Inventory of Environmental Education Programs

Introduction

This component of the Existing Conditions Report (ECR) provides a comprehensive profile of those environmental programs currently in progress within the schools. Once clearance to talk to school administrators was granted by Chico Unified School District, educators from each school were contacted and asked to provide information about or profiles of their environmental education programs. This was achieved in the form of an interview questionnaire that each teacher/principal who was consulted answered to the best of his/her knowledge. The results of this survey are found in Table 1.

The results of this survey provide an overview of the environmental education programs that exist within the schools within the Big Chico Creek Watershed. This information has been condensed and clarified for the convenience of the reader. The next component is a description of the individual environmental education programs. At the end of the section are additional facts about the programs that may be unique to the school or are in the planning strategies of the individual schools.

Public and Private School Environmental Education Programs in the Big Chico Creek Watershed

Adopt-A-Watershed

Adopt-A-Watershed is a comprehensive curriculum source for educators, k-12th grade, who are interested in involving students in local watershed activities. Adopt-A-Watershed provides a way for teachers to weave together projects and programs with an overall environmental theme in order to focus on local watersheds. Seminars offer educators new activities, literature and knowledge of how to use equipment in conjunction with the curriculum.

For more information contact: Adopt-A-Watershed (530) 628-5334.

Butte Creek Watershed Education Program

Butte Creek Watershed Education Program is involved in training Chico area teachers interested in the Adopt-A-Watershed program. The program has plans for starting restoration projects, and is developing walking field trips in Bidwell Park which focus on watershed education (Stephens, 1998). The project is also involved in providing educational opportunities for teachers and students at the Butte Creek McAmis Property and at the Butte Creek California Fish and Game Ecological Preserve.

For more information contact: Anne Stephens (530) 891-3080.

Table 1. Environmental Education Programs and Projects Offered at Watershed Schools.

Chico Science Fair Foundation

The Chico Science Fair is organized by the Chico Science Fair Foundation (CSFF), a non-profit organization founded by dedicated science enthusiasts who wanted to build local awareness of, and provide support for, informal science education.

The purpose of the Chico Science Fair is to offer local students, both at public and private schools, an opportunity to carry out hands-on science experiments which help them acquire valuable critical thinking and problem solving skills. The students, k-12th grade, research, plan and implement their projects as individuals, or in small groups. Then the experiments are shared with the community. The emphasis of the fair is on education, not competition, although the projects are judged and prizes are awarded. During the two and a half days that the fair is open to the public approximately 3,000 people visit the exhibits (Whitegon, 1998).

For more information contact: Leonard Whitegon at (530) 343-0448.

Chico Unified School District

Chico Unified School District (CUSD) has two programs. The first program is Learn and Serve Chico, which is coordinated by Cindy Triffo at Chico High School. The focus is on coordinating community needs with student projects. Although this program is to provide a variety of service learning opportunities, the current focus is on watershed education.

Two main goals of service learning are to enhance academic learning and to encourage civic responsibility. The main elements of service learning are:

• Integrated learning
• High Service
• Student Voice
• Reflection
• Collaboration

Learn and Serve Chico has just completed its first year of a three year funding cycle. The specific focus of year one was the environment. Learn and Serve Chico plans to establish and maintain liaisons with environmental agencies such as the Butte Creek Education Project, the City of Chico Volunteer Program, Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance, Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE) and others. In year one students from Chico High Senior High, Pleasant Valley Senior High, Bidwell Junior High and Hooker Oak Elementary school all participated at different levels to enhance environmental curriculum. Additionally, five elementary schools have implemented Community Garden Projects. The focus of future years will include Social Services, Health Services, Literacy projects, and a Cross-Age Tutoring program. Funding could last for two more years after which the Chico Unified School District will be expected to sustain the program (Triffo, 1998).

For more information contact: Cindy Triffo at (530) 891-3026.

The second program at Pleasant Valley Senior High School emphasizes watershed studies. Teacher Steve Hostettler has been working on the concept of developing "Field Schools" in different disciplinary areas such as Early Childhood, Education, Medicine, and Watershed Studies. Both Steve Hostettler and Dan Beadle work with the Colegio Program, which provides students with a personalized plan for academic achievement based on objective assessments, parent input, and student goals. Dan Beadle has incorporated a study of Lindo Channel into his classroom studies. The students have visited the channel a number of times to study it and record changes they observe. Students collaborate to construct essential questions, develop reasonable hypotheses, and evaluate solution objectives. Learning experiences integrate theory and practice; school and community; science, technology, humanities and the Spanish language (Hostettler, 1998).

For more information contact: Steve Hostettler at (530) 891-3050.

EcoLife

EcoLife is a program offered cooperatively by California State University, Chico (CSUC) and the Butte Environmental Council (BEC). EcoLife was started as a club for CSUC Associated Students. Volunteer students worked with BEC to give in-class presentations concerning environmental topics to local schools. Students from Dr. Jon Hooper's Environmental Education class joined the club and became involved in presenting environmental education lessons. Over time, the general student body membership dwindled, so Dr. Hooper decided to simply incorporate EcoLife into his RECR/EDCI 251 "Methods and Materials for Environmental Education" class.

In the RECR/EDCI 251 class, Dr. Hooper requires students to complete an out-of-class teaching assignment. The idea is to give college students first-hand experience working with younger people. The college students work in teams to teach a 1-to-2 hour session on an environmental topic. BEC advertises the program and provides a list of interested teachers to Dr. Hooper. Dr. Hooper provides the students with the list of potential teachers, who make a selection, and then initiate contact with the individual teachers. The teacher and the students figure out exactly what will be done in the classroom. While a few teachers have "canned" programs that the students can present, most leave it primarily up to the students to decide what to cover. Most students incorporate a Project WILD activity, since all students are trained on the use of this environmental education guide (Hooper, 1998).

For more information contact: Dr. Jon Hooper (530) 898-5811.

Endangered Species Fair (ESF)

The Endangered Species Fair, sponsored by the Butte Environmental Council (BEC), is the area's largest networking link between k-12 grade school teachers; students concerned with environmental education and issues; regional environmental organizations like the Sierra Club; and government agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 19th annual Endangered Species Fair in 1998 was a success with over 5,000 attendees, 14 school booths and 20 nonprofit groups in attendance. Between 6,000 and 10,000 attendees enjoy this annual event (Vlamis, 1998).

For more information contact: BEC (530) 891-6424.

Garden/Life Lab

A number of schools have either started gardens (which can include native plants, flowers or vegetables) or are planning to develop a garden in the near future. The idea of gardening is financially supported by several different funding sources both locally and at the state level.

Life Labs are ideal for classrooms that do not have space or support for a full garden area. Life Lab provides the teacher with the necessary equipment to set up a miniature green house in the classroom where students have the opportunity to grow plants and conduct various studies.

Nature Bowl

The Nature Bowl is an annual environmental education event sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game and funded through the California Department of Education. It is a cooperative learning team program for 3rd through 6th grade students. Questions and activities focus on regional environmental science and issues, correlating with the State Science Framework.

The Nature Bowl serves to reinforce concept comprehension, introduce new information, and motivate students and teachers to further study in the field of science. Classes become involved in the conservation of natural resources, and in understanding local environmental issues. The goal of the Nature Bowl is to motivate students and inspire teamwork, and to train future environmental leaders.

An in-service class is offered to the teachers or adults who will be leading the nature bowl teams. The coaching workshop introduces the Nature Bowl format and gives suggestions for incorporating and improving environmental education in classroom activities.

During the school year, there are two individual events. At the county level, the schools are given the option of having one team participate at each of these grade levels: 3rd/4th, and 5th/6th grade. Our local county competition takes place at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The event lasts a half-day at which time the students participate in six to eight different events. At the end of the day two teams are chosen to go on to state finals at California State University, Sacramento. The cost for participating in the Nature Bowl is $5.00 a year per team (Foreman, 1998).

For more information contact: California Department of Fish and Game (916) 358-2353.

North Valley Disposal and Recycling Program

North Valley Disposal and Recycling has an established recycling program with Chico Unified School District. They have organized a district wide paper recycling competition. The paper recycled from each school is tracked for the quarter, and the school recycling the most paper per quarter is awarded a large, laminated recycling poster. The contest is broken down into three groups: junior and senior high schools; elementary schools; and the two small schools of Fair View and Nord. The posters are awarded at the end of each quarter. Last year a number of different schools won posters. Chico Unified School District was responsible for recycling 44, 575 lbs. of paper.

North Valley Disposal also sponsors several other recycling programs that many schools participate in, such as cardboard and kitchen recycling. Kitchen recycling includes tin cans, plastic bottles/buckets, glass bottles/jars, and newspapers/magazines. The amount of recycled materials is weighed and calculated and the winning schools in the different categories are presented awards from North Valley Disposal and Recycling (Barker, 1998).

For more information contact: Ginger Barker (530) 893-8053.

Outdoor Education Programs

Sixth graders attending public school have the opportunity to spend several days at an outdoor education program at some point during the school year. Individual schools decide which local outdoor education school they will attend. The local outdoor education schools are Butte Meadows, Whiskey Town and Woodleaf Outdoor Education School. Some schools attend outdoor education programs on the coast or choose to create their own outdoor education experience. The local outdoor education school for the Chico area is Butte Meadows Outdoor Education School.

For more information on Butte Meadows Outdoor Education School contact: Judy Johnson at Emma Wilson Elementary (530) 891-3297.

Streaminders

Streaminders was founded in 1980 as a citizens stream advocacy group. In 1990, it became a chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWL). The Streaminders Chapter of the IWL is dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and restoring Butte County streams, watersheds, and urban forests through educational program advocacy, and hands-on activities for the public. Streaminders has received a number of grants to do restoration, care for the shade trees of Chico, as well as teach classes on creek ecology.

For more information contact: Roger Cole (530) 895-0866

Salmon and Steelhead from Eggs to Fry Program

The Streaminders hands-on Salmon and Steelhead from Eggs to Fry Program builds on the fascinating environments of local streams to provide students an opportunity to learn first hand about the wonder of the salmon/steelhead life cycle and habitat needs. They also learn about the challenges facing these fish and the roles humans play in helping them to thrive in our local creeks and streams.

For more information contact: Roberta Walker-Forest (530) 899-8101

The Americorp Watershed Project

"The Watershed Project," an AmeriCorp's program and a partnership between the California Conservation Corps and Adopt-A-Watershed, is a breakthrough in science education. It combines an integrated, hands-on science curriculum known as Adopt-A-Watershed with an innovative implementation model based on school/community collaboration.

Kindergarten students adopt a local watershed and use it as a focal point for their science curriculum through 12th grade, doing at least 3 service learning projects a year. Adult volunteers from a broad range of organizations in the community work closely with the students, lending their expertise in the planning and implementation of the service learning projects. Post-secondary students serve as mentors to the younger students and have the opportunity to participate in certification and apprenticeship programs.

Teachers need support in identifying, planning and implementing service learning projects. The Watershed Project is designed to bring resources and expertise of the community into the classroom. Site-Based Coordinators oversee the interface between schools and the community and develop Adopt-A-Watershed curricula into a total watershed education model. AmeriCorp's crewmembers act as mentors on field trips and help with restoration projects.

Participants in the Watershed Project will develop an ethic of service and enthusiasm for and applied knowledge of science. In collaboration with local professionals, educators, students, citizens, and other resource workers, they will be empowered to get things done. They will be given the tools and the opportunity to make a genuine and enduring impact on their shared watershed. (Hamer, 1998).

For more information contact: Todd Hamer (530) 384-7900.

Public Watershed Education

Opportunities to learn about the Big Chico Creek Watershed through public environmental education or natural history programs are abundant in our area. This list of organizations includes an overview of locally offered programs. However, the purpose of this report is to focus on programs, projects, and activities, which are directly related to watershed education or environmental education. A brief description of each of the organizations is provided and then the focus narrows specifically to those activities, which relate directly to educating people about watershed issues.

Altacal Audubon Society, Inc.

The Altacal Chapter of the National Audubon Society is a conservation and educational organization concerned with all aspects of nature and wildlife with a priority on birds. Altacal provides a range of educational opportunities for its members and the community.

• Monthly meetings are held at which guest speakers provide presentations on a variety of topics related to bird life.
• Altacal is participating in two watershed restoration projects. The first site is a 23-acre parcel called the Arneburg Sanctuary that is owned by Altacal. This site is located beside Kopta Slough next to Woodson Bridge State Park on the Sacramento River. Altacal has formed a partnership with Corning High School to put up Wood Duck boxes, songbird boxes, and Barn Owl boxes in the sanctuary. This partnership provides an important way for students to gain first-hand experiences working in their watershed. The second restoration site is located at the Chico oxidation ponds near the Sacramento River. There was area on the creek that lacked any vegetation and Altacal restored that section of the creek with native riparian plants.
• Altacal members lead 2-4 field trips each month throughout the state of California. Field trips are for birders of all levels - beginners through advanced.
• Monthly newsletters can be obtained at the Chico Creek Nature Center, the Chico Library, or on the Altacal web site.
• Each December Altacal holds an annual bird count that is open to public participation.
• Altacal is also forming a library containing a variety of slideshows on birding (Tinker, 1998).

For more information contact: Dave Tinker (530) 894-5960.

Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park

The Bidwell Mansion Association is dedicated to the restoration, preservation and interpretation of the Bidwell Mansion. The association is composed of citizens working under the guidelines provided by the State Department of Parks and Recreation. Bidwell Mansion State Park's visitor center has a detailed exhibit on the Bidwells that shows their influence on the history of Sacramento Valley. The State Park provides a variety of social events and living history presentations while conducting daily public and school group tours of the mansion. Tours are held Monday through Friday (12:00-4:00) and Saturday through Sunday (10:00 - 4:00) (Kendall, 1998).

For more information contact: Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park (530) 895-6144.

Boys and Girls Club of Chico

The Boys and Girls Club of Chico is part of the national organization. The Boys and Girls club offers both summer camp and after-school programs. During the school year the club has "Power Hour" where young people have the chance to focus on science, art & crafts, and the computer lab. Summer time activities include programs for a broad range of interests.

The program designed to teach environmental education, "Earth Protectors," was created to nurture environmentally responsible behavior in children while increasing environmental awareness. The most important aspect of Earth Protectors is that it is educational and fun. The current theme of Earth Protectors is fun and games with recyclable items, which includes activities like Kick the Can, Newspaper Dodge Ball, and Hot Box. (Pierce, 1998).

For more information contact: Boys and Girls Club of Chico (530) 899-0335

Golden Empire Council, Boy Scouts of America

As a member of the Boy Scouts, a young person can earn badges by studying a number of different subjects, many of which are based on the natural sciences. Scouts also attend Camp Lassen located at the headwaters of Big Chico Creek. There scouts study a variety of conservation subjects while being immersed in the natural beauty of the Sierra Nevada/Cascade Range (Lewis, 1998).

For more information contact: Golden Empire, Boy Scouts of America (530) 342-7460.

Butte Environmental Council

Butte Environmental Council (BEC) is a local non-profit environmental education and advocacy organization active in the Chico area for the past 23 years. BEC's focus as an environmental watchdog has been on timber, water, land, and planning conservation issues in the greater Northern California region. As an active environmental advocacy organization, BEC has four main educational and community outreach activities.

• BEC organizes cleanups of local creeks and Bidwell Park. Volunteers who participated in spring '98 Cleanup grossed over 2,251 lbs. of trash and recyclable materials.
• BEC sponsors the Endangered Species Fair. This educational event is the area's largest networking link between k-12 grade school teachers, students concerned with environmental education and issues, regional environmental organizations, and government agencies.
• BEC publishes a quarterly newsletter, Environmental News, which is free.
• BEC maintains a local web site at www.becnet.org. The web site provides information about recycling, local endangered species, and conservation groups. It also provides access to local Environmental Impact Reports and the Chico General Plan.
• BEC serves as a referral for issues dealing with toxins, recycling, and wetland destruction.

For more information contact: BEC (530) 891-6424/ fax: (530) 891-6426.

California State University, Chico

California State University of Chico has a number of different programs that focus on providing environmental education to the campus as well as the local community.

The Arboretum Club

The Arboretum Club is a student-run organization that focuses on keeping Chico State a "campus wide arboretum," and is progressing towards educating the community as a whole about the treasures within the campus area. The Arboretum Club is involved in a number of projects.

• The students in the club lead tours through the "campus wide arboretum" with a focus on environmental education for area youth.
• The Arboretum Club has established a relationship with the Upward Bound Program to give local students the chance to participate in restoration on Big Chico Creek.
• The club has been actively restoring a section of Big Chico Creek that runs through the campus back to its original native riparian habitat. By replacing exotic plants with native plants, encourages the return of native insects, birds and other animals, all of which help to support the native salmon runs on Big Chico Creek.
• The club facilitates studies of practical research of environmental problems which focus on the arboretum.
• Currently, the club is also helping to establish an Environmental Action Resource Center (EARC) at the Chico State campus in cooperation with the Environmental Affairs Council (EAC). (Lennox, 1998).

For more information contact: The Arboretum Club through EARC (530) 898-5676.

The Arboretum Committee of California State University Chico

The Arboretum Committee of California State University Chico makes recommendations to the University Senate and works closely with the Campus Division of Buildings and Grounds with regards to any woody plants that grow on campus. The Arboretum Committee has three main areas of emphasis:

• Tours
• Safety Hazards
• Memorial Tree Planting

The Arboretum Committee runs public tours from October to May. The tours are given at various locations on campus and the topics include, but are not limited to, origins of the trees found on campus and care and maintenance of the trees and shrubs.

For more information contact: Wes Dempsey (530) 342-2293.

Environmental Affairs Council

The Environmental Affairs Council (EAC) was established to act as an advocate for the general health of the Earth's physical and biological environment, and to raise and address specific issues associated with the environment. To that end, the council strives to advocate and educate at several levels: within the corporate structure of the Associated Students; within the student body; on campus generally; within the University administration; and within the larger community.

EAC is involved in a long list of programs and events. Earth Week is a major community activity that EAC is in charge of planning for Chico State. Activities for Earth Week include:

• Information Faire
• Children's Faire
• Music in the Free Speech Area
• Sunrise Ceremony
• Speakers
• Forums

EAC created an Environmental Action and Resource Center on campus. This center provides the community with a tool for accessing a wide variety of information and allows networking resulting in an enhanced educational experience (Oetinger, 1998).

For more information contact: Environmental Affairs Council (530) 898-5701.

California Native Plant Society, Mt. Lassen Chapter

The California Native Plant Society is dedicated to the preservation of California's native flora. The local Mt. Lassen Chapter provides a variety of activities throughout the year for its members and the general public.

• Monthly meetings are commonly attended by a guest speaker with a slideshow focusing on the local area.
• A copy of the monthly newsletter can be found on the Community Bulletin Board at the Butte County Library - Chico Branch.
• Every two years the Mt. Lassen Chapter hosts a Native Plant Show. This show gives the public an opportunity to view the dramatic and varied native plant life in our area.
• The education committee is currently compiling a report which lists places in the area for teachers to take their students to view native plants.
• The Lassen Chapter is also involved in restoration projects throughout the area as well as the removal of exotic plants species (Guardino, 1998).

For more information contact: Josephine Guardino (530) 895-0349.

Chico Area Flyfishers

Since 1972, Chico Area Flyfishers, a non-profit organization, has been involved in community activities that support and promote the art of fly-fishing, and provide maintenance of local fisheries and fish habitats. The club promotes the preservation and restoration of streams, rivers and lakes. The Chico Area Flyfishers offer numerous activities and services to the community.

• Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs
• Classroom Salmon and Steelhead Rearing
• Big Chico Creek Watershed Restoration
• Feather River Restoration
• Oroville Wildlife Area Restoration
• McCloud River Preservation
• Yellow Creek Restoration
• Little Blakeless Creek Restoration
• Monthly Meetings, Newsletter, Fly Tying and Fishing Trips
• Web Site: www.stormnet.com/caf

For more information contact: Lyonal Valley (530) 343-7364.

Chico Creek Nature Center

The Altacal Audubon Society constructed the Chico Creek Nature Center building. In 1996, the Chico Creek Nature Center separated from the Audubon Society to form its own non-profit entity. It is located in of Bidwell Park and serves as a center for nature education with a living animal museum, park interpretation, and information center. It is the philosophy of the Chico Creek Nature Center that through knowledge and education, individuals learn to protect and preserve natural resources, especially in Bidwell Park.

The Chico Creek Nature Center offers:

• Environmental education programs for classrooms that can be taught at either the nature center or in the classroom. These programs have been designed within the Science Framework of the California Department of Education.
• Camp Chico Creek is open to young people 5-12 years of age. Participants spend a week exploring the local area, and participating in games and crafts that focus on specific themes such as Ponds.
• Living animal museum, in addition to housing a variety of non-releasable animals, also displays traveling exhibits from around the country, which focus on different environmental education themes.
• A variety of nature walks throughout the year. These walks are usually free and are scheduled on Saturdays year round.
• Supports a native plant garden.
• Volunteer and internship opportunities in a variety of fields (White, 1998).

For more information contact: The Chico Creek Nature Center (530) 891-4671.

Chico Museum Association

The Chico Museum building was originally constructed in 1904 as the city library through a monetary gift from Andrew Carnegie. In 1980, the Carnegie Library's use was changed from a library to a museum and the City council unanimously agreed to commit the library to the Chico Museum Association, a local non-profit organization. The primary purpose of the Chico Museum is collecting and preserving artifacts representing the history and culture of Chico and Butte County. The museum has shown over sixty exhibits while providing two permanent displays. The Chico Museum offers:

• Traveling exhibits, which can be hands-on/ interactive and usually weave natural history and cultural history together.
• Guest speakers who serve as an additional source of information for the current exhibit.
• A Maidu Indian traveling trunk, which is available to teachers, interested in studying about the local indigenous people in their classroom. It contains baskets, artifacts, music, and tapes.
• A quarterly newsletter to the membership, and a newsletter for teachers.
• The museum is a source for the Yahi Trail Flyer. This brochure is an excellent source of information on this popular hiking trail located in Upper Bidwell Park (McHugh, 1998).

For more information contact: The Chico Museum (530) 891-4336.

City of Chico

The City of Chico supports a number of programs that are involved to some degree in environmental education/watershed education. These areas are Bidwell Park, Bidwell Ranch, and Wildwood Park.

Bidwell Park

Bidwell Park is a 3,670-acre park distributed between the valley and foothill communities of the Chico area. Big Chico Creek runs directly through the middle of Bidwell Park that the city of Chico has been built around. The park is an excellent resource for the local community, both in professional education functions as well as informal processes. Many school and university classes use Bidwell Park to learn about the watershed. (Beardsley, 1998).

For more information contact: Park Department (530) 895-4972.

Bidwell Ranch

Bidwell Ranch is 750 acres of grassland and vernal pool habitat that was recently purchased by the City of Chico. It is located to the east of Wildwood Park and borders the northwest side of Bidwell Park. The City of Chico purchased it in 1997. The rare vernal pool communities and the unique animal and plant species that are supported by them have inspired a group of local citizens to organize and develop both public and school group tours to educate the area's populace on this unique resource. These tours were available for the spring season of 1998. There is also an excellent manual that can be purchased called The Vernal Pools of Butte County, available through Butte Environmental Council. (Beardsley, 1998).

For more information contact: Park Department (530) 895-4972.

Wildwood Park

Wildwood Park is located at the entrance to Upper Bidwell Park. The city has erected interpretive signs which provide general information about the adjacent vernal pools explaining how various geologic, hydrologic and biological components create these rare and unique communities (Beardsley, 1998).

For more information contact: Park Department (530) 895-4972.

Chico Area Recreation and Park District

Established in Chico in 1948 the Chico Area Recreation and Park District (CARD) is a public agency funded by local property taxes and user fees.

CARD programs are geared toward all age groups. CARD covers a 230 square mile area and serves a population of over 80,000. CARD facilities have been designed to enhance the recreation programs we offer and the recreation opportunities of the community.

Many different camps are offered to young people. One camp that focuses on environmental education is Camp Chi-Di-Ca. This is a day camp which focuses on nature skills, camp crafts, hiking, outdoor cooking, archery, games, and swimming and is held at Hooker Oak Recreational Area which is located in Upper Bidwell Park. This area is leased from the City of Chico by CARD. The area is maintained and operated by CARD and provides a space to host a variety of recreational programs (Kehoe, 1998).

For more information contact: CARD (530) 895-4711.

Chico Community Children's Center

Chico Community Children's Center is a non-profit organization established in 1974 to address the concerns of low-income families. The center has four programs to meet the needs of children. These programs are:

• Infant Program
• Toddlers Program
• Preschool Program
• After-school program K-4th grade

The major component of the after-school program is nature study. Children in this program study local habitat, animals, plants, national parks, wildlife, Native Americans, and recycling. Young people have also had the opportunity to participate in the local Endangered Species Fair (McGuire, 1998).

For more information contact: Chico Community Children's Center (530) 891-5363.

Chico Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is recognized as the world's largest private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization.

Fund-raising proceeds go to programs to help preserve wetlands or provide habitat for endangered species. There are membership options for young people and participants have a variety of opportunities including: learning the process of banding birds, how to work with hunting dogs and how to make bird nest boxes. (Miller, 1998).

For more information contact: Dana Miller (530) 342-6463 or 345-3266.

4-H Youth Development Program

The Cooperative Extension branch of the University of California offers the 4-H Youth Development Program.

The 4-H Educational Goals are:

• Acquisition of life, leadership and problem-solving skills to enhance individual development and well-being.
• Acquisition of knowledge and skills in the production and wise use of food and fiber, and the conservation of the world's natural resources.
• Understanding of and responsible participation in, community affairs.

The 4-H clubs within this area offers a number of projects for young people to become involved with. Along with the traditional projects, five main projects focus on different aspects of ecology:

• Creek Watchers
• Wetland Protectors
• Fresh Water Guardians
• Water Inspectors
• Plastic Eliminators

Within each of these fields, the 4-H members have a variety of different projects in which they can choose to participate. The completed projects can then be shown in competition at the local and state levels (Meade, 1998).

For more information contact: 4-H Advisor (530) 538-7201

Future Farmers of America

FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.

There are several programs offered by the FFA which focus on environmental science:

• Proficiency Award - Environmental Sciences: This award is designed to recognize members who have developed skills and gained valuable knowledge in specific areas of the environmental sciences.
• Extemporaneous Public Speaking Topics include and are not limited to Ground Water Contamination, Soil Contamination, and Rural/Urban Development.
• Curriculum Development: Materials are developed for agricultural teachers who include information about environmental stewardship. There are curricula and textbooks available in this area.
• Agri-Science Fair. At the national and state levels an Agri-Science Fair is conducted where one of the five categories in each fair is Environmental Science (Dobson, 1998).

For more information contact: Agricultural Education - California Department of Education (530) 342-7541

KZFR

Local community radio station KZFR airs the weekly program Eco-Talk hosted by Randy Larson whose focus is on environmental issues. Larson interviews environmental leaders and authors providing listeners with updated information on environmental issues. His program has provided such a valuable service to the community that it received the 1996 California Sierra Club Environmental Journalism of the Year Award and was recently syndicated by KPF and can be heard on sixty radio stations nationally. Eco-Talk can be found locally at 90.1 FM from 5:30 - 7:00 on Fridays (Larson, 1998).

For more information contact: KZFR (530) 895-0706.

Parks & Preserves Foundation

Parks & Preserves Foundation is a non-profit conservation organization specializing in the preservation of land for new parks and nature preserves. The organization also protects land for agricultural, recreational, historical, and/or scenic purposes. It recognizes that there needs to be a balance between the need for timber, agriculture, and development - while maintaining a healthy environment and high quality of life for generations to come. Parks & Preserves offer economically viable ways to preserve open spaces. The four main ways the foundation preserves land are:

• Direct Ownership
• Conservation Easements
• Cooperation
• Mitigation

Parks and Preserves is involved in numerous activities while at the same time providing a regular newsletter to keep the membership informed of local activities and news. It also provides brochures and sources of information on the program (Weston, 1998).

For more information contact: Parks and Preserves (530) 894-7738.

Sacramento River Partners

Sacramento River Partners is a local community based non-profit group that works with farmers, landowners, non-profits, and government agencies to establish the Sacramento River Conservation Area and meander belt; to protect and restore the aquatic and riparian habitats of the river; and to promote the economic sustainability of the watershed. The main objective is to build partnerships with agencies and local stakeholders that result in on-the-ground conservation solutions, increased local capacity, and community buy-in. Sacramento River Partners has four main programs:

Land Acquisition

• Acquire fee title and conservation easements on lands within the SB1086 Sacramento River Conservation Area.
• Pre-acquire lands within the Conservation Area for public ownership.
• Support agencies acquisition funding efforts.

Land Management

• Manage agricultural properties that are erosion prone or in transition to riparian habitat.
• Actively plant riparian forest on flood prone agricultural land within the meander belt.
• Manage frequently flooded properties to promote passive riparian restoration.
• Hold and manage conservation easements.
• Employ floodplain management to reduce flood damage to landowners and local communities.
• Support sustainable farming practices.

Building Local Support

• Lease agricultural properties to local farmers.
• Provide riparian restoration contracts that employ farmers and support local businesses.
• Include neighboring landowners, flood and agricultural interests in land management decisions.
• Use on the ground projects to demonstrate the value of riparian habitat to local communities.

Education

• Cooperate with CSUC Sacramento River Program
• Inform the public on Sacramento River conservation efforts (Carlon, 1998)

For more information contact: Sacramento River Partners (530) 894-3474.

Sacramento River Preservation Trust

The Sacramento River Preservation Trust (Trust) is a non-profit tax-exempt membership organization dedicated to environmental advocacy and education programs focused on the Sacramento River and its environs. The Trust is involved in a variety of projects:

• Organize conferences on watershed awareness.
• Review environmental documents on river projects and recommends mitigation measures.
• Conduct monitoring activities along the Sacramento River.
• Keep close watch on the legislative process at local, state, and federal levels.
• Initiate legislation to enhance the Sacramento River environment.
• Publish River Run newsletter (Merz, 1998).

For more information contact: The Trust (530) 345-1865.

Sierra-Cascade Girl Scout Council

Sierra-Cascade Girl Scout Council is a "youth serving organization providing educational activities, leadership development, and community service for girls ages 5-17, in grades k-12."

Scouting offers a variety of experiences and adventures. The Girl Scout program is divided into five-interest areas to provide the basis for troop activities:

• World of Well Being
• World of People
• World of Today & Tomorrow
• World of Art
• World of the Out-of-Doors

For more information contact: Sierra-Cascade Girl Scout Council (530) 343-1904.

The Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club,

Yahi Group

John Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1892. The Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club, Yahi Group:

• Publishes quarterly newsletter filled with local news, activities and general articles.
• Organizes and conducts a variety of outings and events for the local community.
• Conducts monthly meetings, which involve a guest speaker and a focus on conservation issues.

Lassen Forest Preservation Group is a committee of the Yahi Group affiliated with the Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign. The Lassen Forest Preservation Group holds meetings once a month, which are advertised in the Sierra Club newsletter. They organize public outings and comment on timber sales (Stuckley, 1998).

For more information contact: Linda Stuckley (530) 345-2696.

Streaminders Chapter of the Izaak Walton League

Streaminders was founded in 1980 as a citizens stream advocacy group. In 1990, it became a chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWL). The Streaminders Chapter of the IWL is dedicated to preserving, enhancing and restoring Butte County streams, watersheds, and urban forests through educational program advocacy, and hands-on activities for the public. Streaminders has received a number of grants to do restoration, as well as teach classes on creek ecology.

C TREE - Chico Tree Enhancement and Education

As one of the founders of Streaminders, Roger Cole has coordinated many restoration projects through this organization. C TREE is a program funded by a grant in cooperation with the City's Park Department. Currently, Cole is teaching tree pruning while doing formative pruning of Chico's young shade trees through state and federal grants known as CA ReLeaf. Cole organized volunteer restoration workshops in Bidwell Park with grants from the Department of Water Resources in cooperation with the City's Park Department. He has received four grants from the National Urban Forestry funds that are a combination of United States Forest Service and California Department of Forestry funds. The City has also contributed to educational workshops with the C Tree Program. The program has pruned over 2,000 trees in the last five years (Cole, 1998).

For more information contact: Roger Cole (530) 895-0866.

Valley Water Protection Association

The Valley Water Protection Association strives to inform people about political issues surrounding ground water hydrology and the part it plays in the surface and ground water interchange. The association is comprised of farmers, agriculture-related businessmen, environmental advocates, domestic well owners, and the Durham Irrigation District (a municipal water supplier reliant on groundwater). Association supporters span watershed groups, sportsmen, realtors, economists, natural historians, and Farm Bureau members.

The Valley Water Protection Association purposes include:

• Advocating for the study and recognition of groundwater as a critical component for sustainable economic, and social activity in Northern California.
• To reinforce Area of Origin Assurances given fifty years ago when government water projects were allowed to harness surplus winter flows.
• Provide a voice for groundwater rights that depend on common law history and torte law in California.
• To protect our natural systems and the life they support (Cole, 1998).

For more information contact: Linda Cole (530) 343-0916.

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