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There's a plan for water transfers could move up to 511,000 acre-feet of water each year for the next 10 years from the Sacramento Valley to the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area.

The Bureau of Reclamation received a very clear message Tuesday night that people in the Sacramento Valley don't like that.

More than 100 people attended Tuesday's meeting in Chico.

Nestled underground, below a mix of trees and brush, lies a 10-inch natural gas pipeline, installed in 1954. Little has been done to maintain it in recent decades, but Pacific Gas & Electric is trying to remedy that with an aggressive plan to remove trees and vegetation around the line and others throughout the state, said spokesperson Shaun Maccoun.

“You look at this little valley oak right now and it doesn’t look like much, but it’s very ominous,” said Joey Perez, senior land consultant. “And it’s going to get bigger ... When I consider the safety risk, these trees were doomed from the start.”

Robyn Difalco, executive director of Butte Environmental Council, said being able to see the actual project gave her perspective and context, and she retains hope for saving some of the larger trees.

Plans are being put in place that tackle the threat of fire, from prescribed burns to decreasing the amount of burnable material in the park.

Last weekend, branches and limbs were cut and hauled to shredders during the Butte Environmental Council park cleanup. That’s the start.

Not only do the clumps of vegetation and fallen wood represent fuel sources, but they are also hiding places for transients, Lowe said, noting the Fire Department has responded to several campfire problems in those situations.

The group started small in hopes of eventually making a large impact, initially choosing two areas of focus—Teichert Ponds, between Highway 32 and East 20th Street along Highway 99; and the area behind the CARD Center. The plan is to clear out invasive plants and replace them with native species. The group is working toward its goal with the backing of a city program called Adopt a Spot, which encourages community involvement in the park by providing resources such as tools, volunteer help and a management plan.

Water Warriors relies mostly on volunteers, donations and partnerships like the one with the city.

In its short existence, the group is already making strides. The work behind the CARD Center in particular is visible and already paying off.

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

Here are some newspaper stories published this week in years past: 25 years ago

The project, south of the Skyway and east of Highway 99 between Chico and Paradise, would include 4,500-residential units for up to 20,000 people, four elementary schools, a junior high school, senior high school and a 100-acre town center.

Kelly Meagher of the Butte Environmental Council said "What we saw tonight was the unveiling of a new city. ... This is only the first round, he said. ...

CHICO — Code Blue will be taking a road trip to the delta. People who follow water issues will meet at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Park and Ride on Highway 32 to carpool to the estuary. The trip is hosted by the Butte Environmental Council. For more information: http://www.becnet.org/code-blue-2013-water-outreach-campaign The trip is free, but the organizers would like people to sign up for planning purposes, nanibay@hotmail.com or (530) 891-6424.

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.

As part of the process, the utility has pledged to plant 64 new trees along the Midway roadway itself. These mostly native species of plants will build and enhance the Midway’s distinctive tree canopy, according to PG&E public affairs manager Joe Wilson.

The utility consulted with the county, the resource district and the Butte Environmental Council on its Midway plan.

A public forum about where our water comes from and where it goes during — H20 Origins — is planned 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, in Room 111 of the new Arts and Humanities building at Chico State University.

Becky Holden, assistant director of the Butte Environmental Council, will lead the forum, part of a larger monthly education series

the new community garden on Humboldt Ave. (at El Monte) has a lot of open space.

Butte Environmental Council

People who show up at the garden have built enviable raised beds and a tarpless tee-pee for beans. A work day is planned for 8 am. (when its cool) until noon Saturday. BEC executive director Robyn DiFalco said they'll be planting ornamentals and generally moving dirt around. You can also show up and decide if you want to rent your own garden plot, which starts at $25 to pay for water and insurance.

This article was published on 03.13.14.

Of all the toxins confronting people daily, endocrine disruptors rank among the most insidious. These chemicals can have stealth effects—not only impacting the hormones of those exposed, but also creating a genetic legacy that can continue for generations.

Lane refers to endocrine disruptors as “legacy constituents,” and Julia Murphy, a dioxin expert at the Butte Environmental Council, adds that they are “persistent through generations.” Murphy says these chemicals act as “a system disruptor rather than a body disruptor,” meaning they trigger wide-ranging changes that can be heritable—passed on genetically to children, grandchildren, and on down. In addition, the compounds are relatively stable, so they can remain potent for decades.

Opponents of a Wal-Mart “supercenter” store planned for Oroville have scored a partial victory with the California 3rd District Court of Appeal in their legal battle. The project is a relocated and expanded Wal-Mart Supercenter to replace an existing Wal-Mart of traditional dimension and retail offerings. In their legal action, Friends of Oroville and two individuals are challenging Oroville’s approval of an environmental impact report.

The appellate court agrees with two issues: whether the environmental impact report approved by the city inadequately analyzed the project’s greenhouse gas emissions and whether the new store might put too much traffic on Oroville Dam Boulevard, where the nearly 200,000-square-foot building, supermarket and garden center with its 24-hour retail and grocery services is to be located. “We reverse the judgment to the extent it denied plaintiffs’ petition for writ of mandate — and we remand this matter to the trial court to grant the petition,” the appellate panel says.

Nani Teves, Butte Environmental Council’s water-outreach coordinator, sent me a press release announcing “phase two of the Code Blue water engagement campaign.” As some readers may recall, BEC’s 2013 Code Blue water-outreach campaign kicked off on Feb. 5 with a free educational forum at Chico State called “Ethical Issues and Water: An Interfaith Dialogue”; the ongoing series of no-cost, water-centric events will run throughout the year. Phase two—the “action” phase, which will begin Sept. 19—will include gray-water and rainwater-catchment installation workshops, and “actions related to statewide strategies to solving some of the more controversial and political water issues.” Thus, next Thursday (Sept. 19), a free action workshop related to the proposed Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta twin-tunnels project will be held at the Blue Oak Charter School community room (450 W. East Ave.), from 6-7 p.m.

DiFalco weighs in In last week’s column, I devoted a considerable amount of space to the plight of the huge historic valley oak tree

growing in the vacant lot at the corner of Salem and West Eighth streets. Thanks to the recent actions of the city’s Architectural Review & Historic Preservation Board, the grand, towering tree is slated to be axed to make way for a couple of duplexes. However, the Butte Environmental Council has (thankfully) filed an appeal, scheduled to be heard next month. Robyn DiFalco, BEC’s executive director (who penned the appeal), sent me a few words by email recently, expressing her thoughts about the situation of this valley oak, as well as that of other heritage trees still standing in Chico. “The mature street trees of Chico are one of the things I love most about this city—and I’m concerned that they’re vulnerable these days,” DiFalco said. “At present, the city has no urban forester or tree crew on staff, the Tree Committee isn’t meeting for lack of city staff, and consequently, the Urban Forest Management Plan is still just a draft. “This is not just about one small project and a few trees—it’s partly a concern about the future of Chico’s urban forest.”

The fourth annual veterans plant giveaway is planned 9 a.m. to noon Monday by the Veterans Garden Project at Butte Environmental Council’s Humboldt Community Garden, Humboldt and El Monte roads. Hundreds of plant starts have been grown in the Butte Creek Canyon greenhouse and will be given away free to any veteran and their families who stop by the garden. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce and many more starts will be available for veterans to take home for gardening.

The plant giveaway is offered twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.