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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon The those permits with our per- sonal-use firewood sales of more than 1,400 cords, add map sales, and our admin- istrative staff sold an esti- mated $30,000 of goods to the public so far this winter. Second, we’re now plan- ning our next management areas and projects. Our high- est priorities include three Milli Fire recovery projects: a 250-acre timber salvage area, roadside danger-tree removal and a large refor- estation effort. Public com- ment opens soon and we are interested in your feedback. We have greatly reduced the Milli Fire closure area to a limited number of roads and trails. We ask that you please respect the closure area until remaining hazards are mitigated. The District also plans to remove dead and dying ponderosa pines along Highway 20, west of Sisters. The Forest Service con- tinues planning the soil- science-based Green Ridge Landscape Restoration project encompassing more than 25,000 acres on the District. We also have been working hard to authorize a new septic system at Camp Tamarack so more than 2,500 Central Oregon stu- dents can experience out- door school this spring. However, it hasn’t all been office work this winter. We administered the sale of more than 2.5 million board feet of timber harvested from last year’s Milli Fire suppression actions along Highway 242 and other roads. We’re taking advan- tage of mild weather to burn slash piles, maintain trails, locate new firewood areas, conduct archeological sur- veys, patrol and enforce Ranger’s Corner Ian Reid Sisters District Ranger Winterd2018 Happy winter, if you can call it that, from your Sisters Ranger District on the Deschutes National Forest! Since arriving here in December 2017, it feels like I’ve been drinking from a firehose to learn the issues, resources, and community. I’ve happily spent work and personal time in the woods exploring these incredible public lands. I’ve been to the tops of Green Ridge and Black Butte, through Stevens Canyon, Metolius basin, Whychus Creek floodplain, Milli Fire area and the Peterson Ridge Trail system. I even spent Winter Solstice experienc- ing the community labyrinth at the East Portal. Thank you, Sisters Country, for your warm welcome! I also want to let you know what has been happening this winter on the Sisters Ranger District. First, we sold more than 3,100 Christmas tree permits in November and December. That’s thousands of happy, outdoor memories local families created at an affordable price. Combine Do you know your agent? Do you understand your policy? Are you overpaying? Call or come in today for a free Farmers Friendly Review 541-588-6245 • 257 S. Pine St., #101 www.farmersagent.com/jrybka AUTO • HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS The Sweetest Gift of All…A Beautiful Smile! Call now to schedule your complimentary consultation $300 discount for the month of February when you start a comprehensive treatment program. New patients only. Flexible fi nancing. Smile by Grace & The Brace Place! 541-382-0410 382 0 0 410 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters CentralOregonBracePlace.com forest regulations, scout a newly proposed snowshoe trail, identify road main- tenance needs, clean up abandoned camps and gar- bage and count trout spawn- ing in the Metolius River. In fact, our fish biologists documented a record num- ber of redband rainbow trout nests (redds) this winter. So far, this year appears to be easy on the mule deer herds now on their winter range encircling Sisters city limits but the lack of pre- cipitation may pose a chal- lenge for summer irrigators and stream flows. Let’s hope several more inches of the white stuff falls between now and the spring edition of “Ranger’s Corner.” It’s never too early to start thinking about fire season, especially after last year. To that end, I encour- age you to put the evening of March 22 on your calen- dar. That’s when Dr. Paul Hessburg will be in Sisters to give his acclaimed inter- active presentation, “The Era of Megafires,” which will broaden our dialogue about wildfire ecology, pre- paredness and response. If you want to learn more about any of our planning projects, visit www.fs.usda. gov/main/deschutes/land management/projects to sign up for our electronic scoping list. Or, give us a call at the ranger station at 541-549-7700. Snow or no snow, I hope you find time to explore and enjoy your National Forests this winter! MORE THAN DENTURES, IT’S YOUR SMILE! SISTERS DENTURE Free consultations! 541-549-0929 36 YEARS EXPERIENCE | LOCALLY OWNED 19 Chladekdbringsdlifetimed ondskisdtodcoaching By Rongi Yost Correspondent Gabe Chladek has been a skier his whole life. When it looked as if Sisters High School wouldn’t have a ski team due to lack of a coach, Chladek stepped into the bindings and volunteered. “I wasn’t really looking for another job, but I knew there were a group of kids that really wanted a ski team, and I wanted these kids to have the opportunity to race,” said Chladek. “Now that we’re into the season, I’m really enjoying coaching the team.” Chladek brings with him years of experience on the slopes. Gabe learned to ski on Hoodoo when he was just three years old and has skied ever since. He raced for West Albany High School, and after that at the club level. Since then, he’s been a ski patroller and ski instructor at different mountains. Gabe told The Nugget he hopes to help each racer improve, and most of all help them have fun with the sport. “All of the students on the team were skiers of some level prior to racing,” said Chladek. “It’s great seeing them realize how much more rewarding it is when they focus on becom- ing better at it.” Chladek added, “I also want to foster a sense of com- munity around the team. We have some community-service PHOTO BY RONGI YOST Gabe Chladek is leading the Outlaws’ young alpine ski team. projects planned, and we get together for ski parties on a regular basis.” Gabe and his wife, Rima Givot, have lived in Sisters since 1996, except for a short stint in Valdez, Alaska. They have two sons, George, a sophomore who’s on the ski team; and Bela, a seventh- grader at the middle school. The entire family are avid skiers. Rima is helping Gabe co- coach the alpine ski team, and runs much of the dry-land training that takes place after school. She is also at all of the races. “This year’s team has rela- tively little experience racing, as I do coaching a team,” said Chladek. “We’re figuring it out together, and everyone is building experience fast, and that means we’re all skiing faster.”
