Funds will help kickstart the project and set it up for environmental review
The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is pleased to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the Friesen Foundation, a private family foundation focused on funding trail planning, design or implementation projects in northern California.
This grant will help fund the start of the environmental review process for the 70-mile Indian Valley Loop, a proposed multi-use singletrack trail connecting Greenville, Taylorsville and Crescent Mills in the Plumas National Forest, located about two hours north of Truckee and an hour-and-a-half northwest of Reno.
Work in this first phase of the environmental review includes flagging of the proposed trail corridor, engaging with the nearby Maidu Indigenous tribe, establishing a written prescription and future fuels management strategy along the trail corridor and setting the project up for the NEPA and CEQA environmental review processes.
The long-term plan is for the Indian Valley Loop to connect into the existing Mount Hough trail system outside the town of Quincy, allowing for longer adventures with pit stops, meals and overnight stays in communities along the way. This future connection is a vital component of the larger Connected Communities Project, which includes a proposed long-distance, multi-use trail system on public land connecting 15 northern Sierra communities.
“The Friesen Foundation grant will be hugely important in jumpstarting the Indian Valley Loop project, which will be among the first segments of the Connected Communities Project to enter into the environmental review process,” said Trinity Stirling, SBTS’ Connected Community Project Manager.
There is currently only one recreational singletrack trail that starts in Indian Valley and there are no trailhead facilities. This project aims to create a safe system of trails that can accommodate multiple user groups—hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, class 1 e-MTBs and motorized bikes—and offer recreation opportunities for varying skill levels to explore this region of Plumas County. The trail’s future motorized and non-motorized designation will be determined by land managers through the environmental review process, with the goal of meeting community needs and protecting natural and cultural resources.
For more information on Connected Communities, visit sierratrails.org/cc. Find more details on the Friesen Foundation here.
