Spring Newsletter Is Here!
Check out our Spring newsletter, hot off the presses and packed with news and information about land conservation, trails, treks, summer camp, and upcoming events you won't want to miss. Check it out! Click Here....
Presented by The Center for the Arts
WILLIE NELSON and Family
Stars Under the Pines
10th Annual Benefit Concert
for Bear Yuba Land Trust
Friday, September 14
at the Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley
Early Bird Tickets will be available soon for Members of Bear Yuba Land Trust and The Center for the Arts. You will be able to buy your tickets right at the Land Trust office.
Stay tuned for all the details: Gala Event, General Admission Tickets, Live Auction, Silent Auction, Celebration of Lands, Vendors, Parking, Volunteer Opportunities.
2012 Kids' Summer Camp
REGISTER NOW to reserve a spot for your child! 3 Sessions to
choose from: Session 1 is Earth Education Camp (full day or half
day) for kids aged 7-12, beginning June 11; Session 2 is Indigenous
Peoples Celebration Camp (full day or half day) for kids
aged 7-12, beginning June 18; and Session 3 is Kinder Camp
(half day only) for kids 4-6, beginning June 25. Our camp sells
out fast so don't wait! More info....
Please Help Send a Kid to Camp
This June, Burton Homestead will be home to more than 150 children who will attend our Summer Day Camp. But there will be many who need financial support to gain this inspiring outdoors experience. Our Camp Scholarship Fund sends many underprivileged kids to BYLT Summer Day Camp every year. Please donate to our Camp Scholarship Fund and help inspire the next generation of conservationists! Every gift of every size is so meaningful and appreciated! Here's How to Donate...
HEW Building & Cemeteries of
Nevada County SOLD OUT
Sunday, May 20, 10:00am to 2:00pm
The Health, Education and Welfare building of Nevada
County has a lot of mystique about it. Learn the
fascinating history of this property and the building that
was first constructed more than 110 years ago. We'll
visit two cemeteries on the HEW site which contain over
500 unmarked graves plus two other better known and large historic cemeteries of Nevada City. Read more....
Treks for Health on the Hirschman Trail
Friday, June 1, 9:00am
Bear Yuba Land Trust and Sierra Nevada Memorial
Hospital present guided Treks for Health, open for all who
want to get outdoors, breathe fresh air, encounter nature
and take a walk! This short, level beginner walk is .8 miles
round trip and appropriate for all ages. Meets every Friday at
9:00am, June 1st through July 27th, at the Hirschman Trail in
Nevada City. Read more...
National Trails Day
Saturday, June 2, 9:00am to 3:00pm
Sequoya Challenge, John Olmsted's legacy, has recently transfered ownership of the Independence Trail to Bear Yuba Land Trust. Please join us in celebrating National Trails Day on this landmark property, the first wheelchair accessible wilderness trail in the US. We'll have docents and displays to share the highlights and history of the trail. Bring your family and friends and walk the historic flumes of the Excelsior mining ditch. FREE to the public. Read more....
Forest Ci
ty: Sierra Mining Ghost Town
Sunday, June 3, 9:00am to 4:00pm
Join geologist David Lawler and Frank Hamlin as we hit the
trail near Forest City. The area is highlighted by
historic drift mining on the Bald Mountain, Live Yankee and Ruby
underground placer mines which were incredibly productive in
gold during the 19th and 20th century. Our tour of Forest City -
classified as a historical district by the US Forest Service and is
one of the forgotten mining "ghost towns" of the Sierra, with numerous, intact historic buildings including a dance hall and schoolhouse - will be lead by historian Glenn Sundstrom. Read more....
EquiTrek and Hike
Blue Point Mine/ Black Swan
Saturday, June 16, 10:00am to 2:00pm
A portion of the Black Swan Diggins is being acquired by the Land Trust and offers lovely vistas, historic hydraulic mining and town sites, Western Pond turtles and other amazing wildlife. Riders and trekkers will traverse separate trails and come together pondside for lunch. This event is limited to 15 riders and 15 hikers. Read more....
Wilderness First Aid Training with Bobbie Foster
Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd & 24th
8:00am - 5:00pm
Wilderness First Aid knowledge is different from your
basic First Aid: when you're out in the wilderness
there may be no available help for an accident victim
except for you. If you spend time in the wilderness,
having WFA training could save someone’s life. Sign up for this interactive training now - space is limited. Read more...
Treks for the Mind
A Book Club for nature lovers! Treks Coordinator Melony Vance, a nature lover and former book store owner, will be running the new program. The reading group will meet on the first Monday of the month, every other month (odd numbered months). Read more....
John Olmsted's Independence Trail and Sequoya Challenge Preserve Acquired
Sequoya Challenge has transferred ownership of the Independence Trail and the 207 acres on which the trail sits, to Bear Yuba Land Trust. Both organizations share a commitment to protecting natural habitats and providing public access parks and trails in Nevada County. BYLT plans to work with the many longtime community supporters to perform restoration and enhancement of the popular trail and to manage it for public recreation as it has been for the past 30 years. Read more....
New Public Open Space in Alta
Sierra: Adam Ryan Preserve
In late 2011 Alta Brewer and Alan Thiesen generously
donated their 41 acre meadow and woodlands to the
Land Trust. Along with their previously donated
easement along Dog Bar Road known as the Adam
Ryan Preserve, this conserved open space protects
the mixed oak and conifer habitat for wildlife, for hiking
and for a beautiful vista for the public. Read more....
N
evada County Board of Supervisors Votes to Oppose Garden Bar Dam
On December 13, after a brief public hearing, the Board of Supervisors authorized a letter, drafted by Board Chair Ed Scofield, clearly affirming the importance of the Garden Bar Region and opposing the dam as a threat to the County's natural, cultural and agricultural heritage. Read more....
We Have a New Name
Welcome to Bear Yuba Land Trust, formerly Nevada County Land Trust. In growing recognition of the importance of watershed protection, we have renamed our organization after our local watersheds of the Bear and Yuba Rivers. We're not changing our geographical reach, strategy, mission or charter. We're still YOUR Land Trust. Read more about our Name Change....
Our New Location on the North Star House Property
Our office address is 12183 Auburn Road, Grass Valley CA 95949. Directions: From McCourtney Road, turn onto Auburn Road (opposite Gate 3 of the Fairgrounds), drive 6/10 of a mile and watch on the left side for a driveway with a big orange and green iron gate. Pass through the gate and take the next right (sharp turn). At the end of that tree-lined road, turn left and soon you'll see a white cottage with our sign on the front.
The Gardener's Cottage, once the residence of the North Star property's gardener, was built in 1905, the same year as the historic North Star House, and has gone through many renovations over the years. CLICK HERE to see a before and after photo. Bear Yuba Land Trust moved its offices into the building on July 1, 2011. We love it here!