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The commissioners also heard grant request presentations from a variety of local organizations and events. Grant requests were heard from kids fishing events in Chico, Oroville, Gridley, and two kids events in Paradise. Additional applicants included the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife foundation, Butte Environmental Council, Chico State Research Foundation, North Valley Community Foundation, Gaines & Associates, Paradise Bow Hunters, and Troop 2 Boy Scouts. Final grant approvals and amounts will be given out at the commission’s Feb. 6 meeting in Chico.

The festival uses a mobile sound stage powered by bicycles connected to a generator. All performances are free. The idea is to promote sustainable transportation and less dependence on fossil fuels, while promoting talented local musicians.

It’s worth noting the city has approved the main components of the waste hauling agreement, but has not finalized the details. There will likely be more tweaks made before the October date. The agreement returns to the City Council on July 5.

“A lot of people aren’t quite sure what can be recycled,” Holden said. When in doubt, some people tend to just throw things out, or throw too much into the recycling bin.

maximizing use of recycling bins, using donation stations and learning to compost can help costs drop “enormously,” especially for people using the largest bin size.

Organizations participating in the Community Grant Program raised more than $174,000 in August, and the city of Chico will contribute about $53,000 more to that total.

So, when the Butte Environmental Council honored her Oct. 21 with its Lifetime Achievement Award (named after founding member and former Chico Mayor Michael McGinnis), the tribute recognized someone continuing to contribute, albeit less conspicuously. Executive Director Natalie Carter, in explaining how BEC’s board selected Dolan, said that “she’s been a champion for environmental issues for decades and has had a very powerful and strong voice in our community standing up for values that our members hold dear. We really couldn’t think of anybody better to recognize this year.”

I was happy to see the Enterprise-Record's Friday editorial about the proposed delta water tunnels. These tunnels, if built, will drain the water in our north state rivers and aquifers, and will change our landscape and lifestyle forever. Like Lake Oroville and the California Aqueduct, once built there is no going back. It's critical that we, the citizens of the Northern California counties, take action to prevent the construction of these tunnels and the destruction to the north state that they will cause. A great deal of information has already been learned about the impacts of sending more of our water south. That information can be found on the websites of two excellent organizations in Chico. Both have been monitoring water policy in California for years and have been working to protect our water supplies. They are Aqualliance (www.aqualliance.net) and the Butte Environmental Council (www.becnet.org). Aqualliance was formed by local citizens, ranchers and farmers who realized the risk to our water supplies and who have been fighting to protect our water. BEC advocates for our natural resources and is actively working to inform citizens about current water plans and fighting powerful Southern California interests.

Pay attention, learn the facts, find out what you can do, and support the groups that are working very hard for us. A great deal is at stake but by working together, we can

protect our water and our way of life in Northern California. — Nancy Praizler, Chico

Nani Teves says it’s not too late to do something about Gov. Jerry Brown’s new plan to send North State water south, and she and other local water activists have a plan of their own to inform residents on what’s at stake. Teves, water outreach coordinator for Butte Environmental Council, was referring in a recent interview to BEC’s Code Blue 2013 water outreach campaign, which kicked off on Feb. 5 with a free forum at Chico State called “Ethical Issues and Water: An Interfaith Dialogue.” The Code Blue series of no-cost, water-centric educational events—held “so that people are aware of what’s happening regarding local water, and are given the tools to do something about it”—will run throughout the year.

Included on the Code Blue schedule of free events: a talk titled Science and Politics of North State Water (May 1); an educational field trip (June 8) to the Bay Delta, under which two multibillion-dollar, 40-foot-diameter tunnels are planned to be built to send North State water south; and fall workshops on installing water-conserving gray-water and rainwater-catchment systems.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan backed by Gov. Jerry Brown’s office is almost too enormous to comprehend. But it’s far and away the most significant infrastructure project going, so we have to try.

Robyn DiFalco, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council, expressed a sentiment echoed by many water-conscious North State organizations and residents—that diverting water south through the proposed tunnels for mostly agricultural purposes in the San Joaquin Valley is in the best interest of that area’s farmers, but not for the rest of California.

“It’s just not good policy for the state to invest so much money on behalf of watering farms in a desert,” she said.

shows, music, local food vendors, demonstrations, more. Walking, biking or bus transportation to the event encouraged. Hosted by Butte Environmental Council. 891-6424.

Dr. Mark (Stemen) phoned this week to say there was a tractor working at the Humboldt Community Garden on El Monte Avenue and Humboldt Road. Within minutes, my rubber chicken and I were at the garden gate. The garden is in the middle of a grand expansion, and one gardener was busy making new garden plots using a small tractor. I've been to the garden before, once when the land was an open field, and again after plants had been put into the ground. My, how things have grown. The raised beds are noteworthy, as are two teepees and trellises for beans.

A free workshop on how to make the large and small puppets featured in the Procession of the Species, an annual puppet parade that is part of the Butte Environmental Council Endangered Species Faire, will take place Jan. 26 From noon to 5 p.m., master puppeteers Kathy Faith, Jessica McDougal and Cheetah Tchudi will give instruction and assistance in designing and creating puppets ranging in size from hand-held papier-m chŽ stick puppets to multi-person puppets that tower more than 10 feet.

Participants are encouraged to bring materials and art supplies, cloth remnants, glue, newspaper, dowel roads and other craft elements. Instruction will also be offered in mask- and costume-making. The session will be held at Habitat Lab, 199 E. 13th St. This is the third year the Procession of the Species (www.facebook.com/ProcessionOfTheSpecies) will be part of the faire, put on by Butte Enviornmental Council's on May 4. Besides puppets, there will be costumes and masks that represent the most vulnerable creatures. The workshop is open to all ages. Pre-registration may be done at susan@turkeytailfarm.net or by calling 781-4122.

Saturday's Block Party will start at the bridge over Lindo Channel at the corner of East 5th and East Lindo Avenues. It will continue west to the Highway 99 Bridge. Coffee will be provided by Beatniks and sandwiches will be provided by the Beach Hut Deli.

The Block Parties with a Purpose will be h eld on the second Saturday of each month, ending the season on May 13th, 2017.

The students will get a chance to parade their puppets during the Procession of the Species at this year’s fair on May 7, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at One-Mile Recreation Area.

Environmental groups get together to gain support for local efforts following sustainability conference

“It’s not just what we need to do, but ‘this is what we’ve done,’” Stemen said. “The amount of activity that’s happening around these types of issues—sustainability, environmental justice, basic peace with the planet—is really vibrant in this community so having a night like this allows people to find out what’s going on and be re-energized. When you’re just one group, sometimes it’s a little lonely, then you realize, ‘No, I’m just one of many.’”