Wednesday, August 19, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Nature activist Wendell The Wild
West
Wood dies hiking
comes to
Sisters
By Jeff Barnard
Associated Press
GRANTS PASS (AP) —
Wendell Wood, a longtime
environmental advocate and
co-founder of the conserva-
tion group Oregon Wild, has
died. He was 65.
His wife, Kathy, said
Wood collapsed Tuesday
hiking in the Prairie Creek
Redwoods State Park south
of Crescent City, California,
where they lived since his
retirement, and his heart had
stopped by the time he was
brought to a hospital.
Fellow activist Andy
Kerr said Wood was a tena-
cious champion of ancient
forests, and instrumental in
Endangered Species Act pro-
tection for the short-nosed
sucker and the Lost River
sucker, two fish at the cen-
ter of water battles in the
Klamath Basin, and the west-
ern snowy plover.
After turning down a job
with his family’s furniture
factory outside Los Angeles,
Wood taught high school
biology in Myrtle Creek,
Oregon, for four years before
moving to Eugene in 1981
to work for Oregon Natural
Resources Council, which
became Oregon Wild. It was
three years before he could
get paid, his wife said.
“He decided he had a
higher calling as a warrior for
nature,” Kerr said. “We were
all wanting to save forests
and wilderness. We needed
an organization and kind of
made one.”
Kerr recalled that at one
point during the battles over
the northern spotted owl,
which ultimately cut logging
by 90 percent on federal lands
in Oregon, Washington and
northern California in 1994,
Wood informed him that they
had just filed administrative
appeals to stop 228 timber
sales on national forests.
“I later was called before
a congressional committee to
explain that, which I happily
did,” Kerr said.
Oregon Wild Executive
Director Sean Stevens called
Wood “the conscience of the
environmental community”
who seemed to have eyes and
ears everywhere.
Wood’s efforts on behalf
of fish and wildlife in the
Klamath Basin in the midst
of intense water battles and
attempts to develop a ski area
earned him death threats, fel-
low activist Jim McCarthy
recalled.
Sisters will explore its
Western roots with the
Sisters Wild West Show set
for August 22-23, at Bend/
Sisters Garden RV Resort.
The event will feature a
Western town with western
skit performances at high
noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. both
Saturday and Sunday. The
event is free to the public
There will be a vari-
ety of arts, crafts, food and
entertainment.
Spin the wheel for a dol-
lar and win prizes. All funds
benefit the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Oregon toward
a local wish.
At 6:30 p.m. Saturday,
August 22 there will be a spe-
cial dinner show. Admission
to this show is $38 for adults
and $18 for children (6-12).
This includes a 30-minute
Wild West performance,
Western singalong, pig roast,
dessert and a non-alcoholic
beverage.
Bend/Sisters Garden RV
Resort is located at 67667
Highway 20 next to Sisters
Rodeo Grounds.
he was tenacious in
not letting them score, not
letting that timber sale get
through, not letting that
road project get through.
— Andy Kerr
Kerr thought of Wood as
“the forests’ best goalie,”
tenacious in his defense of
nature, but with a lovable
personality.
“He was tenacious in not
letting them score, not letting
that timber sale get through,
not letting that road project
get through,” Kerr said.
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Obituary
Wayne s. Mutchler
July 13, 1950 — August 8, 2015
Wayne S. Mutchler, of
Camp Sherman and Portland,
Oregon, was born July 13,
1950 to George and Helen
Mutchler in Englewood,
New Jersey.
Wayne married Marisa
Oliver April 9, 1981, in
Portland. They have three
daughters. Wayne was
the owner of Mutchler
Construction for almost 40
years.
Wayne is survived by his
wife, Marisa Mutchler of
Portland; daughters, Kara
(Nick) Danner of Portland,
Alexis Mutchler, and Justine
Mutchler of Portland; grand-
son Cooper Danner; and
brothers, Glenn Mutchler
of Franklin, TN, Dwight
Mutchler of Cayey, PA and
Robert Mutchler of Sisters
and sister Sheryl Kelly of
Eugene.
Wayne’s uniqueness was
born out of his New Jersey
and Oregon family, his long
exploration of eastern phi-
losophy, astronomy, health,
natural healing, diet, exer-
cise, mindfulness and the
outdoors. He was an artist
as a builder, a consummate
athlete, pole vaulter, zen
skier, windsurfer and moun-
tain lover.
He was disciplined, well
read, and informed about
everything to the “Nth”
degree. The “Manly Man”
as his family teased him, was
the nicest, easy going, good
guy, friend, husband, father
and brother. He rocketed
himself “to the other side”
(as he would say), during his
last superman workout at the
Multnomah Athletic Club.
Wayne would often say;
“Every Front has a Back.
The bigger the Front, the
bigger Back. Everything
changes……, the uni -
verse is always expand-
ing…. Entropy…. it’s all
Entropy……”
Obituaries Policy: The Nugget Newspaper does not charge a fee to
publish obituaries. Obituaries may be up to 400 words and include one
photo. Obituaries outside these guidelines are handled by The Nugget
Newspaper advertising department.
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