LITTLE RIVER, 2/15/21 — On Thursday, February 18 at 6 p.m., Senator Mike McGuire will hold a virtual town hall meeting to discuss how the Great Redwood Trail, his proposed 300 mile trail from Marin to Humboldt, is coming along. You can sign up for the event on his website.
In an email communication introducing the event, McGuire wrote the following:
“This once-in-a-generation project will convert a decaying railway into a 300 mile world-class destination for hikers, cyclists and nature lovers here at home and from across the globe. During next week’s town hall, we are bringing together trail experts to discuss the long-term vision, we’ll cover the positive economic impacts of this project along with the next steps for getting The Great Redwood Trail built and operational.
When complete, the Great Redwood Trail (GRT) will become the longest rail-trail in America and it will provide unparalleled access to rolling oak woodlands, rugged and remote North Coast river canyons, and old growth redwood forests. The trail will run from the San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay on the rugged North Coast.”
Senator McGuire first introduced the idea of the Great Redwood Trail in 2018. It’s an ambitious project to build a trail along a few hundred mile stretch of dilapidated North Coast Railroad Authority train line from Novato, in Marin, to Blue Lake, Humboldt. McGuire claims the trail will increase tourism and consequently boost the North Coast’s economy.
As The Mendocino Voice reported in November, the trail is a long term project. Just completing the master plan, which will map out how to create the trail, where environmental remediation is needed, and more, may take up to four years. A November Great Redwood Trail viability assessment released by the California State Transportation Agency estimated the project will cost around $5 billion.
But McGuire is steadfast that this project will be completed, although he has not committed to a precise time frame. “We need to do this project right, not fast,” seems to have become Mcguire’s go-to trail slogan, and he’s definitely sticking to at least part of it.
You can find more information on The Great Redwood Trail here, on the Mendocino Voice.
Note: Lana Cohen is a Report For America fellow covering the environment & natural resources for TMV & KZYX. Her position is funded by the Community Foundation of Mendocino, Report for America, & our readers. You can support Lana’s work here or email [email protected]. Contact Cohen at LCohen@mendovoice.com. TMV maintains editorial control.
A 300 mile trail? Ummm….what about focusing on upping the daily vaccination rate? Getting everyone back to work? Opening the schools as the virus attenuates? Ensuring safety in the streets? You know, that sort of thing…real world type stuff that affects most people.