Green Light for Hirschman's Trail in Nevada City
Another two miles of local trails will be built beginning next year. On September 26, Nevada City Council members unanimously approved the Hirschman’s Trail project. City leaders envisioned trails when they purchased the Hirschman’s Pond property in 2004. Nevada County Land Trust has worked closely with the City to develop the trail plan and apply for grant funding. "It's just been a great experience the whole way through," said Bill Haire, Nevada County Land Trust trails coordinator. The Land Trust prepared the grant application and the City applied for a Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant through the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The grant will pay 88% of the estimated $200,000 project and will cover the cost of most of the trail work. Recreation mitigation fees, volunteer labor, and donations of materials and equipment will make up the local contribution.
Hikers, runners, bicycle riders and the physically challenged will soon be able to access the pond and open-space property recently acquired by the City. The first half-mile of trail will be designed and constructed to meet State Park Accessibility Guidelines, with grades limited to less than 8% and a smooth, firm and stable surface. This section will provide access to the Hirschman’s Pond from Cement Hill Road, where a small parking area will be constructed. From the pond, the trail will continue west to Indian Flat Road east of the Willo Restaurant. This section of trail will be more challenging with a narrower tread, steeper grades, and a rougher surface. Trail users will be able to circle back along Indian Trails Road to a spur trail down Woods Ravine reconnecting with the trail back to Cement Hill Road. If the RTP Grant is secured, the trail could be completed in 2008.

Larimer Mine Trail in Grass Valley
The Land Trust, the City of Grass Valley and the County of Nevada County are continuing to hammer out an agreement for a new trail south of Glenn Jones Park along a portion of Wolf Creek. The 2,500 foot Larimer Mine trail is a challenging segment to plan and build, and presents the significant opportunities for an urban trail that are being carefully weighed. In the future, it may connect with other trails to be constructed by the City of Grass Valley and/or NCLT.
A grant for funding of trail construction will be requested by the County from Proposition 40 for “qualified recreational improvements including trails.” Nevada County Land Trust will be responsible for designing, constructing and maintaining the trail with volunteer labor and as a part of its formal trails program.
The City currently owns a portion of the proposed trail alignment and NCLT holds trail easements over most of the private property the public trail will cross.

The Bridges at Loma Rica
Work continues on a trail that some day will link the Glenbrook Shopping Center with Memorial Park in Grass Valley. This summer, volunteers constructed two bridges on the trail that crosses Loma Rica Ranch property from Idaho-Maryland Road to Loma Rica Drive. A bridge over the D-S Canal was constructed on June 23, and a stone-arch bridge was build over a very small tributary to Wolf Creek in August.
Neither of these projects could have been completed without the local support of volunteers and the donation of all the bridge materials by Caseywood, Inc. and donating the steel girders and setting them in place by Carville-Sierra (Loma Rica Ranch). Volunteers that constructed the bridges were Zachi Anderson (foreman), Tom Ernest, Dave Hughes, Ray Bryars, Bill Haire, Alison Anderson and Loren Schopen.
The Land Trust is currently working on the design of a bridge that will cross Wolf Creek along Brunswick Road. Assisting in the project are SCO Engineering and Holdridge and Kull. Both of these firms are donating their technical services to insure that the bridge is designed correctly so that it will withstand the high waters that Wolf Creek experiences during flood conditions.
The Land Trust recently secured a $5,000 grant from the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District that will fund a portion of the bridge materials cost. Construction of the trail from the Glenbrook Shopping Center to Idaho-Maryland Road on County Road Right Of Way and Loma Rica Ranch trail easements will resume later this fall.

Volunteers Complete Rattlesnake Ridge Trails
On August 11, volunteers gathered at Bob Goar’s house to celebrate completion of trails in the new Rattlesnake Ridge subdivision off of Rattlesnake Road. Beginning in December and finishing in June, sixty-four volunteers worked on seven weekends to complete over a mile of new trails near Rattlesnake Creek and through the open-space parcels of the subdivision. Participants in the trail construction included members of the High School Mountain Bike Team, Boy Scouts led by Eagle Scout Candidate, Keenan Smith, neighbors and trail enthusiasts from throughout the area. The next project for the area will be installing trail signs this fall.
Volunteers participating were:
Zachi Anderson, Gail Bakker, Ray Bryars, Marlee Chamberlin, Chris Convis, Sally Convis, Dan Cocchi, Bruce Conklin, Deborah Cubberly, Eldon Cyrus, Kelvin Cyrus, Samantha Cyrus, Peggy Davidson, Pat Day, Kendra Del Rio, Deane Dvoracek, Tom Ernest, Mike Freeman, Beth Freeman, June Gilfillan, Billy Gilfillan, Kenny Gilfillan, Bob Goar, Kate Grogen, Dennis Hada, Bill Haire, Joyce Haire, Mike Haire, Gene Haroldson, Brad Helmuth, Al Hoffmeyer, Bruce Holden, Dave Hughes, Bob Husk, Nick Jedenoff, Rob Kaplan, Grant Keeny, Darwin Leek, Steve Linden, Marion Linden, Tom McCallister, Andrew McCallister, Jim McCammon, Joan McCammon, Clarence Motter, Jim Mullen, Christopher Palmer, Molly Pelton, Frank Piner, Laurie Piner, Sam Raymond, Stacey Rocher, Lawrence Saiyo, Dan Scoles, Eric Siljak, Keenan Smith, Linda Smith, Whitney Smith, Jessica Smith, Diana Wilburn, Ves Wilburn, Grady Wilson, Stephen York