Summer is officially over now and Plumas County’s fabulous fall color show is about to start! The Plumas County Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality Council is carrying on the annual Awesome Autumn promotion started by the Plumas County Visitors Bureau years ago.

  This promotion has helped increase tourism throughout the county and brought worldwide exposure to local forests and communities. A huge market of nature-oriented tourists and photographers is continuing to bring revenue to the county.

  The service provided by the Awesome Autumn website link via plumascounty.org includes daily leaf-peeper reports, fall photography tips, fall events and special offers on seasonal lodging and shopping.

  The blog helps keep Plumas County at the top or very high up on search engine result lists when prospective visitors search for fall foliage viewing sites in California.

  Facebook and Twitter posts help carry the message to groups of people already familiar with Plumas County. The reports are also passed along to other websites specializing in fall color throughout the Sierra Nevada.

  The Tourism Council maintains the blog, but depends on local residents, businesses and returning visitors to witness and report on the color-changing process. Reports and photos can be emailed to info@plumascounty.org or posted on facebook.com/plumascounty. Reports should ideally include type of foliage, color, location, directions (if needed) and an estimate of color development: 100 percent (peak), 50 to 75 percent (moderate) or something less than that.

  Those submitting reports are also asked to include their name and any interesting detail they’d like to add, such as a beautiful walk, an event, a fishing trip, etc.

  Leaf-peeper reports also should be made as soon as possible following the experience in order to keep the blog up to date. The council needs reports from any and all locations throughout the county and region — so ventures out into the forest are encouraged!

  The council also invites business people to pass on stories of fall colors they hear from their customers — with permission, of course. Two of the regular leaf-peeper contributors to the blog, Joe Willis and Richard McCutcheon, have already sent early foliage reports. Look for more at plumascounty.org.