In August of this year, the wooden flumes of the iconic accessible Independence Trail were severely damaged by the Jones Fire. Ignited by lightning from the now notorious lightning storm of late summer 2020, they made quick work of much of the trail built in by John Olmstead in the 1970s.

To kick off Bear Yuba Land Trust’s rebuilding fundraiser, BYLT teamed up with Alden Olmstead and Riparian Studios to produce a trailer for a more comprehensive film about the trail’s origins, history, and the damage that occurred in the Jones Fire. The trailer, which premiered at BYLT’s Open Spaces, Wild Places Gala on Friday, blends archival footage and photos with fire footage and photography provided by Elias Funez of The Union as well as post-fire footage shot by Riparian Studios founder Kit Kohler. Riparian Studios also leveraged their post-production facility in Nevada City to bring the piece together in collaboration with Olmstead and BYLT’s Erika Seward.

For more on how you can help in the effort to rebuild Nevada City’s historic Independence Trail, visit BYLT’s Independence Trail Rebuild GoFundMe Page.