Butte Environmental Council Newsletter, January 2020

Monthly News, Events & Environmental Updates

BEC's mission is to protect and defend the land, air and water of Butte County and the surrounding region through action, advocacy and education. Our monthly newsletter is designed to keep our community informed about local issues that impact our region's environmental quality and to bring you opportunities to become connected with BEC. Thank you for being involved!

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Upcoming BEC Events

This Thursday! Jan. 30th from 6 - 8 PM, Colusa Hall 100B

Are you concerned about the North State water issues you've been hearing of? These issues are on the rise in our region and we have opted for a community discussion and education oriented approach to solutions. Weather you consider yourself a bit of an expert or you are someone who's interested in learning more, we want you to join us at Chico State for this community forum in our series of forums focused on Climate Change this Thursday. Bring a friend or two!

Save the Date! Environmental Coalition Gathering

Each year, in conjunction with the This Way to Sustainability Conference at Chico State , BEC and the Environmental Coalition of Butte County hosts a gathering to keep the conversation going. This year's event will be held at the Chico Women's Club on Friday, March 27th from 5:30-7:30 PM, featuring a no-host bar with Sierra Nevada beer and local wine.

What is this gathering all about? Here are the main goals: 1) Offer both conference attendees and the community at large a capstone event to share conversations and inspiration they received from the conference with like minded individuals, harnessing momentum to create solutions to environmental issues. 2) Serve as a platform for local environmental organizations and groups to showcase their ongoing and recent efforts as well as present opportunities for involvement to those interested. 3) Provide avenues for students and residents of Butte County to become educated and connected to environmental work or volunteering in the area in efforts to bridge the gap between learning and action.

Save the Date! 41st Endangered Species Faire

Join us on Saturday May 2nd at Cedar Grove for our Annual Endangered Species Faire. Did you know our friends Susan and Stephen Tchudi provide amazing interactive classroom lessons on Endangered Species all Spring before the faire? This includes the creation of puppets, some larger than life, that will march in the Procession of the Species. If you'd like to involved with this eco-art creation, please contact our General Manager at danielle.baxter@becnet.org.

Within BEC's mission, we strive to protect and defend the land, air and water of Butte County through education, action and advocacy. Weather that is in the form of a community water forum, educating children of endangered species and critical habitat, or getting our hands dirty to clean our beloved creeks, you know there is always something happening that you can be involved in. Our 2020 calendar of events is final and we hope you'll mark your calendars to join us for another year as we face environmental issues with strength, positivity and community.

Programs and Advocacy

R.A.R.E. Back to School We are seeing a rise in demand for waste reduction and composting education in Butte County schools and we couldn't be happier. RARE is back to school and the calendar schedule for presentations is filling up fast. Email RARE@becnet.org for more information from Julia or click the button to schedule a workshop now! We also want to give a warm welcome to our newest RARE intern, Allison. Schedule a RARE Workshop Today!

Efforts to engage younger generations in climate education and action are underway. Several local high schools have participated in "Listening Session" recently and there is another on the 31st at Chico High. The purpose of the Listening Sessions are to spur engagement and problem solving from high school students and take them to the newly formed Climate Action Commission for review, collaboration and action. If you'd like to be involved with the facilitation or leadership of these sessions, please reach out to danielle.baxter@becnet.org and we will get you in touch with those spearheading this community engagement. Click Here to see a copy of the listening session outline.

Water - California's Currency Article by Neil Bajaj, Chico High School Student

Groundwater levels are a major issue for Northern California. Water tables are declining locally primarily due to an overbearing amount of pumping for orchards. Groundwater is California’s lifeline, particularly in agriculture. According to the Public Policy Institute of California1, aquifers generate about 40 percent of the water used by farms and cities. In lean times, it gets worse. During the recent five-year drought, farmers drilled thousands of new groundwater wells and extracted as much as 8.4 million acre-feet of water out of the aquifers each year, according to a UC Davis study. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons. Excessive pumping is accompanied by the massive droughts from 2011-20172 that have worsened due to climate change. Among one of the major consequences of the extreme heat and drought was an unprecedented tree die-off event, which has elevated California’s wildfire risk. Clearly, California is headed in the wrong direction. In response to these worsening conditions, the California Legislature passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) which established a framework for sustainable, local groundwater management. Individuals can also play a part. Another reason the groundwater level is falling is because, on average, we as American use 80-100 gallons of water per day3. There are three very simple and easy ways for readers to help converse the groundwater. Limit your shower time, only do laundry when you have a full load, and check for leaks in your plumbing (and if there are any, please fix them). Let us all play our part in helping conserve our remaining groundwater. Remember, we are the Groundwater Guardians. - Neil Bajaj ( 1. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/groundwater-decline-and-depletion?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects 2. https://www.caloes.ca.gov/ICESite/Pages/StateOfUrgency.aspx 3. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/water-qa-how-much-water-do-i-use-home-each-day?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects)

Did you know the City of Chico is embarking on a large scale urban tree planting campaign? They've received a grant from Cal-Fire to plant at least 700 street trees in the next 3 years and BEC will be assisting this effort on Earth Day 2020! Stay tuned for more details on this project and Click Here to check out the published draft of the Urban Forest Management Plan.

The Butte County Local Food Network is an amazing resource in our area to join along side in their mission to create a strong and thriving local food system. One of their exciting projects is called "Victory Gardens" and is centered around helping you begin growing food right in your own yard! The application deadline to apply for a Victory Garden installation id Feb. 29th, so click the button to get it done with their help! Apply for a Victory Garden!

Are you interested in joining the BEC Board of Directors? Click for Board Application

BEC is seeking involved and experienced community members to be a part of the team by serving on our Board of Directors. Please consider applying if you have experience in grant writing , fundraising, donor stewardship, event planning, or other expertise to offer!

Thank you for your continued support and involvement with BEC! ‌ ‌

General Manager Butte Environmental Council