Trout Creek Canyon, Donner Lake Rim, Hole-in-the-Ground, Spaulding Lake, and Pioneer Trails, are a few of the high elevation trails destined to be connected by a new 80-mile trail linking Truckee to Nevada City called the Pines to Mines Trail.
This trail will encompass the best the county has to offer: Jaw-dropping views of sweeping valleys and the Sierra Crest, mature mixed conifer forests, historic towns, and high quality recreation.
Now in the design phase, this legacy trail will offer both single and multi-day excursions by creating a series of smaller loops and point-to-point routes. With its long distance, varied terrain, unique habitats and majestic views, the trail has the potential to become a regional and national draw.
Already considered destination hubs, the communities of Truckee in the East and sister cities Nevada City and Grass Valley in the West were recently named among 14 California Cultural Districts in a new state program dedicated to showcasing cultural diversity and unique artistic identities. The towns are known for quality lodging, boutiques, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, breweries, wineries and a thriving arts and music culture.
Improving the quality of non-motorized trails that connect the sister cities with Truckee will further draw outdoor recreationists to the region while connecting east and west sides of the county that historically seemed worlds apart.
"I see the new trail as a creation that will allow non-motorized access into an iconic, stunningly beautiful backcountry where there is currently only poor quality access — horribly eroded Jeep roads, dusty forest roads and bushwhacking rough country," said Jane Ragan of Bicyclists of Nevada County. "We're imagining riding and walking on a beautiful winding trail alongside Old Man Mountain, crystalline lakes and the wonderful world of big trees and granite."
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TAPPING INTO NATURE
Many people drive through Western Nevada County to travel to Downieville in Sierra County or Lake Tahoe. Regional trail advocates say it's time to start tapping into and capturing some of that traffic by giving outdoors people a reason to stay and play in Nevada County. Nevada City and Truckee are positioned adjacent to hundreds of acres of public forest and prime recreation lands. Close to major transportation corridors — Interstate 80 and the Reno and Sacramento airports — Nevada County is easily accessible from anywhere in the country.
"Easy access to good trails enhances our quality of life, and well-designed, interesting routes can spur economic activity by attracting visitors, as places like Moab, Utah, and even Sierra County next door have learned to their benefit," said District 5 County Supervisor Richard Anderson, who spearheaded the Pines to Mines Trail Alliance in 2015 and subsequent series of stakeholder meetings.
Currently, the alliance is made up of Bear Yuba Land Trust, Bicyclists of Nevada County, Gold Country Trails Council and Truckee Trails Foundation. A capable and committed constituency has formed around the project to seek and administer funding, create a sustainable trail alignment on the ground, provide trail building expertise, exercise land management, and perform ongoing trail maintenance and support going forward.
The group envisions a non-motorized multi-use earthen trail crossing Nevada County's most beautiful landscapes providing a rugged backcountry experience for hikers, runners, mountain bicyclists and equestrian riders. When completed, the 80-mile trail will utilize existing trail segments and approximately 14 miles of newly constructed trail.
"Think of the majestic views of the Sierra Crest from the Donner Lake Rim Trail, Castle Peak from Andesite, Old Man Mountain and the realm of granite in the Fordyce Creek and South Yuba River drainages, Bear Valley from the Pioneer Trail lookout, immense trees along the Pioneer Trail, a National Scenic Trail, bookended by town breweries and restaurants," said Jane Ragan.

TAHOMA, Calif. (KCRA) --New video shows an injured biker being hoisted to safety after crashing Saturday near Tahoma.
Saturday afternoon, a 60-year-old mountain biker crashed and broke bones on the General Creek Trail, according to the California Highway Patrol.
An area fire department helped treat the man's injuries. Because he was injured in a remote area, however, a CHP helicopter was requested to assist.
The helicopter hoisted the injured biker from the trail.
He was then taken to Lake Tahoe Airport, where he was driven to a local hospital.

To see the original article in KCRA News, CLICK HERE.

PLACER COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Placer County Board of Supervisors today approved $4.9 million in funding for trail planning and construction as well as other capital projects in eastern Placer County recommended by the Capital Projects Advisory Committee.

The Capital Projects Advisory Committee – a 13-member group representing the broad economic and geographic interests throughout eastern Placer County – evaluates project proposals based on how well they advance key priorities outlined in the county’s Tourism Master Plan for the region.

The committee makes recommendations to the county Board of Supervisors on which projects should receive funding allocated from transient occupancy tax collected from lodging guests in eastern Placer County.
This year, the Capital Projects Advisory Committee, co-chaired by the county and North Lake Resort Association, reviewed and evaluated 29 grant applications totaling over $36 million in TOT funding requests.
“The submitted projects are diverse and truly reflect the different needs and interests of our North Lake Tahoe residents and visitors,” said Placer County District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery. “I applaud the Capital Projects Advisory Committee for the hard work and dedication to the goals outlined in the Tourism Master Plan.”
The committee recommended to the board 18 proposed projects that met the criteria of the grant program and are high priorities within the Tourism Master Plan. The remaining projects are still being considered by the committee and will be brought before the board later this year.
Over 70 percent of the approved TOT funds will go to projects that focus on trail planning and construction. Several trail projects are part of the Resort Triangle Trail System, which connects the North Lake Tahoe town centers Tahoe City and Kings Beach with nearby mountain resorts and Truckee through the state route 89, 28 and 267 corridors.
The remaining approved projects focus on transportation and visitor facilities, including a visitor center at Donner Summit, a performing arts center at Northstar and parking facilities and bike repair stations in Tahoe City. A full list of the approved projects is available here.
Staff will return to the board at a later date with agreements and budget revisions for the approved projects.
Acknowledging a $100 million funding gap for projects designated as Tourism Master Plan priorities in eastern Placer County, county staff also briefed the board on a series of efforts currently underway that could lead to more funding for future projects.
In recent months, the county worked with the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association to poll area voters about their support for possible local tax increases. Poll results showed solid backing for an increase in the transient occupancy tax rate and more moderate support for an increase in the sales tax rate.
County staff also worked to place a provision in a proposed state law that would re-authorize a local transportation district, which could lead to better funding flexibility for broader transportation initiatives like trails.
The board took no action on these initiatives but staff will continue to explore their feasibility and return to the board for consideration of any next steps needed to propose them.

CLICK HERE to see original article in the Placer Sentinel newspaper.

DENVER (AP) — (Photos of North American wolverine in the Tahoe National Forest and the Monarch butterfly, two of the animals targeted) The Trump administration on Thursday proposed ending automatic protections for threatened animals and plants and limiting habitat safeguards meant to shield recovering species from harm.

Administration officials said the new rules would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how the landmark Endangered Species Act is used. "These rules will be very protective," said U.S. Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt, adding that the changes would reduce the "conflict and uncertainty" associated with many protected species.

The proposals drew immediate condemnation from Democrats and wildlife advocates.

Critics said the moves would speed extinctions in the name of furthering its anti-environment agenda. Species currently under consideration for protections are considered especially at risk, including the North American wolverine and the monarch butterfly, they said.

"It essentially turns every listing of a species into a negotiation," said Noah Greenwald with the Center for Biological Diversity. "They could decide that building in a species' habitat or logging in trees where birds nest doesn't constitute harm."

A number of conflicts have arisen in the decades since the 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act, ranging from disruptions to logging to protect spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest, to attacks on livestock that have accompanied the restoration of gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest. Some species including gray wolves and grizzly retained protection for years after meeting their original recovery goals, often due to court orders resulting from environmentalists' lawsuits.

The proposed changes include potential limits on the designation of "critical habitat" for imperiled plants and animals; an end to a regulatory provision that gives threatened plants and animals the same protections as species at greater risk of extinction; and streamlining inter-agency consultations when federal government actions could jeopardize a species.

Collin O'Mara, president of the National Wildlife Federation, welcomed the potential for the changes to spur greater collaboration between landowners, government officials and conservationists — even as he cautioned against ending automatic protections for threatened species. "This is not all good or all bad," he said.

O'Mara said crafting case by case species management plans is an appropriate alternative to the blanket protections now given automatically to threatened and endangered species. Until those plans are completed, he said, broad protections against harming plants and animals should stay in place.

More than 700 animals and almost 1,000 plants in the U.S. are shielded by the law. Hundreds more are under consideration for protections.

Fewer than 100 species have been taken off the threatened and endangered lists, either because they were deemed recovered or, in at least 10 cases, went extinct.

Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have been strong advocates for oil and gas drilling and other types of development, frequently criticizing environmental policies they say hinder economic activity. Zinke also has sought to portray himself as a conservationist in the vein of President Teddy Roosevelt who will protect the nation's natural resources. The administration's proposals follow longstanding criticism of the Endangered Species Act by business groups and some members of Congress. Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to enact broad changes to the law, saying it hinders economic activities while doing little to restore species.

One of the chief architects of that effort, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the administration's proposals were "a good start" but indicated more work was needed.
"The administration is limited by an existing law that needs to be updated," Barrasso said. "The changes I have proposed will empower states, promote the recovery of species, and allow local economies to thrive."

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative law firm headquartered in California, lobbied for some of the changes.

CLICK here to see the original Associated Press article and photos in The Bakersfield News.

From the Truckee-Donner Land Trust News:
Summer is here and the snow has melted from most Royal Gorge trails on Donner Summit, giving way to bright green foliage, blooming flowers and sweeping views – making now the time to hit the trail.
Thauvette's Frolic, named for former Truckee Donner Land Trust Board President Bill Thauvette, is a great trail that links to many others, giving you the opportunity to hike as far, or short, as you want.
Start at the Summit Station Trailhead at the end of Pahatsi Road in Soda Springs to take Thauvette's Frolic, linking any number of the great trails at Royal Gorge replete with views of Castle Peak and the Upper South Yuba Basin. Wildflowers, including corn lilies, leopard lilies, delphinium, penstemon and more start blooming this time of year, lasting into mid to late july. The trail features a bench at a scenic overlook for a short evening stroll.
Associate Director John Svahn's favorite loop starts on Big Ben Trail to Buckeye Trail, then connecting Thauvette's Frolic to Hellman's Way Trail and Castle Pass, which brings hikers to a beautiful stand of mature red fir. Take Reindeer back to the trailhead to complete the loop. An out-and-back on the Point Mariah Trail can be added to reach a beautiful overlook of the North Fork of the American River.

Please note: While Thauvette's Frolic is a foot trail, most Royal Gorge trails are open to mountain biking.

To read the original article and see photos, CLICK HERE.

Find more information on Donner Summit hiking here.

Hike this trail in early spring when you have to dodge butterflies. Take in the panoramic view of the Yuba River but don’t forget to enjoy the variety of wildflowers at your feet. Appreciate the rock benches and well maintained trail and ignore the parking and mass of people you will share this trail with. Take the dog but make sure you have them on a leash. Enjoy the blissful suffering of a high traffic, but amazing, trail at its peak.

This trail used to be our little secret. I blame social media for its rise in popularity. But do it anyway. Then after you have enjoyed the spring time version of this trail, come back. Come back during the week. Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Come back in every season.

The sound of the river pounding forward toward the sea against sun bleached granite boulders is worth the trip. With each bend in the trail that follows the hillside a new view of the river is a gift to the eyes. If you are lucky enough to see a kayak float through the canyon, you get some perspective of just how massive this river is. Photo by Mary West.

Toward the end of the trail, you find several volunteer trails down to the water. A few have small sand bars ideal to spend time on a hot summer day. At the 1.25-mile point, a sign clearly marks the end of this mostly level and easy trail. This is where you enjoy the view for the just as amazing return trip.

There is one gentle upslope. A few narrow sections require you to watch your step.

To get there: take Highway 49 north to Grass Valley. Take the Highway 20 exit toward Penn Valley/Marysville. Turn right at Pleasant Valley Road. Go over the modern bridge and park in the north parking lot. The fee is $5.

Mary West is a retired radio personality and news reporter with a longtime love of the outdoors, sharing her favorite day hikes in Placer, Nevada, El Dorado and Yuba counties. West won Best Outdoor Newspaper Column for this column, Day Hiker, from the Outdoor Writers Association of California 2017 Craft Awards. Learn more about local trails by following Mary on Facebook and Instagram.

CLICK HERE to see original article and photos by Mary West

Pennsylvania group joins stand against mountain bikes
Add the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness to those opposed to mountain biking in wilderness areas. Last week the group joined 149 other conservation groups in opposing legislation in Congress.

The sign-on letter from 150 organizations was prepared in response to two Republican bills (S. 2877 and H.R. 1349), which would open up all of America’s 110-million acres with “wilderness” designation to mountain bikes and other wheeled vehicles within two years of passage. The Senate bill was just recently introduced in Congress.

“Tionesta, Pennsylvania native and Wilderness Act of 1964 author Howard Zahniser during his long career wrote chapter and verse emphasizing that all forms of modern mechanization must be prohibited from wilderness areas in perpetuity,” said Friends of Allegheny Wilderness executive director Kirk Johnson. “For example, as early as 1949 Zahniser wrote the following to Congress: ’Wilderness areas must be forever kept free from the sights and sounds of mechanical civilization, and all the influences which clash with the primeval environment or detract from its full enjoyment.”

“Any honest person can readily see what the original intent of the Wilderness Act was in this regard. Zahniser would be spinning in his grave in Tionesta’s Riverside Cemetery along the banks of the National Wild and Scenic Allegheny River were these two obtuse and hostile, overtly anti-wilderness, bills to pass,” Johnson said.

To see the original article in GoErie.com CLICK HERE. This article is added to our SPECIAL NEWS SECTION: ASSAULT AGAINST THE WILDERNESS ACT on our home page.
News from around the nation regarding Bill HR1349, pushing to change the 1964 Wilderness Act, that would allow mt. bikes and other wheeled vehicles into our public designated Wilderness. Now 150 conservation groups and the International Mountain Bicycling Association are firmly against this threat to our most vulnerable lands, which consist of of less than 5% of our federal holdings.

--Article and photos by Mary West
I return to Cronan Ranch in Pilot Hill every year in the springtime. It’s a great trail system any time of year but the panoramic view of green hillsides in spring is a favorite. Each year I check to see what is left of the Hallmark movie “Loves Comes Softly” movie set. Katherine Heigle starred. On my last visit I noted the rough-cut ladder featured in the movie that used to lean against the tree is now gone. The barn is on the ground. The homestead is still standing but who knows for how long.
So much more than the movie set makes this area worth visiting. Access to the American River is one. Wide open green space is another. I enjoy watching the hang gliders soar from one of the hilltops near the trailhead. The grass grows lush beneath the majestic live oaks that dot the area. Wildflowers and rattlesnakes can also be found here. The area is open to equestrians but there is ample parking for all. Parking fees are not collected here. 

This is another trail friends tell me not to write about. With the Auburn State Recreation Area becoming so popular as is the Hidden Falls regional park, Cronan Ranch is a low stress destination for local hikers.

To get to Cronan Ranch from Auburn, take the Elm Ave Exit (119c) off Interstate 80. Turn right on Elm Avenue up to Highway 49/El Dorado Street/High Street. Turn left on Highway 49/El Dorado Street. Take it into the canyon. Turn right over the American River at the Confluence. Follow Highway 49 out to Pedro Hill Road into the parking area.

(Equestrians can continue 2 miles further to the Magnolia Ranch Trailhead with a larger parking area.)

Mary West is a retired radio personality and news reporter with a longtime love of the outdoors, sharing her favorite day hikes in Placer, Nevada, El Dorado and Yuba counties. West won Best Outdoor Newspaper Column for this column, Day Hiker, from the Outdoor Writers Association of California 2017 Craft Awards. Learn more about local trails by following Mary on Facebook and Instagram.

From our series of news from around the nation regarding Bill HR1349, pushing to change the 1964 Wilderness Act.

Ted Stroll, a bespectacled, balding, retired attorney whose remaining hair is short and white, doesn’t fit the stereotype of an extremist mountain biker. But his group, the Sustainable Trails Coalition, is challenging the mainstream mountain biking establishment by fighting to permit bikes in America’s wilderness areas. Photo credit: Leslie Kehmeier/IMBA

A new law could change the nature of wilderness travel.

Stroll’s crusade has sparked strong resistance, particularly from wilderness advocates and environmentalists. His alliance with notoriously environmentally unfriendly Republican congressmen, whom he has enlisted to push a bikes-in-wilderness bill, is particularly controversial. Stroll’s small group has alienated would-be allies in the mountain biking community, who are loath to ostracize the greater recreation and conservation communities, especially at a time when many feel public-lands protections are taking a back seat to extractive industries.

The original text of the 1964 Wilderness Act bans “mechanical transport” — and bicycles are clearly a form of mechanized transport. For the federal agencies tasked with enforcing the ban, however, the definition hasn’t always been clear-cut.
In 1966, in its first rule on the issue, the Forest Service banned only devices powered “by a nonliving power source.” That left the door open for bicycles. Mountain bikes did not yet exist, however, so neither the original framers of the law, nor the agencies interpreting it a couple of years later, even considered the possibility of bikes venturing into the mostly roadless areas and extremely rugged trails.

In 1977, as the first mountain bikes were being manufactured — evolving beyond the earliest jerry-rigged cruisers — the Forest Service changed its rules to prohibit bikes in wilderness areas. After a couple of conflicting decisions in the early 1980s, the agency confirmed the prohibition in 1984. By that time, mountain bikes were being mass-produced and rapidly gaining in popularity. Still, the ban has stood ever since.

Now, however, that may be about to change. H.R. 1349, introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., would amend the mechanized transport section ban of the Wilderness Act to read: “Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of motorized wheelchairs, non-motorized wheelchairs, non-motorized bicycles, strollers, wheelbarrows, survey wheels, measuring wheels, or game carts within any wilderness area.” Utah Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee brought similar legislation to the Senate floor in 2016.

Many environmental groups are opposed to the idea of allowing bikes into wilderness, but even some of the more permissive ones were alarmed by the congressmen carrying Stroll’s water. All three made the Center for Biological Diversity’s “Top 15 ‘Public Lands Enemies’ in Congress” list in 2017. Hatch and Lee are both standard-bearers for the federal land-transfer movement and favor opening public lands to extractive industries. President Donald Trump dedicated his controversial shrinking of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments to the Utah senators.

Stroll acknowledges the congressmen’s records, but says that they are taking a stand based on principle. The legislators “want this corrected because it’s a wrong,” he says. “We’ve had extensive talks, and I don’t perceive that they have ulterior motives.”

The mountain bike industry’s most prominent voice for expanded access, the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), opposes the legislation, arguing that it could undercut the important relationships already forged between the outdoors and public-lands communities. IMBA has long fought against the loss of mountain bike access to wilderness areas, but has largely focused its efforts on making sure new designations don’t include popular trails. In some cases, it has lobbied for modifying existing wilderness so that trails lie outside the boundaries. The organization has worked with wilderness advocates to come up with mountain-bike-friendly compromises.

In a letter stating its opposition to the House bill, IMBA writes that collaborative efforts with Congress and land managers on future land designations are a proven way for bikers to gain or maintain access to trails. IMBA also cautioned that the legislative push could alienate the conservation community. “Public lands are being threatened at an unprecedented level, and it’s imperative that public land users come together to protect these cherished places and offer our voices in this critical dialogue,” wrote Dave Weins, IMBA’s executive director, in a letter to members describing the organization’s stance on bikes in wilderness.

Conservation groups have formed a broad coalition against what they’ve dubbed the “Wheels Over Wilderness” bill. In an open letter to Congress, 133 groups asked legislators to oppose it. A separate joint letter from The Wilderness Society, Back Country Horsemen of America and the Pacific Crest Trail Association wrote that the bill “undermines one of our nation’s bedrock conservation laws, jeopardizes America’s wilderness and won’t advance mountain biking.”

Stroll, however, remains undaunted. “The real fear isn’t that mountain biking will cause problems, but that it won’t cause problems,” he says. Stroll predicts that if the Sustainable Trail Coalition’s quest succeeds, no harm will come from biking in wilderness. Instead, backcountry access will improve for everyone, and his detractors “will be left with egg on their face.”

To read the original article in The High Country News, CLICK HERE.