Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship

Happy New year from the crew at SBTS! With the new year comes the continued historical stories in our Connected Communities tour. This week features the City of Portola. The city of Portola (pop. 2,104) is situated at 4,856 feet elevation near the headwaters of the Feather River, a federally recognized Wild and Scenic River, with Smith Peak to the north and Beckwourth Peak to the south. Named after Gaspar de Portola, the first Governor of the California, Portola has much more... in common with logging and railroads than it does the Spanish colonial province of the 18th Century. For the full story on Portola and to complete the Connected Communities survey, visit https://bit.ly/3nkTqmh. Historical photo by: Eastman, Jervie Henry. At Portola, California. UC Davis Library. 1946.

Two paths in the woods that were destined to meet: one path launched a beer revolution, the other a trail revolution. These two paths had similar ideals, pushed boundaries, created sustainable practices, helped communities thrive and made people smile while enjoying the great outdoors. This year, these two paths united as we celebrated 40 years of cold Sierra Nevada brews and the 100th mile of Sweet Sierra Singletrack that Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship has built. And there's more good times to come. Together, we are building 300 miles of trail that will connect 15 mountain communities with the new Lost Sierra Route in our own backyard: the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Visit https://bit.ly/2YbgWsn to learn more and support the project. #celebrationale #dirtmagic #enjoyoutdoors #connectedcommunities #sierratrails #lostsierra

As winter approaches, our pro trail crew has been busy trying to wrap up our 2020 trail projects. They were back up on Buzzards Roost Ridge a few weeks ago cutting out corridor, but the access to this work site is remote, steep and north facing, leaving the ground frozen and difficult to work in. They will be back out that way next spring. Before the snow flies too much on this side of the mountain, the crew has been busy working on the existing Mt Hough Trail System smoothi...ng break bumps, cleaning drains and eliminating ruts preparing for winter. The Plumas National Forest has approved SBTS to begin the buildout of Mt Hough Phase 2 starting in 2021. This addition will add 43-miles of new trail beginning the first connection of Connected Communities with a trail leading down into Taylorsville. There will also be a new 5-mile loop near Four Corners that is almost halfway complete already with the help of a few local volunteers. As the new stay at home orders roll out, unfortunately, we won’t be able to host any more volunteer days at this time. We will let you all know when we are back in action and can get you on the trails! #dirtmagic #sierratrails #lostsierra

American Valley Hardware of Quincy has chosen the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship to be a recipient of their holiday giving program this 2020 season. The store chooses 10 different non-profits in the Quincy community and donates a portion of their sales to help support important local organizations and projects. Each organization has a featured day in the store and SBTS will be featured next Tuesday, December 15th. Please visit American Valley Hardware next Tuesday to see a portion of your purchase go directly into trails in our community. Thank you American Valley Hardware for your support! #dirtmagic #shoplocal

Over the course of three years SBTS and our partners on the U.S. Forest Service- Tahoe National Forest have completed the long awaited Cal IDA trail where we've hit a major milestone. We have officially built our 100th mile of new trail since SBTS began in 2003! Cal IDA is a 20 mile long stretch of trail that connects Indian Valley, Fiddle Creek Ridge and Halls Ranch with Chimney Rock giving us even bigger loop options from Downieville. This project was a long time coming, w...ith planning starting as early as 2008 and would not have been possible without the help and work of Trails Manager, Paul Hart of the Yuba River Ranger District. The Nevada County Woods Riders (NCWR) also answered the call, building one mile of this amazing trail. This project was funded though California Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV), Recreation Trails Program (RTP) and in partnership with the Tahoe National Forest- Yuba Ranger District. A portion of this work was completed thanks to the generous support of Yamaha through it's Outdoor Access Initiative. Our friends at Roseville Motorsports donated tools and a tool trailer to help outfit our crews this year with the equipment they needed to get the job done. Here is a video of crew member Evan Ames aboard his Yamaha YZ125 showing us what the Cal IDA trail has to offer. Big thanks to the USFS-TNF and Paul Hart, NCWR, Yamaha and Roseville Motorsports and the SBTS Pro Trail Crew for making this #dirtmagic happen! Help us to celebrate this amazing milestone by making a donation to SBTS and support the construction and maintenance of trails like Cal IDA. Visit https://bit.ly/3mutd4w to make your contribution today. Happy 100th Mile to us all!

The tiny hamlet of Johnsville, set along Jamison Creek at 5,180 feet elevation in the shadow of Eureka Peak, is known for two things: mining and skiing. Some of the earliest discoveries of gold in California occurred in Johnsville, named after William Johns in 1876, a brilliant manager of the Eureka Mine who made the operation incredibly efficient and profitable for its London-based Sierra Buttes Mining Company investors, who also owned the successful Sierra Buttes Mine in Si...erra City. Eureka Peak was originally known as Gold Mountain, aptly named considering the tens of millions of dollars in gold the mountain produced in the 1800s. Sixty-two miles of tunnels were cut into the mountain, tunnels mapped by legendary railroad surveyor Thomas Keddie, who pioneered the eventual Western Pacific Railroad route through the treacherous Feather River Canyon between Oroville and Quincy. The story of Johnsville takes an exciting turn as these miners searched for more excitement, eventually coming up with the idea of racing down the mountain to see who could go the fastest. Today we remember these first longboard races with Plumas Ski Club's Longboard Revival Series. For more history on Johnsville, the Johnsville Ski Bowl and the birth of downhill ski racing head over to https://bit.ly/3grAocg and read the rest of the story.

When you bike through the Lost Sierra from Graeagle to Downieville California (or vice versa), you will encounter some epic downhill riding. From the famed Downieville Downhill to the epic flow of Mills Peak Trail, there is plenty of awesome vertical drop to keep those adrenaline tanks full and stories flowing for post ride shenanigans. Osprey Packs feels the same way. Check out their 'Top Ten Must Ride Mountain Bike Trails in The U.S.' piece that puts Mills Peak Trail at the, well, Peak. #dirtmagic #graeagle #millspeaktrail

The SBTS Adopt-A-Trail program continues to be a success, not only due to the generous philanthropic support from our partners like Ibis Cycles, which helped the SBTS launch the original Five Bucks A Foot For Trails campaign with a rad Ibis ride donation, but also by getting dirty. Here we see Scot Nichol of Ibis creating a little bit of #dirtmagic. Financial support from Ibis was also leveraged to bolster our grant programs to help build the Mills Peak Trail. Thank you Scot... and Ibis for your continued support of the Adopt-A-Trail program and the SBTS. For more information on how you can support the Adopt-A-Trail program, visit: https://sierratrails.org/adopt-a-trail/ #ibis #adoptatrail

Connected Communities began as a dream to link mountain communities via trail throughout the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. The Lost Sierra Route will be a world class destination that allows trail travelers of all kinds to explore the region’s hidden beauty and charm. Since its inception, this project has come to life through the efforts of the SBTS team and partners that have believed in the vision. Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) believed in this project a...nd has been the biggest Connected Communities financial supporter to date. Through Proposition 68 grant funding and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Resilient Communities Grant Program, SBTS was awarded a planning grant to create the Trails Master Plan. This Phase 1 Planning Stage is a two-year endeavor that includes trail inventory, planning and mapping of the new trail system, community outreach and land manager discussions and agreements. SNC is a state agency who believes that the resilience of the Sierra Nevada depends on healthy forests and communities by creating, supporting and inspiring efforts that revitalize the environment, economies and social well-being of the communities throughout the Sierra Nevada region. Connected Communities is an excellent execution of both the SBTS and SNC missions by bringing more economic growth to these rural places while creating more outdoor recreational opportunities for people to enjoy. We are proud to be able to begin planning the Lost Sierra Route, and it would not be possible without the support of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Thank you for helping us start something special. For more information on Sierra Nevada Conservancy, please visit: https://bit.ly/33LkvZ4 #thelostsierra #connectedcommunities #snc #sierranevada

Sitting in the shadows of Mount Elwell and the Lakes Basin, along the middle fork of the Feather River at 4,373 feet elevation, the town of Graeagle (pop. 596) has a rich and colorful history. The community was originally known as Davies' Mill, named after Arthur Davies who purchased a vast 13,000 acre timber tract in 1916 from Sierra Iron Company, spanning from Blairsden to Calpine. For the full story on Graeagle's history, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3qltRUY Historic photo: Eastman, Jervie Henry. The Mill at Graeagle, Calif. University of California, Davis. General Library. Dept. of Special Collections, 1937

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday where your generosity can make a big impact. 2020 is coming to a close and despite these interesting times, we had some wins this year including maintaining 148 miles of trail, building 10.5 new miles and planning 57 miles. We built our 100th mile of new trail since our non-profit started with the completion of the Cal-Ida trail. And Connected Communities planning began to create the tentatively named 'Lost Sierra Route' with 300 miles of #lostsierr...a outdoor adventure goodness.To keep the #dirtmagic going, we ask that you consider SBTS for your #GivingTuesday contributions. Help us continue our mission of building sustainable recreation based communities through stewardship, job creation, trail construction and maintenance. When you make your gift, please tell us why you chose SBTS in the comments. Your support is greatly appreciated and we want to hear from you! Click here to donate: https://bit.ly/2HSv8kW Photo: Ken Etzel

We all strive for a better tomorrow. But a better tomorrow begins today. Whether diggin' some dirt on a new trail or bringing an old one back to life, it takes a plethora of resources to accomplish the many goals we set for ourselves here at the SBTS. Goals that would be too lofty to reach without the generous philanthropic support we get from partners like Sierra Nevada. Their continued dedication to the economic well being of our communities helps us reach that horizon of a better tomorrow. We at the SBTS are very #dankful for that. Cheers to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and reaching new horizons. #enjoyoutdoors #dankfulIPA #dirtmagic

2020 has been a complicated year. In many ways, we’ve learned how to live differently. This is evermore present as the holiday season is upon us. One thing however, stays the same; our need to get outside to recreate, refresh and recharge. On Black Friday in 2015, SBTS partner REI did just that. They chose to close their doors and let their employees and customers #OptOutside. Please join the SBTS and REI on Black Friday as we choose to get outside in the places where we can... get back to nature. Give yourself some space, recreate responsibly and #OptOutside. For more information on how to #RecreateResponsibly visit, https://www.recreateresponsibly.org/ #REI #dirtmagic #lostsierracollection

The Plumas County Sheriff's Office has released a video that provides great recommendations for staying COVID safe in the Lost Sierra. It's important that we all follow these simple steps to help keep our community safe and healthy.

Situated in the shadows of mighty Donner Pass along the Truckee River at 5,817 feet elevation, the town of Truckee, California (pop. 16,180) is steeped in frontier history. But before emigrants, pioneers and the arrival of the ill-fated Donner Party, Truckee was the summer home of the Washoe, Maidu and Paiute Indian Tribes. The Truckee name comes from a Paiute Indian guide who helped thousands of emigrants in the 1840s and 1850s across the barren Great Basin of Nevada. The g...uide would often shout, Tro-kay!, meaning everything is all right. The emigrants assumed Tro-kay was the Paiute guide’s name, and after a few years of their new railroad outpost being called Gray’s Station and Coburn Station, residents changed the name to Truckee in honor of the Paiute who helped so many emigrants along the perilous journey west. Truckee grew as a rather rough and rowdy railroad town due in part to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad over Donner Pass, holding a grim duality of being a historic feat of engineering while claiming the lives of nearly 1,200 Chinese laborers. Truckee is notorious for being one of the snowiest towns in America, and as a result, one of the first lift serviced ski hills in the nation was built just to the south of downtown Truckee, known as Hilltop Lodge. Today, Truckee is still a railroad town as well as a ski town and a burgeoning recreational destination, located close to numerous world-class ski resorts and the emerald blue waters of both Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake. Truckee is also in close proximity to the Lost Sierra, and Connected Communities will eventually offer multiple trail access points from Truckee northward to Lost Sierra communities of Downieville, Sierra City, Sierraville and Loyalton. For more Truckee history, visit: https://bit.ly/2IHVwyC Truckee snowed in c1952: Eastman, Jervie Henry. Truckee, Calif. c1952 UC Davis. General Library.