Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
19
Sisters Trails Alliance holds annual meeting
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
Last week, the Sisters
Trails Alliance (STA) held
their annual meeting, hosted
by Sisters Art Works, to
review accomplishments from
2016 and look forward into
the upcoming year. “It was
a good year for STA!” said
Catherine Hayden, STA’s new
board chair, as she opened the
meeting.
Established 16 years ago,
the STA has grown to become
a principal advocate and facil-
itator of outdoor recreation in
the Sisters area. An all-volun-
teer organization, it is dedi-
cated to the planning, con-
struction and maintenance of
non-motorized trails in Sisters
Country.
Some of the highlights
from 2016 included the dou-
bling of individual dona-
tions in just the last year.
The membership rolls were
also increased by 38 percent
in 2016. Special grants were
obtained from the National
Forest Foundation and the
Ford Family Foundation.
Substantial reserves have been
established for future trail
projects, and 20,000 free trail
maps were printed and distrib-
uted to the public.
Another community mile-
stone is STA’s continuing
sponsorship of the Bjarne
Holm Memorial Speakers
Series, a quarterly series of
talks that bring outstanding
speakers to Sisters in order to
enhance outdoor public recre-
ation opportunities and to edu-
cate the public in the wonders
of the natural world of Sisters
Country.
In addition to ongoing trail
maintenance and expansion
of the existing trail network
in Sisters Country, one of the
most significant projects of
2016 included completion of
the Whychus Overlook and
its connecting trails. The new
Whychus Creek Overlook and
loop trail opened to the public
last year as a unique ADA-
accessible trail destination
completed through the cooper-
ation of government, business,
and private organizations.
The Whychus Overlook
project was part of the Tale
of Two Rivers Treasured
Landscapes Conservation
Campaign, encompassing
both Whychus Creek and the
Metolius River. The overlook
was funded by the National
Forest Foundation, with Forest
Service leadership by Maret
Pajutee and others. The STA
played a key role in establish-
ing the connecting trails, in
cooperation with other groups
and organizations. The over-
look was just the latest in a
continuing series of projects
and improvements to enhance
the region’s watershed resto-
ration, recreation, and com-
munity engagement.
Also, as a part of last
week’s annual meeting, the
STA hosted Bill Dean, act-
ing manager of the Prineville
District of the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), and
BLM landscape architect,
Gregory Currie. Together,
they discussed BLM land
management issues, particu-
larly as related to the nearby
Cline Buttes Recreation Area.
The BLM representatives
discussed the challenges of
managing a 32,000-acre pub-
lic site that includes 22 private
in-holdings totaling 4,650
acres. Only a few miles east
of Sisters, the region is home
to hundreds of miles of trails,
most of which are user-cre-
ated, thereby complicating
management issues.
A multi-year BLM proj-
ect has focused on reducing
trail conflicts and ensuring
that recreation and wildlife
are managed harmoniously.
Hot-button issues discussed
included the decommission-
ing of more than 200 miles
of existing trails and seasonal
trail closures for raptor nesting
of prairie falcons and golden
eagles.
STA’s annual meeting
also presented the organiza-
tion with the opportunity to
recognize contributions by
some of its key members. Ann
Marland, STA’s community
outreach director, shared the
Volunteer of the Year award
with Donna Timmerman,
outgoing STA secretary and
membership coordinator.
Patrick Eckford was recog-
nized as the Trail Adopter of
the Year, under an STA pro-
gram where individuals have
the opportunity to adopt and
oversee the maintenance of
specific local trails.
Gary Guttormsen, STA’s
trails coordinator — himself
a 1,000-hour volunteer —
referred to Eckford’s exten-
sive contributions as deserv-
ing of “interstellar” recogni-
tion. Guttormsen, Marland,
Eckford, Pat Marquis,
and Chuck Humphreys all
received awards from the U.S.
Forest Service for their exten-
sive contributions of volunteer
hours.
An excellent buffet of
refreshments, snacks, and
hors d’oeuvres was provided
for the attendees, which was
followed by a drawing for
multiple door prizes. Prizes
and refreshments were pro-
vided courtesy of several local
sponsors, including Black
Crater Bread, Blazin Saddles,
Cascade Street Distillery,
Cork Cellars, Eurosports,
Ray’s Food Place, Sisters
Athletic Club, Sisters Movie
House, Sisters Meat and
Smokehouse, Three Creeks
Brewing Co., and Your Store.
The Sisters Trails Alliance
is a community volunteer
organization dedicated to the
planning, constructing and
maintenance of walking, hik-
ing, cycling, and equestrian
trails in Sisters Country. The
STA believes that trails are
an indispensable ingredi-
ent for the quality of life and
economic vibrancy in Sisters
Country. Volunteer help and
new members are always
welcome.
STA also sponsors a series
of guided hikes and rides
during the summer months.
The trips are designed to
help introduce people to STA
trails and to the natural envi-
ronment of Sisters Country.
These events are typically
announced via social media
and are open to the public.
For more information
about STA or performing
volunteer work on trails or
other outdoor-related proj-
ects, contact the organization
at 541-719-8822. Additional
information about STA can
also be found on their web-
site at www.sisterstrails.com
or follow STA on Facebook at
Sisters Trails Alliance.
Please Connect Your
Ray’s All Access Rewards
Program Account to
Furry Friends Foundation
It’s FREE and we get 1% back on your purchases.
It’s an easy and great way to donate!
With your Access Rewards account
information in hand (the number is
on the back of your card), you can
call, email or visit Ray’s to connect
to Furry Friends Foundation.
• Call 541-412-0005
• Email AllAccess@ckmarket.com
• Visit the Ray’s Customer Service
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Shop locally, donate locally!
Thank you for your support.
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