.com/our-events.

Luckey's Woodsman Live Music: Zach Madison "Serenade in the Shade" Saturday music series 4 to 7 p.m. BBQ special. Located at 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. B.

The Barn Live Music: Henkle Butte Ramblers 6 to 8 p.m. on the outdoor stage. Info: www thebarninsisters.com.

Pine Meadow Ranch Art Workshop: Natural Dyes Series

Madelaine Corbin presents "24 Natural Dye Samples for Color Journal." 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Save 10% with code Nugget10. Tickets at www.roundhousefoundation.org/events/.

Madras Airport The Airshow Festival 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Airshow, aircraft displays, classic car show, live music Tickets and info: www.airshowofthecascades.com.

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

SUNDAY • AUGUST 25

Sisters Saloon Live Music: Lilli Worona & John Shipe 6 to 8 p.m. on the patio Free and open to all ages 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 • AUGUST 26

The Suttle Lodge Live Music: Skybound Blue "Big Lawn Series," 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages

TUESDAY • AUGUST 27

Ski Inn Taphouse Hotel Live Music: Kolby Knickerbocker 6-8 p.m. Free entry Info: www.sisterstaphousehotel.com.

WEDNESDAY • AUGUST 28

The Barn Live Music: Double Jump 6 to 8 p.m. on the outdoor stage. Info: www thebarninsisters.com.

Sisters Saloon Poker Night Texas Hold’em 5:30 p.m. to close upstairs. 21+. $20 (add'l $5 when bounty chip is played).

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

THURSDAY • AUGUST 29

Luckey's Woodsman Megan's Terrific Trivia 5:30 p.m. Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Located at 352 E. Hood Ave. Ste. B. 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.

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 • AUGUST 30

Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Robert Lassila Quartet 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets $20 sistersdepot.com/our-events. Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Live Music: Mortal Solstice 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly

SATURDAY • AUGUST 31

The Barn Live Music: Watkins Glen 6 to 8 p.m. on the outdoor stage. Info: www thebarninsisters.com.

Luckey's Woodsman Live Music: Brent Alan Solo "Serenade in the Shade" Saturday music series 4 to 7 p.m. BBQ special. Located at 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. B. Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

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

SUNDAY • SEPTEMBER 1

Sisters Saloon Live Music: Silvertone Devils 6 to 8 p.m. on the patio Free and open to all ages

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 • SEPTEMBER 2

The Suttle Lodge Live Music: Blair Borax "Big Lawn Series," 6 to 8 p.m. Free for all and for all ages

WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 4

The Barn Live Music: Telecasters 6 to 8 p.m. on the outdoor stage. Info: www thebarninsisters.com.

Sisters Saloon Poker Night Texas Hold’em 5:30 p.m. to close upstairs. 21+. $20 (add'l $5 when bounty chip is played).

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament

Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

THURSDAY • SEPTEMBER 5

Luckey's Woodsman Megan's Terrific Trivia 5:30 p.m.

Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Located at 352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. B.

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 • SEPTEMBER 6

Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Jazz Folks

Dave Wentworth brings his "perfectly mellow" jazz quartet to the courtyard 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets at sistersdepot.com/our-events.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby

8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Live Music: Toothpick Shaker 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly

cross paths. The NOBOs having started in mid-Spring from the Mexican border at Campo, California, and thruhiked 2,000 miles to arrive in Sisters. The SOBOs left the Canadian border in late June, having hiked 650 miles, with the tough challenge of starting in rugged North Cascades.

The dream of a continuous footpath between Mexico and Canada was first proposed in the late 1930s. It would be decades of working with private landowners and governmental agencies before the PCT came into reality, inaugurated in 1977.

A Mercator Projection map of the world hangs neatly behind the display counter of Hike-N-Peaks outdoor store in Sisters. Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers often stop in here as part of their resupply for the trail. Co-owner/manager Sharri Bertagna says they invite every thru-hiker to push a colored pin into the map to mark their home town and country.

“We’ve had (this year) hikers from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Korea, Georgia (the country), and of course, the U.S., but by the end of the season we should have a lot of pins in here for Germany as well. They are a big hiking country,” Bertagna explains. By the end of the hiking season the map may have noted hikers from every U.S. state and up to 45 counties.

The average time to

hike border to border is five months. Only 50 thru-hikers are permitted to leave the border each day, having made a selection for a start date in a highly competitive system the year before.

One of the pleasant surprises was how far one solo female hiker came, “Her given name is Victoria, her trail name is Tumbleweed,” Bertagna said. “She is a 27-year-old thru-hiker from a small island off the coast of Norway. There are only 25 people who live on the same island!”

A thru-hike is defined as a continuous foot path from one border to the other. It is near impossible this year, and even the last few years, due to fires.

The average thru-hiker will spend $1,500–$2,000 on gear for the PCT. They will then spend an average of $10,000 on the hike for food, hotels, shoes, replacing lost or broken gear, and incidentals.

This summer, the PCT seems to be continually closed in at least two places in California, Oregon, and Washington. As wildland firefighters get one fire under control and are able to open a section of trail again, another fire pops up making it a continuous battle for thru-hikers to stay informed about what closures lie ahead on trail. When thru-hikers come upon a trail closure, they are then left with the difficult logistics of figuring out how to get around the fire and where they should get “on trail” again, either by hitchhiking or reaching out to a local “trail angel” group to try to secure a ride.

Dee McCormick has been a camp host for the last four seasons at Sisters Creekside

Campground and has noted the irregularities in how many thru-hikers have actually been through this year.

“They started really late with a lot of snow and then the fires,” she said. “The first arrived about mid-July. Most wanted to start (their hike) in April but snow and rain delayed their start. We had 15 tents up the other night, but today, just two.”

Despite the fires, smoke, and trail closures, thru-hikers still find a lot to enjoy. Ken and Deb, both 64, are from Grass Valley, California. Their trail names are Papajoat and Mamajoat (Jack of all Trades). They so appreciate the PCT and the value it brings to those willing to explore, that they volunteer to maintain 25 miles of the PCT near their home.

Ken waxes enthusiastic about the trail so far: “It’s

been like a botanical garden from Mexico all the way to here! All the different flowers and cactus blooming. Just absolutely wonderful to be in and see this great nature.”

With her very short legs, Mamajoat (Deb) also notes the challenges brought on by storms early in the hiking season:

“Trail maintenance has been lacking in a few places with all the late storms, with lots of fallen trees, with which my short legs is tough to get over, There are big sections in California where the trail is completely washed out.”

Still, Papajoat has found little to complain about, choosing to focus on the beauty instead. He admits that because of Deb’s short strides, they only average 12 miles per day and it has actually slowed him down enough to take

extra time to enjoy the greatness of the outdoors, especially as they were heading into Jefferson Park, a section that many thru-hikers regard as the prettiest in Oregon. “I love the mountain heather, the lupine, and the paintbrush, just so vivid, just brilliant crimson and reds. The shooting stars, penstemon, foxglove — all in bloom. Just outstanding!” he said.

One of the more intriguing stories of how a hiker came to be on the PCT comes from Bob Fischer (64, no trail name yet) of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Fischer’s home, like more than 2,000 others, was reduced to a mound of soft ash.

“Everything, all of it, gone,” he said sadly.

Having mused about the PCT years earlier, he figured nothing was going to change

Lili and her hiking partner between McKenzie Pass and Santiam Pass on the PCT.

Mamajoat and Papajoat, age 64, from Grass Valley, California.

Tumbleweed, a hiker from Norway, marked a map kept at Hike-N-Peaks in Sisters.

in Lahaina for quite a long time. He was in pain about his loss, untethered to the future and whether he could even live in Lahaina again. “For me, the PCT became a path to introspection about my life so far, and wondering what will the future look like, ” he said. “The trail has brought me a sense of peace that I never would have found had I stayed on Maui. It’s been a wonderful distraction with so many people holding my story and that’s when I began to let go, to heal.”

How do thru-hikers regard their short resupply stay in Sisters? It’s a mixed bag. Many trail towns often require a “hitch” to get into and out of town. Those hitches can be problematic, given traffic and the time of day. Thru-hikers can wait from a few minutes to several hours for a kind

soul to give them a ride into Sisters. Hikers report that the 24-mile hitch from Santiam Pass is harder given the narrow shoulders on Highway 22 and the speed of traffic.

“Drivers spot us a little too late to pull over. You can see it in their faces as they zip by,” said Jamboree, a thru-hiker from Texas.

The hitch from McKenzie Pass (14 miles) is much easier, given thru-hikers can approach sightseers for a hitch.

As far as a resupply town, Sisters is regarded as simply, “Good.” Not great or superb or excellent, just good. What thru-hikers love about Sisters is the friendliness, the whole “Wild West vibe,” as one hiker described it. They like the compact size of Sisters making it easy to get around on foot, just a mile from one

end of town to the other. All the things they need, laundry, food, a post office and groceries are all an easy walk, and Sisters residents are described as friendly, very helpful, and willing. So willing in fact that when Hike-N-Peaks didn’t have the shoe in Mamajoats size, a local said, “Hey, you can borrow my truck if you need to go to Bend.”

The only minus noted about Sisters, and it is a big one, is the high price of lodging. A few hoteliers offer a discount to PCT thru-hikers, but often not enough of a discount for them to book a room, given that many thruhikers don’t have the funds to drop $250/night and upward on a room. Although the thought of a soft bed, laundry on site, air conditioning, and access to town is tempting, running out of money in the

middle of their PCT hike is unthinkable. Most will opt for the campground, where a special section has been set aside for them. The cost to camp, including shower is only $5. A price that thru-hikers enthusiastically pay.

Although thru-hikers give high marks to the variety of eateries in Sisters (and thruhikers eat, i.e. devouring like starving hyenas).The only minus noted was the lack of early morning breakfast eateries. Hikers’ bodies are adjusted to getting up at 5 a.m., and eating to be on the trail by 6 a.m. Apparently, not a lot of options for that time of day to find an eatery to, “carbo-load.”

The question is, given the conditions of the last three years, why attempt a thruhike and risk breathing in the equivalent of smoking a pack

of cigarettes a day, especially given the cardiovascular challenges already placed on a thru-hiker’s body, and the additional task of having to get off and on the trail repeatedly through all three states just to skirt fires?

Lifeline, a 27-yearold female Quebec native remarked, “I wanted to push myself, to be able to prove to myself I was so capable. It’s the freedom. The simple life.” Spicy, a 30-year-old male from France, and Lifeline’s hiking partner, agreed: “It is the simple life. Everything you need you carry with you. Just being in the wild. I wake up everyday in a new place, I decide how far I’m going to go that day, where I’ll eat, what I see, how many miles I hike, where I’ll camp at night. It really is freedom.”

PHOTOS BY STUART EHR

This isn’t his first time at SFF’s music-focused creativity camps. “Camp is great,” Marshall enthused. “Every year this is one of the biggest things I look forward to, for sure.”

He loves that “it’s a great music community. Everyone is encouraging. It’s so fun getting to play music and write songs together with people who have such similar interests as you.”

Three fiddlers joined in with guitarists to cover “Bury My Bones.” Then a band called Take 16, comprised of camp students, covered a Modest Mouse song and performed a catchy original, written collaboratively by the whole group, “Elias Loves Someone.”

Visitors from Lake Oswego took photos, watching the show. “We had a friend who told us about The Barn, but I didn’t know about

FAIR: Event provides community outreach funding for church

Continued from page 3

Various games and live animal presentations for children dotted the closed off parking lot. Horses, full size and miniature, were a kids’ favorite, especially Duncan, a 14-year-old wild mustang rescue from the Ochoco National Forest. Just the day before Duncan, on a trail ride, had fallen through a bridge, a dilapidated structure not obvious to the rider.

Both horse and rider

the live music today,” said Nicole Rohde. “We were just driving through on our way to Sunriver and we ended up stumbling upon a gem!”

Together with teacher Joe Schulte, all students gathered onstage as the camp mega-band, Salty Squirrel Hunters. They covered tunes from “Salty Dog Blues” to ‘90s alternative pop favorite “No Rain” by Blind Melon.

Young student Victoria, rocking a full-length, pinkand-blue-ombre dress and pink-swoosh Nikes, set aside her blue ukulele. She sang lead vocals on “One Day,” a song of hope and peace by American reggae musician Matisyahu.

Rohde’s daughter Makenna is about to start third grade. What did she think of the kids on stage? “That they’re really brave because it’s probably really hard to get upstage and perform a bunch,” she said. Her brother plays the viola. “So it was super fun to see the violins and viola on stage,” added her mom.

The Rohdes said they’d

escaped without injury.

“It’s the pulled pork for us,” said Jim and Gloria Naylor. “It’s just that good,” Jim said as he settled in on his third slider.

There was a fly-tying demonstration, with onlookers and the curious chatting away as Roger Fairfield and Chuck Christopher explained techniques.

As much fun as it all was, there is a serious side to the event. All the income is given back to the community in a series of grants. After this year’s tally it will be some $350,000 that Country Fair has raised and disbursed to a wide range of community needs.

never heard of Sisters Folk Festival before. Both Nicole and Mckenna said the concert made them want to come back to Sisters. “For sure!” said Nicole. “I love to see kids getting away from their devices and showing their creativity and talent. It’s awesome.”

Salty Squirrel Hunters rounded out their set with Bob Dylan and Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon

Wheel,” dedicated to Ty King of SFF Presents, followed by the Dylan classic “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” After a bow on stage from the musicians, it was time for congratulations from parents and other audience members, topped by a trip to The SweetEasy Co. for ice cream.

SFF Presents, the organization that produces Sisters Folk Festival, offers weeklong summer creativity

WHERE IN THE

camps for middle school and high school students in grades 5–9. Teens and preteens explore music, art, theater, and self-expression with experienced teachers, usually on the stage and expansive lawn behind the Sisters Art Works building. Tuition is on a pay-what-you-can, sliding scale basis.

Said Marshall of camp, “It’s just great. I wish it would never end.”

WORLD IS

The Nugget

N EWS

Any guesses where the Nugget traveled to this month? get

Animals are the favorite attraction at the Country Fair.

PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT

Tristan Marshall plays “Bohemian Rhapsody” on his ukulele without dropping a note.

PHOTO BY TL BROWN

“And for every one animal collected, there could be two or three times as many who are badly injured and who limp off to the forest only to die there from their injuries.”

For years wildlife biologists and concerned groups have imagined ways to protect wildlife and motorists as they traverse the busy highway which easily sees 10,000 vehicles per day, a number growing swiftly.

Ideas ranging from tunnels to bridges for migrating wildlife have taken to the drawing board. Formed in 2022, the Bend to Suttle Lake Wildlife Passage Initiative is a group of state and federal agencies, nonprofits, landowners, and institutions that gathered to bring together the expertise, relationships, and regulatory authority necessary to address this critical issue. Central Oregon LandWatch manages the project and coalition, in partnership with the Oregon Wildlife Foundation, the coalition’s fiscal sponsor.

“This region provides critical habitat for a wide diversity of species, linking forested areas along the crest of the Cascade Range to the sagebrush grasslands of the high desert. Highway 20 is a formidable barrier to wildlife movement, and the risk of injury or mortality to wildlife is increasing as traf fic volumes rise. The high way bisects critical migra tion and movement pathways for mule deer and elk, and makes it more difficult for all wildlife, large and small, to access the resources they need to survive,” said Rachel Wheat, wildlife connectivity coordinator, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

single year since 2005. Since then, the numbers are declining, but still exceed 40,000 each year.

The U.S. Transportation Department is awarding $110 million to fund 19 projects in 17 states to help reduce car collisions with wildlife and help animals safely cross roadways. The awards are the first under a five-year $350 million program funded by the $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure law. The federal government received applications seeking $550 million in funding.

The initiative expects to draw funding from the federal fund along with help from ODOT and other possible grants. However, Bowman says funding is not certain given the agency’s persistent budget woes.

“It will be up to the legislature,” she cautioned.

The project’s cost while not yet finalized, with much planning and design work remaining to be done, could exceed $50 million, Bowman told us.

The first of the proposed crossings will be placed at mile markers 90, 92, 94 and 94.6; all four will be overcrossings. Suttle Lake is at milepost 87 and Black Butte Ranch is at 93.

“The danger to humans and the wildlife that inhabit this beautiful area is a

From a motorist perspective, there are more than one million wildlife vehicle collisions in the United States with large animals like deer that cost more than $8 billion annually. Wildlife-vehicle collisions result in about 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries to drivers and passengers annually, federal officials say.

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the average cost of colliding with a deer is $8,190. The cost of hitting an elk is $25,319 including the vehicle repair cost, human injury/ fatalities, towing/accident attendance/investigation, hunting value per animal, and carcass removal.

Since the COVID pandemic, U.S. traffic fatalities spiked. Road deaths jumped 10.5 percent in 2021 to 42,915, the highest number killed on American roads in a

growing concern for Black Butte Ranch homeowners and guests. We know that this is a complicated and challenging situation, and we appreciate actively participating in the discussions to find a tenable solution for everyone involved,” said Jacob Derksen, Black Butte Ranch natural resources manager.

According to National Geographic, wildlife bridges, often called “green bridges” in the United Kingdom, are usually covered in native vegetation of various kinds. This is to make them appear

like a natural part of the landscape and help invite animal passage. The crossings often work most effectively in conjunction with highway fencing, placed strategically on one or both sides of the entrance to funnel wildlife toward the corridor.

The concept was first developed in France in the

1950s. It took off in the Netherlands, where more than 600 crossings have been constructed to protect badgers, elk, and other mammals. The Dutch built the world’s longest animal crossing, the Natuurbrug Zanderij Crailoo, an overpass that spans more than one half mile.

This wildlife crossing on U.S. Highway 160 in Colorado is typical of a two-lane wildlife passage overcross.

PHOTO COURTESY COLORADO DOT

RFK, Jr. likely on Oregon ballot

By Dirk Vanderhart OPB

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to appearing on ballots across Oregon this November.

All it took was a brandnew political party.

On Monday, August 12, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office verified that backers of the independent presidential candidate had gathered enough valid signatures to create a new minor statewide party.

Dubbed the “We The People” party, the political organization was created for the express purpose of nominating Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, for a slot on the ballot.

Now that the party has been certified, it must adopt bylaws, select officers, and conduct a nominating process by August 27, according to Laura Kerns, a spokesperson for Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade.

Officials in Washington state have approved including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the state’s ballot in November, something that Washington Democrats oppose. It was unclear how the organization would go about the nomination. Jonathan Bradford Handley, a Portland financier who filed the petition to create the new party, did not respond to repeated inquiries about the party’s plans.

Kennedy is not the only third-party candidate slated to appear on the November ballot.

The Oregon Progressive Party has said it will nominate progressive activist and intellectual Cornel West.

WATER: Drought situation is significantly improved

Continued from page 1

and it looked like we would be losing snow fast.”

Runoff from snow in the Three Sisters mountains flowing through a series of small streams and collected in Whychus Creek is the source for the District’s water. It is then distributed to users through Cloverdale, down the McKenzie Canyon, and into Lower Bridge. The city of Sisters may be built on tourism, but agriculture is the economic lifeblood of the greater Sisters Country, with estimates approximating $30 million annually. The hay business alone is thought to be worth $14 to $15 million. Livestock is an $8 to $9 million factor.

Water, or lack of it, can be the difference between a livelihood and financial disaster.

As rabbit brush is turning golden and nights are steadily in the 40s, most farmers are headed to their third cutting of hay.

“Some went for a bigger first cut and will not have three, but most will,” said Williams.

By the numbers

Looking at the reports from the Three Creeks Meadow monitoring station, it’s easy to see why, despite the heat, there’s enough water. The year 2023 was a good year, with 37.5 inches of precipitation reached by August 14. This year is a close second at 36.8 inches.

Snows came late this year, and reached a maximum depth of 46 inches on March 5, whereas last year the station peaked at 64 inches on April 3. However, the more important measurement of snow water equivalent was close. It was May 16 last year when the last drop of snow melted, and May 6 this year.

Whose water is it?

Under Oregon law, all water belongs to the public. With some exceptions, cities,

irrigators, businesses, and other water users must obtain a permit or license from the Water Resources Department to use water from any source — whether it is underground, or from lakes or streams. Generally speaking, landowners with water flowing past, through, or under their property do not automatically have the right to use that water without authorization from the Department.

Oregon’s water laws are based on the principle of prior appropriation. This means the first person to obtain a water right on a stream is the last to be shut off in times of low streamflows. In water-short times, the water rights holder with the oldest date of priority can demand the water specified in his or her water right without regard for the needs of junior users.

If there is a surplus beyond what is necessary to fulfill the senior right, the water rights holder with the next oldest priority date can take what is available to satisfy needs under his or her right. This continues down the line until there is no surplus or until all rights are satisfied. The date of application for a permit to use water usually becomes the priority date of the right.

Vast improvement in drought conditions

A look at the Oregon drought map presents an entirely different picture than a year ago, when Deschutes County sat at D3 (Extreme

Drought), and half of Oregon posted D4 (Exceptional Drought) conditions. Drought in 2023 had a severe negative impact on farmers and ranchers in neighboring Crook County, where thousands of head of cattle and acres were taken out of production.

The Prineville Reservoir was at dangerously low levels in 2023. It was 73 percent full Sunday last. The Wickiup Reservoir was at 33 percent, normal for midAugust. Regional water storage is more than adequate to carry farmers into the rainy season.

cynicism and do we miss the wonder? I do. I’ve really enjoyed finding a fresh world again.

My faith in a higher power even grows when looking at things anew. It lets me see again how much I take for granted about life.

The Scotties are reminding me to look anew at how delicate and beautiful a spike of blooming lupin flowers are. Then, I’m reminded how amazing it is to watch those fragile flowers turn into bean-like seed pods.

must come to God with an open mind if we are going to develop real faith.

How long has it been since you became giddy with joy just watching a bee scoot around a daisies’ pollen-laden center, amazed at how the bee could fill its pollen basket (also known as the corbicula) with so much pollen and still be able to fly?

When did you last watch a procession of ants, being filled with wonder, and then try to follow the line to its end?

These are just a couple of the wonders my young Scotties have helped me enjoy seeing recently.

The Scotties were born in Idaho during the late fall. Cold had already killed the summer’s insects, and the puppies lived together alone as a pair in a small kennel for fifteen weeks of winter. They were fed once a day and only saw people when their feed bowl was dropped off or when they were given shots. In other words, their world was very small.

Now, living in a large backyard filled with flowers and grass, everything in the yard is new and thrilling. Going downtown in Sisters and seeing lots of people and dogs, is almost more than they can handle, because they become so enthralled with it all.

If you have ever spent time with three-year-old children, you’ll remember that they greet the world in the same way. For they are filled with excited awe and wonder too.

That excitement is contagious. It’s impossible to not get a fresh look at this amazing world when you are in the company of others who experience its astounding wonders for the first time. Life gets better in their company.

Books have been written and movies have been made about the thrill of having a chance to see the world in a fresh light. Adulthood tends to dull the joyful wonder of life. We tend to become jaded and even cynical.

Do we enjoy that

The complex mechanism which directs that transformation life is as complicated as the amazing method that makes a caterpillar transform into a butterfly. There is some awesome power and intelligence directing those processes.

Cynicism closes the mind, and often, that closed mind is pretty empty. Cynicism also destroys trust. How can you trust anyone or any process that you don’t believe in?

Open minds accept many ideas and approaches to things. Open minds give others a chance to show they are good and honest, without condemning them at the very beginning. The openness allows for the mind to take in a great deal of information, analyze that information and ultimately make an informed decision, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to something or to someone.

These are some of the reasons why Jesus said we

This awesome, intelligent, creative Energy that we call God is so vast and so far beyond our limited, three-dimensional human understanding, that we only begin to understand it if we study, and we take in vast amounts of spiritual information. Then we can begin to build a limited picture in our minds of what this Power is that exists around us and in us, and that can create and direct complex life and the universe.

In 1508, Pope Julius II directed Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with a picture of God. His intentions may have been good. He wanted people to feel closer to God and we all related to the human form.

The painting became very effective. Even today people often talk about God as if he is an old, white bearded man sitting on a throne in heaven. One problem with this depiction is that it greatly limits one’s understanding of this awesome, intelligent, creative Power or Energy which is without limitation, is everywhere and in everything all the time.

Take a moment to think about this; God’s Power is the energy that endlessly spins all electrons in each and every atom in your body and throughout the universe.

We are each, as spirit, an individualized essence

of that Power. This is why we can so often do so much more than we think we can. We, our Spirit, is limitless. The only thing that holds us back with any limitations is our physical body in which we live during our journeys on earth.

We can walk on water, as Jesus did, if our spiritual awareness is high enough. Jesus told us that was true, by saying that sometime in the future we will achieve that level of spiritual growth.

But we will never reach that level if we remain closed-minded or cynical about the world. We must become, like children, having a wide-open mind. We must see past the dullness of everyday living and find the wonder of real life, God’s world. Maybe we must spend some time with children or Scottie puppies and see the world anew.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10 (NIV) .

Oregon sets wildfire record

By Bill Bartlett Correspondent

Oregon set a record last week for acres lost from wildfire, 1.49 million or 2,200 square miles, surpassing the 2012 total of 1.2 million acres. Nationwide it has been a disastrous year for wildfire, with 5.5 million acres burned through Sunday from 30,293 fires. This is more than double the 2.7 million acres lost in 2023 but down from the losses of 2021 and 2022 when over 7 million acres burned those years.

The largest single wildfire in the U.S. is the Durkee Fire in Oregon that merged Saturday with the Cow Valley fire. Oregon has the largest number of active large fires — 17 — that have already consumed 629,000 acres. Only one is contained. Apart from some days of poor air quality, Sisters has been spared from raging fires — so far.

Something to behold

By Cody Rheault | Columnist

The night sky is home to bewildering spectacles. I remember the first time I noticed. I was six years old living in Edmonton, Alberta, with my family. My brother and I were awakened one winter night by our parents.

“There’s something you need to see,” they said with glee.

They wrapped us in fleece blankets and cradled us out the front door of our Canadian home into a brilliantly cold evening. My parents were shoveling snow from the driveway when it began.

My eyes traced my dad’s outstretched, pointed finger into the inky black night where a green and purple shape danced in the sky like Christmas garland among the stars. It felt like a dream. Vibrant teal and green laced with violet strands of light moved like rivers flowing in the night sky. They twirled and danced. But with a slow, sleepy blink of an eye it would all change shape.

“Those are the northern lights,” my dad explained.

Forward to August 12, 2024. I’m now 32 years old and still a dilettante of the night sky. I’m lying under a stubby bush on a windswept slope one mile west of Tam McArthur Rim studying a thin strip of sunset orange through the branches. Behind me my brother-in-law, Jarod Gatley, is finding his own reprieve from the bone-chilling wind as we semi-patiently wait for nightfall.

See BEHOLD on page 19

BEHOLD: Tam

McArthur Rim holds special place

Continued from page 18

Tam McArthur Rim is a childhood memory in itself, being the first trail I hiked when I moved to Central Oregon in 2004. It has long since held a special place in my heart for it’s unparalleled beauty and access to No Name Lake via the exposed ridge I’m currently huddled on. Jarod and I have trekked this path numerous times, often lugging cameras along with us. And tonight is no different.

We are up here to shoot sunset and with a little luck, the annual Perseids meteor shower. At 8,000 feet elevation, the Cascade mountains and stars glisten from horizon to horizon without obstruction.

The sunset was spectacular. A round shapely cloud capped the northern sky, burning bright orange and yellow as the sun dipped behind the South Sister. We watched smoke from valley fires filter through Broken Top and the Cascades like a fierce river flowing into Sisters country. Much like the dance of the northern lights I saw as a kid, the smoke drifted and threaded its way into Central Oregon with fury and ever-changing shapes.

We worked the unfolding scene with our cameras. We framed foregrounds, considered light, focus, and composition. The light quickly faded, changing color and value as the evening faded. Our images, graced with intricate layers of lighting from wildfire smoke, clouds, and the dynamic light of a sunset cast in earthen oranges, yellows, and blues, paled in comparison to the in-person experience.

The temperature quickly dropped with the sun, and like smoke from Mt. Bachelor’s peak, the Milky Way appeared in the sky. A subtle, purple pillar of light, a mere glimpse of a distant aurora borealis, rose out of the North Sister, reminding me of that childhood memory. Faint meteorites started streaking the sky to our north and east.

Jarod and I threaded the ridge line by the light of our headlamps, carefully considering composition and exposure to capture the night sky. When the chill reached our bones and we felt content with our images we trekked the five miles back to the trailhead. Periodically we would stop, switch off our headlamps and breath in the magnificence of an oppressively dark night punctuated by the light of distant, beautiful spectacles among the heavens.

JIMERSON: Equestrienne has volunteered for decades in Sisters

Continued from page 1

at Sisters Cow Camp, she “just fell into” that as well. A woman saw her working with her own horse.

“A lady saw me and followed me home, and said, ‘Would you ride my little horse?’ and I said, ‘Yeah.’ Raised two kids and loved every minute of it.”

When Gerry and Don moved to Oregon, they drove truck for Pozzi Windows for a decade while living on 40 acres in the area of Whychus Canyon Estates, where Gerry still lives.

Horses remained at the center of her life. And mules. She got into mules in about 2000 — and she wants it known that she’s currently looking for another.

She says she doesn’t necessarily prefer mules, but she likes them.

“I don’t suppose I like them better than horses, but they ride more comfortably for me,” she said.

In 2005, Jimerson trekked the entire Oregon segment of the Pacific Crest Trail, riding a mule named Buck and leading a pack mule named Oscar. She recalls that the trek took five weeks and two days.

On Sunday, she was riding

Sam, a horse that belongs to her good friends Lee and Peggie Fischer. Everything went well with one minor hitch.

“Sam fell down with me out there today, so I just sat there ‘til he got up,” she said. “I could have fallen off, but it hurts to hit the ground, so it’s best to just stay on.”

Jimerson is not one to slow down any more than she absolutely has to.

“I live every day to the fullest,” she said. “I ride with my friends every chance I get.”

OET keeps her strong. When she’s not riding or working, she’s always loved to read. Her tastes run to romance.

“Love stories, I guess,” she said. “I like Westerns, but I don’t like all the shootin’ and killing. I like happy endings.”

Sitting in a camp chair at Sisters Cow Camp, the dust of the trail on her boots, and good friends around to share stories, she expressed deep satisfaction as she contemplated turning 91.

Upkeep of her mules and work on her property and with

“I have a wonderful life,” she said. “I really have. I’d do it just the same way I did it again.”

Gerry Jimerson relaxed with friends at Sisters Cow Camp after an afternoon in the saddle on August 17. Leftright: Pat Marquis; Rhonda Marquis; Gerry Jimerson; Peggie Fischer; Lee Fischer; and Larry Holliday.

PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS

trail(s) he’s referring to (all of the proposed trails are two-way FYI).

His use of a quote from the comment section of the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife makes it seem more like it was the Department itself commenting on the effect of mountain bikes on trails, versus a random person who chose to comment. Additionally, the quoted information that “bicycles can cause degradation of wildlife habitat through erosion and widening of trails.” is opinion, as there is not sufficient evidence that mountain biking causes more trail degradation than hiking does and in reality it’s actually how the trail is constructed, frequency of use, and other factors that have a greater impact than user type.

Studies have also shown that hikers and joggers do in fact disturb wildlife so to take aim at bikers, especially using the term “downhill” is purely a way to evoke emotion from opponents of bikers. I think there exists a solution that meets the needs of mountain bikers, hikers, and equestrians and reduces user conflict among these groups while also accommodating for the vibrant wildlife around Sisters, but choosing to create and promote an “us versus them” narrative through reporting like this is not that solution.

Scott McBride

s s s

To the Editor:

Regarding Bill Bartlett’s August 14 article “Trail plan raises wildlife concerns,” he restates some of ODFW’s comments on Sisters Trail Additions and Replacement project (STAR). These comments are very misleading regarding the Brush Creek Trail and “Trail A” as transecting “important summer ungulate habitat that is currently intact and functionally uninterrupted by roads or trails.” To be correct, these are not new trails in a roadless, trail-less area and are not located in an ODFW Priority Wildlife Connectivity Area nor a Conservation Opportunity Area. Brush Creek Trail (BCT) is an existing wilderness trail, built in the 1930s. It is in the eastern part of Mt. Jefferson Wilderness Area, about 25 miles from Sisters and south of the Cabot Lake Trail. Being a ridge-top trail, it offers spectacular mountain views and also provides close access to the PCT. Currently, the lower 1.5 miles of trail tread is largely non-existent due to thick, post-fire revegetation and maintenance neglect. The upper 2.5 miles has tread, ranging from faint to very evident. Because the trail is difficult to follow from its trailhead, signage has been removed to discourage hiking and minimize potential search and rescue missions. The STAR project proposes to build a realigned, sustainable tread on the lower portion and “harden” the upper portion tread. The accompanying “Trail A” is a 1.7-mile trail that will follow a decommissioned road outside the Wilderness and connect the BCT trailhead with the Cabot Lake trailhead. This will allow hikers to complete a 13-mile loop from a single trailhead, visiting beautiful Carl Lake, traversing a unique volcanic/alpine section of the PCT, and enjoying the grand views from the BCT.

I believe the BCT and Trail A will be wellreceived by the Central Oregon hiking community, where limited entry wilderness permits and population growth are demanding more hiking opportunities.

Greg Kallio

s s s

To the Editor:

The Nugget’s August 14 story “Trail plan raises wildlife concerns” was so misleading and lacking in context that it was a disservice to objective readers.

Despite the hyperbolic lede, Adam Bronstein’s photos hardly reveal some improbable discovery of a “wildlife superhighway” in the Peterson Ridge Trail system. It’s well known in the local trail community that a family of cougars live near the upper picnic tables. They’ve been there for at least the 12 years I’ve ridden PRT. It’s not hard to find their tracks in the dust around the Hello Kitty Connector trail.

Black bears also roam the PRT system. Same with coyotes, deer and elk. None of this is news to people who spend time on these trails. It’s not hard to see them or their sign.

The article also failed to disclose that all of the three proposed downhill trail additions (designated Trails B, F, and H in the STAR proposal) are within rock-throwing distance of, and connect to, existing trails. Trail H will run parallel to the Metolius-Windigo trail to minimize conflict with equestrians. It beggars belief that adding three trails close to existing ones will create (in Mr. Bronstein’s words) “a wildlife desert”.

It’s really disappointing The Nugget chose to publish Mr. Bronstein’s overwrought hyperbole and misinformation without critical evaluation. Especially since Mr. Bronstein has a known agenda. Search his comments and writings in The Nugget and Oregon Capital Chronicle for examples.

We should expect more objectivity from The Nugget’s news reporting.

Bob Hoffman s s s

Move on to what?

To the Editor:

Response to August 14 Bunkhouse Chronicle:

I always look forward to reading Craig Rullman’s column and his unique style of communication, and life experiences. As a brother in VFW Post 8138 I am thankful for his service to this country, and as a police officer.

In this issue something Craig said caught my attention “With our political organs — it seems — only capable of producing candidates this bad, this vacuous, it isn’t difficult to predict what the next four years are going to look like, whoever wins.”

This rather flippant word salad ought to be followed up with some factual columns given the venue Craig’s been gifted by Jim Cornelius to express free speech.

Is the implication those representing our two different parties are in essence no different? What I find disturbing is the recommendation to “file the next four years, in advance, in the ‘History Repeating Itself’ drawer and move on.” Move on to what? Eliminate fracking, continued open borders, decriminalize illegal immigration, free healthcare for illegals, eliminate private healthcare, infanticide, stop school choice, oppose Title IX, defund the police, oppose parental rights, sexual mutilation of children, replace cash bail systems, destruction of our military with woke agenda and CRT, continued weaponization of justice system, mandatory electric cars, colleges breeding hate for America and vicious antisemitism, and just maybe leadership weakness that leads to World War III.

We must not forget the ominous warning by President Ronald Reagan: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the blood stream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

I would love to see written factual moveon-to-what truth offered by the candidates; given a mainstream press totally void of journalistic integrity. Time to pull out that big target sign again?

ByEdieJones

Ever y moment sacr ed. What does that mean? As I smell the dying r ose bud its beauty no mor e seen. As I sweep the floor of flour after forming br ead to bake. What’s to come—tr anspir e?

Jeff Mackey

No matter—all I’ ll take, and r elish all it gives me, whether in small or la rge degr ee.

Ever y moment sacr ed is a way to view my life.

To rejoice in special moment s and lear n lessons dec lar ed in strife. My pr ayer is for direction, one I live with zeal.

Sacr ed—to meet Gods’ pur pose. One my hear t embr aces—feels.

BIGSTOCK: Event supports Oregon Adaptive Sports Continued from page 3 Greensky Bluegrass.

featuring local bands entertaining a few hundred people to now hosting at Hoodoo Ski Area and entertaining up to 3,000 guests, the production and its popularity has grown significantly.

“For over a decade Bigstock has rallied the community to generate incredible support for the mission of OAS while celebrating great music and the beauty of Oregon’s outdoor spaces,” said OAS Executive Director, Pat Addabbo. “Coming together for the second time at Hoodoo Ski Area, a place where OAS has provided thousands of

opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy the thrill of skiing, creates a magical environment in one of our most cherished places.”

“Seeing live music and enjoying Oregon’s great outdoors are a quintessential summer combination,” said Josh Laughlin, executive director of Cascadia Wildlands. “Bigstock 2024 is sure to be a memorable opportunity to share our environmental mission with showgoers amidst a majestic backdrop of the Cascade Mountains and cutting-edge performances.”

For tickets and more information visit https:// btt.boldtypetickets.com/ events/147291059/bigstockpresents-margo-price-andoteil-friends or https://big stockfundraiser.org/about/.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Margo Price.

Week’s Crossword Sponsors

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

CLASSIFIED RATES

COST: $3.50 per line for first insertion, $2.50 per line for each additional insertion to 9th week, $1.50 per line 10th week and beyond (identical ad/consecutive weeks). Also included in The Nugget online classifieds at no additional charge. There is a minimum $5 charge for any classified. First line = approx. 20-25 characters, each additional line = approx. 25-30 characters. Letters, spaces, numbers and punctuation = 1 character. Any ad copy changes will be charged at the first-time insertion rate of $3.50 per line. Standard abbreviations allowed with the approval of The Nugget classified department. NOTE: Legal notices placed in the Public Notice section are charged at the display advertising rate.

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.

101 Real Estate FOR SALE BY OWNER

Townhome in Timber Creek, 1,290 s.f., 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Call/text 541-390-8899

1,518 sq. ft. 3BR/2.5 BA

New construction in historic district. 347 W. Jefferson. 2 blocks from coffee. Many special features. $719,000. 541-420-7128

102 Commercial Rentals

HEATED SHOP SPACE for rent. $280 monthly. 14'x40' 5 miles from Sisters, all paved. From October 15 – April 15. Call Gary 503-931-3177.

STORAGE WITH BENEFITS

• 8 x 20 dry box

• Fenced yard, RV & trailers

• In-town, gated, 24-7 EWDevcoLLC@gmail.com

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. Retail space for lease. 351 W. Cascade Ave. 1,543 sq. ft. ground floor, plus 552 sq. ft. second floor. Available August 1. 541-408-1658.

OFFICE/RETAIL

SPACE FOR RENT

Great location across from Ace Hardware. Several space types available. Call owner Jim Peterson/RE Broker. 503-238-1478

103 Residential Rentals

CASCADE HOME & PROPERTY RENTALS

Monthly Rentals throughout Sisters Country. 541-549-0792

Property management for second homes. CascadeHomeRentals.com

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

107 Rentals Wanted

65-year-old female seeking room to rent in Sisters. Can help with housekeeping. 541-306-9274

202 Firewood

• WINTER 2024 • SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS

DAVE ELPI – FIREWOOD

• SINCE 1976 • Doug Fir – Lodgepole –Hardwood – Juniper – Fir DRIVE-IN WOOD SALES

– 18155 Hwy. 126 East –SistersForestProducts.com Order Online! 541-410-4509 541-699-7740

205 Garage & Estate Sales

Sat-Sun • Aug 24-25 • 9-4 — 16809 Wilt Rd., Sisters — Tools, furniture, TV, household items, stereo equipment and speakers, space heater, books and bookshelves, artwork, men's bikes & bike equipment, & more!

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

301 Vehicles

We Buy, Sell, Consign Quality Cars, Trucks, SUVs & RVs ~ Call Jeff at 541-815-7397 Sisters Car Connection da#3919 SistersCarConnection.com

401 Horses ORCHARD GRASS

New crop. No rain. Barn stored. 3-tie bales. $240-$360/ton. Hwy. 126 & Cline Falls. 541-280-1895

403 Pets

I’ve got your cats covered! Sisters-Tumalo-PetSitting.com 541-306-7551 • Julie Brando's Natural Dog Biscuits brandosbyjulie.etsy.com

3 AKC small standard poodle male puppies available. Merle color. Ready for their new homes now. $1,800. 541-891-5500.

Gohan is a 2-month-old fluffy boy with a lot of personality. Apply to adopt this purrfect kitten at: sisterswhiskers.org THE NUGGET NEWSPAPER

500 Services

541-977-9898

HAVE A VACATION HOME?

Advertise it in The Nugget

• 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

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

501 Computers & Communications

3 Sisters TeleNetworks, LLC

Cable jobs, security cameras, WAPs. CCB #191099 541-318-7000 • 541-306-0729

502 Carpet & Upholstery

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

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

504 Handyman JONES UPGRADES LLC

Home Repairs & Remodeling Drywall, Decks, Pole Barns, Fences, Sheds & more.

Mike Jones, 503-428-1281

Local resident • CCB #201650 The Nugget • 541-549-9941

600 Tree Service & Forestry

TimberStandImprovement.net Tree 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!

Serving Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman & Sisters Area since 2003 ** Free Estimates ** Owner James Hatley & Sons 541-815-2342

4brostrees.com

Licensed, Bonded and Insured CCB-215057

LOLO TREE WORKS Tree Services: Tree Removal, Tree Pruning, Stump Grinding, Emergency Tree Services. ISA Certified Arborist Owner / Operator: Erin Carpenter lolotreeworks.com Call / Text: 503-367-5638 Email: erin@lolotreeworks.com CCB #240912

– Sisters Oregon Guide –Pick up a copy at the Nugget!

601 Construction

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

GEORGE’S SEPTIC TANK SERVICE “A Well Maintained Septic System Protects the Environment” 541-549-2871

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

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

Construction & Renovation

Custom Residential Projects

All Phases • CCB #148365 541-420-8448

Custom Homes • Additions

Residential Building Projects

Serving Sisters area since 1976 Strictly Quality

CCB #16891 • CCB #159020 541-280-9764

John Pierce

jpierce@bendbroadband.com

New construction, addition, remodel. Large and small projects. Contact for estimate. 541-325-3020

sales@gardnercontractingllc.com

Earthwood Timberframes

• Design & shop fabrication

• Recycled fir and pine beams

• Mantels and accent timbers

• Sawmill/woodshop services

EWDevCoLLC@gmail.com

T H E N U G G E T

N E W S P A P E R Your Local News Source! www.nuggetnews.com

Breaking News / Feature Photos Extras / Letters

541-390-1206

beavercreeklog@yahoo.com

Log repairs, log railing, log accent, log siding, etc. CCB #235303 Insurance & Bond

CASCADE GARAGE DOORS

Factory Trained Technicians Since 1983 • CCB #44054 541-548-2215 • 541-382-4553

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

602 Plumbing & Electric SWEENEY PLUMBING, INC.

“Quality and Reliability” Repairs • Remodeling

• New Construction

• Water Heaters

541-549-4349

Residential and Commercial

Licensed • Bonded • Insured CCB #87587

Ridgeline Electric, LLC

Serving all of Central Oregon

• Residential • Commercial

• Industrial • Service 541-588-3088 • CCB #234821

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

• Dump Trucks, Transfer Trucks, Belly

• The Whole 9 Yards or 24 Whatever You Want!

BANR Enterprises, LLC

Earthwork, Utilities, Grading, Hardscape, Rock Walls

Residential & Commercial

CCB #165122 • 541-549-6977

www.BANR.net

Excavation: septic system installation and repair, utility installation, site prep, demolition, road and driveway construction and maintenance.

"We dig your project" contact 541-325-3020 sales@gardnercontractingllc.com

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

604 Heating & Cooling ACTION AIR

Heating & Cooling, LLC

Retrofit • New Const • Remodel Consulting, Service & Installs

actionairheatingandcooling.com

CCB #195556 541-549-6464

605 Painting

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

~ FRONTIER PAINTING ~ Quality Painting, Ext. & Int. Refurbishing Decks CCB #131560 • 541-771-5620 www.frontier-painting.com

Construction Contractors Licensing

An active license means your contractor is bonded and insured.

The State of Oregon provides details at the online Oregon Construction Contractors Board at www.oregon.gov/CCB

606 Landscaping & Yard

Maintenance

Flow State Property

Improvements LLC Fall cleanups, pine needle removal, weed whacking, bark and gravel refreshing. Contact Steve at 503-884-2165 or email flowstatepi@gmail.com

J&E Landscaping Maintenance

LLC Clean-ups, raking, hauling debris, thatching, aerating, irrigation, mowing. Edgar Cortez 541-610-8982 jandelspcing15@gmail.com

Alpine Landscape Maintenance

An All-Electric Landscape Company.

Text/Call Paul 541.485.2837 alpine.landscapes@icloud.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

STEVE'S HAULING Yard and other debris, landscaping services, etc. 707-328-8370

All Landscaping Services Mowing, Thatching, Hauling Call Abel Ortega, 541-815-6740

Keeping Sisters Country Beautiful Since 2006 candcnursery@gmail.com 541-549-2345

– 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

BLAKE & SON – Commercial, Home & Rentals Cleaning WINDOW CLEANING! Lic. & Bonded • 541-549-0897

UPLOADED EVERY TUESDAY!

Nugget Newspaper

are at

802 Help Wanted

Firefighter/Paramedic

Black Butte Ranch RFPD is seeking dedicated applicants for the position of Firefighter/Paramedic. The Firefighter/Paramedic position works under the direction of a Fire Captain/Paramedic and is one of two on-duty career personnel. Joining our progressive and dynamic fire and EMS organization means participating in emergency response (fire & EMS), training, and community service roles, among other duties. The application packet is available on-line at https://blackbutteranchfire.com/ employment/ or call (541) 595-2288 to request an application packet. Completed applications must be received by 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at the following location: Black Butte Ranch RFPD, POB 8000, PMB 8190, Sisters, OR 97759. Applications may also be emailed to: jvohs@blackbutteranchfire.com. Physical address is 13511 Hawks Beard, Sisters, OR 97759. Current salary range $62,214$85,948 annually, plus benefits. Placement in salary range depends on experience, qualifications, and current budget. Black Butte Ranch RFPD is an equal opportunity employer.

Part Time Sales Associate

We are looking for a person who is friendly, outgoing, and reliable; someone who enjoys working with the public in a team environment. Workdays are Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Applications available at the Stitchin' Post, 311 West Cascade in Sisters or by email diane.j@stitchinpost.com. Questions? Contact diane.j@stitchinpost.com Employment Opportunity Office Assistant Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Office Assistant. Detailed announcement, job description, and application may be obtained via the District website at www.sistersfire.com or the business office at 301 South Elm Street, Sisters, OR 97759. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on September 6, 2024. For more information contact 541-549-0771.

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

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

Last call for classifieds is noon every Monday. Don't miss your chance! Place a classified ad in The Nugget. Call Lisa, 541-549-9941 lisa@nuggetnews.com

for puzzle on page 22

The Nugget Newspaper presents

in the Labor Day

We invite you to join us in delivering the human interest stories of neighbors that our readers love to read. Our professional writers and columnists are preparing these articles about people working in Sisters Country to make it the best community possible. Place your advertisements in front of a very engaged local audience!

This issue is a great time to place an ad to honor and highlight your amazing, dedicated employees and volunteers!

• Employee of the year

• An outstanding summer crew

• Volunteer extraordinaire

• Rookie who's stepped up to the plate in outstanding fashion

• Congratulate student employees headed o to college