The Truckee River Bike Trail is being replaced and rehabilitated this summer.  After 38 years of of heavy use and sever weather impacts it is time to replace this wonderful asset in North Tahoe.  The trail is OPEN from now until August 20th when the trail will be shut down with an anticipated reopening of October 15th for a full replacement.  There will be some work done on the trail and trail shoulder throughout the summer which may cause minor delays but no closures until the August date. We apologize for any inconvenience but are excited to have a brand new trail to reopen soon.  You can also follow us on the TCPUD Parks and Recreation Facebook Page for status and updates.   
​
CLICK HERE to see original article in the Tahoe Public Utility District

Nearly 200 mosquito samples in Placer County tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the Placer Mosquito Vector Control District. Twenty-four dead birds and two chickens have also tested positive for the deadly virus.

ALL TRAIL USERS SHOULD USE MOSQUITO REPELLANT, ESPECIALLY AT DUSK WHEN THE MOSQUITOS ARE MOST ACTIVE.

The western part of Placer County, including Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln, according to the district, tends to see the highest levels of mosquito and West Nile virus activity during the summer.

In a press release Monday, the district describes what measures are being taken. The agricultural areas of western Placer County are scheduled for treatment of larval mosquito populations. Larval treatments involve an EPA-registered biorational mosquito larvicide applied by low-flying aircraft in an effort to prevent the emergence of adult mosquitoes and reduce the risk of mosquito-transmitted diseases. Treatments occur during daylight hours, most commonly in early morning through early afternoon.

“There are many factors that go into concentrated mosquito populations. Elevation plays a role along with the topography,” said Placer County Mosquito Vector Control District spokeswoman Ada Barros. “The valley is nice and flat and standing water is more prominent here in this part of Placer County as opposed to the foothills and the High Sierra, where gravity and topography pulls a lot of the standing water downhill and dissipates into small pools.”
Barros shared the top factors that lead to mosquito control.

“When humans change the landscape, it really plays a factor. We do see a lot of mosquitoes come in from agriculture. Rice fields especially. For a good part of the rice-growing cycle,” Barros said, “farmers need standing water so naturally we do a lot of our treatment out in the rice fields. It helps we have something we can see that we can treat like mosquito larva (in the standing water).”

Barros stressed temperature as a major factor.
“Our summer high temps and summer low temps in the valley are different in the foothills. Foothill lows can get lower in the summer as opposed to the valley where temps stay nice and warm (ideal for mosquitos),” Barros said. “Sometimes, we see triple-digit temps into the middle of August and that can play a role.”   

Barros was asked whether Placer County residents should be concerned.
“These cases of West Nile we are seeing are not an epidemic here in Placer County or in California. It will pop up every year,” Barros replied. “As far as infected mosquitos go, this year was pretty bad. Some years, it’s not as high.”

Awareness and caution should be highest during a relative time frame throughout the year, Barros said.
“The distinct time of year Placer County residents should be concerned is at the beginning of July to about mid-September,” Barros said.

“One of the best prevention measures of mosquito-borne disease is a shared responsibility,” Barros said. “We do our part but we can’t do it all. We rely on our residents to take precautions as well, fighting the bite together.”

Residents should dispose of unused standing water on their property, report any dead birds or large concentrations of mosquitos, and use mosquito repellant, according to Barros.

The district advocates that residents regularly check its website and map for up-to-date spraying locations at www.placermosquito.org.

CLICK HERE to see original story in the Roseville and Granite Bay Press Tribune newspaper.

Two Gold Country Trails Council members marked the wasp nest area on the Towle Mill Trail with pink ribbons today. That particular trail is part of the Highway 20 corridor above Nevada City in the Tahoe National Forest. Thanks to them and the Trails Council for helping all trail users be more safe on the trails!

Tahoe National Forest trail supervisor has advised us that the large tree that has been blocking the Pioneer Trail near Bear Valley has been cleared. The stump was a challenge, but it's now clear for all trail users.

A Park Watch reporter said a mountain lion was spotted in the A.M. on  Aug. 16 on Pioneer Trail at Long Bar. Long Bar has a sign and a picnic table and is located between Sterling Pointe Equestrian Staging and Horseshoe Bar. A deer carcass was previously sighted in this area and possibly killed by this same mountain lion.

Stinging ground wasps have been encountered in the same area. The Sterling Pointe docents are placing traps there this weekend.

A super busy weekend for trail users, heads up! Click on any of the events below for more information or look on the Mother Lode Trails calendar tab. This info is for those who wish to participate in any of these events, or avoid them because of busy trails. All these events are on Saturday, August 18.

• • GCTC Skillman Horse Camp Guided Ride (equestrian) 9:30 AM (PDT) | Skillman Horse Campground
  • Trekkin Trails Riding Club - Folsom Lake Granite Bay 7:45 PM (PDT) | Granite Bay Horse Staging Area - Folsom Lake
  • ​ Castle Peak 100K Endurance Run All Day | Emigrant Trai
  • Robinson Flat Trail Race Marathon All Day | Robinsons Flat Campground
  • ​​​Santa Cruz Bicycles Mother Lode Epic race All Day | Magnolia Ranch TrailheadTues​ay,August 21 

Late summer ground wasps have been terrorizing hikers, bikers and equestrians all over the Mother Lode and Sierra this year. There is little we can do but keep out of their way, mark the nests and tell other trail users about their locations. This year, Gold Country Trails Council has decided to do more after many of their members have been stung over the past two weeks.

A HUGE THANKS to Gold Country Trails Council and their members who have been humanely eliminating the ground wasps on the trails they maintain along the Highway 20 corridor of the Tahoe National Forest above Nevada City. This includes the areas around Skillman Horse Camp, the Gold Country Equestrian Staging Area, the Pioneer, Hallelujah, Towle Mill and several other trails in that area.

For orientation on the map here, the red dot is the Skillman Horse Camp.

They are busy trying to keep ahead of this year's bumper crop of ground wasps. If you would like to donate to their wonderful nonprofit organization that cares for over 100 miles of trails and three horse camps, go to their website www.GoldCountryTrailsCouncil.org

THANK YOU, GCTC!

A rider reported that some kind person marked the ground wasp nest on the Pfeiffer Trail at Lone Grave. It's marked with bright green flagging tape, and is located before you get to the Meyer trail, coming from the Gold Country Equestrian Staging Area. THANK YOU!