GEARING UP FOR SUMMER 2018 WORK
The days are growing longer and warmer in the Northern Sierra, and that means the all-important summer work season is fast approaching for the Truckee Donner Land Trust.
Summer is when we roll up our sleeves, grab our tools, get dirty and tend to the thousands of acres you’ve helped conserve. From trail work to new conservation projects, the Land Trust has big plans for summer 2018 – and we hope you’ll join in.
Trails and Stewardship
Creating public access to our numerous properties remains a high priority, and the building and maintaining of trails is key to that strategy.
The Donner Summit Canyon Trail – a popular trail on the west end of Donner Lake, is in need of some serious repair. Winter runoff washed out two sections of the trail, but working with Donner Memorial State Parks, the Land Trust has plans to re-route the trail and build a bridge to prevent future damage.
Connecting Waddle Ranch Preserve in the Martis Valley and Elizabethtown Meadows, the Elizabethtown Meadows Trail is already popular with hikers and cyclists – but we’ve got one section left this summer: an ADA access from Northstar to the trail.
Years of fire suppression have produced dangerously thick forests on some of the Truckee Donner Land Trust properties, so thinning is a high priority to improve forest health and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Removing old, obsolete logging roads – a key way to not only improve the scenic value of open space – but to improve the watershed, is also planned on Land Trust properties for 2018.
Webber Lake Campground
At the serene Webber Lake Campground, acquired in 2012 and opened at the end of last summer, we’re planning additional campsites, a new water system and new bathrooms to make the camping experience even more enjoyable.
Carpenter Valley
Headlines touting the “secret garden” of Carpenter Valley painted a picture of this spectacular properties unique biodiversity when the Land Trust acquired the property last summer. The sensitive nature of this ecological hotspot will require a careful hand in creating public access. Parking, picnic tables, restrooms and boardwalks must all be in place before we can open to the public.
Land Acquisition
We’re working on land acquisitions too – and the red-hot economy puts pressure on the region’s open space, which makes our work more important than ever. Currently negotiating on several properties – we hope to have exciting news to share with you soon.