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Wednesday, July 8, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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I N I O
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Support for paved trail
By Kent Neff
Guest Columnist
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Letters to the Editor…
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To the Editor:
Accepting the hyperbole of recent LTE by
BBR trail opponents one would think the end
is near should the trail be built as planned—
excrement, trash, vandalism, trespassing,
motor-vehicle gridlock, environmental
destruction, lawsuits, scandalous surveys etc.
And yet it is curious that a Tollgate resi-
dent whose property is immediately adjacent
to the connecting spur can be a supporter of
the trail while another resident several hun-
dred feet away from the trail can be so fer-
vently against the plan. The reality is this is a
simple meandering trail through public woods
— not the Autobahn through Yosemite!
I do not know of a single developed trail
that has been built in the U.S. which has later
been recognized as a mistake by the major-
ity of residents within the trail’s district.
Frustrating as it may be to trail opponents, the
fact is that board-sanctioned surveys at BBR
and Tollgate have clearly shown the majority
of respondents — and by logical extension —
the majority of residents, are in favor of this
trail.
Let’s also be clear that the overriding pur-
pose of the trail from BBR to Sisters is to cre-
ate safe, environmentally friendly, healthful,
human-scale connections between population
centers within this community — and not
to throw up barricades and Keep Out signs
between neighbors. These population cen-
ters are on the south side of Highway 20. It
is obvious to anyone who has tried to cross
the intersection of Highway 20 at Barclay/
McKinney by foot or bike how unsafe and
irresponsible a north-side trail plan, with mul-
tiple crossings of the highway, would be for
accessing Tollgate or BBR.
Like motherhood and warm apple pie,
trails are wonderful. Paved multi-user trails
create minimal-cost long-term opportunities
See letterS on page 27
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This is written to con-
vey my very strong sup-
port for developing the pro-
posed Sisters to Black Butte
Ranch paved trail through
the National Forest.
I have spent consider-
able time in Sisters Country
for the last 45 years, at first
in a rented cabin on the
Metolius, followed by own-
ership of a house at Black
Butte Ranch for some 20
years, and as a permanent
resident of Sisters for the
last four. Central Oregon
is my favorite place in the
U.S.
I am also an avid cyclist
and hiker. From the ’60s
to the mid-’90s, I rode my
bicycle frequently from
Black Butte Ranch to
Sisters, as well as to Camp
Sherman and the Indian
Ford area. In those days,
Highway 20 was a rea-
sonable route; now, it is a
highly dangerous road for
cyclists. When my children
were younger, we enjoyed
bicycling as a family. Now,
traveling with children on
Highway 20 would be fool-
hardy. A paved Sisters-BBR
trail would restore all those
important connections and
contribute to an increased
sense of community among
the residents and visitors
to Sisters, BBR, and Camp
Sherman.
During my decades in
Portland, I spent many
enjoyable hours biking
on the Springwater Trail,
which connects Portland
and Gresham. During long
trips on the trail, I found
people pleasant, families
enjoying themselves, and
virtually no evidence of lit-
ter or property abuse. The
natural environment of the
area was not affected by the
many people on the trail.
On weekends, numerous
families were walking and
cycling on the trail, having
a wonderful time.
For eight years our fam-
ily lived in the Minneapolis
area, and I rode on con-
verted railroad right-of-
ways through the woods on
many occasions. Again, I
never encountered anything
but friendly people and fam-
ilies enjoying easy access to
nature. Handicapped people
could get places that they
couldn’t without the trails.
Because it was a large urban
area, the trails often ran
adjacent to peoples’ houses.
Proximity to the trails was
considered an advantage
and enhanced property val-
ues for many, even before
cycling came into its own
as it has in the last decade
or two.
In my experience, the
expressed concerns about
defacing the forest and
harming animals, while rea-
sonable, have little merit.
The forest quickly adapts
and animals use the trails as
thoroughfares. I have seen
tracks of numerous mam-
mals: raccoons, bobcats,
deer, elk, and the like on
STA trails around Sisters.
Our house in Sisters sits
in plain view of a frequently
used STA trail — much
closer than the shortest
distance to a house along
the proposed trail to Black
Butte. There have been no
problems whatsoever from
activity on the trail. I con-
sider it an advantage to be
able to access the trail so
easily, as do our children
and grandchildren.
It is indeed unfortunate
that there has been such a
vitriolic response from a
few people who live in the
area. As I talk to people
and get their responses, and
read the various surveys,
they do not at all represent
the view of the majority.
There is no need to launch
personal attacks on sup-
porters or detractors of the
trail or public servants from
the Forest Service or City
of Sisters who passionately
give their time and energy
to make this a wonderful
place to live.
Negative dialogue and
personal attacks will only
beget more such behavior.
It also gives Sisters a bad
reputation, as friends out-
side the area have noted.
It is time for us to
change the dialogue to a
more positive, respectful
tone. I would ask all of us
who express opinions about
the trail and other issues to
do it in a respectful man-
ner and not attack each
other. I would also request
that editors of The Nugget
— a great local newspaper
— exercise their editing
prerogatives and not print
the disrespectful, personal
attacks included in some of
the comments.
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.