The nugget., February 17, 2016, Page 5, Image 5

Wednesday, February 17, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
5
STA charts its course for 2016
By Craig F. eisenbeis
Correspondent
“This organization has
never been as strong as it is
today!” Chuck Humphreys
proclaimed as he kicked off
last week’s annual meeting of
the Sisters Trails Alliance.
Established 15 years ago,
the Sisters Trails Alliance
(STA) has grown to become a
principal advocate and facilita-
tor of outdoor recreation in the
Sisters area. An all-volunteer
organization, it is dedicated to
the planning, construction and
maintenance of non-motorized
trails in Sisters Country.
Asked to comment on the
organization’s overall perspec-
tive, Humphreys said, “Our
motto is ‘Trails for Everyone,’
and we believe in making sure
that everyone, regardless of
ability, has access to the for-
ests around us. When we can’t
build trails, we want to reach
out to the community.”
In that regard, he also spoke
of a large donation recently
received from the friend of a
person injured on the highway
while bicycling to Sisters from
Black Butte Ranch.
“He made the donation
when he heard there was a
possibility of a new paved
trail from Black Butte Ranch
to Sisters,” Humphreys said.
A few of STA’s highlighted
accomplishments for the year
included the distribution of
20,000 trail maps; reconstruc-
tion of the Whychus Creek
Trail at an old irrigation cross-
ing; rerouting a portion of the
Metolius-Windigo Trail due to
forest-fire damage; and 2,508
volunteer hours — includ-
ing three Presidential Awards
— for volunteer work on
more than 100 miles of local
Forest Service trails that STA
supports.
Regarding STA’s volunteer
work, Ann Marland, STA’s
community outreach direc-
tor, said, “Volunteers are the
backbone of the Sisters Trails
Alliance, and with them we’ve
built and maintained approxi-
mately 112 miles of mountain
biking, hiking, and equestrian
trails.”
Marland herself was one of
those to receive a Presidential
Award for her volunteer work
last year.
Keynote speaker for the
event was Rocky Houston,
the state trails coordinator
for Oregon and manager of
the Recreation Trails Grant
Program for the Oregon Parks
and Recreation Department.
Houston works with fed-
eral, state, regional, and local
organizations to plan, fund,
and develop trails throughout
Oregon.
Houston discussed the
State’s trail programs and pre-
sented some interesting demo-
graphic information on trail
usage in the state. One of the
more interesting factoids pre-
sented was that low-income
Oregonians are less likely
than others to take advantage
of Oregon’s free trail sys-
tem — something that he is
interested in changing. One
of his chief goals is to get all
Oregonians outdoors to expe-
rience the natural environment
of Oregon.
The Oregon Recreation
Trails Advisory Council
(ORTAC) is another of
Houston’s responsibilities.
ORTAC was established in
1971 as part of the Oregon
Recreation Trails System Act.
The purpose of the act was
to support a growing outdoor
recreation demand and pro-
mote public access to the out-
door wonders of Oregon.
One of ORTAC’s prin-
cipal areas of focus is that
trails should be established in
and around population cen-
ters to promote more outdoor
activities. As such, work with
organizations such as STA
is a natural fit. Houston also
photo by Craig eisenbeis
Chuck Humphreys, board chairman for the Sisters trails alliance, opens
last week’s annual Sta meeting.
pointed out that ORTAC has
a current vacancy that needs
to be filled by a new member
from the geographical area
that includes Sisters.
STA’s annual meeting also
presented the opportunity to
recognize contributions by
some of its key members. John
Rahm received the Peterson
Ridge Trailblazer Award,
Ken Serkownek was named
Volunteer of the Year, and
Stella Dean was Trail Steward
of the Year.
Rahm’s certificate read,
“In recognition of your long,
generous, and tireless con-
tributions to trails in Sisters
Country, especially the
Peterson Ridge Trail, and your
enduring inspiration, service,
and support of the Sisters
Trails Alliance.”
Dean’s recognition came
as a result of her leadership
role in STA’s Adopt-a-Trail
program, which encourages
individual members to take
personal responsibility for
coordinating the maintenance
of a specific trail in the STA
system.
To close out the meet-
ing, attendees were treated to
a veritable blizzard of door
prizes, which were presented
courtesy of several local spon-
sors, including Sisters Athletic
Club, Eurosports, Blazin
Saddles, The Open Door, and
Cork Cellars.
For further information
about STA or performing vol-
unteer work on trails or other
outdoor related projects, con-
tact the organization at 541-
719-8822. Additional informa-
tion about STA can be found
on their website at www.
sisterstrails.com. A revised
website is expected this week.
5th Annual
Sponsored by
Sisters Science Club
Sat., Feb. 20
12-4 p.m.
Photo by Jerry
Ba
ldock
Sisters High School
1700 McKinney Butte Rd.
Ride the Impossible Bicycle
e
Learn about comets • Compete in the mousetrap car competition
Experiment with gyroscopic science • Try elliptical billiards
Experience the planetarium • Learn from our students’ exhibits
—
Have fun with the entire family!
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