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Wednesday, May 13, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Wilderness permit
plan delayed
A new system for permits
limiting entry into parts of the
Sisters backcountry has been
pushed back till next year.
The Forest Service
announced on Thursday, May
7, that the Deschutes and
Willamette National Forests
will delay the implementa-
tion of the Central Cascades
Wilderness limited entry per-
mit system until May 2021.
<Given many logistical
constraints caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic, we
are delaying our implemen-
tation until next year,= said
Deschutes National Forest
Supervisor Holly Jewkes.
The Central Cascades
Wildernesses limited entry
system was set to begin on
May 22, and would bring day-
use limits to 19 out of 79 trails
and overnight limits to all
trails in the Mt. Jefferson, Mt.
Washington and Three Sisters
Wilderness.
<Our focus has been on
responding to COVID-19, and
preparations for the permit
The Nugget Newspaper Crossword
By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service
system were delayed,= said
Willamette National Forest
Supervisor Dave Warnack.
<We felt there was too much
uncertainty for the public on
when we might open the res-
ervation system. Therefore,
we made this difficult
decision.=
One aspect of the Central
C a s c a d e s Wi l d e r n e s s
Strategies decision, which
will be implemented this year
is the <elevational campfire
ban.= The ban includes:
" All campfires are banned
above 5,700 feet eleva-
tion in Mt. Jefferson, Mt.
Washington, and Three Sisters
Wildernesses, as well as some
areas lower than 5,700.
" All campfires are banned
above 6,000 feet elevation in
Diamond Peak Wilderness.
Other than the elevational
fire ban, the wilderness areas
will be managed this year as
they were previously. Both
forests will maintain the free
self-issue permit systems for
entering the wildernesses.
— Last Week’s Puzzle Solved —
Emergency grants
available for businesses
Sisters businesses affected
by COVID-19 may be eligible
for grants of up to $2,000 from
funds provided by the Oregon
Community Foundation.
The Sisters OCF COVID-19
Emergency Business Grant
Task Force will release infor-
mation about eligibility and
application procedures on
Wednesday, May 13.
On that date, the task force
will publish eligibility stan-
dards and application mate-
rials on many websites and
directly to Sisters businesses.
The Central Oregon
Intergovernmental Council
(COIC) earmarked $25,000
for Sisters from money
received from the Oregon
Community Foundation to
support severely impacted
businesses. COIC then
formed a local task force to
finalize procedures for dis-
tributing the funds to eligible
Sisters businesses.
<The task force under-
stands the devastating effect
of COVID-19 on local busi-
nesses who have invested in
our community and contrib-
ute to the local economy,=
said Judy Trego, a member of
the task force and Executive
Director of the Sisters Area
Chamber of Commerce. <We
have been working hard to
create a fair system for dis-
tributing these emergency
grants to help as many busi-
nesses as possible with some
financial relief.=
The task force urges busi-
nesses to examine the materi-
als and submit applications as
soon as they become available
on May 13. The task force
will not consider applica-
tions received after 5 p.m. on
Wednesday, May 20.
The materials will be made
available on at least the fol-
lowing websites:
" www.sisterscountry.com
" www.edcoinfo.com
" www.ci.sisters.or.us
" www.centraloregonsos.
com
This Week’s Crossword Sponsors
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352 E. Hood Ave., Ste. E
Sisters Acupuncture Center
541-549-1523
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