Former school board trustee named Rim Trail Association director

Gardnerville resident and former two-term Douglas County School Board trustee Mary Bennington was recently named the new executive director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association.

Bennington brings more than 20 years of experience managing non-profit organizations and governmental programs and began with the association on May 3.

"Mary brings a wealth of experience to the position, but most importantly she is passionate about encouraging stewardship and enjoyment of the beautiful Lake Tahoe Region," says Tahoe Rim Trail Board President Sam Viviano.

As a founding member and past president of the Carson Valley Trails Association, Bennington worked closely with Douglas County to establish the Douglas County Comprehensive Trails Plan and was instrumental in preserving access to public lands in the Carson Valley.

Prior to her new position, she served as the associate director at the Sierra Nevada Alliance, where she managed the daily operations and supervised of three of the five program teams, including sustainable Sierra communities, member group support (includes the AmeriCorps program) and the sustainable organization team. Preceding the Alliance Bennington worked at the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California for 5 1⁄2 years, first as their environmental program coordinator and then as the Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program compliance officer. She also served as the Carson River project manager for The Nature Conservancy. She served on the board of the League of Women Voters for more than five years.

Built and maintained by volunteers, the Tahoe Rim Trail winds through two states, six counties, three national forests, state parkland and three wilderness areas. It is open to runners, equestrians, hikers and in most areas, mountain bikers. Thousands of people use the trail each week during peak summer and fall months.

In 1999, the Tahoe Rim Trail was named the Millennium Legacy Trail of Nevada, one of only 50 trails in the nation to receive this distinction.

The Tahoe Rim Trail is considered one of the largest volunteer projects in the country. More than 10,000 volunteers have provided nearly 300,000 hours, with the assistance of a Forest Service trail building crews, to make the 165-mile trail a reality. Many more have donated monies to help fund the project.

Two new projects are scheduled to get underway this year with the Daggett project rerouting trail sections near Kingsbury Grade off the road, providing a connector to the new Van Sickle Park and the new Rim to Reno project slated to connect the trail to the Thomas Creek area in Reno.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association, founded in 1981, is a non-profit organization, which maintains and enhances Tahoe Rim Trail, encourages stewardship and provides access to the beauty of the Lake Tahoe Region. The Association works in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and Nevada State Parks.

For more information, please contact the Tahoe Rim Trail Association at info@tahoerimtrail.org or 298-0012, or visit the web site at www.tahoerimtrail.org