Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2016)
Wednesday, September 7, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 9 City forester gathering data on trees Tailgate parties set to boost Outlaws spirit By Jim Cornelius News Editor City contract forester Dan Galecki and two assistants have been out on the streets of Sisters in recent days, mapping and assessing all of the city-owned trees in the City of Sisters right-of-way. They are building a database that will help the City moni- tor the health of trees more efficiently in the coming years. “A lot of municipalities do this all over the country,” Galecki told The Nugget. “It’s a money-saver and a time-saver.” The foresters are record- ing the attributes of each tree — its condition, GPS coordi- nates, and address. Each tree is evaluated for its percent- age of compromise. With this information in a database that can readily be queried, forest- ers can pinpoint which trees need particular attention, which trees are more likely to suffer damage from storms, etc. So, instead of having to drive around looking for trou- bled trees, foresters now have the information about where to go and what to look for at ore. location eliminated in search for geothermal lab site BEND (AP) — A site near Oregon’s Newberry Volcano is no longer in the running for a federal enhanced geother- mal research laboratory. The Bulletin reports that the decision by the U.S. Department of Energy left sites in Utah and Nevada competing for the lab. The department put $29 million into research by a Sandia National Laboratories team in Fallon, Nevada, and the University of Utah’s team in Milford, Utah. The invest- ment is meant to help the orga- nizations prepare for an under- ground geothermal research lab. Developers and research- ers in Central Oregon say they are surprised and disappointed that the Newberry Geothermal Energy site didn’t make it to the next round. The location near the vol- cano was leased by Seattle- based AltaRock Energy Inc. their fingertips. Connor MacGeehan and Rebecca Franklin are assist- ing Galecki with the work. “We’ll be walking around the streets or driving,” Galecki said. “We’ll walk up to trees and we’ll take measurements and a GPS coordinate.” The project, which was approved by the City’s forestry board, is expected to run through fall and wrap up in December. The database will be active and dynamic for years to come as trees grow or decline. Local folks who encoun- ter the foresters out and about on their rounds are encour- aged to ask any questions they may have about the project. Members of Westside Church and Sisters High School are injecting a little extra Outlaws spirit into the football season this fall. At each home game, they are inviting folks to come out to the teachers’ parking lot at the high school for a barbecue and tailgate party. Westside Church is provid- ing a barbecue, but folks are welcome to bring their own. Jerry Kaping explained the simple premise. “What we want to do is celebrate the Outlaws and build community,” he said.