Announcing Two New Land Conservation Projects!
As a steadfast supporter of the Truckee Donner Land Trust, I want you to be the first to know about two exciting new land conservation projects in the works that highlight the breadth of the Land Trust’s mission that you make possible.
A tributary of the Yuba River on the Pines to Mines property, Photo by Brady Moss, Trust for Public Land.
The first is called Pines to Mines and, once finalized, will protect 3,460 acres of open space to be owned by the US Forest Service, filling in multiple squares of the Sierra Nevada Checkerboard west of the Sierra Crest! This is a significant step forward in our goal to conserve private lands within the Tahoe National Forest, ensuring that contiguous open space is protected for wildlife and for recreation.
The second project is located just north of Olympic Valley, where the Land Trust is in the process of protecting Pole Creek. Successful acquisition of the 61-acre property will protect the entire 2,000-acre Pole Creek Watershed.
Your ongoing generosity makes these imperative projects possible. Please make a gift today to help support the next project, big or small.
The Land Trust is partnering with the Trust for Public Land, Bear Yuba Land Trust, and the U.S. Forest Service to secure funding for the purchase of the Pines to Mines property. It encompasses a significant portion of Sierra Nevada Checkerboard lands between the Castle Peak Roadless Area and the Grouse Ridge Roadless Area north of Interstate 80.
A map of the pines to Mines properties in the Sierra Nevada Checkerboard. Properties in white are private, light green lands are U.S. Forest Service, dark green are Truckee Donner Land Trust, and pink are Land Trust lands transferred to California State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service for management.
With funding in hand, the final acquisition of Pines to Mines will be a big victory, both because of the property’s size, and because it will expand contiguous landscape management. Completing the acquisition will mean preserving pristine forests and wildlife habitat and protecting the South Yuba River watershed.
This new project is named Pines to Mines because it will eventually be traversed by a planned trail of the same name. The roughly 70-mile-long trail will connect Truckee with Nevada City. Once completed, the Pines to Mines Trail will become a world-class recreation opportunity linking Nevada County from east to west for hikers, runners, and riders.
Your generosity helps secure the next open space acquisition like Pines to Mines, helps us care for the 40,000 acres of land we’ve already protected, and builds trails so that everyone can enjoy the natural splendor of the northern Sierra.
Pole Creek offers year-round beauty for visitors.
Pole Creek is under threat like dozens of other conservation projects were before you and I protected them. The canyon contains beautiful subalpine meadows, Lahontan cutthroat trout habitat in a major tributary to the Truckee River, and an amazing landscape for people to explore year-round.
With your generous support, Pole Creek will soon remain intact, preserving a watershed running from the Sierra Crest to the Truckee River. Healthy forests will continue to thrive, meadows will fill with wildflowers every year, and you and I will be able to enjoy its beauty, unfettered by no trespassing signs.
Your gift today ensures that when opportunities to protect lands like Pole Creek arise, we’ll be able to act swiftly and make sure they remain open space for nature, for people, forever.
I hope you’re as excited as I am about the prospect of protecting Pole Creek and 3,640 acres of the Sierra Nevada Checkerboard with Pines to Mines.
I invite you to continue your support as we pursue the next 25,000 acres of open space that the Truckee Donner Land Trust has on our radar. There is still so much to be done, and with your help, we will be able to see it through.
As summer swiftly turns to fall, I encourage you to enjoy the lands we’ve protected together, the trails we’ve built together, and the beauty of the northern Sierra that unites our passion for conservation.
With warm regards,
John Svahn, Executive Director
P.S. Your gift today will help the Land Trust continue to build on acquisitions in the works like Pole Creek and Pines to Mines, while also stewarding the 40,000 acres of land we’ve protected together. Thank you for your generosity.