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LAKE COUNTY – Looking for local hiking opportunities? Have some special destination spots you wish to share? Interested in some healthy outdoor activity?
The public has the unique opportunity to provide input on the future shape of a county-wide, non-motorized Konocti Regional Trail System. Alta Planning and Design, a Benicia-based trails consulting firm, in conjunction with Lake County’s Community Development Department, will be hosting an upcoming forum on June 18 to gather public input. All ideas will be evaluated for inclusion into a Trails Master Plan.
For the past year, a stakeholder’s group under the direction of Kim Clymire, Director of Lake County’s Department of Public Services, has been developing the concept of the Konocti Regional Trails system in conjunction with a technical assistance grant from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (NPS RTCA) program.
To date, a series of seven Clear Lake water trails have been developed, comprising 50 miles of paddling routes in areas such as Rodman Slough, Anderson Marsh and Cache Creek. Six of the water trails utilize existing public parks as launching spots.
The next step is to develop a Master Trails Plan which will link water and land-based trails, as well as link sections of trails to each other. To do this, the county and consulting firm is asking for public participation.
The first meeting will be held on Thursday, June 18, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Board of Supervisor’s Chambers in Lakeport.
The two-hour meeting will be an interactive session.
Alta Planning and Design will present an overview of the trails goals, objectives and planning to-date, then the public will be encouraged to discuss their needs and concerns. The results will be used to develop a Konocti Regional Trails Master Plan.
Carrie Wallace, Alta Planning and Design’s Project Coordinator, explained, “The upcoming public session – a first of three meetings – is designed to get people involved as well as provide an opportunity to link up with other local volunteers and groups to create community trail plans.”
“There are many opportunities for the public to get involved, from helping to plan community routes to actual ground-proofing. We want people to eventually don their hiking boots, get out their digital cameras and GPS, and actually walk and assess potential public trail routes for suitability. Trail routes on private property will only be considered with complete and full cooperation from the property owners. Eminent domain is not a consideration of the regional trails plan,” Wallace explained.
Feedback from the public session will help in the development of localized plans – from walkable community pathways to safe-routes-to-school – which can ultimately be linked up to other areas throughout the county in a master plan. Wherever possible, plans are to use low-impact existing trails, utility easements, fire roads or fire breaks located on public lands, or on private lands of voluntary property owners; eminent domain is not a consideration.
Kim Clymire, Lake County’s Director of Public Services, is working closely with the consultants to develop the plan in conjunction with the Community Development department, which will provide staff and mapping services. Clymire feels this is a great opportunity for both the tourist-based economic development of Lake County, and the residents.
“We are very excited to be working with Alta and the community on this project,” Clymire said. “Lake County is so rich in recreational potential – it just needs to be focused. There are so many benefits to a trails system, from eco-tourism to healthy outdoor activity.”
The county – under the direction of Clymire – has already begun a series of public meetings to develop a recreational plan for Mt. Konocti, which is expected to close escrow this fall and be open to the public in early 2010.
This regional plan will become a part of the county-wide trails master plan. There are two more scheduled meetings for public input on the Mt. Konocti Plan, which will take place at the Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse Museum on June 10 and 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information on both the Konocti Regional Trails Master Plan and meetings, or the Mt. Konocti Master Plan meetings, contact county project manager Rebecca Dierssen, Lake County Department of Public Services at 707-262-1618, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
More information and links to all current trails/maps in Lake County are available at www.KonoctiTrails.com and information on the Mt. Konocti acquisition is available at www.PreserveKonocti.org .
