Articles written by Maret Pajutee
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Born under a lucky star
Every once in a while, you meet someone who draws you in like a moth to a light. The exact chemistry is a mystery but there is something about the spring in their step, engaging smile, and... — Updated 11/30/2023
Keeping the wild in Whychus Creek
On a clear day the expansive view of rolling forests to the base of the Three Sisters can tap you into a feeling of the wild. And there is an unusual amount of wild land along Whychus Creek,... — Updated 11/20/2023 Full story
Working to save the Metolius River
Over 30 years ago, biologists realized the Metolius River had a serious problem. As the Forest Service (USFS) moved toward "Ecosystem Management," they recruited botanists, including me, to... — Updated 10/24/2023 Full story
The lost winter playground of the Skyliners
The idea took shape during a mountain tragedy. An early snowstorm in the fall of 1927 surprised two young climbers in the Three Sisters Wilderness. When their Model T was found days later, a... — Updated 4/18/2023 Full story
Forest of war, forest of peace
The young man had roots in the sunny forests of the Metolius Basin, but he met his fate in a dark forest far away, almost 80 years ago. The story behind the short, charmed life, tragic... — Updated 3/7/2023 Full story
The Sheriff and the last wolverine
In Sisters we live with a dramatic backdrop of Cascade mountains, close to the wilderness and its mysteries. But one character in the cast of characters of wild places is missing, and people... — Updated 1/17/2023 Full story
The secrets of Allingham Meadow
Meadows are rare in the deep forests of Sisters Country. Found near rivers and springs, their deeper loamy soils grow grasses and summer wildflowers and, when wet enough, discourage trees. Pe... — Updated 8/23/2022 Full story
A wild year for wildflowers
Maybe you were out for a walk recently on a cool morning and then had to stop and stare at a familiar landscape, now painted with color. Tiny hot-pink monkeyflowers across a sandy flat, a... — Updated 7/19/2022 Full story
Perry South first ranger of the Metolius
When people hear the name Perry South they often think of a remote and scenic campground on the shores of Lake Billy Chinook with boating, eagles, and a few rattlesnakes. Some even ask,... — Updated 5/31/2022 Full story
Challenging the Old Man Test
They say getting older is not for sissies. If we are lucky, things go along pretty smoothly for a long time. But suddenly, we notice we are on a bit of a downhill slide. Then, one thing... — Updated 3/22/2022 Full story
Prince Glaze and the lost mountaineers
Guy Ferry was a 26-year-old University of Oregon graduate who loved to climb and explore the Cascades with his good friend, 23-year-old Henry Cramer. They grew up in The Dalles and had been... — Updated 2/22/2022 Full story
Prince Glaze and the Lone Rangers
He was an Oregon boy, born in the Willamette Valley in 1877, raised in Prineville, spending summer months in a cabin near Black Butte. His proud father, Tillman Glaze, saloon keeper, horse... — Updated 2/1/2022 Full story
Return to Camp Polk
As we walked the old road, we could see glimpses of Whychus Creek, though most was hidden by a living screen of old cottonwoods, pines, and willow. It had been at least 23 years since Martin... — Updated 12/21/2021 Full story
The ghosts of Glaze Meadow
Imagine walking in a grove of pine trees on a summer evening. There’s a large meadow nearby and you are drawn toward it and the sunset colors. As you walk, you hear the soft crunch of... — Updated 10/12/2021 Full story
On the lookout
Living among the pine forests of Sisters, many of us enjoy a feeling of solitude with only trees, birds, and wind for company. But sometimes there’s been someone watching over us. For over... — Updated 7/21/2021 Full story
Whychus Creek still needs us
The story goes that Sisters had a river once, then we lost it, but then we found it again. This is a tale distilled from science but fueled by community passion. It reminds us that we can... — Updated 2/16/2021 Full story
Memories of Indian Ford Meadow
My memories of Indian Ford Meadow live in many snapshots. In the early 1960s my father Harry Pajutee was awarded a contract to put in a water system at a new development in Indian Ford called... — Updated 11/11/2020 Full story
Youth crew restores Black Butte summit
Their faces were streaked with dirt, but they had a certain glow about them that wasn't just sunburn. The 12-person "Red" Crew of the Northwest Youth Corps, a youth development and outdoor... — Updated 7/12/2011 Full story
"Green Fire' ignites Sisters Country
Almost 100 years ago, a man killed a wolf and was unexpectedly transformed as he stared into the dying wolf's green eyes. Last Thursday night a crowd of over 100 people gathered to hear the story of how the death of a wolf gave life to a... — Updated 5/24/2011 Full story
Kids learn in the woods near Sisters
Early on the first morning of December, with cold grey skies over Sisters and the icy scent of snow on the way, most kids would be sitting behind a desk in class. But thanks to a new Forest... — Updated 12/8/2009 Full story
Whychus paint-out inspires
Umbrellas and easels sprouted in strange places along the banks of Whychus Creek last weekend as Sisters hosted the first Whychus "Paint-Out." The outdoor art competition attracted 30 Plein... — Updated 7/21/2009 Full story
Volunteers sought to help save wildlife from wire fences
Those who care about wildlife know that old barbed wire fences can be fatal to deer, elk and birds moving through the forests and meadows near Sisters. The Sierra Club and East Cascades Bird... — Updated 8/12/2008 Full story
Inmates reflect and plan for future
Sisters Ranger District Inmates, like most folks who see the Cascades from atop Black Butte, found the sight soul stirring. Photo by Maret Pajutee Mountain tops have always been places for reflection and soul searching. Inmates contracted... — Updated 6/17/2003 Full story
Tower wreckage reveals treasures
Sisters District Ecologist, Deschutes National Forest Inmate workers sort through the wreckage of the old Black Butte Tower. Photo by Maret Pajutee It's been nearly 70 years since the sound of hammers on wood and the shouts of a large crew... — Updated 6/10/2003 Full story
Reseeding operation launched
The legacy of this summer's wildfires continued last week, as an emergency fire rehabilitation crew labored to protect severely burned slopes of the Eyerly fire north of Sisters to reduce the threat of soil erosion. More than 900 bags of... — Updated 10/29/2002 Full story
