Feather River Tourism Marketing District
Plumas County, CA
What a year 2020 turned out to be! None of us expected to face the trials and tribulations that last year brought us, without a doubt. But we faced them and have continued to move forward! Persistence should be the word of the year for 2020. It is persistent energy and optimism that we plan to continue to share and celebrate in 2021.
Civitas works with hundreds of business improvement districts of all shapes and sizes every year, helping them form, renew, or modify. In any year, we recognize the immeasurable effort and time that goes into this process. As a team, we have deliberated to determine one district formation that stood out with Excellence in Collaboration, Excellence in Commitment, Excellence in Innovation, and Excellence in Leadership.
Congratulations to the Feather River Tourism Association for their persistent effort to create the Feather River Tourism Marketing District on being named Civitas’ Tourism Improvement District of the Year for 2020.
Persistence Paid Off
In 2014, a steering committee composed of volunteer representatives from each region of Plumas County contracted with Civitas to begin the process of forming a Plumas County Tourism Marketing District. After two years of county-wide effort, the process was put on hold when it became evident that the eastern area of the county was not interested in participating in the Tourism Marketing District. However, the TMD steering committee was not deterred and revised their plan to create a district without Eastern Plumas, which would include Quincy/Bucks Lake, the Feather River Canyon, Indian Valley, and the Lake Almanor Basin. At the end of 2018, efforts were reignited by this volunteer group and they formed a non-profit, Feather River Tourism Association, and the Plumas Board of Supervisors approved the use of staff time to continue the efforts to form the Feather River Tourism Marketing District (FRTMD).
Over the next two years, Civitas and the FRTMD steering committee worked tirelessly to develop the Feather River Tourism Marketing District Management District Plan. The FRTMD steering committee and Civitas worked with Plumas County to update their internal software, coordinate stakeholder outreach to lodging, and collect signed petitions. Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented in 2020, these dedicated and committed FRTMD steering committee volunteers not only funded the formation costs themselves, but their work culminated in the long-awaited approval of the FRTMD in October 2020, with assessment collections starting January 1, 2021.
The FRTMD steering committee persisted for nearly six-years of trials and tribulations to get the TMD formed, exemplifying their belief that every dollar of stable funding that could be used to promote the Feather River region was well worth the efforts.
“We never could have done it without the ongoing support, encouragement, and professionalism from Civitas.”
Karen Kleven, an FRTA Board Member, and project volunteer.
The Feather River Tourism Association has an approximately $191,000 budget dedicated to increasing demand for overnight visitation to the region, which highlights the many opportunities for outdoor adventures in rural northern California in the Lake Almanor Basin, Indian Valley, Feather River Canyon, Quincy, and Bucks Lake communities.
We look forward to seeing great things happening for this industrious and diligent group as they help visitors discover the wonders of Plumas County!
