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. |
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In this month's issue:
- BEC's New Website!
- Don't miss the 2021 BEC Member Mixer
- Week of Giving with NVCF
- Announcing 2022 BEC Calendar of Events
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- Calls to Action - Valley's Edge Public Comment
- Drop in the Bucket Composting Services
- BEC Program Updates
- BEC's Online Library- Open for Requests
- Native Science & TEK - by Neil Bajaj
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BEC's Website gets an Update!
By Caitlin Dalby, BEC Executive Director
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If you have not visited the BEC website in the past month, you are in for a treat! Thanks to many hours of hard work from BEC's Business Manager, Anna Isaacs, and input from staff and the BEC Board of Directors, we have launched a fresh new website. We would love for you to check it out and give us feedback. Also, special thanks to Chuck Lundgren for assisting with the domain. Chuck's expertise is always appreciated and we are forever grateful for his support over the past many years. |
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Mixer Ticket Pre-Sales End Tuesday! |
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We want to show our members and community supporters how much WE APPRECIATE YOU!
You have stood by us through all the uncertainties these past few years, donating your time, energy, and hard-earned money to make a difference in our region.
To show our gratitude, we are putting together a SUPER FUN evening on Friday, December 10th, 6-9pm at Daycamp Coffee in Meriam Park. Join us for live music from Chico Little Big Band (featuring Stephen Tchudi) and folk band October Coalition (with BEC Board Member Bryce Goldstein). Also available will b free food and coffee from Daycamp Coffee, beverages for purchase from Secret Trail Brewing Company and New Clairvaux Vineyard, upcycle holiday crafts, organization news, and more!
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Tickets are FREE for BEC members, or available for purchase, so call our office at 891-6424 to check your member status!
Secure your tickets for this sure-to-be memorable night by Tues 12/7 at bit.ly/BEC-MemberMixer21. After Tuesday, tickets must be purchased at the door. Must be 21 to attend.
Angel Social Hour
Our BEC Angels are invited to come to the Mixer an hour early! We are hosting a special Angel Social Hour from 5-6pm exclusively for BEC Angel Members. This special thanks to our top donors will include a hosted bar and the opportunity to chat one-on-one with BEC Staff and Board Members. Angels are members who donate $35 or more per month ($420 or more per year).
COVID-safety policy: please show full vaccination status card (physical or digital) or a negative COVID test from a community testing site within 5 days of the event. Masks and testing, regardless of vaccination status, are encouraged for public health and safety.
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Week of Giving with North Valley Community Foundation |
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From now through December 6, 2021, you can donate to BEC through NVCF's Week of Giving.
Over the past 46 years, Butte Environmental Council has led profound environmental advocacy efforts, organized consistent and large-scale community-wide events, and has been at the forefront of environmental education through targeted programs and forums. Join thousands of your neighbors in Butte County and add your support to Butte Environmental Council's important work of protecting our local natural resources for future generations.
Your donation at www.bit.ly/BEC-WOG2021 is a way to support BEC's programs and events that support our community through our environmental action, advocacy, and education efforts.
You can donate to 78 charitable efforts in this online fundraising event from Nov 30th - Dec 6th. Thank you to our grassroots supporters and North Valley Community Foundation.
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2022 Calendar of Events Revealed - SAVE THE DATES! |
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Other December Community Events |
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TEK Seed Workshop in Paradise, a 2-day certification workshop coming soon, dates TBD. More information can be found HERE.
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12/28 - TEK Wildtending Walk at Verbena Fields 4-6pm, part of Camp Fire Restoration Project- more info HERE. Plus volunteer each Friday from 9am-12:30pm with Ali Meders-Knight to help tend the land in Verbena Fields, more info HERE
If you would like to promote your environmental-related event to the next newsletter, please email staff@becnet.org.
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Stay up to date with the latest progress on the Butte County Board of Supervisors Redistricting Process |
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As the process continues in drawing, debating, and redrawing district maps in Butte County, it is imperative that our community stays involved and aware. At meetings held on December 6 and December 14, the debate will continue about which direction is best for the representation of Butte County's citizens. It is imperative that the County Supervisors follow the law according to the 2019 California Fair Maps Act (AB 849) and the 2001 California Voting Rights Act (AB 182), which ensure equitable representation in a democratic voting process, including these criteria: districts are geographically contiguous, neighborhoods, communities, cities and census-designated places have minimal division, have easily identifiable boundaries, encourages geographical compactness. The elections code also requires the board to not consider boundaries for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party. Many of the draft maps under consideration break Chico into 4 districts and Oroville into 3 districts. Half of Butte County's population is in the city of Chico, and so it doesn't make sense to dilute the votes of these two urban centers among a greater number of districts than is necessary. Please be sure to hold our Supervisors accountable to uphold the laws, view the agendas, maps, presentation materials, and public comments at http://www.buttecounty.net/clerkoftheboard/boardmeetings. Follow the instructions there on how to submit a public comment and when to show up in person to let your voice be heard.
Map A7, pictured above, follows the law, public comment submitted so far, and provides the most democratic representation to all citizens of Butte County. The final map must be selected by December 15, 2021, under the fair maps act.
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Valley's Edge Specific Plan - Comment on Draft EIR Due December 13, 2021 |
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The Valley’s Edge Specific Plan (VESP) is a proposed development near Skyway and East 20th to develop nearly 1,450 acres of foothills and is subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The draft Environmental Impact Report (dEIR) for the project was published on Friday, October 28, 2021. As part of the CEQA process, the public is encouraged to give input on the adequacies of the dEIR for the plan and the public comment period is open until December 13 at 5 pm.
BEC's Advocacy Committee has identified a number of inadequacies with the dEIR and will be publishing those findings for the public to review in early December, before the public comment deadline. Additionally, BEC will be making recommendations for more evaluation criteria to be included in the final EIR for the plan. This public comment period is not necessarily about the plan itself but is an opportunity for the public to ensure that every environmental impact and alternative is thoroughly studied before the plan IS put forth for comments and approval.
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In November, BEC hosted an online educational workshop to help citizens understand the proposed project, navigate the dEIR process and effectively contribute public comments. The recording of the workshop can be found on BEC's YouTube page at bit.ly/BEC-YouTube or by clicking HERE.
Your public comments can be sent to Mike Sawley, the Principal Planner for the City of Chico. More information on the public comment period for the dEIR and how to submit your comments can be found HERE.
Click HERE to view the public Valley’s Edge website for more information about the Valley’s Edge Development, and to read the Environmental Review documents.
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We are excited to announce that Drop in the Bucket composting service is now a sponsored program of Butte Environmental Council. This program offers residential curbside compost pickup, so that food waste does not end up in the landfill. If you would like to sign-up for weekly or bi-weekly service, contact drop.in.the.bucket.chico@gmail.com.
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Urban Forest Revitalization Program - with the City of Chico
By Alexa Anderson, BEC Intern
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On November 13th, 43 volunteers spent their Saturday planting trees throughout Chico. Because of our volunteers and those who signed up for free trees, we were able to plant 32 new trees in town! These beautiful new trees can be enjoyed by all and will help provide shade throughout town, provide wildlife habitat, and help with flood control. Thank you to all those who participated in this event and for your help enhancing our urban forest health and making our Fall Tree Planting Event possible!
If you missed having a tree planted, or want to volunteer, we have another city-wide tree planting set for March 5th, 2022! Reserve your spot NOW at becnet.org/urbanforest
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BEC Education Programs
By Emily Donaldson, Education & Outreach Program Manager
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Did you know that Americans generate more trash from Thanksgiving to New Years than they do any other time of year? According to Stanford University, this extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week! This shocking amount of garbage is a result of excess packaging from online orders, wrapping paper, large meals, decorations, etc. We can make a huge difference this year by adjusting a few simple choices.
- Ditch the wrapping paper. This year, try using a cloth bag or upcycled paper like newspaper or magazine paper to save natural resources, water, energy, and landfill space!
- Give clutter-free gifts. Rather than a material gift, consider giving an experience, such as concert tickets, a class, a massage, or just the gift of quality time!
- Vote with your dollar. Shop local, look for items made from recycled materials, reusable items, and recyclable/compostable packaging.
CLICK HERE to book a free classroom workshop (K-12) with one of BEC’s education programs. RARE workshops include upcycling craft activities (great for gifts and decorations!) CAPE familiarizes students with AQI impact on human health and the environment.
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For more tips on holiday waste reduction, click here.
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BEC Community Library Open!
By Florin Barnhart, BEC Intern
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The online log of the BEC library is now complete. It was a long process but a good experience for me because I haven’t worked with computers and have very little job experience from being Autistic. There are a lot of interesting books in the library. A good one if you want to start off with making some small environmental change is How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum.
BEC's Business Manager, Anna says, "Florin has been working as BEC’s Operations Support Intern since late July through the Mains’l Internship Program. She has been working hard to inventory, categorize, and enter data in order to make BEC’s Library viewable online, as a part of our brand new website launch. Thank you Florin for all your dedication to BEC, the Chico community, and our shared environment!"
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Native Science & TEK
By Neil Bajaj, local high school student & BEC Member
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Educators such as Cajete1 are not trying to turn students away from Western science but blending native science and using this body of knowledge, also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge, in tandem with it. His teaching focuses on fostering a relationship with and being responsible for and towards the environment. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is the ongoing collection of knowledge, practice, and belief about relationships between various species in a specific ecosystem acquired by indigenous people over centuries through primary contact with the environment passed down through generations and used for survival. This knowledge includes the relationships between species, natural phenomena, and the timing for hunting, fishing, agriculture - embracing a global view to understanding climate change better.
Tapping into this wisdom plays a critical role in sparsely settled places such as the Arctic2, where warming is exponential. Their traditional knowledge is fundamental to understanding changes in remote locales – everything from thawing permafrost to change in reindeer migration to further changes to biodiversity.
This knowledge is cumulative, showing a trajectory where indigenous users sharing knowledge with local users is part of the evaluation and validation process for TEK. Likewise, Land managers in Australia3 have adopted many of the fire-control practices of the aborigines and have partnered with native people to understand and mitigate wildfires. Scientists and ecologists are tapping into this repository of knowledge for a deeper understanding of the local ecosystems. Among other things, we also learn equanimity and hopefulness from the native people.
This article would be amiss if not to mention the local efforts of Indigenous TEK leaders such as Ali Meders-Knight, who teaches how the land that is the occupied territory of the Mechoopda Tribe, now known as Chico, has been tended to by the peoples of this land for tens of thousands of years. Stay tuned to how to learn more about Tribal efforts to reclaim wildtending practices in the region and to return this land to the intricate cycle among humans, water, food, and animals that was meant to be prior to colonization at www.tekchico.org.
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YOU are the reason BEC thrives!
BEC is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to a healthy environment for us all. Our work is made possible by people like you! Being a BEC member means sustaining the work we do for the environment of Butte County and the surrounding area:
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Angel Members contribute $35 or more each month, or $420 annually.
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Sustaining Members contribute between $4 and $34 a month, or $48 annually.
You don't have to be a member to contribute:
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One-Time Donations of any amount helps us serve our community and the environment!
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Volunteers help by donating their time, energy, expertise, and resources.
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Thank you for your continued support of the Butte Environmental Council. |
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Caitlin Dalby
Executive Director
Butte Environmental Council
(530) 891-6424
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