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Butte Environmental Council E-Sentinel
January 2023
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BEC's Mission is to protect and defend the land, air, and water of Butte County and the surrounding region through action, advocacy and education.
Our monthly newsletter is designed to keep our community informed about local issues that impact our region's environmental quality and bring you opportunities to become involved.
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Is this email cut off at the end? Click the link provided at the end to view the full email in a new window. | |
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In this month's issue:
- BEC is expanding and hiring
- Valley's Edge Updates, press conf. Friday 1/6!
- Member Mixer Feb 12
- Chico Urban Forest Master Plan comment period open until and Summit on Jan 12
- Trees PLEASE Recap - 80 trees in 2022!
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- Water Forum Recap and Video
- New Project! Chico Seed to Shade
- December 10 tree planting recap - the rain didn't slow us down!
- Have a SUSTAINABLE new year!
- Garden and Composting Service Update
- 2023 Calendar of Events
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BEC Continues to GROW! Join our team | |
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Growing into 2023, we are excited to announce that Butte Environmental Council has been awarded a $75,000 grant from California Volunteers, of the California State Office of Planning and Research. In an effort to build the volunteer infrastructure of the region, BEC is tasked with engaging more than 800 unique volunteers in climate action projects throughout Butte and Plumas counties by December 31, 2023. We are counting on our community members like you to get involved, so pleased stay tuned for more information!
As such, BEC will be hiring! In the coming weeks, we will be recruiting for positions to help us meet our project deliverables as more new grants and contracts come online. We are asking for interested folks to please complete the form linked in the button below so we can reach out to you once recruiting for the position has become activated. Please share this information far and wide, we are excited to grow our team!
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Take Action on Preserving Oak Woodlands near Chico | |
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Approved on January 3, 2023 with a 5-1-1 vote by the Chico City Council, Valley’s Edge Specific Plan is poised to become a sprawling, unsustainable and luxury development the size and approximate population of Gridley. The development of this plan will impact many threatened species, remove up to 1,400 mature oaks, increase air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Chico significantly, and draw down the aquifer further. After many critical questions were answered only with vague platitudes, and despite dozens of voices in opposition both as public comments and in letters to the Chico ER editor, the plan was given the green light and will move to the next stage towards becoming a reality.
However, the resistance to this project continues. On Friday, January 6th at 11 am at the Chico Municipal Building (411 Main St) Hands sculpture there will be a press conference held by Smart Growth Advocates announcing the intent of Save Our Hometown to launch a referendum to stop the development.
The referendum will need 8,000 verified signatures from voters registered in Chico to get it on the ballot. To be successful, organizers will need as many people as possible to sign up to gather signatures within only a few weeks. If you are interested in supporting this effort, please fill out the Valley’s Edge Resistance Support form by clicking here.
Lastly, the referendum will need a lot of financial support to get those 8,000 verified signatures, estimated at $30,000. The movement needs your help. Smart Growth Advocates will be hosting a benefit concert on Sunday, January 8th from 4 to 7 pm at the Center for Spiritual Living Chico with musicians Cooper’s Bluff, M & D, and No No San Pedro. Tickets are $20. If you cannot attend &/or would prefer donate directly to the referendum, click the link here. *Please note that a donation to the referendum is not a donation to BEC.
For more information and to donate to Smart Growth Advocates in additional efforts to stop the sprawl, go to www.smartgrowthchico.org
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Feb 12 Member Mixer Tickets Available NOW! | |
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Butte Environmental Council is proud to announce our 2023 Member Mixer on Sunday, February 12th! Join us for dining and drinks, hear what BEC's been doing in the community over the past year, vote on our official bylaw updates, mix and mingle with friends new and old, and participate in an impressive silent auction featuring treasure baskets from beloved local businesses like Turkey Tail Farms and Lundberg Family Farms.
The 2023 Member Mixer will be held at Chico Women's Club, 592 East 3rd Street. Angel Donors ($35/month or more) are invited to the Angel Social Hour at 4 pm to enjoy one-on-one time with BEC staff and board members with a hosted bar. All other attendees are welcome from 5-8 pm.
This event is free to current members, $50 for non-members, and welcomes new members who pledge just $4 or more each month. Make sure to bring extra cash for the bar and to bid on the tantalizing silent auction items -- all proceeds go directly toward supporting the important programs that BEC provides in our community.
Pre-ticket sales, including discounted drink tickets, end at 11:59pm on Thursday, Feb. 9th. Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door, including $5 drink tickets for the no-host bar from 5-8pm.
Seating is limited, so get your tickets now by clicking here.
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Chico's Urban Forest Master Plan needs YOU | |
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Jᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ 12 Dᴇᴀᴅʟɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ Oɴʟɪɴᴇ Sᴜᴍᴍɪᴛ ғᴏʀ Cʜɪᴄᴏ's Tʀᴇᴇs!
Join BEC, Dudek Environmental, and the City of Chico, along with many key community stakeholders, on Thursday, January 12, 2023, for the Second Urban Forest Summit.
𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 from 6-7:30 pm at http://bit.ly/3WJFUL2 (preregistration is now OPEN)
The second draft of the City's Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) is currently in the public review period.
Public comments on the plan are being accepted through January 12, 2023. You can review the UFMP at www.chicotrees.org.
BEC will be releasing a review and recommendations for the UFMP by the end of this week! For updates, stay tuned to our social media page and to our website www.becnet.org/urbanforest.
BEC's mission is to protect the land, air, and water of our region. It is critical at this time to establish an aggressive, progressive plan for the future of the tree canopy in and around our urban centers. We urge you to participate in this civil action in developing this plan, which will drive the city tree department for decades to come.
The saying is "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW." We hope to see you at the summit and look forward to reading your public comments!
Comments on the Draft UFMP are due by January 12, 2023 and can be emailed to ufmp@dudek.com
Draft Urban Forest Master Plan
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Other Upcoming Community Events | |
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1/7- Birds of Prey driving tour with Altacal Audubon Society at 10am (Link)
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1/14- Oak Way Community garden work day at 12pm
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1/14 - Art of Good Fire Workshop with Camp Fire Restoration Project (Link)
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1/28- Paradise RPD hosts a Community Soil/Compost Microscope Workshop at 11am (Link)
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1/26-1/29 - Altacals Annual Snow Goose Festival (Link)
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1/31 - TEK Wildtending Plant Walk with Camp Fire Restpration Project (Link)
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Every Friday - Volunteer at Verbena Fields with TEK Chico from 10am-1pm (Link)
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Every Thursday - Help make local compost with Paradise Community Compost (more info HERE)
View BEC's Community Events Calendar HERE. If you would like to promote your environmental-related event to the next newsletter or on the community calendar on our website, please email staff@becnet.org.
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Planting over 75 trees in 2022 -- Trees PLEASE Recap! | |
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The goal of Trees PLEASE (Planting Literacy in Environmental Education & Stewardship Education) is to plant trees in local schools and parks in Chico and the surrounding region. Starting in January 2022, BEC's Trees PLEASE program planted 73 15-gallon shade trees, 5 ornamental and 3 fruit trees in various places throughout Butte County, for a grand total of 81 trees planted on school campuses and in community parks!
Here's the breakdown:
Six different schools in Chico: Parkview Elementary, Rosedale Elementary, Neal Dow Elementary, Pleasant Valley High School, Chapman Elementary and Hooker Oak Elementary, have received a total of 44 new trees! Hundreds of students within the Chico Unified School District system have been lucky enough to participate in hands-on learning by helping BEC staff and volunteers plant trees on their very own campuses!
Six parks: In Chico: Oak Way, Rotary Centennial, 20th Street Community Park, and at the CARD Center. In Paradise: Noble Park. These shared public spaces have received a total of 37 new 15-gallon trees with the help of over a hundred community volunteers, Climate Action Corps and College Corps fellows in an effort to increase our region's tree canopy, mitigate the effects of climate change, and beautify our shared outdoor spaces.
Tree planting events at schools are held in conjunction with Trees PLEASE workshop presentation. These students will be able to remember the lasting impact they have made on their school campus, will be able to spread the knowledge they gained from this experience to many others, as well as visit their trees in the future as adults; who knows... their kids or grandkids might be able to play in the shade under their tree on a hot summer day one day!
The Trees PLEASE project will continue tree planting in parks and school across Butte County, and extend into adjacent counties, through April of 2023 with over 170 more trees to go in the ground in areas all across the region! If you know of any schools or parks that you think can benefit from trees, please email Miranda at steward@becnet.org to inform BEC of these places, so that we can try to help these places acquire new trees through this program. Trees PLEASE workshops will continue through December 2023, please email educate@becnet.org to learn more.
Funding for this project has been provided through California ReLeaf and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), Urban and Community Forestry Program with funds made available through the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018.
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2022 Community Forum Series Success | |
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On December 15th, BEC hosted the final forum of the 2022 Sustainable Communities & Environmental Justice Forum Series, where Chico community members gathered at the Lakeside Pavilion to envision a water smart community for all.
We invited five local water specialists: Ron Toppi, Wolfy Rougle, Kamie Loesner, Evan Markey and Loni Lind to speak in their area of expertise in relation to the state of Butte county’s water and the future we envision for it.
After presentations, participants were invited to have an open discussion with each speaker. Questions that were discussed are: What are the biggest issues facing our community around water justice? What can community members do to get involved in water justice? What does the future look like if we don’t act vs. a sustainable and just future?
In summary, those who attended the water forum thought that if we want to see Chico’s water stay healthy and thriving we need to start acting as a community to build awareness that the state of our town's water is in our hands! View the Water Forum recording and then take the participant survey HERE.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our “2022 Sustainable Communities & Environmental Justice Forum Series!” It was a huge success and we had over 100 attendees!
View ALL of BEC's community forums HERE.
A special thank you to our awesome panelists for participating in our forum by discussing important issues surrounding water equity in our community by doing a fantastic job.
Lastly, thank you to our sponsors: The Rose Foundation, Chico Area Recreation District (CARD), Klean Kanteen, Altacal Audubon Society, and the Butte County Air Quality Management District for providing us with the support to make these events possible.
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Chico's Urban Forest Continues to Grow! | |
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Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who met us at 20th Street Park on December 10th to plant trees! Despite the downpour in the morning our volunteers persevered through the rain and planted a total of 33 new trees. Amazing work!
College Corps fellows joined us at the park as well and planted 10 of those trees in record timing. We truly could not have accomplished this without all of you so THANK YOU!
Much gratitude goes to Coffee Ranch and Chico Chai for providing us with warm morning refreshments on a super cold, wet morning. Special thanks to the City of Chico's Tree Division for continuing their partnership with BEC in expanding the city's urban forest. And thanks to Cal Fire for making the funding available for these critical projects, helping make events like these possible.
If you want to check out our work, you can look for our new trees around Chico. We planted a variety of shade and low water use trees including Red maples, Oak trees, Gingkos ,& Red push. We hope they will provide shade, beauty, and a multitude of environmental benefits to the region for years to come.
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Our next community wide tree planting in Chico event is scheduled for California Arbor week -- March 4th, 2023!
We plan to plant up to 50 shade trees in designated neighborhoods in Chico that are identified as lacking shade. There will also be opportunities for bonus trees, such as ornamental or fruit trees in your front or back yard.
If you are interested in receiving a free tree planted by volunteers in 2023, please fill out the form HERE to see if your property is eligible!
Please be patient as one of our Urban Forest Coordinators will reach out to you as soon as possible. Don't fret - if you do not get on this list this time, we will have another event in the fall of 2023 on a date to be determined.
If you would like to volunteer to plant trees with us, please sign up HERE.
There are three ways to be involved as a volunteer:
1. Lead a Team - Sign up to be a core tree volunteer and attend a tree planting training
2. Get Dirty - Sign up to be general volunteer and help plant trees
3. Be a Driver - Sign up to deliver trees to their planting locations with your truck or trailer
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Why sustainability should be your only resolution this year. | |
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Have you ever heard the saying that when a plane is crashing you are supposed to put your own oxygen mask on first before any others? It exists because you need to help yourself before you can help anyone else. Now, let's take this into consideration when thinking about our planet. Who is putting on earth's oxygen mask? We need to help the earth before ourselves as it is the place that supports and helps us all. We all live on earth as our supporting foundation, and most of the time we are weakening it by taking natural resources that are hard or sometimes can never be restored.
This year make sustainability your only new year's resolution so you can allocate time to saving our supporting foundation, Earth. Here are three ways you can start;
- Educate yourself about the items you're buying and what resources they are made of. Paper vs. plastic. Fossil fuels where plastic comes from need millions of years to form to be valuable whereas paper comes from trees, a natural resource that can be easily restored by planting new trees. Trees can be planted, fossil fuels can't. Choose paper over plastic.
- Loose the idea of convenience. Plastic was created to be thrown away so people don’t have to carry a water bottle,straw, lunchbox or coffee cup. Now we are realizing that there really is no such thing as “away.” Make room in your bag or car for reusable items so you aren’t tempted to use the convenience of plastic.
- Shop seasonally and locally. What I mean by this is that you are buying what fruits and vegetables are in season and local so you are saving the resources and energy it takes to transport them. This applies to buying everyday items as well, shopping local will help reduce the amount of plastic and shipping materials it takes to get the item to you.
Have a class or group that wants to learn more about sustainability through recycling and composting?
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We have a weekly compost pickup service!
Sign up as a household or volunteer at https://forms.gle/svup6WbLFYGT9tki8.
Join the pickup brigade and help collect food scraps in your neighborhood! We have 3 community garden drop off sites
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Want a garden this summer?
Garden Garden renewals will be happening soon, so be sure to get your name on the waiting list. Plot sizes and prices vary, so be sure to email steward@becnet.org to sign up and learn more!
Want to sponsor the Oak Way Community Garden?
We are looking for donations to continue to support community gardening and composting initiatives. Materials or monetary donation is always appreciated.
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YOU are the reason BEC thrives!
BEC is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to a healthy environment for us all. Our work is made possible by people like you! Being a BEC member means sustaining the work we do for the environment of Butte County and the surrounding area:
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Angel Members contribute $35 or more each month
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Sustaining Members contribute between $4 and $34 each month
You don't have to be a member to contribute:
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One-Time Donations of any amount helps us serve our community and the environment!
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Volunteers help by donating their time, energy, expertise, and resources.
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Thank you for your continued support of
Butte Environmental Council.
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Caitlin Dalby
Executive Director
(530) 891-6424
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