The nugget., April 13, 2016, Page 31, Image 31

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
PAjuTEE: Ecologist
has had big impact on
Sisters Ranger District
Continued from page 1
of Two Rivers - The Sequel
- Keeping the ‘Wild’ in Wild
and Scenic.
“I really appreciate that
STA gave me this opportu-
nity to share some of what
the Forest Service is think-
ing about, as we look at the
next chapter of the story of
Whychus and the Metolius,”
Pajutee said. “I think we will
be having many interesting
conversations in the future
about recreation and the role
of public lands.”
She explained further,
“Bend and Sisters face rapid
population growth over the
next several decades, with
many people moving here
for our wonderful outdoor
lifestyle. Yet land managers
struggle with development
pressure on public lands and
with their capacity to pro-
tect wild places and people’s
experiences.”
Pajutee has worked in
watershed restoration and
recreation planning for the
Sisters Ranger District long
enough that she has often
been at the center of the
action when competing inter-
ests come into play. As a
result, she is in an excellent
position to answer the ques-
tion that she will pose for the
audience: “Where do recre-
ation developments and eco-
system conservation collide
and what can we do to keep
wild places in our future?”
For more than two years
now, the STA has sponsored
a quarterly lecture series that
brings interesting speakers
to Sisters to enhance public
education as it relates to the
outdoor world in our area.
This STA program is coordi-
nated by STA board member
Bjarne Holm, who explained
that this month’s program
is occurring sooner than a
“quarterly” schedule might
normally dictate.
“The next speaker was to
have been in the fall,” Holm
said. “However, Maret will
be retiring shortly, and she
wanted to give her presen-
tation before hanging up
her uniform with the U.S.
Forest Service. So, we sched-
uled it for this month to take
place immediately before
she retires from the Forest
Service.”
A native Oregonian,
Pajutee was first introduced
to Sisters Country when her
family was among the first
residents to take advantage
of the development of Indian
Ford Ranch in the 1960s.
A graduate of Oregon State
University, Pajutee started
with the Forest Service as
a seasonal fire lookout on
Black Butte; and that’s when
her career began to evolve
into what it is today.
She says that she was just
in the right place at the right
time when the District needed
a biologist. With her under-
graduate degree in zoology
and a masters in entomol-
ogy, everything fell into place
for her to assume the role of
District Ecologist; and, as
they say, the rest is history.
And another interesting piece
of that history was meeting
her husband on the job with
the Sisters Ranger District!
“Looking back on my
career I just feel very lucky,”
she said. “I still can’t quite
believe that I was here to see
the restoration of Whychus
Creek. When we looked at
the watershed in 1998 it was
a sad story. The creek had
no water in the summer as
it ran through town, and its
steelhead runs were extir-
pated. There was illegal trail
building, dumping and other
damaging behaviors going on.
“Few people knew much
about the creek, and it didn’t
always feel safe to go there.
Through trust-building and
years of collaborative work
with an amazing group of
nonprofit partners, agencies,
and caring people we are
rediscovering a river we had
lost.”
Looking back on her
31
photo provided
Retiring Sisters Ranger District ecologist maret Pajutee will speak next
week at the Sisters trails Alliance speakers’ forum.
career, Pajutee said, “I feel it
was such a privilege to have
worked here with this won-
derful district and these won-
derful people.”
Her retirement doesn’t
mean that she will stop doing
what she loves. In fact, she
likes to refer to what comes
next as her “second career
as a volunteer.” She plans to
stay active in matters of eco-
logical interest to the Sisters
area, and she plans to con-
tinue – and even expand –
her work with the Deschutes
Land Trust (DLT). For exam-
ple, in June and July, she will
be teaching “Tree Yoga” ses-
sions at DLT’s Indian Ford
Meadow Preserve. For further
information on Tree Yoga
and other DLT programs visit
deschuteslandtrust.org or call
541-330-0017.
For those who would like
to be present for Pajutee’s
final official public address,
the program will take place
next week, Thursday, April
21, in the Sisters Camp
Sherman Fire Station
Community Hall in down-
town Sisters at 355 S. Elm
St. Doors will open at 6 p.m.,
and the formal program will
begin at 7 p.m. The program
is free and open to the public.
Snacks and refreshments will
be provided.
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