Washoe County, BLM seek help with Jumbo Grade trailhead

SO YOU KNOW

Comments are due by Feb. 1.

Send to: Terry Knight, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Carson City Field Office, BLM, 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, NV 89701

Fax: (775) 885-6147

Phone: (775) 885-6173

About 20 stout-hearted souls gathered in a cold, biting wind Saturday morning in east Washoe Valley to view two sites being considered for development of a trailhead alongside Jumbo Grade, the historic route leading from Washoe Valley to Virginia City.

The Bureau of Land Management is providing the land and Washoe County has dedicated $157,000 in bond money for the project, but before development begins, both agencies are seeking public comments and Saturday morning, they got it.

Residents expressed concerns about those using the land for rifle practice, the hazards they present and the scattering of empty shells most sportsmen leave behind. The narrow canyons hide mounds of trash. Dirt bike trails gouge the land, encouraging erosion and many camping in the hills during the summer pose a threat with their campfires. But most agreed this is public land and everyone will need to get along, a concept Washoe County Project Coordinator Stephanie Morelan supports.

"The idea is not to change current uses, but make the lands more easily accessible to everyone," said.

Just into the foothills, the site offers a grand view of the valley floor. Storm clouds billow and roil in the skies overhead and the Sierra, laden with snow from recent storms, provides the backdrop. Nearby, the sound of the winds was punctuated by the grinding roar of an occasional dirt bike and the sound of rifle practice nearby.

East Washoe resident Valerie Williams has ridden her horse in the area weekly since 1995. She said most bikers are very considerate and slow down when she meets them.

"I support the creation of the trailhead, but oppose overdevelopment," she said. "I don't want to come up here and see concrete, or buildings."

Three-year resident John Alexander said he walks the canyons at least three times a week and always takes a garbage bag to pick up trash along the way. He said there are between 10 and 20 dumptruck loads of trash on the north side of the canyon alone.

"In 25 to 50 years, the BLM will have to appropriate funds to repair and clean up after those who don't have respect for the land," he said. "It's a real struggle for the federal government, to manage land that has been abused."

Alexander said he feels education is the first solution and sadly, enforcement will also be needed. Carson City Bureau manager John Singlaub underscored those ideas in a letter to the public explaining the project.

"The trailhead will provide a parking area as well as a management presence, with an emphasis on education," he wrote. "The proposed action is to construct a trailhead with a parking area that would accommodate up to 15 cars and 15 trailers at one time, provide one portable toilet and construct kiosks to display management and resource information."

The trailhead will be planned, constructed and maintained by Washoe County and no fee will be charged.

This initial phase, which includes gathering ideas from the public, ends Feb. 1. The environmental analysis and environmental assessment will follow and includes a 30-day public comment period. Following that, the final concept: what the trailhead will look like, what it will include and its exact location, will be determined.