Wednesday, April 15, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Outlaws to
host bingo
fundraiser
Professional trail builder to speak in Sisters
By Craig F. eisenbeis
Correspondent
As part of the continu-
ing quarterly speaker series
offered by the Sisters Trails
Alliance (STA), the orga-
nization will be hosting a
presentation by nationally
recognized professional trail
builder and trail consultant,
Woody Keen. Scheduled
to speak next week, Keen’s
topic will be “Leave No Child
Indoors: How to Make Trails
Interesting for Children.”
Among his many trail
affiliations, Keen spent six
years on the board of the
International Mountain
Bicycling Association
(IMBA). The IMBA was
founded in 1988 to promote
mountain-biker eduction and
trail management programs.
Today, the organization boasts
more than 170 chapters.
While much of Keen’s
focus can be expected to
be upon the mountain bik-
ing world, it should be noted
that, as a professional trail
builder and consultant, he has
been involved in the build-
ing, design, and study of trail
systems for all types of trail
users, including hikers, bicy-
clists, equestrians, off-road
vehicles, and even designated
bike parks. “I see the relative
impacts of all user groups on
a very regular basis,” he said.
In fact, he has conducted
extensive research on the
environmental impact of all
types of trail users. He also
served for four years as the
president of the Professional
TrailBuilders Association.
While he works all over
the nation, and outside the
U.S., Keen is no stranger
to Sisters, having presented
“Road to Trail Conversion
Workshops” here in 2013 and
2014 on behalf of the U.S.
Forest Service and the STA.
He has also worked with the
Bike Park 242 Committee,
in the development of a local
bike park for the Sisters Park
& Recreation District. (See
related article in The Nugget,
February 4, 2015.)
Next Thursday’s talk is in
keeping with Keen’s stated
goals of sharing trail educa-
tion and trail wisdom. “Trails
are a wonderful outdoor rec-
reation activity for all, includ-
ing families and children,”
he said. “Trails can help
fight obesity, reduce stress,
improve overall fitness, and
expose visitors to the natural
world helping to fight Nature
Deficit Disorder in children.”
Nature Deficit Disorder
is a term coined by Richard
Louv, author of “Last Child
in the Woods.” In this book
Louv postulates how today’s
societal standards and techno-
logical distractions combine
to deprive people, particularly
children, of the benefits of the
natural world.
Keen’s presentation next
week will, he says, “focus on
why trails are an important
recreation facility and provide
ideas on ways to make trails
interesting to children and
their families.”
STA board member Bjarne
Holm has volunteered to coor-
dinate STA’s speaker series,
and is quite enthusiastic about
Keen’s appearance at the STA
forum in Sisters.
“Everyone I have spo-
ken to about him refers to
him almost with reverence,”
Holm said. “I am certainly
looking forward to meeting
him. When Woody recently
helped present the Bike Park
242 proposal here in Sisters,
a mountain-bike-skills train-
ing facility, the reception was
overwhelmingly positive.
Woody is great at conceptual-
izing, planning, and executing
projects. He works with the
needs of equestrians, hikers,
cyclists and all the other trail-
user groups.”
Holm finds Keen’s appeal
to youth of particular impor-
tance. “In our current times,
photo proviDeD
Woody Keen, a renowned professional trail builder and trail consultant,
will speak in an event sponsored by the sisters trails Alliance.
televisions, computers, and Country. Volunteer help and
social media are pulling new members are always
young people away from the welcome.
natural environment in which
For more information
they live,” Holm said. “That’s about next week’s program
what makes Woody’s topic of or the STA, contact Ann
engaging the younger mem- Marland, STA’s community
bers of our community with outreach director, at 541-
nature out on trails so impor- 549-7006. Additional infor-
tant. Children need to be con- mation about STA can also
nected with nature so they can be found on their website at
grow up emotionally healthy www.sisterstrails.com.
and physically healthy, and so
they can productively engage
in our society.”
Next week’s program is
the fifth in STA’s quarterly
series of free public presen-
tations designed to promote
outdoor public recreation and
education in Sisters Country.
The presentation will be held
on Thursday, April 23, in the
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire
Station Community Hall in
downtown Sisters at 355 S.
Elm St. Doors will open at 6
p.m., and the formal program
will begin at 7 p.m. The pro-
gram is free and open to the
public.
The Sisters Trails Alliance
is a community volunteer
organization dedicated to the
planning, constructing and
maintenance of walking, hik-
ing, cycling, and equestrian
trails in Sisters Country. The
STA believes that trails are
an indispensable ingredi-
ent for the quality of life and
economic vibrancy in Sisters
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9
The Outlaws invite folks
in Sisters Country to join in
a family-friendly evening out
on Monday April 27.
Outlaws Together Bingo
has become an integral part
of the Sisters High School
Athletic Department philoso-
phy as teams work together
toward a common cause.
Sisters Park & Recreation
District has partnered with
the school district this year
to include a community din-
ner served by Three Creeks
Brewing Co. from 5:30 to
6:30 p.m., with bingo imme-
diately following.
The bingo grand prize is a
32 GB Apple iPad mini with
retina display.
The event will be held
in the Sisters High School
commons.