The Nugget Vol. XLV No. 41
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Restoring Sisters Country wetlands
Candidates seek Sisters’ votes
By Cody Rheault Correspondent
Mike Riehle stands kneedeep in life returning. “Not long ago this whole area was dry,” he says, gesturing over weeds and decaying willows. “We’re hoping these efforts will fix that.” That area, the Lower Black Butte Swamp, is a 50-acre parcel that was once parched land, and is now by design — flooded with water. The gradual decline in this regional ecosystem was set in motion by the void left from one of nature’s finest eco-engineers — the beaver. Beyond its iconic status as Oregon’s state symbol, these mammals have a unique talent: fabricating natural dams that disperse water into the surrounding environment. Their constructs are a vital resource, irrigating surrounding vegetation and cultivating habitat for wildlife to thrive in. In 2011, the last known beaver disappeared from the swamp. Without their dams, Indian Ford Creek, running through the wetland, narrowed and the surrounding ecosystem lost its lifeline as water levels dropped. Willows died, their silvery corpses now dotting the
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
By Sue Stafford Correspondent
with the decay in wetland habitat came a concerning drop in groundwater levels. Riehle, the fisheries biologist for the Sisters Ranger District, says the concern turned to worry,
Hearing from three of the four candidates running for Sisters City Council at last week’s candidate forum, it is evident there is considerable agreement among them as to what the important issues are on Council’s radar. There are four candidates running for three positions: incumbents Michael Preedin and Gary Ross, and two new candidates, Sarah McDougall and Susan Cobb. The two top vote getters will serve four years, the third will serve two. Mayor Preedin was unable to participate in the forum due to long-held previous plans. All four candidates provided information to The Nugget to help voters make their choices. When each was asked why they are running for City Council, their responses all indicated an interest in
See WETLANDS on page 12
See COUNCIL on page 8
PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT
Sisters Ranger District employees interweave cottonwood branches into a man-made dam in the Lower Black Butte Swamp. undergrowth, grass sedges collapsed, and noxious dryclimate weeds, such as the common mullein and tansy ragwort, colonized the landscape. As the biology of the swamp changed so did the presence of wildlife. The former wetland became a dry
wetland, absent its bio-diversity. The remaining water source was the perennial flow of Indian Ford Creek along a single, narrow channel. Five wells, placed and monitored throughout the wetland just south of Black Butte Ranch, revealed that
Recounting life in Sisters’ forest Sisters schools enrollment numbers up By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
By Ceili Gatley Correspondent
The Sisters School District is seeing an increase in enrollment numbers to start the 2022-23 school year. One of the most notable statistics is the number of students attending Sisters Elementary School. As of October 3, the numbers were the highest at the elementary school, totaling 398 students. There are 90 second graders, the highest grade level numbers in the elementary school. Sisters Middle School came out at 356 and Sisters High School at 393, with high numbers in the ninth and 10th grades. The total number of students
Inside...
enrolled in in-person classes and online stood at 1,147. According to Superintendent Curt Scholl, “enrollment is the highest it’s been since I’ve been superintendent here.” The enrollment numbers include all students, including those who are choosing to continue online school remotely at all grade levels, with four students at the elementary school working online. For Sisters schools, enrollment numbers are generally higher in May/June than they are in September/ October. “That is good for us, that See SCHOOLS on page 16
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Meetings .......................... 3
Buddy Blair, 66, works at Sno-Cap. He does food prep and maintenance. His wife, Adrian, 38, is the kitchen manager at the iconic eatery on Cascade Avenue. That’s where they met three years ago. They raise two children, 17 and 4, to whom Buddy is the step-father. They all live together in the forest. Not by choice, by necessity. It’s not important for the rest of us to know the circumstances that cause them to be forest dwellers. The bottom line is that they cannot afford to live in the community in which they each work. Two other Sno-Cap workers are also forest dwellers, as are as many as 300 others, depending on the season, according Obituaries .........................7 Announcements...............10
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
Buddy Blair lives in the forest and will be part of a Town Hall discussion on houselssness on October 20. to housing advocates and an annual federally sponsored census. Blair will be one of six Entertainment ................. 11 Crossword .......................18
panelists at the October 20 community forum “Houseless See FOREST on page 16
Classifieds................. 19-20 Real Estate .................21-24