16
Wednesday, March 18, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
REED: Forester is
looking forward to
enjoying forest
Continued from page 1
said. <I have a sense of soul
here.=
Even with the changes due
to population growth, Reed
feels Sisters Country will
always be her home.
Reed graduated high
school in 1987 and jumped
straight into college at COCC.
She joined their forestry pro-
gram because she always
loved the outdoors.
<During one of my classes,
the professor asked me if I
wanted to work on a Forest
Service engine during the
summer and I said yes,= she
recalled.
Reed then was hired on as
a seasonal employee for the
Forest Service in 1988 and
has been doing forestry work
ever since.
<The thing that was a sur-
prise to me in this work was
the manual labor aspect; I
wasn9t sure at first if this was
my cup of tea, but I stuck with
it,= she said.
Reed9s own experience
with wildfire influenced the
way she approached Forest
Service as a career path.
<I want to help people
understand fire and its impact
and help them realize it is a
part of where we live,= she
said.
Reed paid for college and
her forestry associates degree
by working for the Forest
Service as a hotshot.
After her time on the fire
line for 10 years as a seasonal
employee and hotshot, Reed
wanted to go into a more spe-
cialized permanent job in sup-
pression and prevention. Her
first permanent job was in
1998 at Malheur, where she
worked until 2001 when she
returned to Sisters.
<I returned because a job
in education and prevention
opened up on the Deschutes
area in Sisters and I wanted
to return to my home and
my roots, so I came back and
have been working here ever
since,= said Reed.
A big part of Reed9s job up
to now is to talk to the pub-
lic and educate and inform
the people. She works with
first-graders on teaching them
about campfire safety with
Smokey the Bear. She works
on trail maintenance, forest
treatment and post-wildfire
rehab.
One of her biggest pas-
sions in her work is planning
and executing prescribed
fires.
<It takes layers and layers
of planning with prescribed
fire. It takes so long to get
fire on the ground because we
have to make sure there is a
lasting long-term investment
and educate the public about
the importance of preventa-
tive fire for their own lasting
benefit,= she said.
Reed plans to continue
volunteering in public ser-
vice and using her knowledge
and applying it to other areas
within the community. She
plans to work with the Sisters
Trails Alliance and volunteer
on trail restoration. Reed has
an eight-year-old daughter
and wants to get her involved
in nature and hiking in Sisters
Country and beyond.
<I haven9t been able to rec-
reate for most of my adult life
4 for over 32 years my life
has been consumed by fire,=
she said.
She and her daughter have
a list of national parks they
plan to visit.
<I really want to be there
for my daughter and keep
busy with her and get out-
side with her. I want to use
my work knowledge to better
educate her,= said Reed.
She plans to work with the
Central Oregon Interagency
Dispatch Center and volun-
teer with them when things
get busy during fire season.
<I feel like I have learned
so much in my career and I
don9t want to close the book
on what I9ve lived through.
I want to continue to share it
where I can,= she said. <Fire
is in my bones, and I will
always have a connection to
it even while not working for
the federal service.=
CONTRACT: New
deputies expected in
Sisters this summer
Continued from page 1
relationships between the
Sisters-assigned deputies and
members of the community.
The total fixed contract
amount is $661,200, with a
total potential amount includ-
ing overtime, extended shift
coverage and special services
of $711,200. The lieutenant
will report to the DCSO com-
mand, but will work closely
with City officials.
<The lieutenant is sup-
posed to be on board July 1,
which is the effective date
of the contract,= Misley
said. <The deputies, hope-
fully some of them will be on
board before July 1 or shortly
after.=
The contract allows for
some flexibility in timeline to
allow for recruitment of the
deputies.
With three deputies, there
will be a coverage gap of
approximately four to five
hours. There will continue
to be a 24-hour west-county
patrol deputy on duty, and
Black Butte Ranch Police and
Oregon State Police are avail-
able for emergency backup.
<It is potentially some-
thing that will be dynamic, as
well,= Misley said 4 mean-
ing that shift assignments
could be adjusted to address
specific law enforcement
needs at certain times.
Misley noted that the con-
tract is built on a cost-for-ser-
vice basis, with those costs
more fully lined out than they
have been in the past.
<All we9re trying to do
is pay for the service we9re
getting,= he said. <From a
budgetary perspective, this
is pretty black and white. It9s
pretty straightforward.=
Sisters is getting more
coverage, with a directly
assigned force of deputies
who will know the commu-
nity thoroughly. Both the
City government and Sheriff
Nelson consider that a signif-
icant, cost-effective improve-
ment in law enforcement
services on the west end of
Deschutes County.
<This is a really good step
in the right direction,= Misely
said.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS
The Nugget
N E W S PA P E R
?
CUSTOM FENCES AND DECKS
FREE ESTIMATES
COMPETITIVE PRICING
541-588-2062
CCB#288388
Locally Owned,
Craftsman Built
Residential & Commercial
Custom Ranch &
Domestic Privacy Fencing
Decks • Gates
Stain & Paint • Repair
Take The Nugget with you on your travels and send
your pics to editor@nuggetnews.com. We’ll post on
Facebook so readers can guess where you were!
www.SistersFenceCompany.com
Stay current with the latest verified news on COVID-19