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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2019)
4 Wednesday, March 6, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Is enough snow really enough? There are some people in Sisters Country who are pretty unhappy about this magnifi- cent snow that lies upon our sagebrush and sand at the moment; they think <enough is enough.= There are also some Sisters in-town mule deer that feel the same way, and probably a host of wild birds that don9t have gracious neighbors put- ting out food for them that feel the same way, too. Sure 31 inches of snow creates a lot of problems for people and wildlife. But& Let me tell you, Good People, before this sudden onslaught of snow falling on us, our countryside was in for a very dangerous summer. Our snowfall average was way down on the measuring stick and now, thanks to the generous windfall of nature, we are at about 113 percent of normal for snow, which means we are on the positive side for water this summer. Sure it9s tough to be snowed in. If it wasn9t for the kindness and generosity of newlyweds Chris Stahn and his beautiful wife Ping, my $10 OFF MEDICAL CARE — EXPIRES 3/13/19 — wife and I would not be using our grand old wood stove; they shoveled out the route from my back door to the woodshed. There was no way this 90-year-old naturalist was going to slug through the 31-inches of snow on my back deck pushing a wheel barrow loaded with wood on the route between my back door and the woodshed. My old ticker wouldn9t have cooperated. Then there was another grand pal, Pete Rathbun, who borrowed Sage Dorsey9s trac- tor and dug out one end of our driveway so I could get to town and back. The thing that overshadows all the grief and groaning about this magnifi- cent snowfall is the ultimate water that will come out if it. IF the wind doesn9t come up and blow all the moisture out of Sisters Country. Right now, almost all those deer that were here last summer 4 and weren9t tempted by the gifts put out by the well-meaning resi- dents of Sisters who broke the law to feed them good- ies 4 are healthy and happy out in the wilds of <Deer Winter Range.= They have ample food to eat beneath and around the sagebrush and bit- terbrush surrounding those old-growth western junipers that shelter them at night from the intense cold after the sun goes down. If there9s a desert creek running through the sage and juniper then willows and other riparian plants will also sustain them. The good inten- sions of people who think they should feed alfalfa hay to deer and elk in winter is lost effort. Study after study has We are honored to serve our community! 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl., Ste. 100 Redmond • Open every day Jim Anderson on his way to the house with a load of wood. PHOTO BY SUE ANDERSON filmed in Whychus Canyon is up and running. As of last Saturday, in spite of a huge glob of snow between mom and the camera, she appears to be sitting tight on eggs (www.goldeneaglecam.org). And, speaking of eagles, right at this moment my wife, Sue, and I are in a quandary. Our annual golden eagle study is starting, now. Snow or no snow, golden eagles make decisions on where they go and what they do by the posi- tion of the sun in relation to the horizon, length of day and prey availability. That means that setting up housekeeping and laying eggs happens this time of year. That also means, despite the amount of snow on the ground, if their nests can be prepared for raising babies, most of the eagles are about to start laying eggs right now. What all this snow means is that when it begins to melt, the primitive roads under it will turn to mud and 4 in most cases 4 prevent Sue and me from spying on eagles. If that happens, we9ll just have to be content to see the grand production of native wildflowers this spring, the butterflies that follow in summer and the plethora of insects that will (hopefully) be produced. The e Best est Fence e ce You’ll Never See. ® Tasty THURSDAY March 7, 5-7 p.m. LIVE MUSIC Sat., March 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Dry y Canyon y Trio 391 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-2675 corkcellarswinebistro.com • Manage via Smart Phone • GentleSteps™ Training with our Professional Trainer • Award-Winning Technology • Best Warranty in Industry • America’s Safest Dog Fence • 100% Made in the U.S.A. SAVE $100 NOW 541-771-2330 phantompetfence.com/save-now/ WHAT’S CONCEALED CARRY NEW AT PERMIT CLASS SISTERS M U LT I - S TAT E RENTAL? We are now your local authorized Honda Power Equipment Dealer! Celebrating ating a g Our 6th h Year! shown such good-neighbor acts are an exercise in futility. By the same token, if you see deer standing on their hind legs licking up corn in your bird feeder chase them off; it can kill them. Quail get on very well with corn and other grains in winter, but such a diet for deer, elk, and rabbits is not good. When I see peo- ple putting out bird food as an anti-skid on sidewalks 4 per- haps thinking they9re doing wildlife a favor 4 I shudder with regret when I see deer lapping it up. Right now 4 in spite of all the snow 4 our place is all the sound of music. The red-winged black birds obey the position of the sun in its relationship to the horizon which in turn tells the males when they should be choosing females for this spring brood of chicks. Well, while they were about that, they spot- ted our feeder with the lesser goldfinches, house finches and house sparrows pigging out, and down they came. The males have been rewarding us with their beautiful spring- time songs. And speaking of birds in the snow, thanks to East Cascades Audubon Society and Sisters9 Jim Hammond, the golden eagle being Offering sales, service & parts. NEED IT, RENT IT! 506 N. Pine St. 541-549-9631 yourcaremedical.com Sales • Service Rentals • Accessories WALK-IN • URGENT CARE • X-RAY • OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE www.sistersrental.com MULTI-STATE including Oregon 80 $ OREGON ONLY $ 45 March 19 • 6 p.m. only Best Western Ponderosa Lodge, 500 Hwy. 20 W., Sisters For more information: www.FirearmTrainingNW.com FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com | 360-921-2071