The Nugget
Vol. XLII No. 8
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Thousands of dying trees to be logged
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Some 2,100 trees in the
corridor leading into Sisters
from the west will be logged
in a project slated to begin
sometime around the middle
of April.
Sisters District Ranger
Ian Reid signed a decision
memo on February 8 detail-
ing the scope of the 514-acre
project, which was neces-
sitated by a massive die-off
of pines along Highway 20
due at least in large part to
the Oregon Department of
Transportation9s use of an
herbicide for weed abatement.
The problem began devel-
oping from 2013 to 2015
when an herbicide named
Perspective was used along
the highway corridor, within
the Oregon Department of
Transportation9s right of way,
to remove brush. The herbi-
cide harmed ponderosa pines
and other trees in the area
where it was applied.
The Forest Service plans
call for the felling of her-
bicide-affected trees with
90 percent or greater can-
opy damage, regardless of
Correspondent
Installation of the art in
the Barclay/Highway 20
roundabout is moving closer.
Sisters Public Works Director
Paul Bertagna announced at
the February 13 City Council
meeting that 75 percent of the
casting of the bronze statues
is complete.
The foundations on which
the statues will stand are
to be installed this week.
Installation of the bronze
work is scheduled for mid-
March, according to artist
Danae Bennett Miller.
The work was origi-
nally scheduled for installa-
tion in fall 2018; there were
unavoidable delays at the
Inside...
nugget_2019-02-20.indd 1
City/
County
look to a
populous
future
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
firewood.
What uses will be allowed
for the timber will depend
upon what the Oregon
Department of Agriculture
determines in crafting a new
rule regarding the use of the
Managing growth that
could double the size of
Sisters and more than
double the population of
Deschutes County was on the
table at a joint Sisters City
Council/Deschutes County
Commissioners meeting held
at City Hall on February 13.
The Sisters Horizon
Visioning Project was lauded
as the first major joint plan
undertaken by the City and
County with funds and staff
of each entity involved in the
process.
The Visioning Project
is now transitioning into
the implementation phase.
City Manager Cory Misley
See TREES on page 22
See POPULATION on page 31
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Several of the dead trees along Highway 20 have come down in recent windstorms. The corridor will be logged in
April to remove herbicide-affected trees.
diameter, within 75 feet of
the highway. ODOT and the
Forest Service will split the
cost of the project, which
Reid declined to disclose until
after the project is bid.
The felled trees will
become <forest product.=
<Our desired use would
Roundabout art to
be installed in March
By Sue Stafford
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
foundry in Eugene where
the casting is being done.
Bertagna explained that the
entire process of creating
the sculptures includes three
complete building processes
before the pieces reach their
final form in the roundabout.
Bennett Miller, of Tumalo,
created the art proposal, rec-
ommended by the Sisters Art
Selection Committee and
approved by the City Council
11 months ago. Her design,
titled <A Land of Contrasts,=
was one of three finalists cho-
sen from 125 initial entries.
Her design includes life-
size cast bronze sculptures of
an elk and several antelope
set among basalt columns
See ROUNDABOUT on page 22
be saw timber,= Reid told
The Nugget. <There9s some
mature timber out there.=
The sale of trees for lum-
ber would provide the great-
est return for taxpayers, Reid
noted, mitigating the cost
of the project. Other prod-
ucts could include chips or
Community mourns deputy’s passing
The Sisters and Camp
Sherman community is
mourning the sudden death
of Jefferson County Sheriff9s
Deputy Dave Blann, at the
age of 63.
Blann was a beloved fix-
ture of the Camp Sherman
community, serving as its
resident deputy for more than
20 years.
Jefferson County Sheriff9s
Office Undersheriff Marc
Heckathorn reported that
on Friday, February 15, at
about 5 a.m., medics from the
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire
Department were summoned
to the Camp Sherman home
of Senior Deputy Blann.
Medics were informed Senior
Deputy Blann was unrespon-
sive and CPR was in progress.
Upon arrival medics contin-
ued advanced medical care
but ultimately Senior Deputy
Blann was pronounced dead.
The Jefferson County
Sheriff9s Office and Oregon
State Police investigated his
death in coordination with
the district attorney and med-
ical examiner. Senior Deputy
Blann is believed to have
died from natural causes.
A multitude of person-
nel from different agencies
responded to the call, and
an impromptu procession of
emergency service provid-
ers escorted Senior Deputy
Blann from his home to Bel-
Air Funeral Home in Madras.
More than 50 vehicles were in
the procession that went from
Camp Sherman to Madras.
Heckathorn extended thanks
to members of the Oregon
State Police, Deschutes
County Sheriff9s Office, and
Redmond and Madras police
departments for closing side
PHOTO PROVIDED
Deputy Dave Blann served Camp
Sherman for two decades.
streets allowing the proces-
sion to safely make its way
across two counties.
Senior Deputy Blann
began his law enforcement
career as a reserve with the
See BLANN on page 30
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Bunkhouse Chronicle ......... 8 Announcements ................12 Sisters Salutes ................ 18 Classifieds ..................26-28
Meetings ........................... 3 Obituaries ....................... 10 Entertainment ..................13 Crossword ....................... 25 Real Estate .................29-32
2/19/19 10:56 AM