NEVADA CITY, 10 March 2010 – Nearly 15 months after the State of California announced that they were "freezing" the funds for the Tribute Trail project in Nevada City, the project is now ready to re-start, thanks in-part to support from the very community that will be served by the Trail. The Trail begins in Pioneer Park, meanders through the historic Chinese Quarter of Nevada City, and then proceeds down to Deer Creek and over a bridge that will be built to provide access to public land.
The re-start of the Trail has been made possible by state action which has recently "unfrozen" the California Resources Agency grant that funded the Trail out of Proposition 50 bond funds. This project is a collaborative effort involving Friends of Deer Creek, American Rivers, Nevada County Land Trust, Greater Champion Neighborhood Association, the Chinese Quarter Historic Society, the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe, and most recently, The Sierra Fund. Based in Nevada City, The Sierra Fund is a nonprofit community foundation serving to increase and organize investment in the natural resources and communities of the Sierra Nevada.
"The Sierra Fund is stepping in to provide financial management for this project," notes Joanne Hild, Executive Director of Friends of Deer Creek, "so that Friends of Deer Creek can focus on coordinating public involvement in the trail, including attracting volunteers to help build and maintain the trail, and performing some of the water quality monitoring and vegetation management activities."
The Sierra Fund has worked with community members to provide the cash flow necessary to finance this project. "We have been pleased at the response to our appeal for bridge loans to finance the up-front costs of this project while waiting for state reimbursement," notes Elizabeth "Izzy" Martin, CEO of The Sierra Fund. "Many members of the community stepped forward to provide short-term loans to help build the Tribute Trail. This is a unique investment opportunity-there aren't a lot of places where the return on your investment includes a new trail! The Sierra Fund is looking forward to building on this model in the future."
For more information about the Tribute Trail project, or to volunteer to help, please contact: Kelly at Friends of Deer Creek 265-6090, or visit the website www.friendsofdeercreek.org. For more information about The Sierra Fund, visit www.sierrafund.org.
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