New:

2012 Annual Park Division Report

The latest anual staff report [pdf] presents facts and figures on the state of Bidwell Park.

Bidwell Park Recognized as a Regional Treasure

A City of Chico press release announced that Bidwell Park will be inducted into the California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS), District 2, Hall of Honor on February 22, 2013.

Friends of Bidwell Park Proudly Presents the First Ever Vascular Plant List for Bidwell Park!

Cardamine californica
Milkmaids

A compilation of efforts has resulted in this preliminary vascular plant list which currently accounts for 942 taxa! Although the plant inventory project is still a couple of years from being completed, we were eager to share the wealth of information we have gathered about Bidwell Park's plant species with the general public.

Recently we began collaborating with Friends of the Chico State Herbarium and the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society to conduct more-formal surveys on the 4 major park sub-regions (Lower Park, Middle Park, North Upper Park and South Upper Park). This year we are focusing on the different vegetation management areas in Lower Park. We will be revising the list on the website after completing our surveys for the 2012 field season.

We hope people use this list to learn more about the amazing plant diversity found in Bidwell Park. We also hope observant park users can help us make corrections and add new locations for species as they enjoy their explorations.

Keep watching the FOBP website as we will be providing more interesting details about the plants of Bidwell Park throughout the summer!

Learn more about the Bidwell Park plant inventory project.

View the Bidwell Park preliminary plant list.

See our Bidwell Park Invasive Plants presentation [pdf] as shown at two recent Park Division team leader training sessions.

A new version of our printable (pdf) poster with information on how to identify and control puncturevine is on our page about puncturevine. With its sharp, thorny burs that pierce tires, paws, and shoes, puncturevine is the leading cause of bicycle flat tires.

We recently removed about 300 European olive trees from the cork oak tree area within Cedar Grove. Feral (untended) olive trees can be a host for the olive fruit fly, a pest that reduces the value of Butte County's commercial olive crop. Also, because of their density, these olive trees were a security problem for park users.

Before and after photos of olive tree removal

Olive removal, before and after.

Friends of Bidwell Park intern Rick Helgerson mapped and photographed all of the Lower and Middle Park rock dams that were constructed by park users in the summer of 2011.

Puncturevine

The dreaded puncturevine (aka goathead) season is here. Be part of the solution, not the problem!

Four sets of aerial photos of the park made by Chico Photographer Bruce King are part of our continuing effort to document the park from the air. Each set has hundreds of photos and are available online:

Internship Opportunities!

Learn more about Bidwell Park, gain valuable work experience, find out how a non-profit organization operates, plan and lead environmental activities, and more. See Internships for some Friends of Bidwell Park projects. You don't need to be a student to be an intern!

How to contact your City Councilors and Park Commissioners

See our Reasons to Keep Upper Park Wild

FOBP on-site volunteer hours to-date:

15,060 hours of work contributed to volunteer projects in the park.

See our Events Calendar for upcoming park events and volunteer opportunities.

Pipevine Caterpillar along the Yahi trail

Bear Hole during December 2012 flood

Huimboldt lily along the upper Yahi trail

Bidwell Park Master Management Plan (BPMMP)

The current BPMMP, adopted in June 2008, has many goals and objectives for the park.

O.IP-1. — Control or eliminate undesirable invasive plants that compete with or reduce native vegetation or degrade wildlife habitat.

This BPMMP objective is carried out by the city's volunteer coordinator, Lise Smith-Peters, who organizes numerous volunteer projects. These include restoration of an area north of Caper Acres, ongoing invasives removal projects at One Mile, Cedar Grove, Annie's Glen, and Five Mile, species-focused eradication efforts, and vegetation management projects at picnic sites adopted by volunteers.

FOBP have spent thousands of hours removing privet trees and other invasive species from Bidwell Park, with more than 900 public volunteer work sessions offered to date. Upcoming sessions can be viewed on our calendar.

Friends of Bidwell Park is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions are now tax-deductible!

Please send donations to: Friends of Bidwell Park, PO Box 4837, Chico CA 95927

If you prefer, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to us online through the philanthropic organization JustGive.org by clicking on the button below.

Your help will be sincerely appreciated and go towards our current projects.

The mission of Friends of Bidwell Park is to raise awareness, encourage learning, and facilitate personal and community involvement in the conservation and sustainable use of Bidwell Park.