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This program was done even as the Camp Fire continued to ravage the community of Paradise and surrounding towns. It was a panel of community leaders offering a variety of perspectives on what has happened and what can or will happen following this catastrophe. 

Butte Environmental Council said that groundwater contamination will likely not happen right away, but they do recommend getting it tested.

Interview With Natalie Carter: Upcoming Rain Poses Risk To Juvenile Salmon In Butte Creek

The Butte Environmental Council organized a brunch in honor of Earth Day in Chico and all the proceeds helped an organization, aimed at educating people about endangered species.

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.”

Butte County is working with other water leaders in the county toward the state-mandated Sustainable Groundwater Management planning effort, http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/sgm. This involves agencies that manage water creating plans that maintain water supply and water quality.

So far, several water agencies that provide surface water within the county have attended meetings, with a goal of identifying who will govern which areas of the groundwater basins. Mapping out jurisdictions needs to be finished by June of next year.

What will happen with private pumpers in Butte County is still up for discussion. At a recent GSA meeting, Carol Perkins from the Butte Environmental Council, told the Enterprise-Record that her groups hoped private pumpers would be given an active role.

On a recent Saturday, three staffers with the Butte Environmental Council were demonstrating how to build a simple contraption to harvest the rain.

Illegal in California before 2012, rain barrels aren’t going to save the Delta Smelt, spring run salmon or next year’s almond crop. But they can irrigate gardens, reduce water bills and reduce loads on sewage plants. If adopted widely enough, the water saved becomes a lot more than a few drops in the proverbial bucket.

Hundreds of hands gathered tons of trash Saturday in Chico’s prized parks and along Lindo Channel, Little Chico Creek and Comanche Creek. The 29th annual cleanup is organized by the Butte Environmental Council, www.becnet.org

During the events, big containers are provided to help haul all the items away, BEC assistant director Becky Holden explained while standing near a row of blue recycling containers, each with a different label of what should go inside.

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.

Councilwoman Ann Schwab was concerned because the parcel in question is home to the Butte Environmental Council’s Humboldt Community Garden, which would have to move. As such, Schwab made a motion to accept the proposal with an amendment directing the city to help relocate the garden, if possible, which passed unanimously.

Shasta Environmental Alliance will be featuring Natalie Carter, Executive Director of Butte Environmental Council (BEC) on Wednesday, January 24, 6 pm at Redding Public Library, 1100 Parkview Ave.

To her consternation, Strachan’s colleagues had declined to consider a resolution put forth by the Butte Environmental Council for the county to recognize BEC as a representative of groundwater interests. Supervisors previously passed a comparable resolution for an agricultural group.

Natalie Carter, BEC’s executive director, echoed Strachan’s perspective on equal representation. “Farmers say, ‘We represent domestic users—we have domestic wells,’ and they do, and they absolutely have a shared perspective in that,” Carter said. “They don’t want their domestic wells to go dry. “That’s not to say we shouldn’t have a voice for someone who is only a domestic well user and doesn’t have ties to the agricultural interests in this community, which are so valuable, but shouldn’t be the only voice at the table.” In seeking recognition from the county, BEC wants to become a—not the— representative for users of groundwater from shallow depths. That’s the connection BEC sees between advocacy for groundwater-dependent ecosystems and homeowners who depend on wells—and why Carter says it’s important for the county to recognize multiple constituencies. “[SGMA conveys] a 50-year horizon to sustainability,” she added. “The whole design is local control, and our local voices include a wide variety.”

Scott Grist, who manages the event, believes in sustainability and uses this event to bring awareness to conscious thinking about environmental needs. “We’re opening people up to the idea that we can use less fossil fuels and have a whole day live music festival powered by human effort,” Grist said. The event is ran by volunteers giving in various ways including audience members signing up and powering the sound and instruments by pedaling stationary bicycles.

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.

Butte Environmental Council’s Endangered Species Faire has celebrated efforts to protect the environment for decades. The free gathering gives children and adults information and hands-on learning experiences that stress efforts to protect the earth and its creatures. This year’s event will take place at the picnic area at One Mile Recreation Area from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Gustafson said the city has committed to providing certain resources to make it work. That includes identifying the locations to plant the acorns and providing the signage or cages that will protect them. The idea is to find spots where the future trees will flourish naturally, he said. The other key to the project is having a stable of volunteers affiliated with CTA and BEC (the latter organization has a similar, ongoing program to replenish the oak stock in Upper Park) to provide the manpower to plant the acorns.

In preparation, the city is starting to remove existing debris, including many of the fallen trees that dot the landscape. At last count, between 40 and 50 large trees have come down in Lower and Middle Park in the last year or so, Gustafson said. Crews will begin along South Park Drive and Petersen Memorial Way and then will head toward Woodland and Vallombrosa avenues.

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.

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.

It turns out Withuhn was right to question the removal. Erik Gustafson, manager of the Chico’s Public Works Department, said city staff had been inundated with calls from concerned citizens after the two trees were cut, and confirmed no permit had been issued. City staff visited Enloe Medical Center the next morning—May 3—to deliver a cease and desist order to prevent further removals.

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.