Throughout 2022, the newest Board objective made great strides through staff and partner collaboration to promote sustainable recreation, with Q4 (October - December) highlights for each initiative below:
1. Develop Nevada County Recreation and Resiliency Master Plan
- Phase One kicked off by Staff and Design Workshop to inventory and assess and map existing recreation conditions and resources throughout Nevada County.
- Stakeholder engagement began, with over 90 organizations participating in presentations, interviews, and focus groups to provide initial input.
- A press release, enews blast, outreach and media interviews announced the planning effort and invited the public to sign up for notifications and opportunities to participate throughout 2023.
2. Promote health and safety at river crossings, lakes, trailheads, and other high-use or high-risk destinations
- South Yuba River Public Safety (SYRPS) Cohort celebrated retiring members Chiefs Mathias and Turner, who received Board of Supervisors recognition for many contributions and years of service.
- Outdoor Visitor Safety Fund grantees continued project implementation with Staff support.
- Travel alerts page launched and will post weekly on new GoNevadaCounty.com site.
3. Enhance recreation access, health and safety, economic development, and resource conservation
- The Nevada County Library expanded its new Recreation Collection to include winter sports equipment; ongoing efforts will reduce barriers to outdoor recreation participation with free access to activities, gear, and resources.
- Pines to Mines Trail consultants continue to make progress on fieldwork and research necessary to complete the draft Environmental Analysis (EA), with no major concerns arising; the draft EA is now anticipated to be sent to USFS by February.
4. Support capacity and sustainability of Western Nevada County organized recreation
- Quarterly meeting with Western Nevada County park district Board and staff members included Master Plan interview and focus group session by Design Workshop.
- Community Resilience Grant agreement for $100K with Bear River Recreation and Park District initiated with BOS approval request to follow; funds support turf field replacement.