49 Years of Environmental Campaigns in Butte County

1975 - BEC is founded by representatives from five environmental groups: Wes Dempsey of the Sierra Club, Steve Evans of Northstate Wilderness Committee, David James of Community Gardens Project, Michael McGinnis of Forces to Restore Earth's Environment (FREE), and Jonnel Schmitz of Student Environmental Collective. "The initial members were driven by the intention to save the world or at least a piece of it," said Michael McGinnis, a founder.  Chico State’s CAVE program provided office space and facilities for BEC's first eleven years of operation.

1976 - BEC moves out of the tiny office space at Chico State to Seventh and Cherry Street. Michael McGinnis becomes BEC’s first General Manager.

1977 - BEC makes its first significant contribution to Butte County by introducing a multi-use recycling service.  Glass, tin, aluminum, cardboard, and newspaper were collected in the curbside program for a $1 monthly fee.

1984 - Through a collaboration with Sierra Club and North State Wilderness, 6,000 acres of Ishi, Bucks Lake, and Chips Creek are designated as wilderness area.

1988 - BEC’s recycling services are sold to North Valley Disposal (now known as North Valley Waste Management), just one of many large disposal companies to enter the market at the time. The deal allowed BEC to begin focusing on what they really are passionate about: education, advocacy, and action. 

1991 - Barbara Vlamis is hired as BEC's first Executive Director.

1994 - BEC relocates to downtown Chico, above the Naked Lounge Café on Second Street.

Around this time, BEC was focused on preserving local wetlands, of which vernal pools are an important type.  These small seasonal wetlands are a treasure for Butte County and provide critical habitat for endangered species such as the fairy shrimp and the meadowfoam plant. Through a Strong Foundation grant, BEC publishes and distributes 1,000 copies of “The Vernal Pools of Butte County,” a booklet written by Dave Ross of the Sierra Club Yahi Group and illustrated by Pavia Wald.

1995 - Lynn Barris, a Butte County almond farmer, joins BEC and becomes a board member after a neighboring farmer’s groundwater sales out of district impacts her ability to water her crop. With strong advocacy from Lynn and then-Executive Director Barbara Vlamis, BEC takes up the cause of imperiled groundwater in the County General Plan process, participating in the committee that created the Water Element.

Also in 1995, BEC board member Chuck Lungren led the creation of BEC’s newspaper, the “Environmental News,” predecessor of our online Environmental E-Sentinel.

2000 - BEC sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a critical habitat designation for four types of vernal pool-dependant crustaceans.

2003 - The Bush administration's Department of the Interior took a million acres of critical habitat off of its final rule, leaving no habitat in Butte, Madera, Merced, Riverside, Sacramento and Solano counties. BEC, the California Native Plant Society, and Defenders of Wildlife filed a complaint over the rule for the 15 endangered and threatened vernal pool plants and animals. In 2005, the Department released their second, final Rule, which added habitat to five of the six previously omitted counties, and in 2006, the US Fish & Wildlife designated critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool crustaceans and plants!

2005 - The Humboldt Road Burn Dump was purchased by developers Tom Fogarty and Drake Homes in the early '80s, along with adjacent land, for development as residential housing. Severe lead contamination was discovered at the site in 1987. Because of the intent to build homes at the site, a very costly and stringent cleanup process was implemented. The cleanup was further complicated by proximity to the Marsh Jr. High School a few hundred yards away. Eventually Drake Homes and the City of Chico withdrew from the project over liability issues for hazardous soil disposal. BEC, together with the Butte County Air Quality Management District, were actively involved in overseeing the cleanup's progress, which was completed in 2005. Thanks to BEC, the Fogarty project will not place housing on any remediated land.

2006 - BEC receives its first grant from The California Wellness Foundation. This large multi-year grant enabled BEC to create and administer information in Butte County about reducing exposure to toxins in the home.

2009 - Early in 2009 the Governor issued a proclamation claiming an emergency drought and sought to implement water transfers without following California environmental law, specifically the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). BEC hired the legal team of Lippe, Gaffney and Wagner, LLP, to challenge the exemption because the relatively mild drought is not an emergency situation caused by nature but rather a regulatory drought caused by mismanagement. In April 2009, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the California Water Impact Network were named with BEC on the suit against a long list of powerful water districts and agencies that joined the State’s effort to facilitate water transfers without following environmental law.

On March, 16, 2010, a Superior Court ruled that the State has to comply with environmental laws even in dry times. The Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, ruled in favor of BEC and co-petitioners in their lawsuit against the California Department of Water Resources in their plan to transfer additional water because of a three year drought. This was an important win for the North Valley’s water resources and environment. Requiring the State to comply with environmental laws will help ensure that the Tuscan aquifer system remains healthy and well managed into the future.

2010 - BEC receives another two-year grant from The California Wellness Foundation to test backyard chicken eggs in south Oroville for dioxins, after a 2008 study reports a pancreatic cancer cluster in Oroville. In 1987, a 40,000-gallon butane tank at the Koppers wood treatment facility erupted, burning 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of the chemical PCP, creating a plume of smoke full of carcinogenic dioxin. County health officials decided not to evacuate area residents even as smoke passed through the rural neighborhoods south of the plant. The next day, after residents complained of symptoms of chemical poisoning and some 36 hours after the fire, health officials ordered an evacuation. The Environmental Protection Agency then declared the Koppers plant a Superfund Site and 80% of the soil was removed and replaced. However, the soil and water have been deemed technically infeasible to clean and have to be monitored indefinitely. The Koppers plant closed in 2001. Previous tests by the California Department of Public Health conducted in 1988, 1994, and 2001 found that dioxin levels had not gone down. In 2010, BEC tested another round of eggs and found that while the average levels of dioxin had gone down, there were still some areas with dangerously high levels of dioxin. Dioxin levels at various sites ranged between .004 parts per trillion and 14.7 ppt. That compared to .08 to 18 ppt in earlier testing. There is no set limit on the amount of dioxin in chicken eggs, however the US government has pulled commercial eggs off shelves at 1 ppt.

2012 - Robyn DiFalco is hired as Executive Director. The dioxin research and successful outreach campaign caught the attention of the Butte County District Attorney’s office, who requested that BEC investigate the potential human health impacts of pollution from the Pacific Oroville Power Industries (POPI) cogeneration incinerator, which burns biofuel in a controlled environment to make electricity that is then sold to Pacific Gas & Electric. The plant was owned by Covanta, one of the largest energy corporations in the world. Initially, the plant burned wood chips generated from local timber harvests, but as the lumber industry declined, the plant began burning agricultural waste and demolished buildings, containing plastics and carcinogens. A community member alerted the DA of a 19,000 ton pile of ash near Hicks Lane on federally designated wetlands. The ash was linked back to the Covanta plant and had been sitting there for 4 years. Some of it had been sold to farmers as soil amendment in Durham and Artois. BEC tested the ash and found that dioxins were at 459 parts per trillion, which is half of the amount classified as hazardous waste, but well over the safety levels set by the World Health Organization. The company was prosecuted and they moved the ash pile to a Level 2 landfill in Wheatland, and then closed by the end of 2012.

2014 - BEC receives a grant from the California Wildlife Foundation for a Oak Restoration Project, and collaborates with City of Chico Park Department to collect and plant about 150 acorns in Upper Bidwell Park. We proceed to water the oaks during the summer for 7 years for a seedling survival rate of 83%.

2015 - BEC is awarded the Energy Upgrade California Community Outreach Ambassador Program grant that helped us to reach out and educate Butte County residents, business owners, and students on ways to save energy and water. The program also helped people save money with home upgrades! More information can be found at: www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org.

2016 - Natalie Carter is hired as Executive Director. Natalie’s team organizes the 30th Annual Bidwell Park and Chico Creeks Cleanup. In addition, she establishes on-going monthly neighborhood cleanups, under the program Block Parties with a Purpose.

Also in 2016, BEC works with many others to ban fracking and related gas and oil extraction activities in Butte County through a citizen-driven ballot initiative. Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) is an energy extraction process that mixes millions of gallons of fresh water with toxic industrial chemicals and sand. Frack-Free Butte County organizers gathered over 10,000 signatures to get Measure E on the ballot. In a classic court case of local interests vs. out-of-county money, the initiative petition had been rejected by the County Clerk on the basis of two minor defects brought to her attention by attorneys in San Rafael. The Superior Court Judge however deemed that these were not substantive errors and when voting day arrived, the measure passed with overwhelming support.

2017 - The BEC Office is moved to Walnut Street in Chico, remaining within walking distance from Downtown Chico and CSU, Chico.

2018 - BEC Ed-Ventures Series launches. These educational family-fun adventures center around learning about the waterways we depend on. Guided outings include water quality testing with the Stream Team, kayaking on the Sacramento River, trips to the Feather River Fish Hatchery, and hikes in Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve.

2019 - The monumental 40th Annual Endangered Species Faire takes place at Cedar Grove, nestled in gorgeous Bidwell Park, marking a historic moment for BEC and the Faire.

Also in 2019, Danielle Baxter is hired as the General Manager, bringing with her the voice of the next generation of environmental leadership. The staff and BEC Board of Directors see the issue of climate change approaching more quickly than ever and establish the Community Forum Series to educate the public and direct our voice as we confront our city and countywide leaders.

BEC establishes a new program in partnership with the City of Chico and Cal Fire. BEC's Urban Forest Program involves the community to plant over 700 trees in Chico's urban canopy.

2020 - In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, BEC's Recycling and Rubbish Education Program goes virtual! RARE maintains its involvement in Butte County schools and home classrooms offering critical education around countywide waste reduction and the benefits of composting through online modules.

2021 - Successfully accomplished the Urban Revitalization Program with the City of Chico to plant 700 shade trees in identified areas of Chico that were considered lacking shade.

2022 - Through our Trees PLEASE program, we planted trees all across Chico in many Chico Unified School District campuses and in local parks. Planting locations included: Little Chico Creek Elementary, Chapman Elementary, Neal Dow High School, Hooker Oak Elementary, Parkview Elementary, 20th Street Community Park, Oak Way Community Park and CARD Community Center. In total, we planted 75 shade trees and 5 fruit trees.

BEC also became a host site for two California Climate Action Corps Fellows. Fellows worked in areas of urban greening and food waste reduction over the course of 1700 hours over 11 months.

2023 - In April, Patrizia Hironimus became the new Executive Director of BEC. In this year, we successfully accomplished two major projects. The first one was a second round of Trees PLEASE, which aimed to plant 180 trees across Butte County and not just in Chico; these counties included Tehama and Glenn. The second major project was California Volunteers, which aimed to engage 800 unique volunteers through climate action projects in focus areas of wildfire resilience, urban greening and food waste reduction. At the end of the year BEC surpassed our goal by 100 volunteers.

This year, we also gained two summer Fellows who served a two month term with us. Their focus areas were in community sustainability and community engagement at our local community garden.

Later, we started our second full term Fellowship positions with double the amount of Fellows that we began with in 2022.