QUINCY - Since 2020, Outdoors in Plumas was the concessionaire for 68 recreation sites in the Plumas National Forest (PNF) and provided services including taking reservations, fee collections, site maintenance, and general customer service.

However, citing the cost of doing business in California and the long-term impact of the Dixie Fire, in early February the company notified the PNF it had decided to terminate their operations.

In repsonse, PNF's Acting Recreation, Lands and Minerals Staff Office Erika Brenzovich said, "We understand and respect the difficult decision by Outdoors in Plumas to close their special use permit with the Plumas National Forest. Over the past three years, they have faced unique challenges as a recreation concessionare during the COVID-19 pandemic, large wildfires and post-wildfire recovery."

Meanwhile, while the PNF is contacting potential replacements for Outdoors in Plumas, the organization recognizes there is a chance some facilities may open with reduced ...

CAMPTONVILLE — When a series of winter storms arrived in northeastern California over the past three weeks, the residents of Camptonville hunkered down to ride out power outages and roads being blocked by snow, just like all the other other towns in the region. However, PG&E eventually restored power and Yuba County snow removal workers did an excellent job of pushing the powdery white stuff off the streets of Camptonville.

This was not the case for the nearby residents of the Pendola extension area, just west of Camptonville. For almost three weeks, no one came to clear the dirt roads used by people living on isolated, heavily forested areas between Camptonville and the North Fork of the Yuba River.

Thus, early this week, multiple people who were stranded by the snow called a television station (KOVR-CBS13) in Sacramento to report that 20-40 people were running out of food and medication and could wait for help no longer.

As a result, the dangerous situation became publicized and sped up...

You are invited!

The next community crafting event we are holding is a Hoop Charm Crafting Class and you will spend an afternoon learning to macramé a wall decoration for any room in your home. Join us to make, with intention, a gift for someone special. Just bring your imagination and style!

Price includes all materials — choose your fabrics, yarns, beads, leathers, trinkets, gems, feathers, flowers and more to create your one-of-a-kind home piece. Are you ready to cozy up with some friends and make some delightful crafts? Us too! And we are excited to bring back to teach, in a hostess who is very talented at leading group crafting classes, Therese Hopfinger.

The crafting series has been featured in the Mountain Messenger, with the first class which featured a paint pouring technique taught by San Diego Art instructor, Jen Powell, held in the summer of 2022. We had over 35 participants! The second class was an indoor event, and featured a Winter Wreath Making Class with an array of ribbo...

This photo from Alleghany excellently defines the experience of being "snowed-in".

Since last week's edition of The Mountain Messenger, weatherwise, little has changed. Every day, more snow arrived to keep all of the communities in the region buried in snow.

But, during this time, much happened to address the many problems caused by the snow storms.

For example, the Office of Emergency Services (OES) for Sierra County opened a warming station at the Downieville Community Hall on Friday, March 3. According to the locals who staffed the facility, Suzanne Smith and David Crosby, slightly more than two hundred people utilized the facility until power was restored to most of the town on Tuesday, March 7. Besides receiving relief from frigid residences dependent upon electricity for heat, visitors were provided with coffee and snacks donated by the Boomtown Lounge and the Cold Rush Coffee Shop. In addition, PG&E delivered pallets of free bottled water, blankets, emergency kits containing snacks...

Despite the weather, cook-off attendees had a fine time rebeling against the snow, wind and cold.

YUBA PASS - Almost 50 fearless and adventurous souls braved slippery, snow covered roads to make their way to the 29th Annual Yuba Pass Cook-off this past Saturday morning. Upon their arrival at the Sno-Park at the 6,701' summit, attendees faced wind blowing snow horizontally across the venue while they sampled home-made chili prepared by seven competing teams and imbibed assorted liquid libations.

Contestants in the cook-off, in order of what the judges deemed to be the quality of their fare or bribes, were Chicks & Chili by the Farm House Girls (Amanda and Amy), Fire Tire Don't Yak from Yak Roofing on Highway 89, Head First Chili by perennial participant Andy White, Chile of Doom by Geno, The Bean Team, Coldstream Chili by Tracy and Jake Leiter plus Carsen West and Karen Couwenhoven, and Fork and Horn - Better Late than Never who were thrilled to take home the esteemed Dead Ass Last trophy...