Regional Spotlight on Our Community

photo credit: Marjorie Determan

NEW HIKING TRAILS OPENING IN YUBA COUNTY
By Laura Petersen
Outreach Coordinator Bear Yuba Land Trust

Community-supported nonprofit group, Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT) is committed to protecting the landscapes and livelihoods important to the residents of North Yuba County Foothills.

For 25 years, BYLT has worked to conserve agricultural, forest, riparian and meadow lands in the Bear and Yuba River watersheds, protecting nearly 9,000 acres to date. BYLT holds a total of 22 conservation and agricultural easements and owns 10 preserves in the Bear and Yuba watersheds. Besides saving land, BYLT builds and maintains miles trails and offers programs to get people of all ages outdoors to enjoy nature.

Last June, BYLT acquired 2,707 acres known as Rice’s Crossing Preserve permanently protecting the land forever. Rice’s Crossing links over 8,500 acres of public open space and will provide unprecedented access to the Yuba River for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and fishing. Volunteers and BYLT’s trails team are building miles of new trails just below Bullards Bar with plans to open the first section on April 18.

Residents of the communities of Oregon House, Camptonville, Dobbins, Browns Valley, Rebel Ridge and Smartsville are invited to learn more about Rice’s Crossing Preserve during a Town Hall Meeting held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 at the Alcouffe Center, 9185 Marysville Road in Oregon House.

The evening meeting will feature a slide show presentation about the preserve and discussions about future plans for the property such as the construction of miles of new recreation trails, wildlife habitat restoration and river access. A Q & A period will follow the presentation led by BYLT’s Executive Director Marty Coleman-Hunt and Stewardship Associate John Thomson. Light refreshments will be provided.

Another new Land Trust-built trail worth exploring can be found bordering Yuba County near the town of Smartsville. The two-mile loop trail at Black Swan Preserve is located off of Moony Flat Road and weaves through blue oak and gray pine woodlands. At Black Swan Pond look for waterfowl such as the American Dipper and Belted Kingfisher, otters, Western pond turtles and other aquatic life.

In 2015, Land Trust crews will build five more miles of trail from the pond to Deer Creek and an area of the Yuba River known as “The Narrows.” Traces of an old stage coach road can still be found near Deer Creek and along the river’s edge, trail users will discover 20 foot walls of stacked rock built by Chinese laborers from the Black Swan hydraulic diggings.

In a historic deal with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the University of California earlier this year, Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT) now holds a conservation easement on 41 acres of “The Narrows,” permanently protecting the natural resources of this land from development.

On March 22, join BYLT’s “Treks Through Time” Series with Natural/ Cultural Resources Manager Chuck Carroll as he leads a private Eco Trek and History Tour at Beale Air Force Base. Participants will see bedrock mortars, a trout ladder, vernal pool restoration sites and a groundwater environmental cleanup area. For military historians, expect to see a SR-71 on display and the WWII German POW camp.

On April 25, look for the BYLT booth at Smartsville’s Pioneer Day for information about trails, youth and family nature programming and ongoing conservation efforts. BYLT’s active trekking program regularly takes recreationists on outings that explore the natural history, culture and beauty of the region such as a recent trek exploring WWII relics at Spenceville Wildlife Area and an Olive Oil Tour with Steven Dambeck of Yuba Harvest in Oregon House.

Learn more at: www.bylt.org.

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The community is invited to learn about miles of new trails and river access at Bear Yuba Land Trust’s newest preserve, Rice’s Crossing, 2,707 acres on the Yuba River during a town hall meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 at the Alcouffe Center, 9185 Marysville Road in Oregon House. No reservations required.