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Wednesday, November 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
GUTTORMSEN: Local
has logged hundreds
of volunteer hours
Continued from page 1
age when he recalls his father
taking him backpacking. For
many summers, he would
spend his time in the Oregon
National Forests canoeing,
hiking, backpacking, and
camping. His taste for adven-
ture and respect for nature
remained steady through-
out his adult years as he
worked as a school teacher in
Springfield, Oregon.
During the summers, he
would seek out his old expe-
riences within nature and
continue his traditions of
enjoying its offerings. What
developed was a love for the
land and dedication of being
a good steward.
During his final 10
years teaching high school,
Guttormsen took his love for
the outdoors to the next step.
He spent those summers as a
resident volunteer guard at
Taylor Burn, Waldo Lake.
“I saw it as a good idea
to volunteer and give back,”
Gary said, as he looked back
on his early volunteer years.
“It’s an opportunity to stay
physically active, to meet
people, and teach people
the importance of the out-
doors and Leave-No-Trace
principles.”
After retiring from teach-
ing in 2000, Guttormsen
spent many summers visiting
the Central Oregon region.
And in the early 2000s he
stayed true to his love for
trails by helping map the
original Pacific Crest Skyline
Trail route with Willamette
archeologist Carol Winkler.
[Gary is] the most
antive, responsible,
and devoted volunteer
within STA.
— Patrink Enkford
It wasn’t until early
August of 2009, when he
and his wife were camping
locally, that they decided to
make the move to Central
Oregon. By September, they
were new residents of Sisters’
Crossroads neighborhood,
and Gary immediately took
to looking for opportunities
to serve.
A Sisters Trails Alliance
trail marker caught his eye
shortly after settling in. He
immediately pursued to learn
more about them, and began
what would become a dedi-
cated and passionate service
with the Forest Service.
In a letter of recommen-
dation from colleague and
fellow volunteer Patrick
Eckford, Gary is described as
“... the most active, respon-
sible, and devoted volunteer
within STA.” Designated as
the “go-to” guy for all things
trail and volunteer related, he
wears many hats.
As a leader, he cur-
rently holds the position of
chairperson for the Trails
Committee, and has served
as the chairman of the board,
co-chair, and deputy chair in
recent years. From large tasks
– such as liaising between
multiple agencies and man-
aging project-related con-
tracts – to the small, like dig-
ging a post-hole and updating
spreadsheets, Guttormsen
is credited with doing
it all.
He is crosscut-saw cer-
tified and a Forest Service
chainsaw operator, and
the on-call volunteer who
removes felled trees obstruct-
ing the trails. Gary is also
an educator and a teacher
of good stewardship. In the
summer, he volunteers as an
instructor at the Allingham
Trails Skills College, where
he teaches students the art
of trails and works as a co-
instructor for the chain saw
certification courses.
Guttormsen also led the
collaboration between the
STA, the Forest Service, and
the National Forest Service
Foundation for the Whychus
Creek Trail and Whychus
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Overlook projects, manag-
ing grants and funds over
$150,000 — one of the larg-
est projects to date.
With a legacy of hundreds
of hours volunteering his
time on the trails and within
the community, Guttormsen
has seen and done it all. But
what remains closest and true
to him is the spirit of a good
volunteer.
“Volunteers are essential
to have. Without them, the
trail system wouldn’t work,”
he said. “And without volun-
teers, the trails would be in
bad shape.”
The Paulsmeyer Award is
only given to one recipient a
year, and Gary was the first
awardee in its history. The list
of criteria to be considered
for nomination is extensive,
but Guttormsen exceeded
the minimum requirements.
Lead volunteers in the
Deschutes National Forest
Interpretive Program and the
Trail’s Program nominated
candidates, with Discover
Your Forest making the final
selection.
Receiving the prestigious
award caught Guttormsen by
surprise, though.
“I had no idea at the
event,” he said. “It was
really an honor to receive the
award. It means a lot to me.”
In the closing sentence of
his letter, Eckford wrote, “He
is a remarkable volunteer,
leader, mentor, and teacher...
one who continues to con-
tribute immeasurably to our
community, the Deschutes
National Forest and Sisters
Trails Alliance.”
As a lead volunteer and
educator for local forests,
Guttormsen doesn’t plan on
slowing down anytime soon.
He has already begun the
work to plot the new Black
Crater Trail in replacement
of the old – wiped out by the
Milli Fire this summer. He
continues his dedication as
the personal trail adopter of
the Chush Falls and Black
Crater trails, with prospects
of extending the Chush Falls
trail to the upper falls in the
future.
It was really an honor
to reneive the award.
It means a lot to me.
— Gary Guttormsen
Trail projects and oppor-
tunities to educate will con-
tinue in the future with Gary
and the most dedicated vol-
unteers at the helm — ensur-
ing miles of maintained trails
and recreation for the com-
munity to enjoy.
I’m thankful for your
business and wish you
happy holidays!
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282 S. Cedar St.
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