Wednesday, May 20, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Ranger’s Corner Ian Reid Sisters District Ranger Spring 2020 As a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service, I thought I had seen a lot in my career: fires, floods, furloughs, drug cartels, timber thefts, dar- ing rescues and tragic fatali- ties. But there was no play- book preparing me for the uncertainty of the last several months. This global pandemic has challenged Forest Service employees just as it has tested all of you. At times two of our agency core values 4 service and safety 4 felt at logger- heads with each other. Managing an organiza- tion mindful of the needs and safety of our employees and the public while being respon- sive to the stewardship of over 300,000 acres of your pub- lic land on the Sisters Ranger District has redefined leading through change and taken some very difficult decisions. Some of these decisions were post- poning or canceling planned work to improve national for- est lands and provide economic opportunities. Among these were deferring a large refor- estation contract, suspending our spring prescribed burning program, postponing our wil- derness limited-entry project, closing our developed recre- ation sites and ranger station to the public, delaying some of our important aquatic restora- tion projects, pausing our tre- mendous volunteer program, and canceling our spring public open house. While we deferred some of our projects, most of our employees teleworked over the last couple months and were busier than ever. Through detailed risk assessments and constant communication with our partners we con- tinued some of high-priority work planned for 2020. Our firefighters are trained and prepared for another active fire season and have already responded to several wildfires in Sisters Country this spring. We signed a decision to authorize powerline clearing and pole replacement along 13 miles of utility right-of- way between Sisters and Camp $10 Lunch Specials TO GO! 11:30 AM-3:30 PM all week 541-549-3594 Chicken Tortilla Soup 1 Originally of Merida, Yucatan. Fried tortilla slices, shredded chicken, avocado slices, melted cheese, cilantro, onions and lime on the side. (Add rice $1) Tijuana Taco Salad Bowl 2 Crispy fried fl our tortilla bowl topped with beans, choice of chicken. ground beef, or pork, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and mild salsa. Enchilada/Taco Combo 3 A cheese and onion enchilada and a ground beef taco. Served with rice, beans, and sour cream. 4 A tortilla fi lled with fresh spinach sauteed with green onions and tomatoes in a garlic butter creamy sauce. Topped with a green sauce, Jack cheese, sour cream, green onions and red diced peppers. Includes rice and black beans. Spinach Enchilada Colorado Burrito 5 Flour tortilla stuffed with chunks of beef cooked in a tasty red sauce. Topped with Colorado sauce & melted cheese. Served with rice, refried beans, and sour cream. Expreso Burrito 6 A fl our tortilla fi lled with choice of chicken, shredded beef or ground beef, rice & beans. Topped with sauce, guacamole, lettuce, tomato & cotija cheese. Two Enchiladas Verdes 7 A combination of two enchiladas fi lled with chicken. Topped with green tomatillo sauce and cheese. Served with refried beans, rice and sour cream. Macho Burrito 8 A fl our tortilla rolled and fi lled with pork carnitas, rice, and beans. Topped with melted Jack cheese, sour cream, lettuce and a chipotle cream sauce. Pollo Rancho 9 Strips of chicken breast cooked with green peppers, onions, zucchini, mushrooms. Served over a bed of rice, topped with melted Jack cheese. Served with tortillas. 10 Chile Verde Chunks of pork slow cooked in light green tomatillo sauce made with peppers, onion, and spices. Served with tortillas. 150 E. Cascade Ave. • ranchoviejosistersoregon.com TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY 541-549-9122 Every day 8 am-2 pm • 121 W. Main Ave., Sisters Breakfast Bagel Toasty Bagel with cream cheese, mustard, tomato and our egg/spinach/cheese patty ......... $6.50 Breakfast Burrito Whole-wheat wrap with our roasted potato/black bean hash, savory scrambled eggs, cheese and salsa ....................... $7.50 Vegan Cinnamon Rolls ............................................. $4.25 Signature Scones (Marionberry, Blueberry, Peach) .... $3.75 Spinach Mushroom Quiche (Gluten-free) ................ $7.00 Enchilada Plate with Salad (Gluten-free) ............. $12.00 Toffee & Lemon Bars, Brownies, Carrot Cake .. $4.00 Fruit Smoothies (choice of alt. milks or orange juice) .. $6.00 Famous Bagel Sandwich, Veggie or Turkey! Homemade Soups, Salads GF/Vegan, and lots more! Full menu & online ordering at AngelinesBakery.com GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN OPTIONS • GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE TAKE-OUT & DELIVERY: 541-549-7427 Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. ★ ★ ★ FAMILY MEALS ARE FUN! ★ ★ ★ BBQ Family Meal $16/person (minimum 4 people) Includes house-smoked ribs and chicken, salad, roasted vegetables, choice of starch (homemade potato crisps, fries, sweet potato fries, or mashed potatoes), and dessert. Burger Family Meal $13/person (minimum 4 people) Includes Saloon Burgers made from all-natural locally raised, grass-fi nished beef, salad, roasted vegetables, choice of starch (homemade potato crisps, fries, sweet potato fries, or mashed potatoes), and dessert. Soups and Saloon Chili Soup of the day and our award-winning chili made fresh from scratch to stock your fridge! Available by the cup, bowl, and now also by the quart and gallon! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WE HAVE OUR LICENSE TO DELIVER BOTTLED BEER, WINE, CIDER AND WHITE CLAWS! Full Menu Available At SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS ★ 190 E. Cascade Ave. SISTERS TAKE-OUT MENU GUIDE The Sherman and those crews are working to improve safety and operations along their pow- erline corridor. We recently awarded a contract to remove diseased and dying trees around Suttle Lake. With this work in mind, please be aware of logging truck and equipment traffic and local trail closures in the Suttle, Scout, and Dark Lake areas over the spring and summer. We awarded a contract to construct a new trailhead for the Peterson Ridge Trail sys- tem and a local contractor is making excellent progress. Understanding the public9s need to plan ahead for the fol- lowing winter, we temporarily waived permit requirements on personal use firewood allowing up to four cords free per house- hold. In addition, we paused permits and offered free per- sonal use mushroom collection and botanical transplants. We continue forward on the pending land sale of the Sisters Ranger Station administrative site, while retaining 12 acres for a new ranger station. Finally, we hired three new leaders to the district: Haley Anderson will serve as the vegetation management staff and lead silviculturist; Sara Baughman will manage the recreation and wilderness pro- grams; and Lisa Paddock will oversee the administrative and visitor services department. Also, John Soules was tapped to replace Fred Perl as Law Enforcement Officer stationed in Sisters. What9s next as we work closely with the State of Oregon and other jurisdictions to find some semblance of nor- malcy? We hope to open many day-use developed sites such as trailheads, picnic areas, boat ramps, and the 16 Road snow gate prior to Memorial Day weekend, however services will be unavailable at many sites so please come prepared. We anticipate some of our campgrounds to open by early June. We know closed camp- grounds have contributed to increased dispersed camping pressure right now and ask that campers please follow leave no trace principles, pack out their trash, and properly bury human waste. Until we open the ranger station again to the public, you can call 541-549-7700 during weekday business hours and be forwarded to one of our teleworking employees that can answer your questions. Or email us at mailroom_r6_ central_oregon@usda.gov. When we do reopen, we will be focusing on employee and public safety in our front office environment. Thank you in advance for your patience and contin- ued support in the weeks and months to come and we can9t wait to have you back enjoy- ing the bounty of the Sisters Ranger District! 7