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Wednesday, May 1, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
O
P
I
N I
O
N
Sisters Country
needs action
By T. Lee Brown
Columnist
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and phone number. Let-
ters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor.
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To the Editor:
I just wanted to write in regards to the
wilderness permit system the Forest Service
wants to use for trails in 2020. This is abso-
lutely not acceptable that our local forests are
being turned into a bureaucratic moneymaking
scheme. Trails should always be free, and if
permits are necessary to limit the amount of
visitors, those should be free as well.
We are seeing a very blatant lie taking
place right before our eyes. The lie is: that
these permits are meant to protect the forest
and to help maintain the health of the trails
and general area. If that was truly the intention
of this permit system, there would be no fee.
But it is very obvious to me that the intention
is actually money-related rather than one of
higher merit like what is being claimed.
This is very saddening and angering to me
because I deeply care about this land and this
forest with all of my heart. It also disturbs me
to see the Forest Service deciding to merely
limit the amount of visitors to a trail rather
than doing their actual job, which would
include servicing the trails and maintaining
them. Will these trails even need to be ser-
viced at all when hardly anyone is using them?
And what about all of the residents who
live here? How is that fair for us and how is
limited access to a forest helping us all to be
more environmentally conscious? Humanity,
more than ever, needs a greater connection to
nature right now, not further isolation. It9s one
of the biggest things that can help us to restore
balance within ourselves and ultimately the
entire planet.
Andrew Roe
s
s
s
See LETTERS on page 38
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Spring springs fast in
Sisters Country. One day
we9re dodging dirty berms
leftover from snowplows.
Next day, sand lilies
stretch out their tender pet-
als. Manzanitas roll out tiny
pink blooms.
In my mailbox arrives
another sign of spring:
the voters pamphlet. I leaf
through the local positions
up for election.
It9s mostly guys I don9t
know, running for positions
I9m clueless about, in parts
of the county I rarely visit.
Some provide only a
few noncommittal words
about themselves. I don9t
get a sense of their passion
or values. I sure don9t know
whether they can listen to
everyday people and take
action on our behalf.
Many didn9t send in a
photo. I don9t even know
whether their eyes light up
when they smile.
Then I see a smiling
face and perk right up. It9s
Mandee! Mandee Seeley,
familiar to most of us who
frequent Sisters Park and
Recreation District. She9s
running for Sisters School
Board.
At SPRD, Mandee makes
people feel welcome in a
solid, honest way. Her grin
is a real one 4 infectious
and fun.
Mandee knows how to
listen. She really hears what
customers and other com-
munity members say.
If an issue comes up that
she9s not informed about,
Mandee is on it fast. She9s
always reading, always
researching.
Then comes the impor-
tant part: Mandee takes
action.
Ever notice the trash pil-
ing up in our beautiful town
and surrounding woods? I
often pick it up, grumbling
all the way.
<Someone should hold
a big cleanup event!= I9ve
declared to the ponderosas
more than once.
Well, someone finally
did. That someone is
Mandee Seeley.
Community Cleanup Day
now goes on twice annually
through SPRD. Over 4,000
pounds of trash got picked
up by citizens in the last
year, thanks to Mandee9s
organizing work.
Ever think it was mighty
strange of SPRD to sell
unhealthy snacks and
soda pop in their vending
machines? I sure did.
Most of SPRD9s pro-
gramming gets people mov-
ing, improving the commu-
nity9s health. Yet here they
were, selling addictive junk
food right next to a high
school. Didn9t seem right to
me.
Guess it didn9t seem right
to Mandee Seeley, either.
<As an advocate for
healthy lifestyles, she has
always been concerned
about the District maintain-
ing soda and snack machines
that were frequented by
students,= SPRD9s Interim
Director Courtney Snead
told me.
Those vending machines
are gone now.
<Mandee is a staunch
advocate of healthy living,=
Snead said, <and SPRD
patrons and staff are benefit-
ing from her influence.=
For our kids and our
whole community, Sisters
Country needs action.
Not just people with long
resumes chatting about their
past accomplishments. Not
just a committee to com-
mission a survey to inform
the visioning of a strategic
document.
That work is useful.
Mandee sat on the Vision
Action Team for Sisters
Horizons; I reckon she sees
the value.
But we also need plain
ol9 action.
We9ll get it from Mandee
Seeley. As a Sisters School
District Director, she9ll help
kids of all income levels
and backgrounds. She is a
hands-on, active, working
mom who understands the
challenges faced by today9s
families.
<With a focus on nature,
wellness, and more student-
led and interactive learning
opportunities, I believe we
can do better for every kid in
our district,= Mandee says in
her statement.
I hope you9ll stop to
enjoy the sand lilies this
spring. I hope you9ll take a
few minutes to read the vot-
ers pamphlet.
And I hope you9ll join
me in voting for Mandee
Seeley.
Note: These statements
reflect my own opinion.
Mandee Seeley has no idea
I9m writing this.
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer
and are not necessarily shared by the The Nugget Newspaper.