Wednesday, September 25, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
CELEBRATION: Trail has
become a destination
for region9s riders
Continued from page 1
the poster for the event.
Displays were set up by
active partners of STA includ-
ing Central Oregon Trails
Association (COTA), Oregon
Equestrian Trails (OET), and
Sisters Park and Recreation
District. Three amazing gift
baskets, each filled with
donations from numerous
local businesses and worth
well over $1,000, were raf-
fled off to lucky winners who
paid $10 for three chances on
a hiker, cyclist, or equestrian
basket.
During the event, early
trail proponent John Rahm
of Sisters told the assembled
crowd, <What we have is a
mature destination trail sys-
tem& People come to Sisters
because of our trails. One per-
son moved here because of
the trails.=
Rahm gave those assem-
bled a detailed history of the
origins and development of
the trail, crediting Eurosports
owner Brad Boyd with get-
ting the first <lollipop= sec-
tion of the trail constructed in
two years, beginning in 1989.
Volunteers, partnerships,
donations and grants have
literally built the PRT. Thank-
yous were plentiful and heart-
felt on Saturday. Thousands
of volunteer hours have con-
tributed to the construction
and maintenance of the trail
system. Currently, each sec-
tion of trail has an STA vol-
unteer who surveys their sec-
tion regularly and sees to the
maintenance.
STA President Catherine
Hayden shared, <I am
thankful for our collabora-
tion with the Forest Service.
I value the strong relationship
with them.=
Thanks were also extended
for significant financial sup-
port from former Sisters
resident Mike Ilg, The
Roundhouse Foundation
and Kathy Deggendorfer,
and cycling advocate Jerry
Norquist and Cycle Oregon.
Amy Radke, Recreation
Team leader with the Sisters
Ranger District, echoed
Hayden9s sentiment from the
Forest Service perspective,
thankful for the partnership.
She has been able to build
on the relationships formed
through the partnership with
STA.
<What we have is an
incredible trail system with
important cultural sites,=
Radke said.
She talked about how
the PRT increases the USFS
capacity for recreational
opportunities. She cited the
stability of the STA with its
membership, finances, and
ability to get grants all add-
ing value to the Deschutes
National Forest.
Former Sisters District
Ranger Bill Anthony, an
avid cyclist, and Rahm, were
instrumental in the formation
of the partnership between the
USFS and STA.
Among those in the park
on Saturday were longtime
STA members and a num-
ber of relative newcomers to
Sisters who either had already
joined the STA or came to
check it out and planned to
join. One couple visiting from
Eugene stopped by with their
young son.
Mountain-biker David
Purviance, who brought his
World9s Children nonprofit
to Sisters, said, <I appreciate
Upcoming Adult
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STA earns
Big Chainring Award
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
T h e S i s t e r s Tr a i l s
Alliance was recently
awarded the Big Chainring
Award for nonprofits by the
Deschutes County Bicycle
and Pedestrian Committee
(BPAC).
Since 1996, the annual
Big Chainring Award has
recognized individuals,
businesses, and public
agencies that make impor-
tant contributions toward
improving bicycling and
walking conditions, encour-
aging children or adults to
walk and ride their bikes,
and making Deschutes
County communities health-
ier and happier.
According to the BPAC
recognition, <The Sisters
Trails Alliance has long
been an outstanding exam-
ple of dedicated volun-
teers creating an incredible
community resource. Gary
Guttormsen and Patrick
Eckford, the STA trail
coordinators, are two of
the individuals behind this
success. Gary has devoted
an incredible amount of
time, energy, talent and
imagination to the preserva-
tion and promotion of our
public forests and lands.
Patrick has been instrumen-
tal in securing a grant for
a new trailhead facility at
Peterson Ridge and is work-
ing with the Forest Service
to gain approval for new
trails.=
BPAC is comprised of
13 volunteer citizen mem-
bers with regional rep-
resentatives from across
Deschutes County. Their
mission is to promote and
encourage safe bicycling
and walking as a signifi-
cant means of transporta-
tion in Deschutes County.
The committee serves to
advise Deschutes County,
the cities of Bend, La Pine,
Redmond, and Sisters, plus
the Oregon Department of
Transportation concern-
ing bicycling and walking
interests and priorities, as
well as stimulating public
awareness.
The City of Sisters
received the Big Chainring
Award several years ago
for their accomplishments
in cycling and walking pri-
orities and safety as a public
agency.
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what they (STA) have done.=
He and his wife, Jean, plan to
join STA.
Mary and Michael Fry,
who are building a home in
Aspen Lakes, have been com-
ing to Sisters to vacation for
20 years and moved here per-
manently a year-and-a-half
ago. They enjoy the trails
on their mountain bikes and
came Saturday to <learn about
the outfit.=
The trailhead for the PRT,
currently located on the south
side of Sisters off Elm Street
and Tyee Drive, will have a
new location in spring 2020,
a little further south on Elm
(Three Creek Road), to
remove it from the Buck Run
neighborhood. The new trail-
head will offer more parking
and restroom facilities, but is
still close to town.
Other future plans include
improved equestrian trails
and two new trails to pro-
vide more connections on the
Whychus Creek and Brooks-
Scanlon trails. A new regional
organization is forming, the
Deschutes Trails Coalition.
Karen Matheson Thrower
has been using the trails since
the late 1990s, when she
came to visit her parents who
lived in Sisters. Her dad built
the play structure in Village
Green Park. She moved from
Portland three years ago and
joined the STA. She is on
the trails regularly with her
dogs or bike. She thinks <the
trail system is an incredible
resource.=
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