Wednesday, September 6, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
ECONOMY: Air quality
has had a big negative
impact in Sisters
Continued from page 1
and August being their busi-
est season, the smoke isn’t
helping.
“It really came at a bad
time for us,” he said. “The
course is in the best condition
I’ve seen in the seven years
I’ve been here. It’s a shame
no one’s using it.”
The Black Butte Ranch
Big Meadow Golf Course
has seen similar effects.
Before the Milli Fire started,
the golf season was profit-
able as usual. But now with
the smoke of surrounding
fires filling the air, people
are cancelling reservations.
Residents and visitors are
expressing concern over the
air quality.
As of August 24, Big
Meadow has recorded over
200 round cancellations due
to concerns over air quality.
“The smoke in Sisters
deters people from the
Ranch,” said Jeff Fought,
director of golf at the Big
Meadow Golf Course. But
unlike smoke conditions in
town, Black Butte Ranch
has fared better being farther
north. “We’ve had our smoky
days, but we’re generally
clear up here.”
Management has made an
effort to reassure customers
of the wildfire status and air
quality conditions.
“We’re all about wildfire
here. We have to. People
want to know,” he said.
Valuing honesty with
patrons, Jeff has worked
to keep people informed
through daily emails and
printed material informing
people about fire conditions.
“We have to be honest
with people. The smoke may
be uncomfortable and they
need to take necessary pre-
cautions,” he said. “It’s our
business to communicate
with people and keep them
informed.”
At the Lakeside Activity
Center, they had to close two
of their outdoor swimming
pools due to ash falling in the
water and making it difficult
to keep clean.
A Level 1 evacuation
remains in place for the
Ranch as well.
While businesses focused
on outdoor recreation are
finding their way through
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the smoke, stores and restau-
rants are feeling the impact
as well.
Sharri Bertagna, owner
of the Hike-N-Peaks outdoor
gear store, has noticed a dif-
ference. As a new business
started in May of this year,
she experienced a promis-
ing summer leading up to the
fire.
“Business in July pre-
dicted August would be good.
And business was great, until
it got smoky,” she said. “The
smoke won’t make us or
break us, but it has impacted
our sales.”
While customer count
has faded, Sharri has seen a
steady flow of unexpected
shoppers due to the local
fires. PCT thru-hikers —
diverted by trail closures —
have made occasional visits
to the new store. And fire-
fighters from the Milli Fire
have been her main custom-
ers during some of the smok-
iest days.
The iconic Sno Cap Drive
In has seen its decline in cus-
tomers as well. Over the past
week, it has frequently closed
early due to slow business.
Traffic has remained frequent
in front of the restaurant, but
few are stopping.
The smoke and fire con-
ditions have affected events
scheduled to come through
Sisters too. In a recent deci-
sion, the Cycle Oregon 2017
Classic cancelled its annual
event.
The course, a seven-day
expedition on bicycle, was
set to come through Sisters
on it’s seventh and final day,
bringing over 1,000 riders
and visitors to town.
In a statement released
by Executive Director
Steve Schulz, Cycle Oregon
explained the impact and
decision to cancel its iconic
event.
“After discussions with
numerous authorities includ-
ing the Oregon Department
of Forestry, the U.S. Forest
Service, the Bureau of Land
Management, the Oregon
Department of Transportation
and others and conducting
on-site personal meetings
with incident commanders
at the fires, we have come
to the most difficult decision
to cancel the 2017 Classic
event,” it read.
Expressing its utmost
concern for rider safety, the
Cycle Oregon board and staff
decided the surrounding fires
are too much, calling the
decision “unprecedented in
Cycle Oregon history.”
There’s no doubt the
smoke from Oregon’s fires
has obscured expectations
and shrouded profitable
opportunities. Businesses,
large and small, have been
affected in their own ways
at the sight of fewer tourists,
and locals often choosing to
stay home during the smoki-
est days.
What Sisters relies on for
revenue isn’t a failed hope,
though. A few businesses
have noticed support from
their local community dur-
ing times of hardship, and
feel encouraged that things
are not all bad. A community
driven by local support can
create an impact rivalling the
depths of visiting pockets.
Supporting locals and their
businesses is Sisters’ best
hope of pushing through this
smoky season.
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