Catch of the Week
Captain Rob  The weather is trending colder. Beautiful Susan Howard of Paradise CA holds onto a fine trout with her warm mittens. She released this fish for another angler to enjoy and to preserve our precious resources. 
Welcome New Chamber Members
Crescent Country, Lisa Forcino, Crescent Mills
Mark Lilley, Antlers Motel, Chester
Dana Mollison, Another Man's Treasure, Chester
Suzette Reed, Quarter Circle OS Bookkeeping, Taylorsville
Jennifer Ayres, Mountain Ayres Garden, Taylorsville
Cassandra Barr, Indian Head Properties, LLC., Greenville
Laura Briggs, Coldwell Banker Kehr/O'Brien, Lake Almanor
New Year's Eve Fireworks 2021! Donate Now
The Lake Almanor Area Chamber introduced a fireworks show on New Year's Eve 2020. We received an overwhelming response of fantastic reviews, so we decided to make it an annual event! We are thrilled to present the 2021 New Year's Eve Fireworks Show.
When you donate to the fireworks shows, your dollars go directly toward the cost of the fireworks. Please visit the link below to donate. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your donations!
Special THANKS to Chester Fire and our Community Partners Collins Pine, Coldwell Banker Kehr/O'Brien, Rouland Insurance Agency, and Seneca Healthcare District for sponsoring this event.
DONATE TO THE 2021 SHOW NOW ON PAYPAL
Remember last years show? Take a peak on our Facebook page.
Town Trivia
Katherine Sansone 12/8/21
Last week’s winner was Ralph Anderson with correct question “What is Stover Creek?” to answer back in the late 1860s/early 70s, this ditch was dug to bring water from the North Fork of the Feather River to pasture land south of today's Chester. He receives a $10 gift certificate from Forever Home who is also this week’s trivia sponsor.
This week’s answer courtesy of Steve Fleming: After 3 1/2 years of hard labor using massive local forest trees, Sam Herrald hand built and completed this structure in the early 1960's in Chester.
Please send question to Trivia@lakealmanorarea.com.
Need sponsors! Please contact katherine@sansoneplus.com to support Town Trivia and get your name in Town Chatter for four consecutive weeks. We have a great following!
Job Postings
Multiple Positions Available in Chester
Alliance for Workforce Development (AFWD) is working diligently to support the community in the efforts to recover from the devastation caused by the Dixie Fire. We are currently recruiting for multiple positions both within AFWD (Quincy and Chester locations) and with partner agencies through our temporary grant programs. Download Flyer for Chester positions.
The Sierra Institute for Community and Environment seeks a full-time Workforce Development Coordinator to advance the organization’s leading-edge forest restoration workforce development and training program designed to equip rural and Tribal community members with the skills and opportunities to pursue a career in forest restoration. For more information, click here.
Chester Fire Department is hiring. Please visit chester.specialdistrict.org/
Disaster Relief & Dixie Fire Information
Tzu Chi Foundation has extended its Emergency Financial Assistance Program for Dixie survivors to November 30, 2021. Apply online at: www.tzuchi.us/chico
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Mortgage Insurance Program for Disaster Victims Section 203(H) is open for survivors to apply within a year of the Presidential disaster declaration (8/24/21 – Lassen, Nevada, Placer and Plumas Counties). This program provides mortgage insurance to protect lenders against the risk of default on mortgages to qualified disaster survivors. Go to this link for more information:
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/ins/203h-dft
Computer Lab at Rebuilding Greenville Resource Center
The computer lab at The Rebuilding Greenville Resource Center is open to the public 9-5, 7 days a week in the Crescent Hotel in Crescent Mills, CA 3.5 miles south of Greenville. It will soon be moving to the Greenville Elementary School.
Phase II, Debris Removal & Property Clean-Up
Winter is approaching and Plumas County is working closely with CalOES to get those who qualify signed up for the Right of Entry to get their properties cleaned up. The Dixie Fire left a massive amount of debris to be cleaned up and you are encouraged to sign up and complete the Right of Entry form or contact Plumas County if you will be using the alternate program. There will be a deadline! Go to https://plumascounty.us/2880/Debris-Removal-Programs and reach out to Plumas County staff if you have any questions. They can be reached at (530) 283-7080, or by email at ROE@countyofplumas.com
Plumas County Dixie Fire Resource List
Click Here.
Plumas Crisis & Intervention Resource Centers
Quincy: 175 Main St, (530) 283-5515: Resource mitigation
Portola: 165 Ridge Street, (530) 832-1827: Resource mitigation
Loyalton: 513 Main Street, (530) 993-1237: Domestic violence help
24/7 Crisis Line: (877) 757-0029
Mental Health Crisis Line: (530) 283-6307
Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc. Resources
If you were affected by the Dixie Fire and are displaced from your job or need help with employment, training, or assistance applying for unemployment, call (530) 283-1606 or email afwdcontact@ncen.org
Damage Assessment Maps
Dixie Fire Structure Status Map (CAL FIRE)
https://tinyurl.com/2m9en9t4
Recovery Information
Plumas County Recovery Information
https://tinyurl.com/c8c8s5rd
Plumas County Resources:
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Bits & Pieces
Get Your Tree Permits at Lake Almanor Ace Hardware or Ayoobs Intermountain Hardware
While they last. $10 cash each. Up to 2 per household.
 Congratulations to our CHS boys basketball team for their first place win in the Westwood tournament. Go Volcanoes!
St. Andrews Advent Lessons and Carols
December 9, 2021 @ 7:00pm
174 Melissa Street Chester, CA 96020
Plumas Child Abuse Prevention Council Holds Creative Arts Contest
Plumas County youth are invited to participate in a Creative Arts Contest for the holidays, hosted by the Plumas Child Abuse Prevention Council. Age categories are as follows: 4 and under, 5 to 7, 8 to 10, 11 to 13, 14 and up. To learn more, visit plumaschildren.org/
Holiday Craft Group at the Chester Wellness Center
Chester Wellness Center is spreading some holiday cheer. Join them for Community Crafting, hot cocoa and holiday music! Tuesday Dec 14, 2021 starting at 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm. Kids welcome.
 Plumas County Library Winter Book Giveaway
This year the library is asking patrons to decorate a snowflake, return it to the library (during open hours) and receive a free book. The giveaway will be held at each branch from Dec. 1 – 30. The theme is “Books are unique just like Snowflakes.” The designed snowflakes will be displayed in the library windows. There is no age limit on participation, but the books are geared toward infant to 18-year-olds. One book per patron per day. You can pick up a blank snowflake at any branch or print them at www.plumascounty.us/593
 For daily (and sometimes hourly) news and information, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lakealmanorarea
The Almanor Foundation Names New Executive Director
Katherine Sansone  The Almanor Foundation announced that Moorea Stout has been hired as Executive Director to oversee the foundation that was started in October 2020. “When asked to be on the founding steering committee to launch a foundation that would spur economic growth, I was all in. I am thrilled and honored that now as Executive Director I can have a greater role and impact on what the foundation can accomplish,” says Stout.
Stout first visited Plumas County in 2013 and immediately fell in love with the area. Living in San Clemente and owning a high-end kitchen design company, she began wrapping up her business in order to make the move to Indian Valley, which happened in 2015. Not long after making her home with her husband in Crescent Mills, she began volunteering for the Sierra Institute and joined the staff as Director of Development in 2018. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to leave the high-pressure design world and use her talents to improve her community. “Being a volunteer for the Sierra Institute, it seemed to be something I could do well with my background as a business owner,” she adds. Stout remained at Sierra Institute for three years, more than doubling the amount raised each year. She remains a committed volunteer for the organization.
When the Dixie fire engulfed Plumas County, The Almanor Foundation implemented the Wildfire Relief Fund within five days under the direction of volunteer executive director, Susan Bryner. With the ongoing needs of those effected by the fire and long-term consequences, the board realized that as an all-volunteer organization they needed an experienced director who could meet the demands of the funds, long-term planning for the rebuild of the area and implementation of the initiatives that were in place. Due to a group of patrons who saw the need and the vision of the Foundation, funds were donated and designated allowing the board to recruit an Executive Director.
Moorea, as an active, contributing member of the steering committee, was aware of the challenges of starting a foundation and now the immediate needs of the community with the devastation of the fire. When the position of Executive Director became available, it was the opportunity she was seeking knowing her experience at the Institute and skills running a design and construction business could immediately affect the rebuild and revitalization of her community and assist with the foundation’s projects and initiatives.
“We are thrilled to have Moorea on board. Her talents, leadership ability and commitment to what we have dubbed ourselves as, ‘the can-do-community;’ we only see The Almanor Foundation growing faster and making a greater impact in the county,” says Judith Chynoweth, board chairman.
“Being on the ground-floor of a foundation has its challenges but also allows creative opportunities. My goal is to make a difference in the community sooner rather than later and even become a model for other rural areas throughout the country who have visions of growth and improving the quality of life of their communities,” she adds with her soft-spoken voice that many have come to recognize maybe gentle but is filled with determination.
Chester Fire Moves to New Location
 Your Chester Firefighters are now stationed at 198 Main Street. This location provides a more centralized location in Chester and helps solidify our ISO Class 3 rating. The fire station at 198 Main St houses 1 ambulance, 1 ladder truck and soon 1 fire engine. The Chester Fire Department Headquarters will still be located at 251 Chester Airport Road. Any district business will be handled at this location. The fire department headquarters will house 2 fire engines. Our Volunteer Firefighters will now have the option of responding from the closest station. Please excuse our mess as we are working to clean up 198 Main Street. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a station tour, please contact us at (530) 258-3456.
Community Tree Lighting
Kristal Johnson  200 community members celebrated the holiday season as we lit the Community Tree on Friday, December 3rd. It was a beautiful evening with performances by Pastor John Erickson, Gwen Meinhardt, Christi Chase, Logan Dunbar, and a few brave little ones.
The tree was adorned with biodegradable ornaments from students at Chester Plumas Charter School and Lake Almanor Christian School. Kids enjoyed free hot cocoa from Mauro Archer and Associates, LLC. along with candy canes provided by Mt. Lassen Community Church. They built ornaments and colored snowflakes as part of the Chester Library December Book Giveaway Program.
Community members 21+ enjoyed delicious spiked beverages from the Chamber Bar Cart including mulled wine and peppermint schnapps hot cocoa.
Merry Morsels brought tasty desserts and people gathered around the warm bonfires provided by Coldwell Banker and Ayoobs Intermountain Hardware. Once the sun settled, candles were passed around and our community voices sang out with the well-known carol "Silent Night."
When the tree lights turned on and brightened the night sky, all sang "Joy to the World" and the atmosphere was surrounded with smiles and laughter. This was the first Community Tree Lighting for the community and the Lake Almanor Area Chamber will continue hosting the Community Tree Lighting for years to come. If you would like to be part of this event, please email Kristal Johnson at Kristal@lakealmanorarea.com.
Community and Chamber Board Member, Jon Gregory with Five Star Bank singing carols.
Ornaments from students at Chester Plumas Charter School.
A BIG Thank You to all our event sponsors and participants: Coldwell Banker, Collins Pine, Rouland Insurance, Seneca Healthcare District, Mauro Archer and Associates, LLC., Ayoobs Intermountain Hardware, Lake Almanor Ace Hardware, Olah Construction, Tantardino's, Lake Almanor Community Church, Mt. Lassen Community Church, Merry Morsels, Chamber Board & Staff, Christi Chase, Jennie Mathews, Sheriff Blake Mathews, Chelssa and Scotty Outland, Chester Fire Department, Firefighter Ryan Johnson, Makenzie Johnson, Emily Johnson, Chester Plumas Charter School, and Lake Almanor Christian School.
Seneca Healthcare District Job Postings
12/8/21
Seneca Healthcare District carries COVID-19 booster vaccines. They are hosting a booster clinic on Monday, December 13 from 10am to 12pm. Make sure to call ahead to schedule an appointment. Check out the flyer to read more details about the clinic.
Who are Mauro Archer and Associates, LLC?
Jordan Russell  Mauro Archer, and Associates is a new law office located in downtown Chester. Since 2014, their goal is to be a pillar of resilience as they support communities devastated by natural disasters.
This law office has established a warm, caring, and diverse group of community outreach organizers. The team brings unique experiences, a myriad of skills, and a wellness of understanding while fighting for recovery efforts. Since their arrival this year in August, they have volunteered their hours at the Greenville Resource Center and soup kitchen, become Lake Almanor Area Chamber members, and participated in the Holiday Shopping Tour and Christmas Tree Lighting events. After attending local town hall meetings, they have connected with the Long Term Recovery Group which focuses on rebuilding for those impacted by the recent fire.
In joining the Lake Almanor area, they have opened up offices in Chester, Susanville, and Quincy to collaborate with residents as they navigate the road to recovery.
 Feel free to reach out to David Svoboda, Cal Samson, Anders Bettum, Angela Hernandez, Hannah Schumacher, and Shelby Watkins (as pictured). During the month of December, they are available 9am to 5pm by appointment, seven days a week. You can call them at (530) 539-3020.
Indian Valley Santa Project
Suzette Reed  The Santa Project in Indian Valley is going well. People are stepping up in an incredible way to take part. Suzette Reed reported this week, "We have Santa Letters and more to come. So, come and adopt your letter! The cut off to turn a letter in is on December 15th. We need the your Santa letter back along with the gifts you have chose to buy by the 20th. Thank you so much for helping us spread the magic throughout our valley."
Josh Dunnington, acting Post Master, Suzette started "Operation Santa" at the end of November.
How your child can take part in Operation Santa:
- Write to Santa. Indian Valley children ages 0-12 write a letter to Santa. Make sure they include their name, parent's name, address and phone number.
- Deliver Letter. Bring the letter to the Post Office and put it in the special Santa Mail Box.
- Santa Answers. We will answer the letters and fulfill each child's wishes.
How you can take part as a community member:
- Adopt a letter. Write Santa's response.
- Fulfill child's wishes. Fulfill the child's Santa list and deliver the letters and gifts to the Indian Valley Post Office
- Delivery Josh & I will deliver Santa's response with gifts to each child's residence.
The Post Office is located at 4638 Main St., Taylorsville. Suzette Reed can be reached at quartercircleos@gmail.com.
Almanor Fishing Report
John Crotty 
Almanor Fishing Report
12/5/2021
Lake level continues to inch upward, we are currently sitting at 4476.3’ (20’from full). It appears our high pressure is going to soften and we will finally get some much needed rain and snow later this week. Water temps hover around the 45 degree mark and visibility is unchanged from last week at 5-10’.
There is no change on boat launching with both USFS public ramps closed, Plumas Pines is still allowing launching at their facility.
Fishing remained good this past week with an even mix of Browns and Bows caught. Boat pressure has been light. We fished in water between 40-50’ deep and caught fish between 20-35’ deep on the wire. I continue to slow troll gulps and crawlers at 1 mph with a 60’ set back. The East Shore, Big Cove and the East side of the Peninsula are all holding fish.
Shore fishermen are targeting their efforts around the coves of Canyon Dam to mixed results. If we finally get some winter weather shore fishing should improve.
Hazardous tree removal continues along 36 and 89 and OES is cleaning properties in Greenville and Canyon Dam. There is lots of truck traffic in and out of Plumas County.
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