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rdifalco

Chico News & Review - State of the ranch - News - Local Stories - May 21, 2015 - 0 views

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    Environmental groups want to see Bidwell Ranch become part of Bidwell Park Seasonal cattle-grazing makes up the bulk of the activity at Bidwell Ranch, an expansive reserve downslope of Upper Bidwell Park. But that could change if the Chico City Council gets behind the request of a coalition of heavy-hitting local environmental groups. As John Merz put it in a recent city meeting, the request is straightforward: that "Bidwell Ranch become a formal part of Bidwell Park." But that plan has hit snags over the past decade, and Merz says local environmental groups-Friends of Bidwell Park, Butte Environmental Council, Altacal Audubon Society, the Sierra Club Yahi Group, the California Native Plant Society's Mount Lassen chapter and the Bidwell Ranch Committee-have come to the conclusion that the best option for the 750-acre property is adding it to the city's largest park.
rdifalco

Row on the creek - 0 views

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    Critics blast environmental review of proposed waste conversion facility along Glenn County waterway The watchdogs at Butte Environmental Council usually keep guard close to home, but occasionally they'll look beyond Chico's backyard. "Environmental issues don't stop at the county line," said Executive Director Robyn DiFalco. "We tend to look beyond our borders at least a little bit to see if our community will be affected." She believes that's the case with the proposed Glenn County Solid Waste Conversion Facility about 3 miles west of Hamilton City, which would sort and recycle up to 200 tons of material a day and convert biodegradable substances into biogas. According to the project's Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the goal is to divert and recycle up to 70 percent of the county's municipal solid waste from the landfill. And that's been a problem; the county's landfill near Artois has been pushing capacity for years and is set to close in December. What's caught BEC's attention? It's mostly a matter of location. The facility would be constructed along the northern bank of Stony Creek, which feeds into the Sacramento River and the Tuscan Aquifer, the vast underground reservoir that provides drinking water for residents in Glenn County and nearby communities-including Chico.
ndcarter

Central Valley Business Times - 0 views

  • The Environmental Water Caucus, a group of more than 20 environmental organizations, has filed a lengthy list of objections to Gov. Edmund Gerald Brown Jr.’s plan to drain fresh water out of the Sacramento River before it could flow into the California Delta.
  • The Environmental Water Caucus includes the following organizations: AquAlliance; Butte Environmental Council; California Coastkeeper Alliance; California Save Our Streams Council; California Sportfishing Protection Alliance; California Striped Bass Association; California Water Impact Network (C-WIN); California Water Research Associates; Center for Biological Diversity; Citizens Water Watch; Clean Water Action; Desal Response Group; Earth Law Center; Environmental Justice Coalition for Water; Environmental Protection Information Center; Environmental Working Group; Food & Water Watch; Foothill Conservancy; Friends of the River; Karuk Tribe; Klamath Riverkeeper; North Coast Stream Flow Coalition; Northern California Council Federation of Fly Fishers; Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations; Planning and Conservation League; Restore the Delta; Sacramento River Preservation Trust; San Mateo County Democracy for America; Save the American River Association; Save the Bay Association; Sierra Club, California; Sierra Nevada Alliance; Southern California Watershed Alliance; the Bay Institute, and, Winnemem Wintu Tribe.
ndcarter

Chico News & Review - Compassion above all else - Editorial - Opinions - March 29, 2018 - 0 views

  • Butte Environmental Council, which for decades has organized events to beautify our parks and waterways. During a cleanup in 2008, as the CN&R reported, BEC volunteers collected a whopping 10.5 tons of trash in five hours.
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    Butte Environmental Council (BEC) is a community organization committed to protecting and defending environmental quality throughout Butte County. By regularly removing trash and recyclables that have found their way in to our urban creeks, parks and greenways BEC is helping to keep local water clean and safe, improving wildlife habitat and reducing human impacts on our environmental quality. Chico's urban waterways are heavily impacted by litter, illegal dumping, and creekside camping. BEC is committed to treating all members of our community with dignity and respect. We often remove materials left behind by those living along our creeks. Our non-confrontation policy asks our volunteers to avoid any interactions with those in the cleanup area besides inviting them to join us. In partnership with local law enforcement, we provide notice to camps in an effort to allow time for personal property to be removed. Usable items that are removed from our cleanup efforts are repurposed whenever possible to minimize what we send to the landfill. Our community cleanups have two goals: remove waste from our creeks, and build a community committed to healthy waterways.
ndcarter

Plenty of things available to do this Saturday - 0 views

  • The Butte Environmental Council’s 39th annual Endangered Species Faire is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Grove in Bidwell Park. The event’s theme is “Finned Migrations: Connecting Warming Oceans to Inland Streams.”
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    " The Butte Environmental Council's 39th annual Endangered Species Faire is 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Cedar Grove in Bidwell Park. The event's theme is "Finned Migrations: Connecting Warming Oceans to Inland Streams." More than 30 school groups, government agencies, environmental organizations and community groups provide a variety of education and activities on environmental issues. http://www.becnet.org/endangered-species-faire."
rdifalco

City of Chico, Butte Environmental Council to partner on weed eradication grant - 1 views

  • Butte Environmental Council representative Mark Stemen shows areas of invasive Arundo donax growth along Little Chico Creek near Humboldt Park in October. Stemen, along with other citizens and city officials, are championing a plan for removal because of major fire danger risk and environmental damage.
  • Chico >> The city of Chico is rallying with Butte Environmental Council to eradicate an invasive weed clogging Little Chico Creek.On Tuesday, the Chico City Council will be asked to approve a joint application for a $1 million Urban Streams Restoration grant to eradicate arundo donax in the creek.
  • “We believe that when the city has to take a step back, the community can take a step forward,” said Mark Stemen of Butte Environmental Council, which will help spearhead the eradication effort. “We pointed out the problem. We also wanted to be part of the solution.”A class of his students at Chico State University mapped Little Chico Creek last fall, noting every location of arundo, invasive species and habitat that will need to be preserved.
ndcarter

39th annual Endangered Species Faire is Saturday at Bidwell Park - 1 views

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    "If you've ever wondered what it would be like to talk to the animals like Dr. Doolittle did, you can satisfy your curiosity at the 39th annual Endangered Species Faire on Saturday. The free public event, hosted by the Butte Environmental Council will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cedar Grove in Bidwell Park. The event's theme is "Finned Migrations: Connecting Warming Oceans to Inland Streams." The Endangered Species Faire features education and activities sponsored by more than 30 school groups, government agencies, environmental organizations and community groups on a variety of environmental issues."
rdifalco

Courthouse News Service - 0 views

  • SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - The U.S. government owes more than $210,000 in legal fees to environmentalists opposing residential developments they say will destroy vernal pools near Sacramento.     The Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers met with local landowners and agencies in June 2004 to design a conceptual strategy that would guide development in the area according to a set of specific principles.
  • California Native Plant Society joined the Defenders of Wildlife and Butte Environmental Council in a challenge against the conceptual plan in June 2007. Among other things, they claimed the government failed to assess the conceptual plan under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and failed to follow NEPA guidelines in the environmental assessments. They also claimed the agencies failed to issue permits without studying the projects' impacts to endangered species in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
  • When the plaintiffs won an injunction in July 2007, the court maintained that the groups were unlikely to succeed on their first, third and fourth claims. It nevertheless ruled that the government failed to address cumulative impacts of development projects to vernal pools, which would be permanently destroyed.
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  • During a three-year stay of litigation, the government prepared an environmental impact statement that ultimately reduced impacts to vernal pools from 48.95 acres to 46.35 acres. After the stay expired in 2011, the parties entered settlement talks and agreed to dismiss the case in March 2013.
  • This past June, the groups moved under the Equal Access to Justice Act for $721,008.56 in attorneys' fees and $3,523.72 in legal costs.     U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton found Thursday that the groups can recover attorneys' fees because they are the prevailing party by way of the preliminary injunction, and the government "failed to show its position was substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust."
  •  Instead of the $721,008.56 demanded, however, the groups will take home a total award of $214,569.32.     This amount reflects the maximum hourly rate under the Equal Access to Justice Act the for work done over the case's nine-year lifespan, as well as a 22 percent across-the-board reduction to reflect the fact that the groups found only partial success on their claims.
rdifalco

Chico News & Review - A $7 billion blunder? - Feature Story - Local Stories - October 2... - 0 views

  • Local environmental groups, including the Butte Environmental Council, AquAlliance, the Sacramento River Preservation Trust, Chico Conservation Voters and Friends of Butte Creek have come out against the proposition. So, too, have fishing groups and others worried about the impacts on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the state’s fishery.
  • BEC officials note Prop. 1 includes some worthwhile components, such as water conservation and funding for restoring watersheds, but the bond promotes north-to-south water transfers via purchase at a time when existing water rights exceed the actual supply of water by a 5-to-1 ratio. The bond, as BEC points out, does not create more water.
  • Carol Perkins, BEC’s water policy advocate, says the bond doesn’t address the urgent nature of the issue. “We need immediate solutions like recycling and efficiency improvements,” she said, “not borrowing now to purchase water and shift the burden to our children and grandchildren.”
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  • Perkins studied the potential impacts the proposition, including the construction of Sites Reservoir, would have on Northern California groundwater resources.
  • Above-ground storage facilities do not offer much in the way of new water, her study notes, though Sites could increase the existing supply by 1 percent. On the other hand, at least 30 percent of the surface water in the state is known to evaporate or be lost to infiltration back into the ground, which means “groundwater storage will be the ‘wave’ of the future.”
  • She said $520 million would be allocated for organizations to compete for clean-water and waste-water infrastructure projects. “That money would be set aside for competitive grants,” Perkins said, “which means it goes to the savvy, well-funded organizations instead of the smaller communities without county or district water departments.
  • Perkins said the bond also provides hundreds of millions for water conservancies, and that those monies would not be dispersed on a level plane. For instance, she noted the conservancy in L.A. County’s Baldwin Park would receive $10 million for its 2,038 acres of land, which equates to $4,906 per acre. On the other hand, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which provides 60 percent of the state’s water supply, would receive $25 million for its 42 million acres, or 59 cents per acre. “Los Angeles is getting a lot of money and so [statewide] environmental organizations like the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy are for [Prop. 1] because it means more money for them,” Perkins said. “We’ve had $20 billion set aside in taxes and interest since 2000 and we still have water problems. The money gets put aside, but is not being spent where it needs to be spent.”
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    Environmental groups say water proposition is no panacea
becnews

City of Chico, Butte Environmental Council to partner on weed eradication grant - 0 views

  • Chico >> The city of Chico is rallying with Butte Environmental Council to eradicate an invasive weed clogging Little Chico Creek.
  • On Tuesday, the Chico City Council will be asked to approve a joint application for a $1 million Urban Streams Restoration grant to eradicate arundo donax in the creek.
  • The city will subcontract the restoration work to a local riparian restoration firm, and engage the California Native Plant Society for its expertise and volunteer labor. The Butte Environmental Council will coordinate community outreach and education, and Chico’s Stream Team will provide citizen water quality monitoring.
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  • “We believe that when the city has to take a step back, the community can take a step forward,” said Mark Stemen of Butte Environmental Council, which will help spearhead the eradication effort. “We pointed out the problem. We also wanted to be part of the solution.”
  • While it will certainly be a competitive grant, the involved parties are cautiously optimistic they could receive it, Stemen said. Recipients will be announced in March.
rdifalco

Children, nature collide at Endangered Species Faire at Bidwell Park - Chico Enterprise... - 0 views

  • CHICO — Nestled inside lower Bidwell Park is where the wild things were during the 34th annual Endangered Species Faire Saturday. Some children, adults, and furry and scaly creatures were in attendance at the fair that ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Cedar Grove. Butte Environmental Council's event, which began in 1979, is the longest running environmental fair in northern California, said Robyn DiFalco, BEC executive director. The fair is meant to give schools, government and environmental organizations, and community groups a forum to present information on ecology wildlife and environmental issues, according to the BEC. It also allows those who attend to appreciate and broaden their knowledge of nature.
rdifalco

Fair sees endangered species parade, musical acts - The Orion: Features - 0 views

  • Chico residents disguised in intricate handmade animal puppet costumes celebrated the environment through acoustic melodies Sunday at the 34th annual Butte Environmental Council’s annual Endangered Species Faire. The fair, hosted at Cedar Grove in lower Bidwell Park, featured a “Procession of the Species” parade where hand-make unique puppet costumes were created and worn by participants. Those participating filled out an application and can also attend the Butte Environmental Council puppet-making workshops months prior to the event.
  • The Endangered Species Faire has been in Chico since 1979 to give the public information on ecology, wildlife and environmental happenings, according to the Butte Environmental Council website.
rdifalco

Chico News & Review - The big squeeze - Feature Story - Local Stories - February 13, 2014 - 0 views

  • North State water supplies under pressure as drought parches California
  • This article was published on 02.13.14.
  • A thousand feet beneath the city of Chico, in the pitch-black waters of the Tuscan Aquifer, time has proceeded for ages without sound or sunlight, mostly unaffected by the world above. But in recent years, an increasing tug of upward force has been moving the Tuscan Aquifer’s water toward the surface of the Earth—drawn, ultimately, by the thirst of fruit trees and vegetable fields hundreds of miles away.
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  • However, the government has bypassed this potentially costly step by edging through a legal loophole, according to critics.
  • “They’re calling it a one-year water transfer, instead of a long-term project, and that allows them to skip the CEQA guidelines,” explained Robyn DiFalco, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council. “Now, we’re seeing multiple one-year transfers, year after year, without environmental review.” Brobeck at AquAlliance confirms the same—that the federal and state applicants are skirting environmental laws and essentially stealing Northern California’s water. “They just keep delaying the environmental review, which allows them to operate on a year-by-year basis,” Brobeck said.
rdifalco

Chico News & Review - Water fight - Feature Story - Local Stories - August 15, 2013 - 0 views

  • But in the northern half of the Central Valley, most people want the tunnels stopped. They say it will suck the Delta dry, destroy farming business in the Delta and the Sacramento Valley, devastate the river’s ecosystem and lead to overuse of groundwater supplies. “This is one of the rare times when farmers and environmentalists can agree that a project is going to be devastating for both their interests,” said Robyn DiFalco, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council. DiFalco notes that the tunnels will not only increase Southern California’s dependence on Northern California’s water, but “they will also make it easier for [Southern California] to get it.”
  • Many critics of the BDCP have described the tunnels as a means of transferring away the wealth of Northern California to powerful water agencies to the south, which will be paying for a great deal of their enormous cost.
  • John Merz, executive director of the Chico-based Sacramento River Preservation Trust, says he has little faith in the components of the BDCP intended to restore the Delta’s health. He recognizes that there will be legal limits to how much water the tunnels can remove from the river. “But we don’t think those limits will be enough to protect the river,” Merz said. He added, “Frankly, when it comes to restoring the health of the Sacramento River, we just don’t trust the Brown administration to do the right thing.”
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  • Vlamis, of AquAlliance, echoed him. She said that calling the BDCP a “conservation plan” is deceptive. “The way this plan is crafted it will have no benefits for the Sacramento’s ecosystem,” she said.
  • Barbara Vlamis, the executive director of Chico-based water-watchdog group AquAlliance, says groundwater depletion in the northern Sacramento Valley is one of the major potential impacts of the BDCP that its proponents have failed to consider. AquAlliance is among a coalition of environmental, fishing and farming groups suing to stop the BDCP, which it charges violates the California Environmental Quality Act and the Delta Reform Act. She also believes that further development of the river’s water-export system—if carried out recklessly—could spur the extinction of the chinook salmon.
  • DiFalco, at the Butte Environmental Council, says the conscious choices of farmers in the San Joaquin Valley have brought troubles upon themselves and the rest of the state.
  • “They’re planting permanent crops, like fruit orchards, in a desert,” she said. “Annual crops would make sense. That way you can fallow the land—grow when you’re able to and let the land go fallow in dry years. But they’re being foolhardy. They’re setting themselves up to need more water every year, and we shouldn’t sympathize with them for consciously making these decisions. “We need to retire some of that land,” she said.
  • By some opinions, the BDCP and its tunnels are just a scheme of selling away Northern California’s wealth, and losing an ecosystem in the process.
rdifalco

Locals react to Bay Delta Conservation Plan - Oroville Mercury Register - 0 views

  • Posted:   12/09/2013
  • SACRAMENTO -- The environmental reports for plans for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan were released Monday, beginning a new flurry of debate.
  • Locally, Barbara Vlamis of AquAlliance said her group and a coalition of environmental organizations have been watching the BDCP process closely. "One of the biggest things I have been hearing over and over again is that this thing doesn't look like it can fly," Vlamis said. She said it won't protect the species as indicated, the funding is uncertain and the source for the water is unknown.
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  • Paul Gosselin, executive director of the county Department of Water, said the county will push to ensure regional water rights are protected, and to avoid "dead pool" conditions in Lake Oroville. Economic impacts to this area are another strong concern, he said.
  • Nani Teves, of Butte Environmental Council, said the plan to "increasingly export water from the north" will "transfer environmental and economic damage north, but puts the existing water supply for the entire state at risk."
rdifalco

The Butte Environmental Council Land Air Water Benefit Concert Series - News - Gridley ... - 0 views

  • Posted Nov. 6, 2013 @ 12:01 am Chico, Ca November 14th – The LAND AIR WATER benefit concert series’ third and final show concludes at the Chico Women’s Club on November 14th featuring Funk and Jam group The Bumptet. The Bumptet’s music runs the musical gamete, moving from deep funk grooves to epic rock crescendos in to high energy, improvised jams with jazz caliber execution. Opening up the night will be local music collective Jiving Board with funky horns, rock guitar, and jazz/hip-hop vocals. Plus special guess Brian Rogers will join in the music with an acoustic set. Be sure to join us November 14th at the Chico Women’s Club for a night of funky music to make you move. The Land Air Water concert series is a benefit to support the Butte Environmental Council’s ongoing advocacy efforts to protect the land, air and water of Butte County and the surrounding region. Tickets Available at Chico Natural Foods, Empire Coffee and online at www.becnet.org. Sponsored By KZFR 90.1, The Chico News and Review, Chico Natural Foods Cooperative, and Strange Seed Music.
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    What: The Butte Environmental Council Land Air Water Benefit Concert Series Who: The Bumptet (www.thebumptet.com), Brian Rogers (www.myspace.com/brianrogersmusic), and Jiving Board (www.facebook.com/JivingBoard) When: Thursday, November 14th- Doors 6:30pm/Show 7:30pm Where: Chico Women's Club-592 e. 3rd st Chico, Ca 95926 Cost: $10-$15 sliding scale.
rdifalco

Celebrate Earth Day with a movie night - 0 views

  • Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., ChicoBag, Klean Kanteen and Butte Environmental Council will celebrate the 45th anniversary of Earth Day at the Sierra Nevada Big Room with a premier of a new film, “The Little Things” at 5 p.m. on April 22. Prior to the feature film, two short films will be shown: “The Big Pick” and “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables.”The Earth Day Movie Night is an Earth Day celebration intended to leave attendees inspired by environmental activists, all while supporting environmental organizations and sustainable businesses.
  • A $5 donation is encouraged and students get in free with valid student ID. All proceeds benefit members of the Environmental Coalition of Butte County. Raffle prizes will be provided.In order to encourage all attendees to travel to this event on their bicycle, there will be a free and secure bike valet located directly outside of the entrance to the Big Room, courtesy of Chico Velo.
dkeeley1

BEC Head Steps Down - 0 views

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    Butte Environmental Council will soon say goodbye to Robyn DiFalco, who is stepping down after four years as executive director of the environmental nonprofit. DiFalco (pictured) cited personal reasons for leaving, including spending more time with family. DiFalco's last day isn't set in stone, as she'll stick around to ensure her successor's smooth transition. The plan, DiFalco said, is to select a candidate by the end of February and make the change in March. "I care very passionately about BEC, about our work and all the people that I've worked with," DiFalco said. "I will continue to be involved with the organization, I just won't be a director. I'll be a community volunteer and I will continue to be passionate about our issues."
dkeeley1

Change of guard for Butte Environmental Council: DiFalco departs, Carter takes over - 1 views

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    She's helped to turn the Butte Environmental Council around, Stemen continued. She's extremely organized, which helped the nonprofit group stay focused and concentrate on improving programs. Recently, DiFalco announced that she was ready to do something else. She wasn't sure what, but she gave BEC the luxury of hiring someone to replace her, even offering to stay around to help the new person get settled on the job. As for the future, BEC made the announcement this week that Natalie Carter will take the helm at BEC. Carter's recent experience includes running the Chico Certified Farmers Market. She is scheduled to begin March 1, with a period of transition.
ndcarter

Environmental challenges huge for south Chico project - Chico Enterprise-Record - 0 views

  • Stating opposition to the project or the EIR’s adequacy were representatives of Butte Environmental Council, AltaCal Audubon Society and recognized environmental advocates such as Stemen and John Merz, the latter of whom suggested lower-income housing be brought into the mix. Many, such as Natalie Carter of BEC, encouraged the city to delay the project and require more studies on the project’s impact, including the protected species and property hydrology.
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