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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2021)
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Collaborative promotes City of Sisters bulletin forest restoration By Cory Misley The prescribed fires touched off southwest of Sisters last week are repre- sentative of the kind of work the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project is built to promote. The Deschutes Collab- orative Forest Project aims to restore local forests to a healthier, more resilient con- dition through science-driven restoration projects. The Collaborative is comprised of a volunteer stakeholder committee of 19 community members representing land management agencies, tribal groups, the timber indus- try, environmental nonprof- its, recreational and tourism interests, scientists, govern- ment officials, and wildlife specialists. Rod Bonacker of Sisters is part of that steering committee. <The conversations that are had there are very open and very science-focused and they really forward the mis- sion of forest restoration and fuels reduction,= he said. The Collaborative plays an active role in community education about the need for active forest restoration 4 and in lobbying to get the funds allocated to actually do the work. <The Forest Service can9t lobby for more fund- ing for forest restoration and fuels reduction,= Bonacker said. <But the Collaborative can 4 and has.= The Collaborative seeks to promote safer communi- ties, and improved wildlife habitat, and to protect water resources. By promoting for- est projects, they seek to grow opportunities for jobs work- ing in the forest, while pro- tecting local economies from the often devastating effects of disruption from wildfire. Dave Stowe has been a part of the Collaborative for a dozen years, through his affil- iation with the Sierra Club. <I grew up on this forest and I9ve loved it my whole life,= he said. <And my fam- ily has lived on this forest for generations before me.= Stowe didn9t like a lot of the changes he was see- ing on the forest as the area grew, and he sought a way to engage effectively in pro- tecting and enhancing the landscape he loves. The Collaborative seemed like a place to do that. Initially, he said, <it wasn9t much fun.= There was a lot of the traditional head-butting between environmentalists and loggers. But gradually, simply through the process of working together, relation- ships developed, and com- mon goals emerged. <It was extremely chal- lenging at the start,= he said. <It went from that to having really great relationships with all these different members of the community& you start to trust people and see their point of view.= Bringing together people from a wide variety of back- grounds and interests, and working with people at the cutting edge of forest science, the Collaborative was able to move onto a wide swath of common ground. What that common ground amounts to is a pretty simple proposition, Stowe notes: Whether you want to work in the woods, ride your bike, hike, fish in the streams and lakes, <the common ground in all that is, you need a healthy forest to do that in.= Defining what a healthy forest is requires a deep under- standing of the science, which Stowe feels he has received. <The decisions we make in the Collaborative are deeply science-driven, which I really appreciate,= he said. <I9ve learned a ton in this Collaborative. I9m a richer person for it and I have a better understanding of the forest.= For more information on the Collabvorative and its work and how to get involved, visit http://deschutes collaborativeforest.org/. The conversations that are had there are very open and very science-focused and they really forward the mission of forest restoration and fuels reduction — Rod Bonacker City Manager The City of Sisters is cel- ebrating its 75th anniversary of incorporation this year. Over the decades, there have been many topics and issues that have created con- versation, and sometimes controversy, in the commu- nity. Fortunately, the people here and now in Sisters are willing to come together for vibrant discussion, putting the bigger picture above their perspective and interests, acknowledging the chal- lenges of balancing many factors and constraints. Most notably are those at the City who volunteer to be elected on City Council or appointed to a City commit- tee. There are several dozens of these community members dedicating their time to shape Sisters through countless past and current projects. Over the past few years, the City and numerous other community partner organi- zations have reached out to hear how we can best shape the future of Sisters. It was a year-long planning process in 2018/19 to create the Sisters Country Vision led by the Vision Action Team consist- ing of 31 members. The vision we created for ourselves is <the overarch- ing aspiration for this place we call home. Incorporating input from participants across the community, it reflects the ideas and words of Sisters Country residents them- selves 4 and their intentions for a more prosperous, liv- able, resilient, and connected community.= It includes 20 strategies, five per focus area, that were thoroughly developed, vet- ted, and ranked by the com- munity. Under <Prosperous= there is the strategy Forest Service Property Development: <Facilitate the development of a masterplan on the U.S. Forest Service property that is compatible with the community9s char- acter and identity, combin- ing mixed-used commercial, residential, and recreational facilities that anchor and define the community, create new jobs, and provide hous- ing options.= Balancing factors and constraints, there has been progress towards that strat- egy. To get a good sense of where the community is going refer to the strategies in the Vision as the Vision Implementation Team (VIT) continues to work together to further those community pri- orities through action items. Everything is more com- plicated than it seems and often it is not easy to under- stand. The people that make up the organization at the City of Sisters want to edu- cate, engage, and empower the community 4 we work in public service for those reasons. The ongoing Comprehen- sive Plan Update that started last fall is incorporating the Vision and other commu- nity feedback into the City9s overarching legal planning document. It is the <teeth= that allows us to manage and 5 shape growth. It is too simplistic to say either pro-growth or anti- growth. We must plan intel- ligently for the community we want tomorrow and pull the levers within our control. Among other things, we can- not defy the state9s land-use planning system, and Sisters does do not exist in a bubble immune to a global pandemic creating <Zoom towns.= I enjoy working in Sisters for a variety of reasons. One reason, especially in the political culture lately, is that the distance between constituents and represen- tatives is measured in feet and city blocks, not hun- dreds or thousands of miles. Unfortunately, some do not see the value of that distinc- tion. I can say confidently that the City is made up of people who are welcoming and want to help. We offer invitations to participate and proactively engage to the best of our ability. The reality is if you want to get involved you can, and it is as simple as calling me if you want to learn more about anything related to the City. I may not have all the answers, or tell you what you want to hear, but I will always have an open, honest, fact-based conversation, and thank you for your input.
