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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2017)
Warding off the disease of ‘constant partial attention’ page 17 A growing, inclusive community for Sisters seniors page 20 Volleyball team knocks off league foes page 21 The Nugget Vol. XL No. 41 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, October 11, 2017 Surveying fire damage along Hwy. 242 By Sue Stafford Correspondent Stepping out of the Forest Service vehicle onto Highway 242, and standing surrounded by blackened ponderosa and lodge-pole pines and once- green Douglas fir trees, the lack of a burned smell was surprising. The air, once filled with acrid, dense smoke, was clear and clean and the sky was blue. The surroundings were silent, except for the sound of a chainsaw whining through the thick trunk of a tree identi- fied as a hazard, and the resul- tant thud as the tree fell to the ground on the steep slope above the highway. No birds chirping, no squirrels chat- tering, no bicyclists or hikers enjoying the scenic byway that is the old McKenzie Pass highway over the Cascade Range to the Willamette Valley. The Forest Service and the Oregon Department of Transportation led a media tour of the still-closed Highway 242 last week. Correspondent Back in 1966, when Multnomah County began a five-day Outdoor School program for all sixth-graders in their system, Betty Gray of Portland — wife of John Gray who got Sunriver and several other Oregon-based projects going — thought her life-long dream of kids learn- ing in the forest had at last come true. The Gray Family Foundation, whose slo- gan is, “Outdoor School For Everyone,” through the efforts and assistance of the Oregon Community Inside... Enrollment down in Sisters schools By Jim Cornelius News Editor and fox are returning to their home territory for the coming winter. The natural fire cycle that clears out dead and dis- eased trees and removes thick Sisters schools continue to struggle with enrollment num- bers — the most critical ele- ment affecting school funding. As of October 2, enroll- ment across Sisters’ three schools stood at 1,069 stu- dents. That’s down 13.5 stu- dents from the end of the last school year, and is 12 students below district projections. The enrollment picture is usu- ally clearer in October, as the school year settles in. Since schools are funded on a weighted calculation based on enrollment numbers, fewer students means less money in the coffers. The state currently provides $7,548 per See FIRE DAMAGE on page 22 See ENROLLMENT on page 29 PHOTO BY GARY MILLER Many trees along Highway 242 had to be cut down due to safety concerns. James Osborne, fire management officer for the Cascade Division, gave assur- ances that the wildlife left the area the minute they sensed the fire starting and have now begun to return. The birds and squirrels have started Outdoor School is on in Oregon By Jim Anderson PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 Foundation, has kept Betty’s dream alive. Last November, voters approved Ballot Measure 99, designating funding for Outdoor School program- ming for school districts and Education Service Districts (ESDs) to serve fifth- or sixth-grade students in Oregon. The 2015 legislature had already charged OSU Extension with administering the statewide program when funding became available. In July of 2017 the legislature approved $24 million for the program’s first two years, and right at the top of the See OUTDOOR on page 12 to gather the seeds from the lodgepole pinecones that open when exposed to the fire’s heat. Deer and elk have been spotted in the burn scars, returning to roll in the ash left by the fire, to rid themselves of bothersome ticks. Coyote Walden assesses fire’s local impact By Sue Stafford Correspondent Oregon Congressman Greg Walden (R-Hood River) was in Sisters on Sunday afternoon to tour the Milli Fire with Forest Service per- sonnel and to meet with rep- resentatives of Sisters busi- nesses and the City of Sisters to discuss the economic impact of the fire on the busi- ness community. The meeting was arranged by former interim City Manager Rick Allen at the request of Walden’s office. Walden reported that this has been a $2 billion fire year, with 49,000 fires nationally. As part of the bill for funding hurricane relief, $575.6 million was included PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD Rep. Greg Walden answers questions from Peggy Frye, manager of The Jewel in downtown Sisters, during his visit to Sisters last Sunday. for fire suppression, a win for the West. John Allen, forest supervi- sor for the Deschutes National Forest, told Walden that in the past three weeks, two million board feet of hazard trees have been removed from the Milli Fire site along Highway 242. There are seven or eight See WALDEN on page 23 Letters/Weather ................ 2 Obituaries ...................... 6-7 Movies & Entertainment ....11 Senior Commentary .........20 Classifieds ..................26-28 Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ............... 10 Focus on Health .......... 13-20 Crossword ....................... 25 Real Estate .................28-32
