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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2018)
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Statewide forestry skills competition changing By Jennifer Moody Albany Democrat-Herald SCIO (AP) — Kaitlyn Kastet was able to pull herself a good 15 feet up the trunk of the Douglas fir behind Scio High School, but then wasn’t sure what to do next. Arbor climb judge Douglas Livengood indicated the knot- ted rope holding the Corvallis High School sophomore and showed her where to pull to let herself down. Kastet gave the rope an experimental tug and slid gracefully to the ground, sliding off the har- ness for teammate McKenna Mulvey to take a turn. The Corvallis girls were at Scio on Thursday for their first try at the high school’s annual forestry competition, which drew close to 200 stu- dents from around Oregon. Scio has been holding the competition since 1976, but Corvallis hasn’t had a forestry program, at least not in recent years. Nor has Waldport or Yoncalla, who also were new to Thursday’s competition. Ten schools in all came to the competition, up from six or seven in past years, said Rex Lowther, who teaches forestry and coaches Scio’s team. He gives credit for the growth to Future Natural Resource Leaders of Oregon, a new organization dedicated to promoting student experi- ences with natural resources. Officially chartered in 2016, Future Natural Resource Leaders grew out of an ear- lier organization, the Oregon Association of Forestry Clubs. Lowther helped to organize it. Like FFA or Future Business Leaders of America, the group’s purpose is to sup- port students as they explore education and career opportu- nities. Unlike the former for- estry club association, how- ever, the new group expands its reach to include all aspects of natural resources. Scio senior Grant Ortiz, 18, is state president of the orga- nization this year. Forestry is changing, and you can see it in the way Scio’s annual com- petition works, he said. Some of the 18 events, such as ax throw and log rolling, are held mostly for fun and to get kids excited about joining in, rather than to teach specific logging skills. “All of this is kind of nos- talgia,” he said, “but it gets them interested in it.” At the same time, how- ever, the competition gives participants practice in skills they will use on a daily basis in natural resources careers. Map reading, tool identifica- tion, fire hose lay, and com- pass and pacing all have uses in a variety of careers. State FNRL Executive Director Kirk Hutchinson said he believes as the orga- nization grows, competitions like Scio’s will grow with it. Eventually, he figures, they could add competitions such as wildland backpacking, wildlife identification and tracking, fire science, ecology, recycling, fisheries, national parks — anything that could have a natural resources bent. “Maybe you’re given a scenario where there’s this group of trees, or a park, in downtown Albany: What can we as natural resource special- ists do to enhance, preserve, care for it, or cut it down?” Hutchinson said. The arbor climb event, which the two Corvallis teammates tried Thursday, is among one of the newer events, and meant to reflect just such a change in focus, Hutchinson said. Oregon cities are full of trees, and trees require arbor- ists. Skilled arborists know how to use a rope to climb a tree, either for trimming or assessment. That’s what the event is meant to simulate. As a new team without much of a background in Scio’s events yet and none of their own equipment for prac- tice, the Corvallis students See FORESTRY on page 31 House-Smoked Turkeys for Thanksgiving g g Day Fully cooked • Limited quantity Reserve yours today by calling, stopping by, or emailing sistersmeat@gmail.com. 541-719-1186 • 110 S. Spruce St. Open 9 AM -7 PM Every Day PRE- ORDER NOW! MEATS • CHEESES • EATERY • DRINKERY 23 SCIENCE: Genetics at the forefront of Sisters program Continued from page 3 the forefront of genetic sci- ence, guiding research on the human genome toward prac- tical applications in medi- cine. She recalls the thrill of the first cloning work to isolate genes that cause devastating illnesses such as Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis; concerned with the ethics of gene ther- apy, she worried her way through the first craze to push such therapy into clini- cal trials. Dr. Handelin will share her thoughts on the current state of genetic science at The Belfry on Tuesday, October 23 for the second lecture in the 2018-19 Frontiers in Science series, spon- sored by the Sisters Science Club. Her curiosity about the influence of genetics on human life is unlimited. “I marvel at how we really are forced to look at how all of our traits, including some that were thought to be purely nurture — like obses- sive behavior and risk-tak- ing — may be more nature after all,” Dr. Handelin says. She is also intrigued by the way DNA can be “reverse analyzed” to reveal a physi- cal profile of a person so clear and detailed that it could be described as a call- ing card that is always left behind to be collected, ana- lyzed and stored. As a result, the National DNA Index in the United States now con- tains information from more than 16 million people and has been used to aid in over 387,000 investigations, an important tool in counter- intelligence operations and “cold-crime” detective work. Whether determined by nature or nurture, one of Dr. Handelin’s most obvi- ous traits is a love of science and medicine. After earn- ing her doctorate from the OHSU School of Medicine PHOTO PROVIDED Dr. Barbara Handelin will talk on genetic science at The Belfry on Tuesday, October 23. in 1987, Dr. Handelin led the establishment of what became the largest commer- cial DNA testing lab in the world at Integrated Genetics (later Genzyme Genetics). As lab director, she was a principal advisor to clinical lab regulators on developing standards for clinical DNA testing, a founder of a lead- ership group on developing ethical standards for genetic testing, and among the first dozen medical geneti- cists to be board-certified by the American College of Medical Genetics in Molecular and Biochemical Genetics. Since 1995, her solo con- sulting practice has provided services to venture capi- tal investors, C-level man- agers of new technology companies, and senior busi- ness development executives in biotechnology, diagnos- tics, genomics, pharmaco- genetics and bioinformatics companies and biomedical universities. Dr. Handelin’s lecture, “The Good, the Ugly, the Curious: Everything is Genetic,” starts at 7 p.m. at The Belfry, with an introduc- tion by genetics counselor Barbara Pettersen of Bend. Social hour begins at 6:15 p.m. (note the new time) with light fare, beer, and wine available. Admission is $5; teachers and students are admitted free. The Belfry is located at 302 E. Main Ave. For more information on the Sisters Science Club: www.sistersscienceclub.org; scienceinsisters@gmail.com. Organic, natural products Personal approach for every lawn Fall cleanups Mowing & pruning People- & Pet-Friendly Lawn Maintenance Services 22 years in business • LCB#9583 541-549-2882 M&J CARPET CLEANING Deep cleans, sanitizes, removes bacteria, pet dander & much more! 541-549-9090 Locally Owned & Operated Since 1986 AREA RUGS (WOOL) • UPHOLSTERY • AUTOS/RVS TILE & GROUT • DRYER VENT CLEANING www.mjcarpetcleaning.com We help create special moments for residents and their families. Each day we learn how we can continue to meet or exceed their expectations for the care we provide in a smaller, intimate setting. Helen’s House 115 NW Greenwood, Redmond | 541-504-7094 Anna’s Home 192 E. Tall Fir Ct., Sisters | 541-549-1726 Pennington’s Place 182 E. 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