Is it important to preserve the exact location of an Emigrant Trail that brought thousands of people to cross the Sierra to settle in California, or is a dedication to the historical trail enough?   Six miles of public easments that run through the South County’s Golden Oaks, Lode Star, and Sunshine Valley subdvisions are believed to be part of the westward trail that pioneers traveled in the late 1800’s.  Developers granted the easements,  which run in checkerboard fashion roughly from Highway 49 to Dog Barr Road,  to the county in exchange for development approval in the 70’s.  On Tuesday  the Nevada County Planning Department presented an update  on   their research to date on obstacles to suggested uses  for the easments. The Board of Supervisors will ultimately decide  if and where a public trail will take shape.  Supervisor Ted Owens said he has some experience dealing with historical trail sites as the Lincoln Highway runs through his Truckee District.
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Sixty  percent of the peope who responded to a recent county survey on the trail easments said they would like to see some type of public trail built, if not on the actual  easements, then somewhere in the county.