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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 2020)
4 Wednesday, February 12, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Healing and loving the land Several years ago, while conducting some fence liz- ard business at the Deschutes Land Trust9s Metolius Preserve, I ran into Amanda Egertson, the Land Trust9s stewardship director. She was conducting a restoration project on the preserve with a vigor I found remarkable, planting grass over and over and over, day after day. The Metoilus Preserve was once a picnic ground for the old Brooks-Scanlon Lumber firm in Bend. In that capacity the land was trampled and most of the native ground cover was no longer there, and what was had been eaten down to nub- bins by deer and elk. In spite of this degradation, there are three species of native liz- ards living there: sagebrush, fence and horned. Amanda loves the land and decided to make things right again by planting native grasses in the pre- serve. As a result, the mule deer thought they9d died and gone to heaven; here were these beautiful, luscious grass plugs suddenly appear- ing on their land and all they had to do was be patient and the ones they ate would soon be replaced. And that9s the way it went until Amanda hit on the right deer repellent (rotten eggs and garlic) to coat the soil around the grass. But that took quite a while and lots and lots of grass, dedication and patience to work out. The preserve is healing, and you should see the thriv- ing grasses now! Well, it just so happens that Brent Fenty of the newly organized Oregon Desert Land Trust (ODLT) is about to do something simi- lar. He has his eye on some small chunks of private land located in a BLM Wilderness Study Area southeast of Bend. The Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is one of the largest in the United States, span- ning 118,794 acres and is located about an hour south- east of Bend. The topogra- phy of this area varies from salt flats in the west to steep escarpments in the east and is home to mule deer, prong- horn antelope and golden eagles. One of the oldest studied prehistoric sites in North America, Paisley Cave, is also nearby. Here9s the way Brent9s trying to make it work: For $46 an acre, anyone can con- tribute to the permanent con- servation of this area that is home to wildlife gems such as migratory birds and des- ert big-horn sheep, within the BLM9s Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area in northern Lake County. If you want to take a look at what properties are avail- able, you can view each acre by going to www.conserve. org, select the acre you like, then buy it at a bargain-base- ment price. You9ll receive additional information regarding the natural val- ues of the property, plus the latitude and longitude of the acre if you want to visit it. Each donation is matched four-fold: At $46 per acre, the donor is paying ? of the acre9s cost, which trig- gers matching funds from ODLT and Global Wildlife Conservation, for a total pur- chase price of $182 per acre. ODLT is covering all legal, management and adminis- tration costs, and www.con- serve.org is paying for credit 2 5-75% OF EW F IDE R ons ST o O me exclusi S apply. Spring Forward SALE! Now through February 29th Clothing • Shoes • Gifts for both men and women Town Square (Across from Sisters Saloon) • 541-549-5648 card fees. All donations made through www.conserve.org go directly to purchasing the land. Oregon9s high desert, although composed of sig- nificant areas of public land, also contains tracts of private land that are critical to wildlife habitat, unique ecosystems and scenic val- ues. Securing these inhold- ings furthers restoration and conservation efforts in the region and provides access to the parcels and surround- ing public lands. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, l i k e millions of acres of land throughout Oregon, the Diablo Mountain Wilderness was pounded hard by early sheep and cattle grazing. Ecosystems have been destroyed by continued cat- tle grazing, which has never given the land the opportu- nity to heal from the abuse of the mid-1800s. The BLM, in its eager- ness to create cow pastures that have replaced native vegetation, hasn9t helped matters much. However, management of the Diablo Wilderness Study Area is going to change things. If ODLT can get all those tiny parcels of private ground into their conserva- tion plan, the ecosystems within those areas will be restored, wildlife habitat first and foremost; then cattle will be welcomed onto the land, but with strict guidelines. There will be no more of that old saying, <eat everything in sight, boys, and we9ll get more tomorrow.= The largest private acre- age within the wilderness study area is known as Lost Cabin, which is near the 750-mile-long Oregon Desert Trail. There are natu- ral artesian springs very near the old cabin. Some fascinat- ing geological interactions with sand and springs have created unique land forms around the cabin, making the area especially important for water-birds and spring dwellers. It is also a very important source of water for thru-hikers over a pretty dry stretch of trail. Diablo Mountain has a series of active golden eagle nests on it which are being watched over care- fully by the Oregon Eagle Foundation. The parcels of land under ODLT9s protection are a sig- nificant part of the high des- ert ecosystem and contain key elements for sage grouse and golden eagle populations of the area. The combination of ODLT and conserve.org making it possible for these historical private lands to be returned to productive eco- systems will be a treasure for the nature of the area for years to come. I9m in, how about you&? (Jess 3 Breakout follow- ing in V-Day <Card=) I agree with Aldo Leopold when he wrote, <We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. <If the land mechanism as a whole is good then every part is good, whether we understand it or not&To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intel- ligent tinkering.= Amanda planting grass. Vital part of a healthy ecosystem: sagebrush orb weaver spider (photos by Jim Anderson (3) Jim hugging a baby golden eagle who was about to hurt itself. (4) Lost Cabin (Photo provided) Please mask all photos with a Valentine Day’s “Heart.” Class Time! Mini Mystery Lawry Thorn – begins Feb. 15 Oxford Socks Paula Johnson – Feb. 18 Tiny House Trio Tonye Phillips – Feb. 21 Fit With a Friend Pattern Fitting Deb Wilkinson (come alone or bring a friend!) – Feb. 16 or Feb. 22 Wearable Art Deb Wilkinson – Feb. 24 541.549.6061 061 | 3 311 1 1 W W. Cascade C d Ave. A S Sisters i