Fall 2014 Contents It’s Fall! Take a Hike page 1 President’s Message page 2 Meet Your Board Members page 2 Support Local Trails page 3 Autumn on the Land page 4 Wildlife Wonders page 4 Honoring a Friend page 5 Best Trekking Year Ever! page 5 Making a Difference page 6 BYLT Thanks Community page 7 BYLT’s online Trails Portal page 8 The Hirschman Trail, built by BYLT, is a favorite of the season. 5th Annual Turkey Trek page 8 It’s Fall! Take a Hike With the arrival of fall comes cooler days “There is no membership or entrance and nights meaning local trails are awash fees. Trails are open from dawn to dusk, in gold and crimson, providing a wealth so one can show up at any time and use of opportunities for families to unplug, the trail for their fitness activity, be it get outdoors, take a walk and encounter running, walking or cycling,” added Haire. Upcoming Treks the wonders of nature. BYLT trails are built with volunteer labor for 2014 With community support from and financial contributions. No tax dollars volunteers and donations, Bear Yuba are used. One third of local trails are built Nov 3 Treks for the Mind: Land Trust has built and maintains over on private land, where the landowner has Tree by David Suzuki 35 miles of local trails for hikers, runners, donated a trail easement that BYLT holds mountain bicyclists, equestrian riders, for public access. Nov 6 Armchair Trek: Rock Art of the wheelchair users and families. Trails Sierra Nevada with Bill Drake Trails are an asset to the local economy. Coordinator Bill Haire has built many Studies show that homes located near Nov 15 Spenceville with trails over the years and enjoys seeing public trails command a higher price Friends of Spenceville people use them. than homes located far from public Nov 18 Treks on Tuesday: “Trails provide a link between people trails. Sometimes trails are a determining Rattlesnake Trail and their natural environment. It brings factor when people seek employment Nov 28 Turkey Trek them into close contact with a landscape or relocating to a community. Many that is not so highly modified by human visitors to Nevada County see trails as an Nov 11 Armchair Trek: use and activities. Trails through open important part of their stay in town and Sierra Superlatives space allow people to get away from the reason for return. with Joe Medeiros artificial environment they spend most of By sending your contribution to the Dec 16 Treks on Tuesday: their lives within,” said Trails Coordinator annual Trails Appeal this fall, you can Union Hill Trails Bill Haire. maintain the local recreation trails you To register online, go to www.bylt.org Trails also provide an opportunity to love and help build two new trails with exercise outdoors. continued on page 3 Marty’s Message Bear Yuba Land Trust Just before my junior year in college I to wring-out Mission moved from Detroit to the Monterey the tensions of Peninsula. I took a couple of years off to the work week Bear Yuba Land Trust exists to create a balance between nature and the needs establish my residency, working odd and to recharge of the people who make a life and a jobs making pizza and doing data entry. my batteries… livelihood here. This is our home. I was about in love with a place as one to absorb the Our mission is to enrich the deep could be I guess, especially after coming essence of community connection with our from rust-belt urban landscape. nature and land –today, tomorrow, and forever. I determined I would hike a new trail in a reflect. different location every weekend for an We are very Board Staff entire year. No duplicates. I mean that’s lucky to live in of Directors Marty Coleman-Hunt 52 trails! Tree-line mountain trails, glacial a community with such direct access to Andy Cassano Executive Director lakes, river canyons, woodland foothills, nature. Studies show that people move President Jean Gilbert Operations Manager beach bluff trails, desert, volcanos, urban to Nevada County for the environmental Terry Hundemer Vice President Erin Tarr greenways, historic trails, snowshoe trails. quality. Real estate agents advertise the Jason Muir Stewardship Program Manager My yearlong commitment stretched to proximity of open space or a trail for the Secretary properties they are selling as a feature Rebecca Coffman Cathy Shirley two, then three years. It became harder Stewardship because life gets in the way sometimes. that increases value. Our community Brent Fraser Associate Four decades later I’m still hiking. has always had a deep connection to our Letty Litchfield John Thomson natural resources. Jack Stillens Stewardship The landscape has remained as wondrous Associate Bill Trabucco and humbling to me as my first year Someday I hope to really understand Melony Vance that I am a part of nature. I belong here Fran Cole Community Programs of hiking. Back then I was a wide-eyed Manager and I need to respect my place in this Michael Smiley youth, learning about this incredible Laura Petersen place I was to call home for the remainder web of life. It’s one of the reasons I do Bill Stewart Outreach Coordinator of my life. I marveled at the diversity of what I do for the land trust and for our Bill Haire Trails Coordinator trees, plants, wildlife, geology and terrain. community. Please join me. Larry Gruver I gained a respect for nature’s power Support trails. Support the conservation Trails Coordinator to endure, in spite of all we throw at it. of our most precious landscapes. And Shaun Clarke Today, when I spend time in nature it’s please, get outdoors this fall! Trails Coordinator for a more spiritual purpose. I am there Mariah Simpson By Marty Coleman-Hunt Office Assistant BYLT Executive Director Land News Editor Laura Petersen Meet Your Board Members Graphic Design Ellen Baxter We are pleased to introduce Bill Stewart knew and appreciated every trail, plant Land News is a publication of and Michael Smiley as our newest and animal. Land trusts with a focus Bear Yuba Land Trust members of the Land on getting outdoors 12183 Auburn Rd Trust board. We also can bring some of Grass Valley, CA 95949 enthusiastically welcome these values to our (530) 272-5994 back a dear friend, Fran communities,” Bill said. www.BYLT.org • [email protected] Cole. Though not a resident of Bill Stewart is a Forestry Nevada County, Stewart Specialist at University of is a frequent visitor from the Land Trust as important work that California, Berkeley. Berkeley. While here, he helps to connect others to the landscape through trails and open space. After graduating from likes to hike local trails college, Bill Stewart lived and looks forward to Michael Smiley is a land planner, urban for five years in small exploring new ones. designer and landscape architect. villages in rural Sri Lanka. “My favorite trails are the Joining the land trust board is a natural He worked, talked and scenic ones along the fit for him. walked with villagers. steep canyons of the Yuba Michael grew up in Bend, Oregon when “I benefited from being River,” he said. it was a small town of 15,000 people immersed in a culture where everyone Stewart sees working more actively with continued on page 6 2 Fall 2014 It’s Fall! Take a Hike Support Local continued from cover Trails breathtaking views of the Yuba River - Deer Creek Environs Trail Love local trails? Now is your chance Yuba Narrows and Rice’s Crossing. This forested 1.5 mile loop located to contribute to the construction and Here is a handful of Land Trust favorite just a few minutes from downtown maintenance of family friendly trails trails for the season. Enjoy. Nevada City on the south side of Deer in the Bear and Yuba watersheds. Creek follows the old Rough and Ready Together we can reach this year’s Orene Wetherall ditch and remnants of the Providence goal to raise $60,000 and build new When the dogwood and big leaf maple Mine. With the completion of the new community trails. turn color in fall, the Orene Wetherall trail “Nisenan Tribute Bridge” spanning Deer To date, the Land Trust has built is striking in reds, bronze, and yellows. A Creek, the Environs Trail now connects and maintains over 35 miles of forested, easy side trail with some great with the Tribute Trail network on the trails used by all ages and abilities - views, the Orene Wetherall branches off north side of the creek. Interpretive hikers, runners, mountain bicyclists, the popular Cascade Canal trail on Banner signs along the trail tell the story of the equestrian riders, families and folks Mountain east of Nevada City. native Nisenan. with all levels of mobility. Hirschman Trail Some of your newest trails built with Only a mile from the heart of downtown community donations include: Black Nevada City, the first 0.4 miles of the Swan, Environ’s Trail, Hirschman’s Trail trail is wheelchair accessible and perfect and Orene Wetherall Trail. Upcoming for younger children. Named after the trails include the Bear Yuba Trail - an Hirschman brothers who were pioneer eight mile trail on PG&E lands around miners and merchants of the area, Bear Valley and westward along the the pond is now a picturesque picnic Bear River; and Rice’s Crossing – a destination for families. multi-use trail project commencing this year overlooking the Middle and “The Hirschman trail is a delight to hike North Yuba River.