PERRY'S CELEBRATION OF 2017

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Dear Friend of the Land Trust,

2017 was historic for so many reasons, including the legendary snow that greeted us in January and February. We knew then that we would have plenty of practice with the chainsaw this summer and that turned out to be true. The snow delayed the start of the summer season at many popular locations: Independence Lake, Webber Lake, and Carpenter Valley simply because of snow-covered roads. And record-setting high winds on wet ground kept our trails team busy clearing downed trees across our trails and fixing wash outs from our lowest locations in Martis Valley to our highest elevations at Donner Summit as the snows melted over the course of the summer. But we’ll always remember 2017 for two crowning achievements: the completion of the Carpenter Valley acquisition and the opening of the Webber Lake campground and day use area.

So close to Truckee (and its highly valued land prices), the first two stages of the $10+ million dollar, 1320-acre Carpenter Valley acquisition have been completed. More than 1000 hikers joined our docent-led hikes to see the stunning displays of California native wildflowers and we hope you will join us in 2018. Thank you very much to the volunteer docents who introduced so many new visitors to the Land Trust.

We’ve been chomping at the bit for five years to open Webber Lake to the public. When we acquired this special place, formerly a sheep ranch and private fishing club, in 2012, the sellers asked us to let their tenants enjoy the lake for five more years. We scurried to clean it up for the public and swung the gates open even before the snow melted in June. Early visitors can vouch for the clean-up job as we built "Mount Slashmore" from fifty years of debris. Our official “grand opening” happened August 1 and the campground was full weekends through closing. We invite everyone to enjoy the trails, float in the lake, have a picnic with your family, and check out the campground at the headwaters of the Little Truckee River.

There were other achievements, too: new trails at Royal Gorge and Elizabethtown Meadows, progress on the alignments of the Donner Lake Rim Trail both north and south of Highway 80, and the dedication of the Black Wall climbing area.

It goes without saying that none of this would have been possible without the support of our donors. I speak for all of the staff and volunteers when I say thank you!

We have an ambitious plan for 2018 – stay tuned!

With gratitude,
Perry Norris

Greyson Howard