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 bring you opportunities to become involved.

In this month's issue:

• August 31st - 2022 Water Justice Community Forum
• 35th Annual Bidwell Park & Chico Creeks Cleanup is September 17th - Register today!
• Farewell to Florin

• Advocacy Alerts
• CBMF Recap
• Trees PLEASE - Planting resumes in September!
• 2022 BoD Election Results
• Become a member for SWAG!

Butte Environmental Council's Community Forum Series returns this August on the topic of Sustainable Water Justice for ALL! 

We invite you to join us, at the beautiful Lakeside Pavilion, on August 31st from 5:30 - 8 pm to learn about water related issues in Butte County and the surrounding areas. with presentations by a panel of guests identified as regional leaders in water planning, monitoring, and regulation. Hear perspectives on the state of water in our region, the most critical issues we are facing, and what our community can do to be prepared to face continued water insecurities in terms of access to quality water and the health of our watershed.

After presentations, participants will be invited for an interactive discussion about the most critical topics. The feedback from this session will help give BEC direction in our continued mission to protect the water of Butte County and the surrounding region through advocacy, action, and education. Stay tuned to our facebook event page (linked HERE) and website for more event details including the agenda for the evening. This is a free event open to the public and will also offer a remote Zoom option to listen in and interact virtually.

BEC's community forum series is a way to bring people together to share knowledge and insight on a variety of environmental issues. Our community forums feature a panel discussion, break out sessions and Q&A with experts from public, private, and non-profit sectors. We hope to see you there! 

September 17th marks the 35th Annual Bidwell Park and Chico Creeks Cleanup. This year, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, join BEC to make a difference locally: volunteer to help remove unwanted materials from our natural areas! 

Over the past 35 years, with the help of the community, we have been able to remove over 285 tons of trash, including recyclable materials and large hazardous items, from our beloved waterways and shared spaces. 

We could not do this without your help! As a thank you to our volunteers, we will be hosting a volunteer celebration after the event in recognition of all the hard work the community has put into improving the environment. Volunteers are invited to join us at Hooker Oak Park from 2:30-4:00 pm for lunch and festivities. 

You can register as an individual or with a group online at bit.ly/BEC-Cleanup35.

Pre-register before August 31st to guarantee your t-shirt size!

Pre-registration is preferred, but not required. Same-day registration will be available at Hooker Oak Park starting at 8:30 am.

Become a “Friend of the Cleanup” today

Help support everything that goes into making this cleanup possible. Supporters like you help our efforts to scout dispatch locations, coordinate staff and volunteers, haul debris, provide dumpsters, and inventory the waste removed from our sensitive areas. Any contribution, such as donating and volunteering, that you, your friends and neighbors, can make will ensure that BEC is able to continue this work to maintain healthy ecosystems for generations to come.  A donation of $50 or more earns a free 35th annual cleanup shirt! To support the cleanup, please visit bit.ly/BEC-FoC.

Become a sponsor for the event!

Supporting this event will promote your business within a target audience made up of local businesses, schools, church groups and individual community members who value our creeks and parks. Additionally, your visible support at the event shows our community that you stand with BEC’s efforts to protect Butte County’s ecosystems and keep our community spaces thriving and healthy. View the sponsorship benefits and complete the form at bit.ly/BEC-SponsorEvents 

Send questions about this annual legacy BEC event to steward@becnet.org for more information.



Thank you for giving back to the community through this effort, and all efforts in the region in working toward "Sustainability & Environmental Justice for ALL"

• 8/11 - BEC Advocacy Committee Meeting - must be a current BEC member (more info HERE)
• 8/13 - Citizen Water Quality Monitoring with The Stream Team (more info HERE)
• 8/18 - Community Food Connections - Zero Waste Food Security Part 1 with Valeria Meza (more info HERE)
• 8/20 - SummerFest presented by Explore Butte County (more info HERE)
• Every Thursday - Help make local compost with Paradise Community Compost (more info HERE)
• 8/29 - BEC presents at Chico BPPC meeting (more info HERE)
• 8/30 - T.E.K. Wildtending Plant Walk in Verbena Fields (more info HERE)

View BEC's Community Events Calendar HERE. If you would like to promote your environmental-related event to the next newsletter or on the community calendar on our website, please email staff@becnet.org.

Farewell to Florin

From all of us at Butte Environmental Council, we would like to say thank you Florin Barnhart for your dedication and hard work over the past year. 

Florin says, “my time with BEC has come to an end. I had been interning with them for a year through a Mains’l program that helps developmentally disabled adults, like myself, learn job skills and possible permanent job employment. Most, but not all, the people in the program need a job coach to help them with the tasks, but I didn’t. My first job here was to organize the BEC library and log the books online for their new website. That took several months, because at that time I was only working 4 hours a week. My task later on was to see if donors were in both constant contact and donor snap. By checking the donor info I learned of some interesting, unusual and sometimes funny names. I learned that office work isn’t for me. The next part of my journey I want to work with CHAT as a mentor.”

It was a pleasure working with you, Florin. Best wishes in all your future endeavors, anyone should be considered lucky to get to work with you!

Advocacy Alerts

Will Chico meet its General Plan goal to be the "Green City of the North State"? With housing planning issues we face, that status is on the line. At the direction of its Advocacy Committee and Board of Directors, BEC has been busy tracking several issues with the potential to have an impact on our regional environment. BEC hired a consultant to analyze the Chico Housing Element update, with an extension to also tackle the Oroville and Butte County Housing Elements. With these efforts, BEC was able to make a strong case for changing policies and practices across the county to increase density, allow for more infill, up-zoning, changing parking policies, and more. This is a developing advocacy issue, please follow along on BEC advocacy webpage (linked HERE).

In the same theme of housing and smart growth advocacy, encouraging urban centers that are more inclined to encourage alternative forms of transportation, BEC is also still closely following the progress of Valley's Edge Specific Plan process. We anticipate the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be released within the next two months, and after public review of this document the Chico City Council will be asked to annex one of, if not the largest sprawling development project in city history. It is imperative that the community gives input on this decision and to give support to efforts that will encourage conservation of this parcel that contains thousands of old growth oak woodlands. Contact BEC to find out how to get involved, or you can follow our website and social media. In addition, we recommend you also follow the progress of the group Smart Growth Advocates, as they too are rallying our community members to understand the impact this project will have on our community and the environment, and they are looking for more folks to join the efforts. You can find the SGA webpage linked HERE.

Other advocacy issues include Paradise water and sewer, groundwater sustainability plans, and more. Stay tuned on our advocacy webpage, and also you can find an issues form submission link on our advocacy page in case there is an issue that you think BEC needs to possibly give more attention to.

13th Annual CBMF was a Huge Success!

Our 13th Annual Chico Bicycle Music Festival was a huge success! We were so excited to see everyone from the community out, jamming and biking along with us. We started off at the downtown Farmer’s Market at 11 AM with The Sun Followers starting us off with some live music and then headed out on bikes to the end of Normal Street at 11:30 AM with Thunder Lump playing us Live on Bike as we rode and danced the night away until 8 PM. We were so lucky to have so many wonderful musical acts during the event, including The Sun Followers, Thunderlump, Sweaty Manchego, Fox E Jeff, Tite Nauts, Sons of Jefferson, Roni Jean, Samaria Grace, Viking Skate Country, XDS Band and Blu Egyptian. We also wouldn’t have had such a successful event without our food, non-profit and artistic vendors such as Woodstock's Pizza, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Burrito Barajas. 

We also definitely couldn’t have done it without the help of our volunteers, staff, board members, and our sponsors: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, LaRocca Vineyards, Pedal Press, Members 1st Credit Union, Chico Sunset Prints, Captain Killion Productions, KZFR 90.1 Radio, Klean Kanteen, Chico News & Review, Greenline Bicycles, Explore Butte County, Recology Butte Colusa, Mountain Sports Chico and Chico Velo Bike Valet. Thank you and hope to see you next year!

Planting 

Next month, we will resume our tree planting activities! We still have over 100 trees to plant in Chico and the surrounding areas. If you are a teacher looking to fill your schedule, consider having your classroom spend some time planting a tree with us! We can plant in an adjacent park or on your campus, with permission of course!

We also offer an in-class workshop that can happen before or after a tree planting event or can be scheduled on its own! Please register for your in-class workshop, HERE!  

We are expanding our program to more areas around Chico, please email steward@becnet.org to see if you are eligible to receive a tree as part of our program! We aim to involve as many students and youth in the planting process, as a way to teach them about the important role that trees play in our environment! 

Do you want to plant a tree? Sign up to become a volunteer and help us plant trees! This is a great opportunity to connect with the community and create a long lasting positive impact on the environment. 

June was the annual Board of Directors Election. Board elections take place every June and any current BEC member is eligible to vote. BEC Board members bring a variety of experiences and talents to the organization, and we are thrilled with our recent additions. The BEC BoD are the ultimate volunteers that help develop the strategic plan and provide guidance to BEC staff in the pursuit of BEC's mission.

Here are the results of the 2022 Board of Directors Election: 

Bryce Goldstein and Maggie Scarpa were both approved for a 2nd term.

Stephanie Lewis, Christian Garcia, Eric Nilsson and Bill Loker were all approved to serve their first term on the Board of Directors.

Visit www.becnet.org/board to learn more about all our Board Members, or to learn more about what it means to serve on the board and how to apply to fill one of the four remaining vacancies.