12
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
PRESERVE: Acquisition
provides critical
continuity
Continued from page 7
expediting this new phase of
the rebirth of Whychus Creek.
“It would probably take
about 20 years to do the
whole thing one reach at a
time, like we did at Camp
Polk,” Egertson said.
Although the heavy work
of rechannelizing the stream
will not begin for another
year, the overall process has
already begun. Dozens of
downed trees, root balls still
intact, have been trucked to
the site in preparation for the
creation of diversions and log
jams in the new channels and
meanders.
“We have a lot of other
restoration projects already
going on,” said Egertson. “In
the meantime, we’re stock-
piling things as they become
available.”
The current plan calls for
restoration to be undertaken
in one-mile segments, begin-
ning with the lower half of the
new property, which would
be about mile four of the six-
mile stretch presently being
targeted. This portion of the
acreage includes beautiful
stands of orange-barked pon-
derosa pines and lush grasses,
so extra care will be needed
to preserve some of the prime
habitat already present.
“This is a really large
floodplain, here,” Egertson
said. “In these reaches, we
will be knocking down
(Army) Corps of Engineers
berms and putting in log jams
and letting the water do its
work.”
As the restoration of
one area continues, begin-
ning phases of the ongoing
process will move into the
next segments to be treated.
Probably the next segment
to be addressed would be the
upper half of the new acqui-
sition, to be followed by the
two segments in the original
Whychus Canyon Preserve
holdings.
Egertson said that the can-
yon, and hence the floodplain,
in that area is quite a bit nar-
rower than the newer half and
would, therefore, require less
extensive restoration work.
“There are some areas
there and at Rimrock Ranch
where the stream has already
done a good job of restoring
itself,” she said.
hu
Alder Springs
Ri
ver
Rimrock Ranch
Conservation
Easement
ek
Wh
reek
ation
ent
nd Trust
ds
Sisters
y ch
u
r ee
sC
k
on Sisters School District
Budget Committee; several
terms on the chamber board;
the Fiscal Advisory Commit-
tee; several terms on Sisters
Planning Commission; and
currently the Sisters Park &
Recreation District board;
and Sisters High School Hall
of Fame Committee.
It is people like Darren
Layne that make Sisters the
amazing place it is today.
Keeping it beautiful...
photo by conrad Weiler
kathy Bourdage (left) and peggy anderson clear debris during a
volunteer cleanup at Metolius Meadows.
35
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Indian Ford
Meadow
Preserve
20
• Chris Frye wrote:
I would like to take a sec-
ond to salute Darren Layne.
Civic duty doesn’t begin to
describe what Darren has
done for this community.
Darren has been on
boards or committees con-
tinuously since 1995. Darren
has served on: Sisters School
District Fund Raising Com-
mittee aka Sisters School
Foundation; several stints
J E F F E R S O N
D E S C H U T E S
n Ford Cre
India
Sisters salutes...
D es c
Extensive work at
Rimrock Ranch is still prob-
ably five or six years away,
Egertson said. She explained
that the work at the ranch
would probably be a mixture
of rechanneling plus preserv-
ing and enhancing natural
processes already underway.
Visits to Land Trust sites
are always a balancing act
between public access and
habitat preservation. DLT is
already working with ODFW
and the BLM to look at the
feasibility of extending the
existing trail system in the
area. Additionally, six his-
torical interpretive signs are
to be installed in the next
few weeks along the historic
Santiam Wagon Road in the
previously developed area.
Generally, there will not
be public access onto the
floodplain.
“We will, however be
hosting tours,” Egertson said.
“Some are scheduled for the
fall. We will, of course, have
stream restoration tours even
before it begins so folks can
see what it looks like now
and what it will look like
afterward.”
For more information
about the Deschutes Land
Trust, their free guided tours,
volunteer opportunities, or to
contribute to the Campaign
for te Whychus Creek, con-
s
tact the Land Trust at 541-
330-0017 or visit www.
deschuteslandtrust.org.
$300 Discount t
Whychus Canyon
2014 addition
For the month of June when
hen
ve
you start a comprehensive
treatment program!
Whychus Canyon
Preserve
Not valid with any other offer.
New Patients Only.
Camp Polk
Meadow
Preserve
126
Graphic provided
541-382-0410
the crosshatched section shows the new addition to the Whychus Canyon
preserve. this acquisition completes a six-mile stretch of Whychus Creek
that is now entirely under the protection of Dlt.
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