Carolyn Carter

Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is celebrating its 10th year of maintaining trails in Plumas and Lassen Counties.  Photo by Tara Stone

  With 10 years of volunteer labor, and more than 35,000 hours of hard work, the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is a valued entity in the maintenance of the trails in Plumas and Sierra counties.

  To celebrate 10 years of success as a nonprofit group, the stewardship will be hosting Trailfest, a benefit dinner, at Nakoma Golf Resort on Jan. 19.

  Trailfest will feature a meal catered by Nakoma, an auction and live music by folk/rock band Buster Blues from Reno. There will also be project presentations and updates by SBTS staffers.

  SBTS was formed in 2003 to preserve, enhance and restore the trails of the Sierra Buttes region. The group is made up of outdoor enthusiasts who are locals and visitors alike.

  With more than 500 active members, and volunteers who come from all over the country, the stewardship has contributed immensely to the maintenance of the trails that are the boast of the region.

  “We are people who believe that we have something very special in our backyard, and we want to keep it special for our children, and for their children,” said SBTS staff member Tara Stone.

  Over the years, the stewardship has maintained about 30 trails, and developed around 25 miles of new trails including the newest Mills Peak Trail that opened last summer.

  The group organizes multiple fundraisers, trail workdays and events to help the public invest in the development of the area’s outdoor recreation opportunities.

  “We believe in our community,” said Stone. “We really think that recreation and tourism are a positive thing in a community.”

  Just last year, the stewardship hosted 17 volunteer trail days, attracted 287 volunteers and produced 2,042 labor hours. They also hosted two world-class endurance events with the 18th annual Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Festival, and the first-ever Lost Endurance Run.

  Their events attract some of the country’s top competitors and the trails they maintain help people from all over experience a completely different type of outdoors.

  “This is the great escape. It is the mecca of mountain bike riding,” Stone said. “You’ll come up here and you’ll have a great experience.”

  Stone said it is very important to SBTS to have the community’s support. In an effort to reach out to the community and thank them for 10 years of support, they will be offering the celebration in January.

  Tickets for the Trailfest are $35 each and doors open at 5:30 p.m. All proceeds will go to SBTS. For more information on the event, the stewardship or to purchase tickets, visit sierratrails.org.