Outdoor recreation to link Lassen, Sierra and Plumas communities

Members of the Plumas County Board of Supervisors moved to support efforts to secure a state grant to develop a regional Connected Communities — Trails Master Plan.

That decision came Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Supervisors are working in partnership with the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship program. If received, the grant would provide more than $360,525 from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, explained Supervisor Lori Simpson following the meeting.

“The Trail Master Plan would engage severely disadvantaged communities across the Lassen, Plumas and Tahoe national forests to incorporate local community input in the development of world-class multi-use trail networks (motorcycles, mountain bikes, equestrians), which would connect communities throughout the region,” said Board of Supervisors Chairperson Kevin Goss in a letter of support.

Establishing the plan is part of creating community partnership for land stewardship. The plan is identified in the U.S. Forest Service, National Strategy for Sustainable Trail Systems.

Communities involved in the plan would include Loyalton, Sierraville, Sierra City, Downieville, Quincy, Graeagle, Portola, Taylorsville, Greenville, Chester, Westwood and Susanville.

“These communities rely heavily upon outdoor recreation to provide jobs and economic growth,” Goss said in the letter.

Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is working with the USFS to create outdoor creation opportunities that complement the communities listed. “In doing so, we believe that we can preserve community character, create thriving communities, and build stewardship to care for our national forests,” Goss said.

“That’s a lot of connectivity,” Goss told supervisors as they prepared to vote approval.