New Kaweah Oaks Preserve trail honors Exeter man

The nonprofit Sequoia Riverlands Trust has designated an area in Kaweah Oaks Preserve for a new fitness trail, which was donated by an Exeter woman in honor of her late father.

The Timothy Blaine Tashjian Deep Creek Fitness Trail, currently under construction, will be located along the Deep Creek section of the preserve and feature a number of fitness stations along the way.

Organizers estimate the trail will be a quarter of a mile long and include approximately 10 fitness stations with diagrams for newcomers.

The planned trail is still in the preliminary stages, but Aaron Collins, Sequoia Riverlands Trust spokesperson, said construction has already begun.

A dedication ceremony will be held in October and the opening of the trail should take place sometime in 2016.

The trail is being named after Timothy Tashjian, a man known for being a prominent business leader in the Exeter community.

His daughter, Hayley Tashjian, 26, said her father’s love for fitness and nature was what called her to the trail.

According to family, Timothy was a California State University, Fresno, graduate and a standout athlete. He was also a successful Exeter and Ivanhoe citrus farmer and real estate broker, and investor.

“I had been thinking about how to honor him since his passing. Because my dad was so into sports and was an avid outdoorsman, a fitness trail in a forest near our hometown of Exeter seemed like a truly fitting way to remember him while helping support the important conservation mission of Kaweah Oaks Preserve and Sequoia Riverlands Trust,” Haley stated.

The trail is scheduled to be placed on 22-acres that Sequoia Riverlands Trust purchased in 2014 from the Hesse farming family following a $552,000 capital campaign.

Sequoia Riverlands Trust representatives said the trail will eventually connect to the restoration of the native species forest along the creek.

The project is one way that has helped her cope with the loss of her father, who died in 2012, Hayley said.

“It’s nice to know your giving something for the good of the community and he was a huge supporter of the community,” she said. “He was very generous, always wanting to do something for somebody and this is something that would mean something to him.”