Local nonprofit launches new listening tour to improve trails
Truckee Trails Foundation (Truckee Trails) is going on tour. Responsible for maintaining and building new trails in the Truckee region, this vibrant nonprofit is launching the “BETTER TOGETHER|Listening Tour” this month, with the first event set for Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m. at Alibi Ale Works in Truckee. This hour-long get-together will focus on trail runners. More listening events are scheduled over the next five months focusing on other uses for the Truckee Trails network including mountain biking, hiking/backpacking, road cycling and gravel riding.
“The goal of this first event is to get direct feedback from the trail-running community in conjunction with our event partner, Donner Party Mountain Runners,” said Jeff Patrick, Truckee Trails’s new vice president, philanthropy and marketing. “We want to better understand how trail runners use the trails, what’s missing, and possible locations for new trail building endeavors. All of this will help shape our trail development plans to better serve trail runners moving forward.”
This listening tour represents Patrick’s first major initiative since he began with Truckee Trails this May. He has a background in nonprofit fundraising and marketing consulting, having worked with the Sierra Club, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity International, and many other large organizations. Collectively Patrick’s teams have raised over $100 million in individual donations, mostly online over the last 25 years.
Truckee Trails invests over $1 million every year in building and maintaining the regional trail network. The organization is responsible for the maintenance of nearly 180 miles of non-motorized trail in the Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Ranger District (with the exception of the Jackass/Donkeytown Trail). In the past six years the Truckee Trails crew has built 27 miles of new trail, including major mountain bike, hiking and trail running trail development in the Waddle Ranch and Sawtooth areas.
“We aim to help a wide range of trail users enjoy the amazing trail network in our area – with truly great options for bikers, adaptive riders, runners, and hikers along with daily bike/e-bike commuters, dog walkers and families out for a stroll,” says Patrick. “That’s why we’re launching this listening tour. We want to hear how people use these trails and answer any questions they have. The better we understand people’s trail needs the better we can tune our trail plan to meet those needs.”
This first listening event is sponsored by Tahoe Mountain Sports. All attendees will receive a 10% discount card that is valid at both the Tahoe Mountain Sports and Tahoe Mountain Life stores in Truckee. For more information and to register, visit: truckeetrails.org/event/better-together-listening-tour-june-6-2023
About Truckee Trails Foundation: Founded in 2002, Truckee Trails Foundation (Truckee Trails) is a nonprofit organization that connects people with incredible outdoor experiences to explore nature, feel great, and challenge their limits on the trail. Truckee Trails is continuously growing the trails in and around Truckee to connect people and places, reduce dependence on automobiles and boost everyone’s physical, social and environmental health. Truckee Trails maintains nearly all of the 180 miles of non-motorized trail in the Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Ranger District and is also responsible for building new trails in the region.