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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2015)
2 Wednesday, August 12, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O N Give existing trails a shot By earl Schroeder Guest Columnist Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address and phone number. Let- ters 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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 noon Monday. To the Editor: As suggested in some previous letters to The Nugget I support the idea of a paved multi- use path that is located on the north side of Highway 20 for the following reasons: First, there is the existing network of trails called the Sisters Tie trails that meander through the forest from the north Pine Street intersection in Sisters to Indian Ford Campground where there are facilities for parking, restrooms, and even camping! These trails could be paved with much less expense than creating a new trail as proposed. With the dollars saved paving already exist- ing trails we could construct one or two high- way crossings near Black Butte Ranch and/ or Tollgate. There is a beautifully innovative green highway crossing in Holland that pro- vides access for people as well as animals like migrating deer and elk herds, which are known hazards for motor vehicles. With these improvements we suddenly have access and connection for many more com- munities (Indian Ford, Sage Meadow, Squaw Creek Canyon Estates, etc...) on both sides of Highway 20. Consequently the road becomes safer for motor vehicle traffic and for the many animals injured or killed while trying to cross. The benefits are wide-spread and friction would be greatly reduced from folks in Toll- gate and Black Butte Ranch that are opposed to a paved path so close to their neighborhood. Sarah Rowland s s s To the Editor I attended the concert (Matt, the Electrician) on Thursday August 7. What a pleasurable event! Thank you to all who made the event possible — Sisters Folk Festival and The Roundhouse Founda- tion. I also want to express my thanks to the City of Sisters and in particular the City Coun- cil members, both past and present, who had the forward thinking to create the Fir Street Park. What a nice addition to our community resources. Please keep your visionary thinking going! Again, thank you! Ken Serkownek s s s See letteRS on page 30 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday thursday Friday Sunny Slt. chance t-storm Mostly sunny 88/52 81/45 72/41 Saturday Sunday Monday Sunny Sunny Sunny 79/43 83/44 78/na The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Publisher - Editor: Kiki Dolson News Editor: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Williver Classifieds & Circulation: Teresa Mahnken Advertising: Lisa Buckley Graphic Design: Jess Draper Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Accounting: Erin Bordonaro The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. 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About three years ago, it started. There was this meeting at the Tollgate Rec Hall. About six folks announced there was to be a trail, all planned out and ready to go. A real surprise to all 50-plus folks in atten- dance. And then it began. One might call this a “Trail of Two Cities” from Sisters to Black Butte Ranch. Immediately there was controversy. The loca- tion of this yet unnamed trail, was not accepted by many Tollgate residents, who considered that the 1,300-plus vehicles that tra- verse Tollgate Road in and out every day could be dan- gerous. But after six months of grumbling, many other comments were submitted to The Nugget via Letters to the Editor. Most folks had no idea that any resistance to this trail would occur. But it did, and has became a daily con- versation throughout all of Sisters Country. Sides were taken, with no real middle ground. The intensity grew, with volumes of comments voiced in The Nugget. B efo re l o n g , m an y groups became involved so that things became convo- luted. Just to name a few: boards of directors from Crossroads; Tollgate; Black Butte Ranch; U.S. Forestry; Sisters City Hall; Sisters School District; ODOT; Sisters Trails Alliance; and eventually Deschutes County. All seemed to have an opinion one way or the other and things became very commingled and agi- tated with no compromise in sight. Many of the groups involved “supported” the concept of this new trail, but having only limited information what it would entail. All because of a seven- mile trail to hike or bicycle on, that was thought to be wanted or needed to give our communities cohesion and to enjoy a pathway through our national for- est. All the while, the USFS was conducting an environ- mental assessment trying to determine the feasibility, what was best for the com- munity, and still fulfill the Forest Services’ mission. By October of 2014 it was determined by the USFS to set aside the request to develop a trail, which was requested by the Sisters Trails Alliance folks. With the ability to allow for a second request, the door was not closed to the idea. Nine months have transpired, and at the moment, there is no local trail plan being worked on by the Forest Service. But last week I was musing over the many concerns that have been voiced over the past many months, and discovered an article that was printed in The Nugget in March 2012. Lo and behold, I’d discovered information that had never been mentioned on ‘The Trail’ subject. I would encourage you to take the time to go to your computer and read it (link provided with the online version of this column at www.nuggetnews.com — “Opinions”). It opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many trails in our area, approved or rogue, that there may be no need for the expense to develop yet another trail. And then it dawned on me, could the “Tie Trail,” as mentioned in the above website, tie us back together once again? Let’s all take a closer look at our present inven- tory of trails already in place. I would suggest to USFS to draft a few options for our communi- ties to review and offer their comments. The Sisters Forest Service folks have a much better handle on such matters. In a way, it would allow for all of us to have some ownership in this proj- ect. It would be great to have a win-win situation. Tranquility may hopefully then be restored. The process for develop- ment is more important than the trail itself. If the original proposed trail never comes to pass, it won’t be the end of the world. So, lets consider that we all communicate, be consid- erate, coordinate, and com- promise. It’s time that we reevaluate the many bless- ings the we all enjoy and love here in Sisters. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.
