Placerville commission reviews 'Adopt a Trail' pilot to pair volunteers with city-maintained trail sections

The Placerville Recreation and Parks Commission on a discussion item reviewed a staff proposal to launch an Adopt a Trail volunteer program that would let organizations and individuals adopt sections of the city trail and receive city-supplied tools and training.

Staff said the program was developed at the direction of the City Council and that initial seed supplies for the pilot would be covered by the city’s cannabis benefit community fund. "We were fortunate enough to be able to work with our cannabis benefit community fund," staff told the commission. The presentation said that fund is separate from a previously discussed $185,000 irrigation fund.

The program would invite both organized groups (churches, businesses, scouting troops) and individual volunteers — described by staff as "trailblazers" and "lone blazers" — to adopt sections of trail. Staff said the city will provide a equipment trailer stocked with tools, and will work with the city engineering/GIS team to map and divide the trail into sections. "We’re going to mark it out myself. He’s going to work with me with our GIS system," staff said.

Why it matters: staff framed the program as a way to extend maintenance capacity and increase community stewardship of the roughly 4.3 miles of trail that run through the city. Commissioners and members of the public said volunteer help could materially reduce staff workload if the program is well organized.

Key program details discussed - Funding: staff…