Greenville Rising: May 18 – hopeful day in the valley
By Meg Upton
This is the very first allergy season in Indian Valley where I’ve been grateful for my red eyes and sneezing, because if that’s happening it means flora and pollen are happening and I, like many of you, are so very grateful for what is coming back. The mountains surrounding our valley are beginning to show more of a patchwork swaths of green next to denuded mountain sides.
Today was gorgeous from morning to night. Right before I started to write this column, Ferdinand the bull and his buddy Bob sang a bit of a song at me on my walk. The grass on the side of Mountain View Road seems to be knee high in parts. Everything is green in this part of the valley and it’s a good reminder why we all want to rebuild this place so badly.
Today was a hopeful day. A ribbon-cutting day. Today Crescent Mills officially has a working mill! A few hundred people showed up at the new mill run by J & C Enterprises in a partnership with Sierra Institute and so many Indian Valley residents came out in the middle of the day to celebrate the grand opening of the mill (more on this in a separate story). As Jonathan Kusel put it, “We knew we weren’t just building a sawmill; we were building hope.” Indeed.
It’s only Thursday and in the last six days we’ve had a valley-wide prom and a Music on the Green Revival last Sunday at Greenville High School where nearly 200 people showed up to hear music, and paint a mural (more on that in a separate story as well). More than a few fellow residents remarked to me that it was great to have an event in the community where the gathering focal point wasn’t just fire recovery. Many thanks to Hank Alrich and Jane Braxton Little for getting this going in the first place.
And the events just keep coming. We try and keep up! Please send any all announcements of events in the community to [email protected]. Thank you and enjoy spring. The walks with the emotional support bull are getting more frequent with the great weather. Enjoy spring.
Lastly, I will throw this out there. Indian Valley non-profit organizations there are still Indian Valley graduating seniors from GHS remote learning, to Indian Valley Academy, to Chester, Quincy, and even Portola high schools—many of those kids, even if they’re going to first year free tuition community colleges, will still need financial help for school—especially considering the price of a tank of gas. Please consider running the same scholarship programs you have in the past and please let us know here at Plumas News when you do so, so we can get the word out.
Yard Sale
It’s that time of May the formidable Indian Valley Community Wide Yard sale is upon us. This favorite Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce event happens this weekend. Go to https://www.indianvalleychamber.orgfor map information, and look for the markers along roadways on Saturday morning. I’m already seeing a few handmade signs along the way. Get out early for maximum treasure seeking pleasure.
Dixie Fire Collaborative
Also this Saturday is the monthly DFC meeting held in the Greenville Elementary School Cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s always a good source of information sharing in the valley. For more information check out https://www.dixiefirecollaborative.org/.
Library
Conveniently at the same time as the DFC meeting and right across the hall parking lot from the meeting, the Plumas County Library will host a Story Time Fun program from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday. Join us and Story Circles for a Story Time Fun program at the Greenville Library Pop-Up Site. They will also be providing a free book to anyone who attends. The program is aimed at kids but can be joined by anyone, ages 2 and up. This program will be provided by Story Circles for free.
Also it should be noted that Per County Resolution 22-8679 and with the help from the library’s catalog vendor, the Plumas County Library has finally been able to mark all Dixie Fire related materials as lost, remove them from patron accounts, and clear all Greenville, Canyon Dam, and Indian Falls patron accounts of any fines pre-Nov 2021. If patrons still have items or fines on their account related to the Dixie and Beckwourth Fires that need to be removed, please contact Quincy Library at (530) 283-6310 or [email protected]. For more information about what was done and covered, please visit the Library website at www.plumascounty.us/2875/Dixie-Fire-Library.
Greenville Country Picnic
The next round of picnic will probably be snow-free and will take place on Sunday, June 12 from 3 p.m. to dark (doesn’t it get dark these days at almost 9 p.m.?). Live music by The Back Forty with fun activities planned. Free food and free admission though folks are asked to bring a dessert or salad side if possible. For more information contact Dan Kearns at (949) 395-3694 or Ken Donnell at (530) 566-2561.
Recycled Dirt
Clean up crew take all your dirt? PG&E is providing free dirt delivery to Greenville and other Plumas County areas affected by the Dixie Fire. To enroll in the Recycled Dirt Program contact [email protected].
Gold Diggers
The next Gold Diggers planning meeting is June 1 at 6 p.m. at the Green Meadows meeting room. The last meeting only had a couple people showing. We need more people all in to make a successful Gold Digger Day. Looks like a band has been found for the event and vendors are starting to sign on to come make the event a success, but I hear from organizers they could use more help!
Rebuilding Greenville Resource Center
Plumas Rural Services (PRS) is now actively signing Dixie Fire survivors up for FEMA’s Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP). Anyone who was living in Plumas or Lassen County during the fire, regardless of where they live now, can contact PRS at (530) 283-2735, ext. 832 or ext. 883, to inquire about support, advocacy, resources and referrals. DCMP staff is available on site at the Rebuilding Greenville Resource Center during normal operating hours.
The DCMP goal is to help fire survivors return to a sanitary and secure home that feels safe. Disaster Case Managers help survivors identify a range of unmet needs, develop a plan to meet those needs, and then provide assistance with local, state and federal aid programs. Survivors can get assistance whether their home is habitable or destroyed, whether they want to rebuild or not, and whether they remain in the county where they lived at the time of the fire or not. DCMP staff are available to: answer your questions, offer support, help develop a recovery plan, connect survivors with appropriate referrals/resources in communities where survivors are living. They can also work with people on possible financial assistance and advocate on survivors behalf with service and benefit providers.
Dixie Fire survivors who lived in Plumas, Butte or Tehama County during the disaster can contact Northern Valley Catholic Social Service at (530) 815-9400 or [email protected] for assistance from this program. The Disaster Case Management Program is provided by FEMA funding offered through Catholic Charities of California.
More information about the DCMP can be found at www.plumasruralservices.org/Disaster-Resource-Management-Services
Greenvilles Everywhere
If you haven’t had an opportunity to check it out, go to the Rebuilding Greenville facebook page and scroll down to a short under six-minute video of people from Greenvilles around the United States routing for our Greenville’s recovery. Very heartwarming.
