Over the last few months, SBTS Executive Director Greg Williams has racked up countless hours behind the steering wheel crisscrossing the Lost Sierra, meeting with locals and key stakeholders to spread the word. We are in the Planning Phase of Connected Communities, our decade-long legacy project linking 15 mountain communities across four counties with multiple use trails.
To honor and better understand the history of these communities, SBTS is sharing profiles of each town in the Connected Communities project through social media and on our website. Trail Whisperer and writer Kurt Gensheimer has discovered intriguing history in every corner of Plumas, Sierra and Lassen County, including the Sagebrush Rebellion that formed Susanville, the very first train robbery in the American West in Verdi, and Westwood, the home of Paul Bunyan and his ox Blue; bigger than life legends of Americana that honor a bigger than life corner of California. In case you don’t follow us on social media (@sierratrails), below are the profiles collated so far of these Connected Communities towns.
Taylorsville – First Stop on the Connected Communities Tour
Westwood – The Town Paul Built
Battle Born – History of Susanville
Gold Town on the Yuba – History of Downieville
Reno and Verdi – Gateway to the Lost Sierra
We Need Your Input
The ultimate success of Connected Communities rests in the hands of you Good People, and the input you provide. Understanding how you use multi-use trails and what kinds of trails you like to use will help SBTS work with stakeholders to create routes for everyone to enjoy. Support the Connected Communities planning by completing our public input survey to help inform in creating the Lost Sierra Route – the tentative name of the trail that will connect these towns. We are seeking 1,000 people to take the survey. The more responses we get, the better we can understand what type of trails (motorized/non-motorized) residents and visitors would prefer and where “Main Street” trailheads will be located in Connected Communities throughout the Lost Sierra Route.
2020 Wasn’t All Bad
It was a challenging year for everyone. Despite sheltering in place, devastating fires that closed numerous forests and months of smoke that kept us all indoors, we made it through. SBTS staff were still able to achieve significant milestones this year including:
- Going back to work in May as the Pro Trail Crew kept trails open for so many people to enjoy this year
- Maintaining 148 miles of trail while building 10.5 new miles of trail and planning 57 miles of new trail
- Building our 100th mile of trail with the completion of Cal-Ida trail
- Reopening North Yuba trail from Goodyears Bar to Rocky Rest Campground
- Completing the Haskell Peak to Chapman Creek Connector trail
- Resurrection of historic trails in the Feather River Region including Buzzards Roost Ridge
- Coordinating 334 trail volunteers on the forest this summer thanks to Trails Manager Mandy Beatty. More than half of them were under 18 youths who worked hard out in the forest learning trail stewardship and job skills.
- Beginning the Planning Phase of Connected Communities that included creating an amazing partnership with Sierra Nevada Conservancy who helped fund the planning activities.
37 New Miles of Trail Approved on Mt. Hough! Help Us Build It.
The Mount Hough Ranger District, Plumas National Forest recently approved 37 new miles of “shovel ready” trail in Quincy! This was a three-year process, and it’s a significant milestone for SBTS, Plumas Forest and the community of Quincy. Shovel ready means NEPA/CEQA is complete and it’s ready to build. Now the heavy lifting begins: finding the funds to build it. Through your financial support, SBTS will be able to create much-anticipated projects like 37 new miles of singletrack in addition to the 35 miles already built on Mount Hough in Quincy, expanding the trail system with more trail connectivity and a singletrack connection down to Taylorsville. Consider donating to SBTS and help us create more #dirtmagic together.