Virtual meeting set to extend Jacks Valley trail

A proposal to extend a nonmotorized trail from the Jacks Valley North Trailhead 8.1 miles to James Lee Park in Indian Hills is the topic of a virtual public meeting 4 p.m. Friday.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Carson Ranger District, with the Carson Valley Trails Association are teaming up on the proposal to build non-motorized trail in Jacks Valley south into Indian Hills.

“Based on recent public comments, we modified the Jack Valley Trail Project’s Proposed Action and want to share it at this meeting and get further public input on it,” said Carson Ranger District Recreation Management Specialist Garret Nuzzo-Jones.

As part of the new trail construction, several miles of trails blazed by residents over the past decade will be closed.

“The Jacks Valley area has seen increased non-motorized visitation over the past decade with the current forest order closing all roads to motorized use,” officials said. “This has resulted in the proliferation of social trails, many of which do not meet specifications.”

Officials hope the construction of a new trail will help reduce the impact on the Jacks Valley wildlife area, which is a winter range for mule deer.

Approximately 4.65 miles of homemade trails will be disguised or decommissioned at trail junctions to discourage use, officials said.

“Because the trail passes near or through critical winter mule deer range all dogs will be required to be on-leash to minimize wildlife impacts from visitors from December through March,” according to the Forest Service.

The requirement is typical for system trails in areas that intersect sensitive wildlife habitat.

The trail will be open to hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

“This trail will be a part of an already existing system that has proven to be a very popular recreation destination for the public,” officials said.

The meeting will feature a general presentation on the Jacks Valley Trail Project, including the project history, proposed action changes, trail alignment, winter mule deer habitat effects, trailhead locations, and timeline.

Participants will have time to ask questions and make official comments during the meeting. Presentation materials, meeting access instructions, project documents, and maps are available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=60364.

This Microsoft Teams virtual meeting is open to everyone and can be joined by computer or mobile app by typing link into a web browser or clicking on it: https://bit.ly/JackValleyTrailVirtualMeeting. To join by phone call 636-352-2946 (audio only) and enter password 470563821#.

Written comments are also being accepted until Nov. 12 and can be mailed to Garret Nuzzo-Jones, Recreation Management Specialist, Carson Ranger District 1536 S. Carson Street, Carson City, NV 89701 or faxed to 775-884-8199.

Electronic comments must be submitted in a format such as an email message, pdf, plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc). They can be uploaded to the “Comments/Object on Project” section of the project website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=60364 under “Get Connected,” please put “Jack Valley Trail Project” into the subject line.

For additional information or questions on the project, contact Garret Nuzzo-Jones at garret.nuzzo-jones@usda.gov or 540-204-7951.