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Pines To Mines trail gets shovel-ready segment; Sierra Buttes Stewardship advances multi-forest trail projects
Summary
Presenters said the Pines To Mines multi-use trail linking Truckee to Nevada City is shovel-ready for a segment this summer after NEPA clearance and local land acquisitions; Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship reported construction on Boca and Verdi Ridge and promoted a "fire-hardened trails" approach to align fuels reduction with trail corridors.
Nonprofit trail groups and land trusts reported progress on two multi-jurisdiction trail efforts and described how trail-building is being coordinated with forest managers and tribal monitors.
"This is a proposed trail connecting Truckee with Nevada City, about 70 miles total. Luckily because we're incorporating existing trails on both ends we only need 22 miles of new construction," Lisonbee Pedley, executive director of the Truckee Trails Foundation, said about the Pines To Mines corridor. She said segment 3 was selected for initial construction this summer and that NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis and Forest Service decisions are complete for the portion slated to start construction.
Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) described multiple projects in the Tahoe/Plumas region, including Boca Verde Ridge and Verdi Ridge segments under construction and a planned Pea Vine Maze connectivity project. Kurt Gensheimer, SBTS program manager, also described a fire-hardened-trails prescription designed to combine trail corridors with fuel-reduction treatments.
Why it matters: The Pines To Mines route would be one of a few long-distance nonmotorized corridors that allow Class 1 e-bikes and provide economic and recreational access between two population centers. SBTS projects aim to connect economically disadvantaged Sierra communities while integrating recreation with forest resilience activities.
Key facts and progress
- Pines To Mines: The total envisioned route runs roughly 70 miles; organizers said about 22 miles of new trail must be built in the middle sections. The Forest Service signed the NEPA decision and local land acquisitions from a private timber company (Sierra Pacific Industries) improved alignment options. Segment 3 (about 3 miles) is expected to be the first construction phase.
- Sierra Buttes projects: SBTS said it has built and maintained hundreds of miles of trail regionally and is constructing new multiple-use trail sections around Boca Reservoir and Verdi Ridge. SBTS described volunteer and contractor efforts and tribal cultural monitoring during construction.
- Fire-hardened trails: SBTS leaders said they are promoting a corridor-oriented prescription that treats vegetation in a 100-foot-wide corridor around new trails to reduce hazard trees, improve sight lines and better align recreation and fuels work.
Quote
"We were technically shovel-ready at that point," Pedley said of the NEPA clearance for portions of Pines To Mines, noting additional funding remains necessary for construction.
What remains
Both projects are seeking construction funding and local partnerships. Organizers urged patience, noting forest-project timetables, NEPA compliance for segments on Forest Service land, and the need to coordinate construction with fuels and cultural-resource work.
