Robotics team
headed to state page 8
Mighty snowfall makes for best
holiday season ever at Hoodoo page 13
Heart of Oregon mentors find
satisfaction in giving back page 21
The Nugget
Vol. XXXX No. 2
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Frigid weather held Sisters in icy grip
By Ron Thorkildson
Correspondent
Central Oregon’s pro-
longed spell of cold, snowy
weather provided a certain
wintry charm to the holiday
season this year.
That “charm,” however,
came, quite literally, at a
cost. Local residents paid
more (or will when the bills
arrive) to heat their living
and working spaces.
Then there was the addi-
tional expense associated
with clearing snow from
around homes and busi-
nesses. This might have
included purchasing prod-
ucts that help melt snow and
ice from sidewalks and other
walkways, making it safer
for pedestrians to get around.
Most of the area’s citi-
zenry probably take all this in
stride, regarding it as a small
price to pay for the privilege
of living amid such natu-
ral beauty. But as more and
Correspondent
Few people pay more
attention to winter weather
forecasts than Sisters School
District administrators, who
must balance the need for
student safety with the state
of Oregon’s requirement for
classroom days each year.
For Sisters Superintendent
Curtiss Scholl, things begin
early when a big snowfall is
anticipated.
“Our head of transporta-
tion is on the road at 4 a.m.
and I’m on the road by 4:30,”
Scholl said. “We talk at 5 in
the morning about whether
the roads have been cleared.
We talk about whether to
close school or have a late
start.”
Inside...
Mentors
have a big
impact in
community
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
PHOTO BY RON THORKILDSON
Dawn’s first light is illuminating the North and Middle Sister on a bitterly cold January morning.
higher mountains of snow
continue to pile up around
town, some are starting to
Schools wrestle with
snow-closure decision
By Steve Kadel
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Two particularly heavy
snowstorms have forced
closures this school year.
That included the 20-inch
storm before Christmas
break and the latest round
of snow that closed schools
on Wednesday, January
4. Another closure was
announced early Tuesday
morning, due to a heavy
storm moving into the region.
The District’s annual
schedule includes an extra
day of classes beyond what
the State requires. But so far,
closures will mandate three
or four extra days of school
in June.
Scholl said there’s no extra
cost for teachers because their
contract stipulates 189 days
See CLOSURES on page 25
wonder how long the current
cold regime will last.
The current stretch of
frigid weather here in Sisters
Country began on December
See WINTER on page 24
Mentoring organiza-
tions, city councils, and
civic organizations across
Central Oregon are partnering
through Better Together to
celebrate National Mentoring
Month with a regional cam-
paign to recruit caring adults
to volunteer as youth mentors.
During the month of January,
The Nugget will feature some
organizations in Sisters and
their volunteer mentors.
The articles will share the
stories of Sisters youth men-
tors and hopefully encour-
age other local residents
See MENTORS on page 20
How Sisters wildlife copes with winter
By Jim Anderson
Correspondent
Winter is hard on wild-
life, just as it is on you and
me. But like you and me,
wildlife that spends winter
with us have layers they use
to stay warm and dry — like
our layers of clothing that
keep us comfortable in cold
temperatures.
Birds who winter here are
well-suited to survive frigid
conditions, with downy
feathers close to their warm
bodies. Their down is like our
long-johns, trapping air close
to our skin, keeping in the
heat. A bird’s outside feath-
ers, that prevent cold wind,
snow and rain from reaching
their insulating down, is like
our jackets, overcoats and
wool hats.
Most birds seek shelter in
dry trees and shrubs to keep
PHOTO BY JIM ANDERSON
Mule deer can have a tough time when the snow gets deep — but wildlife
is adapted to extremes.
the wind, wet and cold away
from their bodies.
It’s the same for mam-
mals: Jackrabbits, coyotes,
and badgers, for example,
have thick dense fur to keep
the cold moisture from con-
tacting their warm, dry skin.
In fall, mule deer shed
their reddish brown summer
hair, which are solid shafts
that block summer heat.
The gray hairs of winter are
hollow, and the deer grow
a dense, wool-like under-
fur that provides insulation.
See WILDLIFE on page 22
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Announcements ................12 Bunkhouse Chronicles ..... 14 Crossword ....................... 25 Looking Outward .............. 29
Meetings ........................... 3 Movies & Entertainment ....13 Paw Prints ........................15 Classifieds ..................26-28 Real Estate .................29-32