TRUCKEE, Calif. — Visit Truckee-Tahoe has announced $160,317 in funding for Sustainable Truckee programs and sponsorships for 2022 including ambassadors, trailhead signage, micro transit, all-inclusive trails, free bike valet and event sponsorships.

Sustainable Truckee is an initiative funded by Visit Truckee-Tahoe to support programs that protect and enhance Truckee as an authentic mountain town.

“By convening key partners and strategically choosing Sustainable Truckee sponsorships that protect the environment and encourage safety, Visit Truckee-Tahoe aims to create better experiences for both residents and visitors alike,” said Colleen Dalton, CEO of Visit Truckee-Tahoe.

Recognizing the need for more “boots on the ground” to help with wildfire protection and visitor education, VTT renewed and increased funding for the Sustainable Truckee ambassador program, managed by the Truckee Trails Foundation. VTT’s sponsorship helped double the number of Ambassadors for summer 2022 from two to seven, expanding coverage of monitored areas to Tahoe National Forest trails and recreation areas, Donner Lake beaches and docks, Truckee’s scenic paved paths, and downtown Truckee. 

Equipped with supplies and traveling on mountain e-bikes, Sustainable Truckee ambassadors report fire danger as well as provide stewardship education and on-trail safety advice and assistance. Sustainable Truckee ambassadors are tasked with extending a warm, friendly welcome to everyone they meet. New this summer, is the development of a volunteer program, including a “Virtual Wildfire Lookout Ambassador” opportunity to watch webcams.

Sustainable Truckee ambassadors labor, material and management costs to help the Truckee Trails Foundation expand the program are also made possible by additional funding from the Town of Truckee, Nevada County (pending June 28 supervisor vote) and the Truckee Fire Protection District.

After a successful pilot last summer, VTT is once again producing new Sustainable Truckee trailhead signage in English and Spanish to educate trail users on three primary messages: wildfire danger, leave no trace and safety between riders and hikers. Designed to be welcoming and engaging, signs amplify universal messaging to mitigate trash issues and prevent human-caused wildfire.

With a focus on transportation, Visit Truckee-Tahoe is a major funding partner for the summer pilot micro transit program, along with the Town of Truckee, Tahoe Forest Hospital System, Glenshire and Tahoe Donner HOAs. Branded as TART and sub-branded as Sustainable Truckee, the free, on-demand van shuttles will help reduce peak period congestion and vehicle miles traveled.

To encourage a car-free bike culture for summer events, VTT co-created, with Truckee Trails Foundation and Town of Truckee’s Keep Truckee Green, the Sustainable Truckee Bike Valet for Truckee Thursdays and Music in the Park on Wednesdays. The free valet service provides safe, secure bike storage for event attendees. The Sustainable Truckee bike valet program is staffed by Sustainable Truckee Ambassadors, who are either volunteers or Truckee Trails Foundation staff, and managed and operated by the Truckee Trails Foundation. Bike valet hard costs are sponsored by Visit Truckee-Tahoe with contribution from the Town of Truckee.

In addition to micro-transit and Sustainable Truckee Bike Valet sponsorship, VTT advocated and supported Town of Truckee’s zoning changes to allow for a new e-bike share program, set to launch in summer 2022 with BCycle. Sustainable Truckee branded electric bikes will be available at various docking stations or “mobility hubs” for locals and visitors to rent for daily travel needs. Town of Truckee’s Alfred Knotts championed the project with input from Visit Truckee-Tahoe and continues to work with BCycle on implementation.

Along with transportation, VTT sponsors all-inclusive trail development that cultivates a welcoming culture under the new message Trails for Everybody to help communicate that all users, all ages, shapes, sizes, and experience levels have a trail for them in Truckee, from dirt to scenic paved paths.

Trails for Everybody began with VTT’s contributing sponsorship to the Truckee Trails Foundation construction of Ridgeline Nature Loop in summer 2021. The one-mile, flat, ADA accessible loop provides an all-inclusive forest experience at Truckee’s Sawtooth trailhead and offers parking and a vault toilet at the trailhead. 

For summer 2022, VTT’s contributing sponsorship for Truckee Trails Foundation helped close the fiscal gap needed to construct a new, all-inclusive and universally-designed (also known as “adaptive”) mountain bike loop to further enhance the Sawtooth trail network. The loop is designed by Steve Wentz of Momentum Trail Concepts, a master trail builder whose work includes the Truckee Bike Park and Sky Tavern adaptive trails. The loop is expected to officially open in June with a ribbon cutting to be announced by the Truckee Trails Foundation. 

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Trails for Everybody also includes Visit Truckee-Tahoe’s shoulder season event sponsorship of the third annual Truckee Tahoe Gravel as an all-inclusive, sustainably-minded gravel race held and produced by Bike Monkey on June 11. In addition to two timed competitive routes, the event included a free non-competitive 26-mile route, plus a free family ride and festival with live music, food, beer, and local vendors. Over 690 riders participated, with many Truckee-Tahoe locals.

VTT is also an official community partner for the Barracuda Championship on July 14-17, supplying Sustainable Truckee tee shirts for Truckee High School volunteers, in addition to Sustainable Truckee branded waste receptacles, and potentially national media coverage on the Golf Channel for sustainable efforts in Truckee. VTT worked with Keep Truckee Green on advising event producers how to upcycle post-event waste materials.

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Visit Truckee-Tahoe, working alongside many key partners, is proud to support numerous stewardship projects that protect and enhance Truckee. To learn more about VTT’s Sustainable Truckee initiative, visit SustainableTruckee.org.

Source: Visit Truckee-Tahoe