More than 320 young anglers and their families enjoyed a day of fishing Saturday as the Lassen Sportsmen’s Club presented their 33rd Annual Junior Fishing Derby on the Susan River in Susanville.

The derby is co-sponsored by the City of Susanville, the County of Lassen and the SIR Tribal Indian Council.

Kids in the 6 to 15 year-old age group had a chance to win bicycles from Susanville Grocery Outlet, a rod and reel from Western Nevada Supply or tackle boxes from Larry’s Spirit Gas.

Prizes for the younger anglers include bicycles from Pregill Insurance, rod and reel from Western Nevada Supply and tackle boxes from Larry’s Spirit Gas.

Sportsmanship prizes sponsored by the Dieter family and Bill Kauffman.

GIRLS ages 2 to 5

BOYS ages 2 to 5

GIRLS ages 6 to 15

BOYS ages 6 to 15

Sportsmanship Awards went to Ethan Nelson, Harley Wood and Carter Barber.

We have a lot more photos in our Photofeature at SusanvilleStuff. Click here to see them all!

We have a lot more photos in our Photofeature at SusanvilleStuff. Click here to see them all!

Proceeds from the Lassen County Chamber of Commerce’s raffle will be stay in the community by donating to Northern California Cancer Advocates and to the Susanville Salvation Army.

All tournament proceeds will benefit the Salvation Army and will be used to help feed families, provide utility, and rent assistance; it will also provide funding for their youth programs like summer camp, back-to-school, and Angel Tree.

Proceeds from the Sunrise Rotary Club’s open bar will establish a High School Scholarship in Gary’s name.

“Gary Felt, aka Mr. Susanville, touched the heart of our community, and he is deeply missed. We hope this tournament will become an annual event to remember him and keep his spirit of giving and service alive in all of us!” said Chamber Executive Director Kelly Ackley.

“Thank you for your consideration and your continued support. We hope for your participation in the event, whether it be by donation and/or joining us the day of the event at Diamond Mountain Golf Course.”

If you have any questions contact the Chamber office at 1.530.257.4323 or stop by 1516 Main Street in Susanville, Monday through Friday, from 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.

The Lassen Fire Safe Council has received a nearly $5 million grant from the CAL FIRE Forest Health Program for the Dixie West Reforestation Project.

The grant will help restore forest resiliency to 4,236 acres of former timberland northwest of the communities of Westwood, Pinetown and Clear Creek that were devastated by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

The project will increase the pace and scale of restoration to properties in Lassen and Plumas counties.

The LFSC identified a dozen ecosystem and community benefits that will result from the project, which is slated to begin this summer. The reforestation project was designed to restore the health and resilience of the forests and watershed, increase carbon storage on the landscape, minimize forest carbon loss to wildfires, restore habitats for wildlife and improve the economic condition of local communities. In addition, the work will restore recreational value, create jobs, reduce erosion and maintain air and water quality.

“This project is one of several that will demonstrate the need for reforestation following wildfires. With help from our many partners, this project will help put forests and our watersheds on a path to faster long-term resilience.”

Initially, the process will begin with felling standing dead and dying trees, chipping the felled material, and removing chips for use as biomass. Trees will be planted in the spring, using a mix of fire- and drought-tolerant pines. In addition, the areas with tree seedlings will include “islands” of diverse native groundcover habitat composed of native grasses, wildflowers and brush.

The Dixie Fire burned more than 80% of the project area, killing nearly 85% of the trees and leaving dead and downed trees and other dried plant matter that can fuel future fires. In the absence of restoration efforts, the land will likely convert to brush fields that pose distinct wildfire hazards, according to Esgate.

The Dixie West Reforestation Project is partnered with the California Firesafe Council, Lassen County, Honey Lake Resource Conservation District, W.M. Beaty and Associates, Honey Lake Power and One Tree Planted.

The grant also supports a new effort for the LFSC, which has previously focused specifically on live vegetation fuel reduction for fire prevention. LFSC’s new reforestation projects allow the agency to demonstrate how careful restoration can help burned forests avoid, survive and properly recover from future catastrophic wildfires. Reforestation projects like the Dixie West are a model approach for other fire safe councils to consider.

This project is funded by California Climate Investments, a program that puts billions of dollars of Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, improving public health and the environment, and providing meaningful benefits to the most disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households.

National Dam Safety Awareness Day is also a good time to check with your county’s office of emergency services to find out how to receive notifications about emergencies and receive alerts about potential and actual flooding, severe weather and natural disasters.

PG&E’s 95 storage reservoirs are used primarily for generating hydropower and are generally far smaller than state and federal multi-year water storage reservoirs like Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake.

National Dam Safety Awareness Day occurs on May 31st of each year to commemorate the failure of the South Fork Dam in Johnstown, Pa., in 1889. The awareness day was created to encourage and promote individual and community responsibility for dam safety, as well as to provide information for dam owners on what steps can be taken to prevent dam failures.

PG&E participates in local community events, sends informational brochures to customers by mail and coordinates with schools in its service area to raise awareness of dam-related hazards. PG&E wants its customers and the public to be able to recognize signs of a potential dam failure, identify and use safe evacuation routes and know how to contact local emergency response agencies for assistance.

PG&E has also developed plans in cooperation with state and local emergency management agencies to warn the public in the unlikely event of a sudden dam failure. The utility regularly engages in drills with emergency management agencies to test response preparedness. In addition, PG&E places informational posters about flood inundation zones in campgrounds, parks and other public recreation sites throughout its service area.

The following are emergency and safety messages that PG&E is sharing with customers through brochures, posters and on its website:

Have a Plan

• Write down your evacuation route to higher ground.

• Plan how you will evacuate family members who might need assistance.

• Practice your evacuation route with family and agree on your safe family meeting place.

• Keep an emergency kit with enough blankets, flashlights, food, water, medication and supplies to last for three days.

Know the Warning Signs

• Intensified sound of rushing water.

• Increased water speed or depth.

• Unusual amounts of debris in the water.

• Change in water from clear to muddy.

• Unusually cold water temperatures.

What to Do if You’re in the Water

• Drop any items that could weigh you down.

• Stay calm and lie on your back.

• Keep your feet up and pointed downstream to avoid hitting rocks and to prevent your feet from getting tangled.

• Go with the current and move diagonally across it until you reach shore.

• Roll onto dry land to drain your boots or waders.

What to Do if You’re Near the Water

• Head for higher ground.

• Turn on your weather radio to access the National Weather Service’s Emergency Alert System.

• Do not walk through moving water.

• Avoid driving through flooded areas.

• Follow your family’s or authorities’ evacuation plan.

Stay Out and Stay Alive – Stay Out of Canals and Flumes

• For a number of reasons, including safety, not all areas are open for recreation. Recreating in PG&E canals and flumes is strictly prohibited. Stay out of these water conveyances, regardless of who owns them, as they are very dangerous due to slippery sides and fast-moving cold water. Always keep off of elevated flumes.

• Be mindful of signs and warnings and stay out of areas that are signed as restricted, fenced off or buoy-lined.

More information is available on the PG&E website: www.pge.com/hydrosafety and https://damsafety.org/NDSAD.

Game Warden C. O. Fisher planted sixty thousand fish in Willow creek yesterday and today ninety thousand are being planted in Susan river.

During this weekend 65,000 loch leven and ten thousand eastern trout will be planted in the Big Valley section.

According to Fisher, the first week in July 35,000 eastern trout will be planted in Last Chance and at Indian Creek: 10,000 eastern brook trout at Madeline Plains in Bailey Creek and Cold Springs lake.

Later in the season 30,000, eastern brook trout will be planted in Crater lake near the Bogard ranger station.

Last week Fisher made known that he would appreciate the services of any sportsman to help in the fish planting, particularly in Susan River and Willow Creek.

All the fish that have been planted have come from the Clear Creek hatchery near Westwood.

The game warden further stated that the number of fish that are being planted is just a start in the fish and game commission’s plans to stock Northern California’s streams heavily with fish. During the season 437,000 rainbow trout and 45,000 eastern brook and loch leven trout will be planted in the Lassen volcanic park.

The schedule also calls for 50,000 rainbow trout to be planted in Susan river and Willow Creek and 50,000 in Horse Creek, Rush Creek and Ash Creek.

The commission also has extensive plans for the planting of game on this vicinity and will endeavor, through the cooperation of sportsmen, to make Lassen county and surrounding vicinity one of the best fish and game preserves in the state.