December 2023
This Month's Issue:
Tuscan Water District Ballots due Today
Practicing the 4 R's
Introducing Eggs in the Classroom
Let's Plant Trees!
Getting Involved with the Healthy Communities Collaborative
Volunteer Opportunity: Drop in the Bucket
Cooking with Scraps
Tap Takeover
Altacal's Snow Goose Festival
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For more information about the Tuscan Water district, it's history and potential affects, check out Groundwater for Butte's website below. | |
Submit your Tuscan Water District Ballots TODAY!
Your chance to vote NO against the creation of the Tuscan Water District is almost up! All ballots are due Dec. 5 so get them in tonight! The District itself is inherently undemocratic, and was entirely planned by a private membership club of 25-30 members. Votes are weighed based on acreage of land, with the biggest and wealthiest landowners having a disproportionately high percentage of the votes.
The District, which would encompass over 97,000 acres of mainly agricultural land, has no identified funding source and could fall on the local taxpayer.
If the vote passes the TWD could lower the water table far below historical averages, and would drastically affect native plants and our local creek ecosystems.
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Practice the 4 R's this Holiday Season
REDUCE...
- How much wrapping paper you buy and use - refuse getting gifts "gift-wrapped" at stores
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To cut down on carbon emissions, give those who live out of town experiences! Send them tickets to live shows, gift cards to their favorite stores and restaurants, or a membership to our Angel Membership program
- If you want to send cards by mail, buy local handmade cards that use recycled paper
- Use shredded paper instead of packing peanuts or bubble wrap to pack ornaments and gifts
- When Christmas shopping, use a reusable bag or cart instead of plastic bags
- Don't buy plastic wreaths, make wreaths out of real plants instead and compost it later!
ROT (Composting)...
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Compost any leftover pure paper products, fruit and veggie scraps, anything that doesn't contain dairy or meat. Sign up here to have us grab your scraps at your door and take them to the garden for you!
- Compost your Christmas tree! (Having a wood chipper helps)
RECYCLE...
- Chop up Christmas trees to use as firewood to keep you warm all winter long
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REUSE...
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Use reusable wrapping such as wrapping gifts with beautiful cloth or using reusable boxes
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Make gifts from up-cycled things from around your house or from local thrift stores. Here are some ideas
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Reuse leftovers to make yummy meals between Christmas and New Years
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Donate extra items to local charities. Animal shelters are always looking for towels and blankets and homeless shelters are always in need of clothes, especially socks. Plush toys can be donated to local hospitals or Stuffed Animals for Emergencies (SAFE)
- Purchase a potted Christmas tree that you can replant after the season is over
- Make your own ornaments out of natural items such as clay, wood, organic fabric, and boughs of real mistletoe, holly, & pine, and dried oranges or popcorn. You can compost a lot of these when they start to go brittle
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Children who participate in homeschooling are able to sign up to view the eggs throughout their beginning life cycle stages. BEC currently has 11 families signed up and participating.
If you would like to view the salmon eggs please contact BEC’s California Climate Action Fellows who are leading this program at action@becnet.org.
Check out the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s video on how climate change is affecting salmon here.
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Eggs in the Classroom: Watershed Education Program
BEC is now the home of 35 Chinook salmon eggs. These salmon eggs are part of the Classroom Aquarium Education Program with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The program includes a variety of hands-on educational experiences including floating classroom field trips, raising eggs in our lobby & in classrooms and more.
Children will learn about the first three life stages of these salmonids, egg, alevin, and fry. Additionally, children will develop an understanding of how climate change and wildfires affect salmon habitats, and how we can support the salmon population in our area.
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Corning Tree Planting Event
- On Wednesday, Dec. 13th from 10-2pm, we will be planting 15 trees in three different parks in Corning.
- We will meet at the Skate Park, 1485 Toomes Ave, and then teams will be dispatched to their planting location.
- This tree planting event will be the last tree planting event through our Trees PLEASE program, which sunsets on December 31, 2023.
- From the beginning of Trees PLEASE in January 2021 through December 2023, we will have planted a total of 255 trees across Butte County, Tehama County and Glenn County! With the last 15 trees going in the ground on Dec. 13th, you won't want to miss this event!
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Funding for Trees PLEASE has been provided through California ReLeaf and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), Urban and Community Forestry Program with funds made available through the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018. | |
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Get Involved with the Healthy Communities Collaborative
Building a Healthier Future: The HCC focuses on primary prevention, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility. Your involvement helps shape initiatives that empower individuals and redefine our community's health narrative.
- In December, HCC is holding two events:
- Dec. 6 From 9:30-11am - Food Systems Collaborative (For anyone working in the realm of Food Sovereignty)
- Dec. 12 from 1-3pm - Physical Activity
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Both events will take place at St. Johns Episcopal Church
Driven by the Feather River Health Foundation and the North Valley Community Foundation, HCC aims to address a variety of pressing health challenges including cancer rates, obesity, mental health and ACEs scores.
These events will continue into the new year, so be on the lookout for more dates!
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Volunteer opportunity: Drop In The Bucket
Our weekly compost pickup-service needs volunteers! Be part of climate action in our community and get your hands dirty.
Each month we haul hundreds of pounds of residential food scraps and turn them into rich, fertile compost that is used at our local garden.
Sign up for household pick-ups or to volunteer.
You can learn more about the program on our website.
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Treat Yourself Before You Throw it Out!
Come join us on Jan. 20th from 2-4pm at the South Chico Community Assistance Center to learn how to turn overripe or excess produce into delicious, nutritious treats!
Whilst composting is a great option for reducing food waste in landfill, there's another way we can divert food waste before it becomes worm food. We can cook it up into something tasty for us!
Every month, we'll be holding these cooking demonstrations at the South Chico Community Assistance Center in Chico. This month, we're making tasty kiwi muffins with those soft kiwis that always go ripe way too soon.
We'll have warm drinks and taste testing at the end of every workshop. All are welcome but we only have 8 spots left so sign up today!
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Tap Takeover with Pure Project
Come join us at the Winchester Goose on Dec. 29 for Pure Project's Tap Take over!
Enjoy live music from local artists, a variety of sustainably made craft beers, and Pure Project merchandise. Doors open at 8 p.m. with the first band taking the stage at 9.
Pure Project is a San Diego based, sustainably minded, environmentally friendly Brewing company. A portion of cover fee proceeds from the event will go to BEC.
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The Wild & Winged Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway 2024
Join in the search for winter birds of the Pacific Flyway during 4-days of action-packed field trips with experienced trip leaders, the "Gathering of Wings" Banquet & Silent Auction, and more.
The festival itself begins on Jan. 25 and will end on the 28th.
As part of the festival, a "Wings of the Eagles Banquet" will be hosted at Chico State's Bell Memorial Union on Saturday, Jan. 27.
There will be a series of free workshops for kids at Patrick Ranch, the event's headquarters.
Registration for field trips and the banquet opens in early December, so keep an eye on the event webpage to sign up, at snowgoosefestival.org.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to the event planners at info@snowgoosefestival.org, or by calling the Festival Office at 530-592-9092.
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Contact Us!
313 Walnut Street #140
Chico, CA 95928
530-891-6424
staff@becnet.org
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