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rdifalco

Steve Carson's Outdoors: Elk more common, bears still out in Butte County - 1 views

www.chicoer.com/...ears-still-out-in-butte-county

BEC wildlife Butte County

shared by rdifalco on 09 Jan 15 - No Cached
  • Sightings of Rocky Mountain elk are increasing in Butte County, the Butte County Fish and Game Commission heard at its quarterly meeting in Oroville.Elk have been seen near Snag Lake at Butte Meadows and near Humbug Valley. These much bigger animals will out-compete deer, according to California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Henry Lomeli.
  • The commission also heard grant funding request presentations from 11 local organizations, including Barry Kirshner Wildlife Foundation, Bidwell Wildlife Rehab, Paradise Park and Rec Kids Fishing Day, Oroville Kids Fishing Day, Chico Kids Fishing Day, Paradise Lake Kids Fishing Day, Gridley Kids Fishing Day, Gaines and Associates, Lake Oroville Florida-strain Bass Project, Feather River Recreation and Park District, and Butte Environmental Council.
rdifalco

Courthouse News Service - 0 views

www.courthousenews.com/...64048.htm

BEC endangered species

shared by rdifalco on 27 Dec 13 - No Cached
  • 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.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • 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 - Wildlife tours, old paint and drones - The GreenHouse - Green - O... - 0 views

www.newsreview.com/...content

BEC chico awards dioxin

shared by rdifalco on 15 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • BEC board boss says thanks! On the heels of the Butte Environmental Council’s recent gala fundraiser and awards ceremony honoring local environmentalists Wes Dempsey, Dave Garcia, and Susan and Stephen Tchudi (see “BEC bestows honors,” Earthwatch, Oct. 24), BEC board chairman Mark Stemen wanted to extend his appreciation to the Butte County District Attorney’s Office for helping close down the dioxin-spewing Pacific Oroville Power Inc. (POPI) co-generation plant in south Oroville, and also to thank CN&R News Editor Tom Gascoyne for his coverage related to that controversial plant.
  • Don’t forget Anti-GMO activist Pamm Larry wanted me to remind folks of the Uniting Generations for Action community-building event on Nov. 2 at Trinity United Methodist Church (285 E. Fifth St.), from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (See “Let us unite,” Guest comment, Oct. 24). “This will be an unforgettable event and a prime opportunity to pair new activists with longstanding organizations and individuals,” said Larry in an email. Go to www.facebook.com/events/397543767021567 for a schedule of events.
rdifalco

Chico News & Review - Constant cleanup - Feature Story - Local Stories - April 17, 2014 - 0 views

www.newsreview.com/...content

BEC chico cleanup water parks creeks

shared by rdifalco on 17 Apr 14 - No Cached
  • The byproducts of homeless encampments—mattresses, tents, sleeping bags, food packaging, empty bottles, clothing and human waste—are increasingly common along Chico’s creeks, and the mess is more than unsightly. Many items at these makeshift homes have the potential to pollute the local waterways and habitats downstream.
  • Members of volunteer cleanup crews, park officials and environmental advocates agree that the problem is worse than ever. They also acknowledge that, in light of the city’s ongoing financial difficulties, the ability to clean up the camps in a timely manner has diminished significantly.
  • Robyn DiFalco, executive director of the Butte Environmental Council, said that in the months leading up to the Bidwell Park and Chico Creeks Cleanup last September, there was a dramatic increase in homeless encampments throughout Chico, and despite a lower than expected volunteer turnout, the cleanup removed about twice as much trash from the creeks as the year before.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • “Things reached a level that no one could remember,” she said. “It was worse than it had ever been. We saw so many more mattresses, so many more tires, so many of those big, bulky items.”
  • Mark Gailey, a Chicoan who has volunteered for BEC’s cleanup efforts for nearly 25 years, said in an email that the amount of trash in Chico’s waterways “has seemed to grow exponentially—especially in the last few years. The vast majority of this trash … appears to be from abandoned homeless and transient encampments.”
  • Volunteers also described certain areas with such high concentrations of fecal matter and urine that “they required a hazmat cleanup,” DiFalco said. “When humans use our waterways as a bathroom, it has an impact on water quality; it has an effect on aquatic wildlife as well as terrestrial and amphibian wildlife.”
  • Since last fall’s cleanup, DiFalco said, she has been encouraged by ongoing discussions between city and county organizations about how to stay on top of the issue. Some locals, including a group of neighbors along Lindo Channel, have organized cleanup efforts of their own, while student volunteers from Chico State and Butte College have also proved helpful.
  • “You’re never going to solve it, but you do need to keep responding to it so it doesn’t get out of control,” she said. “The city shouldn’t be expected to do it on their own, nor should volunteers or nonprofits.”
  • rdifalco on 17 Apr 14
     
    The community's efforts to keep waterways unpolluted is more important than ever
ndcarter

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

www.newsreview.com/...content

BEC water cleanup chico news Community

shared by ndcarter on 05 Apr 18 - No Cached
  • 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.
  • ndcarter on 05 Apr 18
     
    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.
rdifalco

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

www.chicoer.com/...at-endangered-species-faire-at

BEC chico endangered species

shared by rdifalco on 08 May 13 - No Cached
  • 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

theorion.com/...d7-11e2-ab32-001a4bcf6878.html

BEC chico endangered species

shared by rdifalco on 08 May 13 - No Cached
  • 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 future of the f-word - Feature Story - Local Stories - Septem... - 0 views

www.newsreview.com/...content

BEC Butte County fracking

shared by rdifalco on 19 Sep 13 - No Cached
  • On a recent summer morning, Dave Garcia, the political chair of the Sierra Club’s Northern California Yahi chapter, occasionally interrupted a tour of gas wells in the Sutter Buttes to point out signs of wildlife: a scampering cottontail rabbit, a vigilant red-tailed hawk or whizzing western kingbirds. Garcia had brought a pair of journalists here to witness fracking in the Northern Sacramento Valley, something that most Northern Californians probably have no idea is underway in this area. The well sites appear almost deserted—there are no gas flares, no trucks moving huge tanks of water, no towering pump jacks. In fact, rarely were people even seen at these electronically monitored stations.
  • Property owners who lease land don’t always fare well with the oil giants, either. A Glenn County landowner contacted the Butte Environmental Council (BEC) earlier this year after an exchange with a company that drills for gas on her property. She was worried about fracking and had become reluctant to sign over mineral rights. The company told her it wasn’t fracking, but if she didn’t renew the contract, it could access gas on her land from a neighboring parcel, according to BEC.
  • Though FracFocus doesn’t show fracked wells in Butte County, Garcia says he’s identified 10 active gas wells in the county. Once natural-gas prices start climbing back up, the wells could be subject to fracking, he said. “These companies are going to be going to the old gas wells they have in Butte County and reworking them,” Garcia said. “That’s why it’s critical to get a moratorium.” California’s fracking story has really just begun.
rdifalco

More trees in Chico's Bidwell Park thanks to BEC acorn project - 0 views

www.orovillemr.com/...rk-thanks-to-bec-acorn-project

BEC Chico

shared by rdifalco on 29 Dec 15 - No Cached
  • Chico >> Fifty years from now there should be more shade at the parking lot at Horseshoe Lake.Volunteers had their hands covered with mud Saturday while planting blue oak acorns.Normally this might be a job for squirrels. However, new seedlings have a tough time at Horseshoe Lake with people and dogs are running and walking over the area year-round.Saturday, a group organized by the Butte Environmental Council did all that they could to give the new acorns a great chance at survival.
  • Danielle Baxter, project coordinator for the Oak Restoration Project.
  • Saturday was the fourth planting day this year, with a total of 120 holes dug and filled.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • To increase the chances of these acorns living a long, long life, volunteers will revisit the area many times to add water. They bring in a big water container and literally set up a bucket brigade.Baxter explained that a $30,000 grant from the California Wildlife Foundation is funding the project for three years. The goal is to plant new trees, of course, but also to involve the public in the process.
  • The locations included the North Rim Trail parking lot, Bidwell Park Golf Course, Chico Rod and Gun Club, Five-Mile Recreation Area and the Equestrian Association horse arena. Valley oaks were planted at the Five-Mile and the horse arena, Baxter said. The city of Chico’s park manager helped as a consultant.
ndcarter

Fish and Game Commission hears grant requests - 0 views

www.chicoer.com/...180119934

shared by ndcarter on 18 Jan 18 - No Cached
  • 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.
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