Created a comprehensive web site about Bidwell Park including:
Park information (FAQ, maps, geology, soils, reference materials, flora & fauna, accessibility,activities, budget, rules, management, volunteer opportunities)
Links to research information relevant to protection of the park's natural resources
Park history
Calendar of volunteer activities, park-related meetings & events in the park
Links to other environmental and neighborhood organizations in the community
Park issues
Volunteer Services
Provided more than 6,700 hours of on-site volunteer labor in Bidwell Park and other Chico open spaces in 500+ volunteer sessions with overall participation by about 600 people
Lobbied city officials to establish a full-time volunteer coordinator position
Compiled a list of possible sources of volunteers and their contact information for use by the Park Department
Recruited volunteers for the park through Farmer's Market tabling, posters at CSUC and elsewhere, press releases, presentations at meetings of other organizations, newsletter articles and flyers
Organized supporters and participated in regular public meetings with Park Director and other park volunteers
Public Education/Outreach
Provided
education through materials on our web site, booths & exhibits, park walks,
park events calendar, weekly email newsletter and responses to requests for
information through our web site
Partnered with or helped:
Bidwell Park Centennial Committee
Bidwell Park Foundation
Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance (water quality testing and publicity)
Butte County Weed Management Area (participate in their meetings)
Butte Environmental Council (Bidwell Park and Creeks of Chico cleanups)
California Invasive Plant Council (local contact for the Oct 2005 Chico Symposium)
California Native Plant Society, Mt. Lassen Chapter
CSUC's EARC (joint Make a Difference Day project)
CSUC grounds (invasive plant removal at CSUC along Big Chico Creek)
CSUC's Scour and Devour community service project
Chico Creek Nature Center
Chico Museum (displays and presentation)
Chico Park Division
Chico Women's Club (removed their invasive plants adjacent to Annie's Glen)
City of Chico (removed abandoned homeless camps under bridges)
Community Collaborative for Youth (donate our collected CA redemption items)
Little Chico Creek Watershed Group (creek cleanup surveys, Arundo donax alert)
Park Watch (joint table at Farmer's Market & Snow Goose Festival)
Sacramento River Watershed Invasive Plant Council
Sierra Club Yahi Group (joint Teichert Ponds cleanup)
Streaminders (help with their restoration sites)
Upward Bound (group project for 200 volunteers and daily projects for six weeks)
Bidwell Park Master Management Plan (MMP) Update
Participate very actively as a stakeholder in the update process by reviewing the updated draft MMP and proposing changes
Member of the Citizen's Action Committee and Natural Resources Subcommittee
Encouraged public participation in the update process through flyers, newspaper ad, public service announcements and radio interviews, and Saturday Farmer's Market booths
Requested and participated in meetings with CARD, Park Department and members of the public to discuss possible sites outside Bidwell Park for disc golf
Invasive Plant Program
Created a list of the park's 130 or so invasive plants, including priorities for removal, photos, and removal strategies
Removed invasive plants in Annie's Glen, Bidwell Bowl Amphitheater, Camellia Way Park, Cedar Grove, Children's Playground, Hooker Oak Park, Five Mile Recreation Area, Lost Park, One Mile Recreation Area, Upper Park, Lindo Channel, along Chico's bike paths and at Chico-area schools
Working with park neighbors to identify and remove their invasive plants
Mapping locations of invasive plant species
Documented what we've learned about invasive plant removal to improve future removal programs
Participated in preparation of Central Valley version of the Don't Plant a Pest brochure, listing alternatives for invasive horticultural plants
Participated in planning for statewide California Invasive Plant Council Symposium in Chico
Participating in park monthly vegetation management meetings
Keep Upper Park Wild! Campaign
Bumper stickers
Articles in newsletters of local environmental organizations & tabling at Farmer's Markets
Bidwell Park Centennial Restoration Project in Annie's Glen
Our goal is to restore this small part of Bidwell Park for a demonstration site of pre-European vegetation
Worked in Annie's Glen every Sunday morning from June 2004 through December 2005, picking up trash, removing rubble and invasive plants, gathering and planting acorns, spreading wood chips, and watering new trees
Lost Park
Starting in February 2005, organized monthly cleanups and invasive plant removal in Lost Park
