Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2019)
14 Wednesday, July 24, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Steven Peterzen — a life of adventure By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Steven Peterzen has spent a lifetime saying <yes= to adventure. And it9s led him to extraordinary experiences across the globe. Peterzen, who has lived in Sisters for the past decade, is the founder and owner of ISTAR Stratospheric Ballooning. ISTAR launches and recovers payloads for scientific and technological experiments for agencies, companies and academic institutions. The recovery field operations are often adventurous, since flights are usually terminated in remote areas. Peterzen often works with locals, including native peo- ples in Arctic regions, to ski in and remove 10 percent of the flight equipment from the landing area. It9s all just part of the job 4 a very enjoyable part of the job 4 for a man who has spent his entire life engaged in outdoor activities from skiing to sea kayaking to climbing to sailing to cycling and more. Peterzen grew up along a creek at the Ohio-Illinois border along the Mississippi River. His parents were avid paddlers. <I started paddling, really, before my memory,= he told The Nugget. <We canoed and tent-camped all over. That just stayed with me.= Peterzen9s love of outdoor adventure early on paired with a passion for science. Along that creek where he grew up, he was constantly <turning over rocks to look at the insects and crawdads.= He was inspired further in high school in Clinton, Iowa. <I had a fantastic science teacher,= he said. <I did the summer camps, everything I could to stay involved with it.= Peterzen took up climb- ing at age 16, and hitchhiked across the country at age 20 to pursue that passion. He found himself owning and operating a guide business in Lander, Wyoming. That9s hair, skin & nails JULY SPECIAL 1-hr. Microdermabrasion FACIAL ~ $ 80 541-549-6566 484 W. Washington Ave. Suite B when destiny came calling. A man called looking for someone with Peterzen9s skill- set to be a support contractor setting up a field camp for a National Science Foundation/ University of Wisconsin gla- ciology project in Antarctica. <When he dropped the word Antarctica 4 yeah, how soon can I get there,= Peterzen recalled. His wife, Francie, and their new baby stayed in the log home they9d built themselves in Wyoming 4 an adven- ture in its own right 4 while Steven worked from October to March in Antarctica. <I was able to talk to my wife once (by satellite phone),= Peterzen said. The Antarctica project opened a lot of doors and a broad vista to Peterzen. Despite his love for science, he had shied away from a career that might confine him to a lab working on some obscure element of inquiry. This work offered him a dif- ferent and more congenial path. <Here was all this science before me,= he said. And he didn9t have to specialize 4 any subject area was open to him. <I wanted to play with ALL of them,= he said. The Antarctica project led to work on an ice shelf in Greenland, drilling and set- ting off explosive charges to gauge seismic activity, and eventually into sending scien- tific payloads into the strato- sphere with balloons. The ISTAR website notes that: <In 1991, ISTAR began supporting stratospheric 8Near Space9 research pro- grams utilizing high altitude balloons. This first balloon campaign was directly in sup- port of a NASA-funded ozone investigation over Greenland with a team from Harvard University. In 1992, ISTAR took the field management role of the NASA-funded stratospheric balloon program in Antarctica. <From 1992 through 2001, ISTAR successfully managed over 20 separate 800,000 m3 balloons from Antarctica and launched a series of smaller balloons. During that period, ISTAR also managed and led the recovery team of the pay- loads and flight hardware.= His work would lead him from Arctic regions to Morocco and a stint working in Italy with the Italian Space Agency. Peterzen9s value reflects a simple yet rare quality 4 he knows how to do a lot of things and has a knack for getting things done when the chips are down and the money is short. His skill set is very broad, ranging from a long list of wilderness skill certi- fications to heavy equipment operation and project man- agement. And he9s a natural problem-solver. <You have this bag of tricks in your pocket that you can use to make a project success- ful without always digging into your pocket,= he said. IT’S CAMPING SEASON! Tables Dr. Janet Kenyon Audiologist for over 30 years Custom-built hearing aids Complete In-Canal Receiver In-Canal Behind-The-Ear In-house cleaning, repairs & service Premium hearing aids, aff ordably priced All insurance plans accepted 541-317-1265 1625 NE 2nd St. | Bend Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m. www.kenyonaudiology.com We have generators in stock… …for sale or rent! NEED IT, RENT IT! 506 N. Pine St. 541-549-9631 Sales • Service Rentals • Accessories www.sistersrental.com PHOTO PROVIDED Steven Peterzen has worked in some of the harshest environments in the world. Adventure isn9t just needed when managing field Peterzen9s job 4 it9s a way operations in ballooning.= of life for him and his whole Peterzen came to Sisters family. 10 years ago because <it9s an For nearly four years they ideal location= for the life he lived aboard and cruised their chooses to lead. He9s been sailboat <Totem.= an avid skier since he was a Peterzen noted that sail- kid, and enjoys teaching at ing <also honed our skills in Hoodoo. weather observations, rigging <I don9t need a huge moun- applications, mechanical and tain, but I need a fun moun- electrical troubleshooting, tain,= he said. <And Hoodoo and the overall maintenance. See ADVENTURE on page 26 These skills parallel the efforts Smile, Sisters! We’re committed t to o y your o u r d e n t a l h e a l t h ! dental health! Exceptional Health, Prevention & Aesthetics For Your Family! Sisters Dental Trevor Frideres d.m.d. p 541-549-9486 f 541-549-9110 410 E. Cascade Ave. • P.O. Box 1027 • Sisters