Nevada County Parks & Recreation Digest

The Incline Village General Improvement District Board of Trustees met Oct. 24 to discuss the formal timeline of the recreation center expansion project and the end to the grant agreement with the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation.

A park with a small amphitheater opens adjacent to downtown Truckee Community Art Center. The park, fully ADA compliant, is the result of five years of work and fundraising.

BEBOT got its first test run on Tahoe’s beaches: it's a solar-powered, tank-treaded cleaning robot that removes trash. One mission by this real-life WALL-E on a pre-cleaned beach unearthed 2,000 pieces of plastic.

US Forest Service and Sensus R.A.D. Trails opened a new all-levels mountain biking trail on a rehabilitated logging road on Upper Tyrolean trail above Incline Village.

For about a decade, a new skatepark in Truckee has been in the works. After planning, raising funds and town council and planning commission meetings, it’s almost time to break ground on the Rocker Memorial Skatepark.

The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has released the Nevada Trail Finder, a free, web-based mapping resource that details thousands of miles of trails across Nevada’s public lands and waterways.

The Tahoe Fund and EarthViews have created the first “street view” style map of all 72 miles of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. This new, interactive map offers a 360-degree view of the shoreline, as well as underwater views and water quality data.

The California Tahoe Conservancy has awarded the following grants to support environmental education and expand equitable access to Lake Tahoe’s beaches, trails, and mountains: Adventure Risk Challenge ($100,000), the Gateway Mountain Center ($150,000), Lake Tahoe Unified School District ($99,000) and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association ($100,000).

Lake Tahoe has endured many different eras of history, and all are woven into the fabric of its unique landscape. One way to take a trip back in time is to visit the iconic mansions and rustic cabin museums around the lake’s shores.

Western Gateway Recreation & Park District in rural Nevada County will receive $1,144,634 through the California State Parks’ Rural Recreation and Tourism Program. Awards were granted to 12 recipients through a grant process that allocated $23.1 million of Prop 68 funds.

The Tahoe Fund has partnered with the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science for the Nature for All program, which will provide immersive experiences to hundreds of people who do not have access to the outdoors.

All over California, wildfires have ravaged iconic landscapes. Places that once seemed permanent are disappearing—and researchers are having to rethink how best to protect them.

The Nevada County Library has begun offering a Recreation Collection, an assortment of outdoor and indoor recreational items that can be checked out for free. The library will continue to add items, and patrons can expect to see seasonally appropriate outdoor equipment.

A ribbon-cutting event Aug. 16 marks the opening of the Martis Valley Trail, a 4.6-mile paved pathway connecting Truckee to Northstar Drive. The project is a collaboration between Placer County and Northstar Community Services District in partnership with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Truckee Donner Land Trust, and Northstar California/Vail Resorts.

As human life has evolved, so have trail networks, with game trails to access hunting grounds giving way to trade routes, and then to roads. In modern times, trails provide an equally essential purpose: a place to exercise and experience the outdoors.

Community members were given the opportunity to weigh in on the proposed Cascade to Meeks Trail, which would run from Cascade Lake to Meeks Bay. As a part of a feasibility study, several trail alignments were presented during three different Zoom workshops.

As temperatures climb and drought-stricken vegetation gets baked in the summer heat, TNF has implemented restrictions limiting smoking and campfires.

Senate Bill 1012, a law that will require California State Parks to restrict open fires, has been unanimously passed through the Committee of Water, Parks, and Wildlife. The bill instructs parks to work with the guidelines of local fire departments. The bill could appear before the full assembly in August.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is reaching out to both the general community and fellow agencies to seek input on the environmental review of the Meeks Bay Restoration Project. The goal is to return the area into a more natural state while still accommodating recreation.

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking nominations for positions on its California Desert District Advisory Council, Central California Resource Advisory Council, and Northern California District RAC.

The Sierra Tahoe region is rich in history, and it is about to become more accessible as the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship comes closer to the goal of connecting 15 northern Sierra towns through a trail system.

A dozen years after it first broke ground, the final phase of the 11-acre Truckee Bike Park will soon be completed—a surreal moment for its planners and supporters.

Land managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is an ideal solution for allowing easier access to the Truckee River.

Truckee Town Council unanimously voiced support for Measure U, which will be on the ballot on June 7. The measure would generate roughly $3 million annually for building and maintaining the area’s trails.

The fourth phase of the Truckee River Legacy Trail is moving ahead after the town of Truckee and the Truckee Donner Land Trust, bridged a $3.3 million gap in funding. The project consists of a trailhead parking lot, trails, wetland restoration, and a bridge over the Truckee River.

Due to continued low water levels, the Sand Harbor boat ramp will remain closed for the summer. Beginning on May 27, the parking lot will be opened to provide limited parking for vehicles with kayaks and paddleboards.

For the past 20 years, Ed Heneveld has been one of the many locals and visitors who have accessed the Truckee River from the Hirschdale community. Jennifer Freeman, meanwhile, is a Hirschdale resident on the receiving end of such recreators.

Residents can now use their library cards to check out day passes for free access to more than 200 state parks. The move is part of a collaboration between California State Parks and the California State Library to provide more equitable outdoor access for all Californians.

As part of its Reexamining Our Past Initiative, California State Parks is seeking input on a proposal to change the way history is interpreted at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park. The effort will provide visitors with more inclusive and historically accurate information.

A recommendation by the Nevada County Planning Commission could result in fines for those who camp in unapproved areas. The commission voted 4 to 1 to send its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

The Auburn Area Recreation and Parks District is asking the public for suggestions on names for the “24 Acre” property and associated Regional “C” baseball field as it begins the process of improving the property.

The Tahoe National Forest is seeking public input on its proposed Pines to Mines project: a multi-use trail that would run 68 miles in length and would connect Nevada City to Truckee.