U.S. Forest Service Closures
As you are likely aware, all US Forest Service Lands in California and on the Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit were temporarily closed to public access for the better part of two weeks. As of now trails are open again, but camping is still prohibited. Please stay alert to the LTBMU website and closures could still go back into effect depending on conditions.
These closures did put a halt to our USFS trail work, but we have our crews back working in the field!
August Trail Work
We had a very productive month of trail work with over 900 volunteer hours contributed, despite our COVID restrictions and smoky weather.
We want to extend a special thanks to the following volunteers who logged 40 or more hours volunteering out on the trails this month:
- Christine Dobrowolski
- Cole Miller
- Helene Drumm
- Jeff Coulter
- Mike Wells
- Scott Brown
- Tim Clement
- Tim Holdener
Tyrolian Downhill Trail
Sensus R.A.D. Trails made great progress on this project in August, despite the lack of rain and dry soil conditions. We also had a great volunteer day to construct the new Tyrolian/TRT Connector. Most of the new construction has been completed as well as much of the road decommissioning. There will continue to be some handwork going on this fall, so please use the bypass trail if features are closed off.
This project will wrap up early next summer after the trail has been able to cure under a (hopefully large) snowpack and R.A.D. Trails will be able to do some fine tuning to the features.
Thank you to the Tahoe Fund for supporting this project and their continued contributions to improving high quality recreation experiences in the Tahoe Basin!
Lily Lake Trail
We had over 400 volunteer hours contributed on the Lily Lake project in August and we were able to finish some of the most challenging sections of trail, including the large turn you can see in the image below.
We still have a lot of work to go to get this trail completed, so please reach out to Scott Brown (scott@tamba.org) if you are interested in volunteering. We have generally been having volunteer days on Wed/Fri/Sun.
Stanford Rock
Our three year reconstruction of the Stanford Rock Trail is coming to a close and it has only been possible with more than 350 volunteer hours contributed in the month of August. There are still some final touches to do, so if you would like to help out on our Wednesday and Sunday volunteer days, please contact Jeff Coulter (jeff@tamba.org) for more information.
Van Sickle State Park
TRTA and TAMBA volunteers finished a new section of trail in Van Sickle Bi-State Park (VSSP). This trail is almost a half-mile and is an alternate route for those traveling down Van Sickle Trail towards the parking area. The trail is the north end of the Cal-Neva Loop and the beginning of the south end of the K to K Trail. The trail bypasses a steep, sandy, eroded section of the unofficial K to K Trail.
This new singletrack is designed to disperse trail users to help mitigate conflict on one of the most congested sections of the popular Van Sickle Trail. The multi-use trail has a sustainable design which decreases the chance for erosion and sediment production and will help improve water quality in nearby streams.
Bijou Bike Park
Basic maintenance has been ongoing at the Bijou Bike Park with our intern, Vince, getting out there early before the crowds on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. If you’re interested in joining Vince, email us at trails@tamba.org to RSVP!
We’d love to have you out there and it’s a great way to start the day.
Responsible Recreation
The recent closure of all Forest lands in Tahoe and the entire State of California is a reminder that we cannot take access to public lands for granted. We are visitors on the land and our love for trails creates deep bonds wanting to protect the forests, meadows, mountains, and valleys for future generations. This summer has taught us to be grateful for any time spent outdoors with fresh air and access to trails.
As fires have ravaged the west, many miles of trails have been destroyed. We saw this in Tahoe with the 2007 Angora Fire, and it took over a decade to rebuild a more sustainable and better-connected trail system. Please take the time this fall to reflect on our collective contribution to building and maintaining trails in the Tahoe area – by being kind to the land and other trail users. It is really that simple!
Support Trail Expansion in Placer County
If you live in Placer County and are interested in seeing an expanded trail network in the Hidden Falls Regional Park, so you can have more options for winter biking and recreating, then we urge you to send emails of support to Placer County District 5 Supervisor, Cindy Gustafson.
Thank You to Recent Large Donors
While we appreciate every donation we receive, TAMBA would like to thank the following individuals in particular for their recent generous donations:
- Tyler Cannon (Sprouts Cafe) – $500
- The Latrobe Fund – $10,000
- Marianna Vaughan – $10,000
- Kevin & Jeannie Reeth – $1,000
- Rusty Reams (John E. Goerlich Charitable Trust) – $2,000
- Jeff Glass – $500
- Donald Douglas Fortune, Jr. & Tomoko Nakamura Fortune (The Fortune Family Fund) – $500
- Tahoe Fund – $45,000
We appreciate their support, especially as we try to navigate these difficult times.
