4
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Firewood
cutting
opens in
Sisters
Beginning May 1 and
continuing through May 31,
the Deschutes and Ochoco
National Forests and the
Crooked River National Grass-
land will offer free personal-
use firewood cutting, without
the normal requirement to
obtain a permit from a For-
est Service office or vendor.
This interim change to the
firewood permitting process
is a result of the COVID-19
pandemic and an effort to
maximize social distancing
measures to the extent possi-
ble. After May 31, the Forest
Service plans to return to the
regular process of issuing fire-
wood permits and load tags
at offices and vendor loca-
tions, but this timeline may be
extended depending on how
the COVID-19 pandemic
evolves.
Firewood cutters can take
up to four cords of firewood
for personal use only. Inquire
by phone or email with your
local district office regarding
commercial firewood permits.
Firewood cutters taking
advantage of this opportunity
will be required to follow the
same rules and regulations
that are in effect during the
regular firewood cutting sea-
son. These rules and regula-
tions are found in the <2020
Central Oregon Personal Use
Firewood Synopsis= and on
individual firewood cutting
area maps.
Free personal-use fire-
wood cutters will be required
to have the following in their
possession while cutting,
loading, and transporting
firewood:
1. A completed and signed
hard-copy version of the
Free Personal-Use Firewood
Authorization.
2. A digital or hard-
copy version of the 2020
Central Oregon Personal Use
Firewood Synopsis.
3. A digital or hard-copy
version of the appropriate
firewood cutting area map.
T h e A u t h o r i z a t i o n ,
Synopsis, and maps can
be acquired for Deschutes
National Forest at https://
go.usa.gov/xd4xV, at Forest
Service offices, and local
participating vendors starting
May 1. Firewood cutting area
maps can be downloaded onto
your electronic devices with
the Avenza maps app avail-
able from Avenza.com.
Woodcutters should use
caution while driving on
Forest Service roads. Many
may remain snow covered
and icy at higher elevations.
Roads at lower elevations are
wet and muddy and the soft
roadbed can easily be dam-
aged by vehicle traffic.
Commentary...
Helping those hit hard by crisis
By Janel Ruehl
Columnist
Sisters Country has come
together to address those
affected by the economic
impact of the coronavirus.
Tom Hespe, along with
a team of dedicated vol-
unteers, coordinates the
Kiwanis Food Bank in
Sisters. One of two local
Food Banks, Kiwanis and
Westside Church are both
open and experiencing a
major increase in demand.
Fortunately, Hespe says
they have also seen a boost
in donations and new
volunteers.
<When I was working out
in front of the food bank on
April 2, people were driving
up in their cars and waving a
check out the window. That
happened six to seven times
that day!= said Hespe.
He9s confident that the
food bank is funded through
the end of year, and will be
able to continue to deliver
consistent service to their cli-
ents. They9ve also received
generous donations of other
kinds from community mem-
bers, including 100 bandanas
from the Sisters Community
Church to use as face cover-
ings for their clients, a gift of
classic children9s books, and
lunch for their volunteers.
However, they9ve had to
undertake a major restructur-
ing of their delivery model to
adapt to CDC guidelines and
social distancing require-
ments, moving from an effi-
cient <shopping cart= model
to a menu and box program
that requires more volunteers
to deliver successfully.
T h i s h a s t e m p o r a r-
ily forced the food bank to
reduce their service from
once a week to once every
other week (the Westside
Church Food Bank is still
open once a week). Hespe
says they hope to get back
to their old model as soon
as possible, but in the mean-
time are in need of a few
additional volunteers 4
particularly younger com-
munity members. Most vet-
eran volunteers are over 60
and at higher risk from the
virus. If you9re interested in
volunteering, Hespe encour-
ages community members
reach out to him directly at
hgang68@aol.com.
Fully 20 percent of the
Food Bank9s clients are
experiencing homelessness,
Hespe estimates. George
Myers, Sisters Country resi-
dent and local homeless
advocate, says he is grate-
ful that the City of Sisters
elected to keep local public
restrooms and showers open
during the crisis, providing
critical access to clean water
and sanitation facilities.
Sisters Cold Weather Shelter
closed on schedule at the
end of February, and Myers
says a big challenge now is
outreach. He is working with
the Homeless Leadership
Coalition to distribute <out-
reach cards= to local camps
and individuals, containing
information on COVID-19
symptoms and available
resources.
For those looking to plug
in, Myers encourages dona-
tions to local partners like
the Family Access Network
(FAN) and the Food Banks.
<They know what people
need, and are doing their
very best to provide it,= said
Myers.
To support local busi-
nesses impacted by the cri-
sis, the Sisters Area Chamber
of Commerce and EDCO-
Sisters have been working
hard to understand needs,
connect business owners
to available resources, and
provide marketing sup-
port. In collaboration with
The Nugget, the Chamber
of Commerce has offered
advertising support to local
businesses. EDCO has
helped local traded sector
businesses pivot their busi-
ness model and distribution
methods to meet emerging
needs. Both encourage busi-
ness owners to reach out for
additional support.
Janel Ruehl is Program
Administrator for Community
& Economic Development
with the Central Oregon
Intergovernmental Council
(COIC). She is working
on the implementation of
the Sisters Country Vision
Project. For more informa-
tion, visit www.sistersvision.
org.
Serving Sisters Since 1976
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Hours: M-F 8 to 5, Sat. 8 to 4:30, Closed Sundays
440 N. Pine St. • 541-549-8141 • www.hoyts.net
We’re In This Together
Want to talk to or pray with someone
or need a delivery or other help?
Call Wendy at 541-389-6859.
The Sisters Kiwanis
Food Bank is open and
we welcome your visit!
If you qualify by meeting the federal
standard of poverty income level, we provide
a wide variety of food choices tailored to your
family’s tastes and geared for healthy meals.
The Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank is open
every other week and you are encouraged to
anticipate your food needs for two weeks at a
time between visits to the food bank.
Need an encouraging word every day?
www.sisterschurch.com
www.sisterschurch.com/what-we-do/ministries
The next pick up date
is Thursday, May 14,
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
SISTERS COMMUNITY CHURCH
We are located at
328 W. Main Ave. in Sisters
Looking for a spiritual activity
for kids of all ages?
Committed to serving Sisters in word and deed
