Healthy Communities

Healthy communities do not happen by accident. They are created by the power of choice: the collaborative choices and decisions of all their citizens. We can only be as healthy as the lands we inhabit, and conservation works best when whole communities are involved and every member is a stakeholder.  By working together, individuals, community leaders, non-profit organizations like Bear Yuba Land Trust and government agencies can build healthy and thriving communities, now and for the future.

By reaching out to create innovative partnerships and by encouraging local economic development that supports natural resource conservation, community-based conservation efforts go beyond traditional land protection strategies. Bear Yuba Land Trust is committed to addressing community concerns about economic vitality and natural resource protection for a very diverse local community.  

Some examples:  
BYLT works closely with our partners on the land the local Native American tribe, Tsi Akim Maidu.  The Tribe has a desire to unite and activate their ancestral traditions and to pass them on to the next generation.  The Tribe also is working to apply for Federal recognition.  BYLT recognizes we can learn a great deal from tribal stewardship practices since they have tended the landscape in a sustainable and pragmatic way for centuries.  We have come together at BYLT’s Burton Homestead to provide a place where the Tribe can pursue it’s mission.  The Tribe has created an Active Cultural Center where they can conduct ceremonies and teach their children the gentle old ways.  Each year the Tribe hosts a large event to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day with a community salmon feed.

The importance of local food production is an essential ingredient of our community.  BYLT recognizes the difficulty in keeping options open for those who make a living from the land.  BYLT has worked with several ranchers to provide income and real estate tax benefits for those who commit to preserving their land for agriculture in perpetuity.  In addition, BYLT is an active participant of several agricultural groups including High Sierra Resource Conservation & Development Council, the Agricultural Advisory Council and Nevada County Grown.

Another type of partnership for BYLT is exemplified by our work with the homeowners association for Rattlesnake Ridge, a community of homes along Rattlesnake Ridge Road.  This group of homeowners for a newly built sub-division desired to build a community trail through the well-laid out open space areas as a neighborhood amenity and a way for neighbors to hike trails for exercise and enjoyment.  BYLT works closely with this active homeowners association to design, fund, and construct the trail with neighbor-volunteers.  This is an excellent model for how homeowners can take ownership of their open space respectfully, conscientiously and with an ethic of stewardship.

BYLT is a partner with Sierra Fund, Friends of Deer Creek, Champion Mine Homeowners Association, American Rivers Conservancy and others to create a 10-mile long trail along Deer Creek in Nevada City.  This project was funded by a State of California grant for river parkways.  BYLT is responsible for the design and construction of the trail along this beautiful creek through the historic village of Nevada City, and fulfills a long-held dream of many residents, past and present.

 We are seeking other opportunities to work with community partners in conservation and stewardship of the land.  Join us in this exciting time.

List of Conservation Partners