The nugget., September 20, 2017, Image 1

Sisters Arts Association
Fourth Friday Art Stroll page 5
Rancho Viejo marks
10th anniversary page 9
Outlaws sweep Cottage Grove
in league opener page 10
The Nugget
Vol. XL No. 38
Wildfires
spark
calls to
thin tree-
choked
forests
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
A red sunrise...
City,
Chamber
work on
fire impact
By Cody Rheault
Correspondent
By Andrew Selsky
Associated Press
SALEM (AP) — Wildfires
that are blackening the
American West in one of the
nation’s worst fire seasons
have ignited calls, including
from Interior Secretary Ryan
Zinke, to thin forests that
have become so choked with
trees that they are at “powder
keg levels.”
The destruction has
exposed old frictions between
environmentalists and those
who want to see logging
accelerated, and it’s triggered
a push to reassess how lands
should be managed to prevent
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
PHOTO BY CAROL STATTON
Sisters’ persistently smoky skies have made for a lot of breathing problems, negative economic impacts
and some dreary days. But sunrise and sunset can be exceptionally beautiful.
The effects of smoke and
a decrease in visitors have
impeded businesses over the
summer. The City of Sisters
and the Sisters Area Chamber
of Commerce are making
efforts to minimize the eco-
nomic impact.
Local companies and City
leadership met last Tuesday
for a closed-door meeting at
the Chamber of Commerce
to discuss options leading
into the fall season following
a summer short on expected
profits.
The convergence of a
heavy winter, the Milli Fire,
the shortage of eclipse traf-
fic, and the cancellation of
the Sisters Folk Festival has
put many businesses in a
See THINNING on page 24
See ECONOMY on page 31
How did the Milli Fire
get so big?
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
“Perfect storm” is a term
being bandied around lately
in the reporting of wild-
fires, floods, hurricanes and
other natural and man-made
catastrophes.
Unfortunately, at the time
of a lightning strike nine miles
west of Sisters on August 10,
the situation meteorologically,
coupled with heavy deploy-
ment of firefighting resources
elsewhere, both nationally
and locally, combined to
create the perfect firestorm
dubbed the Milli Fire.
Inside...
As the fire grew in size,
locals were asking, “Why
didn’t they jump on the fire
when it was small and put
it out?” Seems like a logical
solution to avoid losing over
24,000 acres of forest.
At last week’s Sisters City
Council meeting, representa-
tives from the Central Oregon
Fire Management Services
(COFMS), and employees of
the Sisters Ranger District,
presented a detailed explana-
tion of how the fire started
and why it grew in size. Their
PowerPoint presentation was
See FIREFIGHTING on page 18
Inductees welcomed to Hall of Fame
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
Guests at the third annual
Sisters High School Hall of
Fame banquet heard first-
hand tales of early Outlaws
history as well as reflections
of more recent times as nine
individuals, teams, and orga-
nizations were honored for
contributions to the spirit
and culture of Sisters.
The event, held in the
high school commons
Saturday, September 16, was
catered by Tate and Tate.
Dennis Dempsey served as
the emcee for the evening.
Following introductions
by Athletic Director Gary
Thorson and Hall of Fame
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
The 2017 class of the Outlaw Hall of Fame.
board member Don Pollard,
Gordon Mouser — an
inductee to the hall of fame
last year — stepped to the
podium and delivered a mes-
sage to the crowd focused
See HALL OF FAME on page 30
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Sisters Salutes .................. 7 Movies & Entertainment ....13 Crossword ....................... 25 Classifieds ..................26-28
Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ................12 Sisters Naturalist .............20 Obituaries ....................... 25 Real Estate .................28-32