Visit Sierra County (known as the Sierra County Visitors Bureau/SCVB) (501c3 nonprofit), in partnership with the Sierra County Arts Council (501c3 nonprofit), will being accepting photography submissions from locals and visitors alike for a full color, printed calendar to be distributed throughout California and Nevada and online at VisitSierraCounty.com/calendar.
To participate, please reach out to the group’s Calendar Chair and Co-Secretary, Max Ryan, at max@visitsierracounty.com or go online at www.visitsierracounty.com/calendar.
Max stated “Every surrounding landscape paints a story of the rich and diverse history in Sierra County. Our goal in completing this calendar is to amplify that sense we feel when we rest by our natural spaces.”
With the launch of the first annual calendar, the SCVB hopes to celebrate some of the county’s most revered scenic landscapes. Part of the historic Lost Sierra region (National Geographic), Sierra County is home to the second least-populous county in California, but is celebrated by locals and visitors alike. People enjoy exploring the remnants of Sierra County’s indigenous and pioneer past, as well as recreation in California’s hidden playground.
Residents and visitors enjoy the region’s extensive trail system, with planned expansion in the over 300 miles of Connected Communities, maintained by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, Downieville Outfitters, and other groups.
Sierra County is situated along Goldrush-famous Highway 49 & Yuba Scenic Byway, starting in the west with a wildflower-rich river canyon, meandering rivers, and historic bridges. If you’re lucky you can spot river otters by the Downie or North Yuba Rivers as they flow through Downieville–the county seat and home to one of the world’s most renown mountain bike races, the Downieville Classic, also called the “mountain biking Mecca” by Patagonia. Highway 49 finishes in Sierra Valley, a wonderland of expansive wetlands, a bird watcher’s paradise, and the gateway to the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Valley is dotted with historic homesteads and rustic barns designed specifically for the conditions of the High Sierra climate and alpine meadows that envelope Sierraville and Loyalton, the most populous of the cities in Sierra County that was once featured in Beyond the Forest, with leading lady Bette Davis, a 1949 American film noir classic.
Max Ryan went on to say, “We hope this calendar allows a glimpse into the beauty of the mountains surrounding the valley, and the hidden crevices of the canyons. It is meant to be a compilation of images to inspire and comfort, while also creating a space to educate and support responsible visitors.”
Sonya Ziegler Meline, President of the Sierra County Visitors Bureau added “It’s meant to be an instrument for the initiatives of the [Sierra County] Visitors Bureau, to promote the protection of our wild spaces, and to encourage responsible recreation in our pristine environments and historic rural communities.”
Niecea Freeman, from the Church pioneer family in Sattley, California, said: “It’s important to educate locals and visitors alike about the area’s rich history and diverse landscapes. We can all be good stewards and protectors of the past in order preserve our resources for future generations.” Niecea is the Vice President of the Visitor’s Bureau with Teresa Taylor and supports the marketing and community outreach efforts of the Bureau.
As a part of this initiative, the SCVB will be coordinating with the Sierra County government and local agencies to provide accurate and up-to-date information for visitor safety, fire safety, and best practices for environmental conservation in tourist and high traffic areas, as well as the remote places that adventurers discover in their travels in the dense wilderness of the national forest and Sierra Nevada mountains.
Each month of the calendar will feature a tip for sustainability and safety along with a photo from an award-winning photographer. The calendar aims to capture the natural essence and beauty of Sierra County, CA while focusing as much as possible on Sierra County artists, residents, and local perspectives.
This calendar will not have special dates or events, event information can be found online at www.VisitSierraCounty.com/events and at www.sierracountychamber.com/events.
Twelve photographers and their images will be chosen from the submission pool and will receive a stipend of appreciation from the Sierra County Arts Council, upon selection by our panel of judges. There will be an additional “People’s Choice” award granted to the selected photograph – the voter guide will be sent out with the 2023 Calendar and collected after printing. All chosen artists will be notified via email.
All submissions are due by June 1st, 2022
The rules are posted on the group’s website here: www.visitsierracounty.com/calendar.
And the website says “If you know and love a Sierra County Photographer, we encourage you to reach out to them directly so they can submit their own photographs. You are not obligated to be a resident of Sierra County. However, we do hope to amplify and showcase local Sierra County artists and encourage residents to submit their work.
To participate, please reach out to the group’s Calendar Chair, Max Ryan, at max@visitsierracounty.com or go online at www.visitsierracounty.com/calendar.
If you prefer to email submissions – please email them to SierrArt49@gmail.com to the Sierra County Arts Council’s Director, BJ Jordan, who is facilitating the partnership with local artists.”
ABOUT VISIT SIERRA COUNTY
Visit Sierra County (known as the Sierra County Visitors Bureau) coordinates and partners with the various organizations of Sierra County, California to promote the county’s meetings, events, and travel destinations. Their marketing efforts are focused on driving additional funding to our community to directly benefit residents’ quality of life. Visit Sierra County believes in putting residents first, and continually strives to grow resident pride and enhance the image of Sierra County and its communities: Alleghany, Calpine, Downieville, Goodyear’s Bar, Loyalton, Sattley, Sierra City, Sierraville, and many other vibrant and historical townships.
Visit Sierra County is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization for economic and community development funded by various grassroots initiatives.
Comments, questions, ideas? Reach out to the SCVB Vice President, Niecea Freeman, at Niecea@VisitSierraCounty.com
ABOUT THE SIERRA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL
The Sierra County Arts Council is a member-supported 501(c)3 nonprofit public benefit corporation established in 1981 to promote, support and advocate for the arts throughout Sierra County, California. They are the designated partner in the State-Local Partnership program with the California Arts Council which provides major support for all that they do. “A thriving arts community brings
economic and cultural vitality to everyone.”