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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.

The Resource Conservation District of Tehama County and Butte Environmental Council will host a Rainwater Catchment System workshop Saturday.

CHICO — The next round of the Code Blue water series, hosted by the Butte Environmental Council, begins tonight with a one-hour "action" meeting about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. The Code Blue series kicked off in February, and six events remain after its summer break. Several additional events are planned through November, including a rain barrel workshop and delta tour.

Better alternatives exist, DiFalco said, than the concept to use tunnels to transfer water from the Sacramento River to the Southern Central Valley. "Let's not let Gov. Brown's tunnels be the only things being considered," she said.

The Oct. 17 discussion will feature fracking, which is fracturing of rock to extract gas and oil. "We are gathering details about fracking in Butte County, and citizens are getting ready for a (statewide ballot provision) for 2014," DiFalco said. Sutter and Glenn counties have the largest amount of fracking activity in the area, primarily natural gas, she said.

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.

Harvest the rain Nani Teves, the Butte Environmental Council’s Code Blue water-outreach coordinator, reminded me that on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 10-11 a.m., BEC is hosting a free rainwater-harvesting workshop. “If you’ve ever wanted to put your roofs and gutters to work collecting rain for you, this event is a must,” says the BEC website (www.becnet.org) of this informative event. “Learn how to safely and sensibly collect and store water for use in your garden.”

workshop—which will also offer healthful, organic snacks—is being held at a private home; contact Teves at nanibay@hotmail.com or 891-6424 for more information and to register.

The city has scheduled home energy-efficiency workshops in three neighborhoods composed predominantly of older houses: Barber, Chapman and the Avenues. Speakers from the Butte Environmental Council and North Valley Energy Watch will describe quick retrofits, upgrade options and rebate programs. The workshops will take place on successive Wednesday evenings starting May 31 (see “Power to the people,” Greenways, page 16). You can’t beat the price: free. Organizers hope to boost attendance by serving ice cream—also free—and handing out prizes.

The proposed oak woodland mitigation ordinance, created by the county, made its way through the first workshop of the Butte County Planning Commission last week.

Natalie Carter of Butte Environmental Council attended the workshop.

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.

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.

Published on November 3, 2013 by growingupchico

When it comes to waste, “there is no away.” This is an important life lesson that the Butte Environmental Council hopes to impart to local students, teachers and community members with their new recycling education program. RARE, The Recycling and Rubbish Education program, strives to educate through engaging interactive workshops and field trips, which focus on the four R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle and rot.  The program comes directly to the students at their Butte County school and is completely free of charge. “When we give children meaningful, hands-on experiences within their classrooms and show them up close by visiting the local landfill, they feel connected to the bigger picture of where trash ends up,” said Tanya Parish, RARE program coordinator.  “Our hope is that they then take positive steps to create a healthier and more sustainable future.”

The Butte Environmental Council (BEC) recently announced the revival of the Recycling and Rubbish Education program (RARE), aimed at teaching schoolchildren about recycling and garbage reduction. “[A]fter more than a year of negotiation, a proposal submission process and a vote by the Butte County Board of Supervisors, BEC was selected to carry on the successful legacy of the RARE program,” said a BEC press release. The program—which was in existence from 2001 to 2012, thanks to the Chico State Research Foundation—“will travel to schools throughout Butte County providing [no-cost] hands-on, interactive workshops that emphasize the importance of the 4 R’s—reduce, reuse, recycle and rot (compost).” For more information, go to www.becnet.org/RARE or call 891-6426

In partnership with the Butte Environmental Council and North Valley Energy Watch, Goldstein and Brendan Vieg of the city’s Planning Services Department have arranged three neighborhood home energy efficiency workshops.

There’s no charge—in fact, organizers are giving things away: ice cream, LED light bulbs, ChicoBags, Klean Kanteens and prizes.

The idea is to introduce residents, particularly those in older houses, to the spectrum of low-cost, cost-saving options available.

Goldstein reached out to the general public at Chico events such as Thursday Night Market; the homeowner workshops co-sponsored by North Valley Energy Watch and the Butte Environmental Council, nonprofits that put together tool-and-testing kits available through the Chico library; and meetings with business leaders.

Molly Marcussen, a recent graduate of Chico State, began her CivicSpark fellowship this week, transitioning into City Hall as Goldstein transitions out. The two met in one of Marcussen’s classes last fall—Community Service Practice in Geography, taught by Sustainability Task Force chair Mark Stemen—but otherwise have not worked together.