Pines to Mines: 3,460 Acres of Open Space!

A tributary of the Yuba River on the Pines to Mines property, Photo by Brady Moss, Trust for Public Land.

The Truckee Donner Land Trust recently announced our role in the Pines to Mines project. This is an exciting opportunity for conservation and recreation in the northern Sierra, and we wanted to share more.

The Truckee Donner Land Trust worked with the US Forest Service, Trust for Public Land, and the Bear Yuba Land Trust to secure federal funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund that will enable the Trust for Public Land to acquire 3,460 acres from Sierra Pacific Industries and convey the lands to the Tahoe National Forest.

The focus of the project is to secure lands needed for the route of its namesake Pines to Mines Trail – a 68-mile-long path that will connect Nevada City to Truckee using both new and existing trails. This will include a stretch of the Donner Lake Rim Trail. The Pines to Mines Trail itself is a partnership between the Tahoe National Forest, Bear Yuba Land Trust, Truckee Trails Foundation, Gold Country Trails Council, and Bicyclists of Nevada County.

Being a partner in protecting these lands meets the Land Trust’s goals of conservation within the Sierra Nevada Checkerboard, in addition to being an incredible recreation opportunity. The broader Pines to Mines acquisition will protect a large swath of open space that includes tributaries to the South Yuba River. And it will support diverse habitat that can now be managed cohesively with surrounding Forest Service Lands for wildlife, forest health, and recreation.

The Pines to Mines project is another example of how your support can help leverage greater partnerships to make significant headway in protecting open space in the Truckee-Donner region. It mirrors similar projects that the Land Trust has undertaken, dating back to the early days of conserving lands around Donner Lake that ultimately tripled the size of Donner Memorial State Park.

Please stay tuned for updates on the successful acquisition of Pines to Mines lands as an important addition to the Tahoe National Forest, and progress on the exciting new trail.