Truckee River restoration creates new trail system
By Emerson Marcus, Reno Gazette-Journal
Explorer John C. Fremont originally named the Truckee River the Salmon Trout River in 1844 because of its exceptionally tasty resident.
The trout, and the vegetation that blossomed from the river, have seen their share of detrimental effects from urbanization, but local groups are looking to change that and build it as a place for people to enjoy its serenity.
The Nature Conservancy completed a decadelong $6.5 million beautification effort May 6 on the river east of Sparks traveling through McCarran Ranch and Mustang Ranch.
“The lower river has not had public access for people to enjoy for many decades,” Nature Conservancy spokesman Michael Cameron said. “The land, up until recently, has all been privately owned.”
The nine-mile stretch, with its new public affiliation, has given Janet Phillips a leg up in her vision of a 116-mile bike path that follows the river.
That leg up comes seven years to the month after the project completed its first achievement with the completion of the Mogul-Verdi bike path.
The Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway will celebrate the seventh anniversary of that path Sunday. Nearly two-thirds of the path along the river has been completed since the project started in 2003, Phillips said.