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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2020)
The Nugget Vol. XLIII No. 33 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Sisters attorney wins landmark case PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 Wednesday, August 12, 2020 A hot day on Whychus Creek... Sisters sees more cops on the street By Sue Stafford Correspondent By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief On January 21, 2017, Andrew K. Myers9 life changed irrevocably. The airline pilot, who had flown for JetBlue Airways since 2002, was in a JetBlue Airways plane on the tarmac in Portland, conducting run- ups on a plane engine when the cockpit and cabin of the plane filled with fumes. Myers suffered multiple med- ical complications from his exposure to the toxic chemi- cal fumes 4 complications A pair of fawns refreshed themselves in the cold waters of Whychus Creek in Sisters’ high summer. PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK See ATTORNEY on page 16 Sisters9 new deputies aren9t on the job yet 4 but the community is already see- ing a greater law enforcement presence. The new law enforcement contract between the City and the Deschutes County Sheriff 9s Office (DCSO) went into effect July 1, 2020. When fully in force, the con- tract calls for a permanent supervising lieutenant and three full-time deputies. The DCSO is currently training new replacement deputies to fill the current positions See POLICE on page 10 OSAA: No high school Dwarf mistletoe a problem in forests sports before December By Craig F. Eisenbeis Correspondent By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent The OSAA (Oregon Scholastic Activities Association) announced a big change to the 2020-21 high school sports seasons in response to the COVID- 19 pandemic. The decision came following an execu- tive session on Wednesday, August 5. In essence there will be three seven-week competitive seasons within a truncated 6-1/2-month time period between December and June. The OSAA actually defined four <seasons= under the plan: <Season One= from August 31-January 3 will be considered a time that high school students could be allowed to take part in sports and activities not overseen by the OSAA, but approved by the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Department of Education, the Governor9s Office and local school dis- tricts. In other words, it may be possible that a club sport, Inside... for example, will be allowed under specific guidelines. Conditioning and train- ing during this period, con- ducted by coaches, would be allowed but cannot be consid- ered mandatory. Gary Thorson, athletic director and head football coach for Sisters High School, is hopeful some activities will be possible in the fall. <The 800-pound COVID gorilla needs to be dealt with before we get too excited about what we can and can9t do during that (Season One) time period, but if and when we get a green light from the state and district our athletes and coaches will be active,= he said. <We have been very limited to what we can and can9t do, but if things open up to the point that we can have scrimmages and competition with local schools we will, for sure. We want all our kids safely competing and getting things back to normal ASAP, all the way down to the youth See SPORTS on page 23 Dwarf mistletoe contin- ues to pose a threat to Sisters Country forests. Dwarf mistletoe falls into the broad definition of a pathogen and is a parasite that infects coniferous trees such as the firs and pines in our local forests. Although mistletoe does have some chlorophyll capable of pro- ducing nutrients, that capabil- ity is a mere fraction of what typical plants produce. As a result, mistletoe gets the vast majority of its water and sus- tenance from a host tree; and it9s voraciously parasitic in doing so 4 literally sucking the life from its host by send- ing root-like tendrils into the tree itself. While a host tree can toler- ate some mistletoe, the drain of nutrients and water from a significant infestation takes a severe toll. Over time, the tree9s growth will be stunted, perhaps deformed, and the tree weakened. It make take several years for the tree to actually die from an infesta- tion; but, in the meantime, the PHOTO BY CRAIG F. EISENBEIS Dwarf mistletoe is a parasite that feeds on conifers, such as this young ponderosa pine along the Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook Trail. weakened tree also becomes more susceptible to other dis- eases and attacks from insects such as pine beetles. Infected trees have a far higher mor- tality rate than healthy trees. Local interest in the dis- ease recently emerged for two reasons: First, a significant infestation west of Sisters, in and around Suttle Lake, has sparked a major logging oper- ation to remove thousands of infected trees. Second, the disease has become notice- able at the Whychus Creek Scenic Overlook Trail. Infestations have been seen on young ponderosa pines right at eye level along the Overlook Trail 4 which makes the Overlook an excel- lent place to view the parasite up close. The Suttle Lake project is ongoing, and logging opera- tions have caused some tem- porary trail and road closures in recent weeks. Jean Nelson- Dean, Forest Service Public See MISTLETOE on page 22 Letters/Weather ............... 2 Sisters Naturalist .............. 4 Entertainment ................. 11 Fit for Sisters ................... 17 Classifieds ................. 20-22 Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements ...............10 Obituaries .................. 12-14 Crossword .......................19 Real Estate ................ 22-24