General Services - Departments

Check out our
Volunteer Calendar for Bidwell Park!

Bidwell Park Volunteer News (Summer 2008)

Donate now to Bidwell Park:

Annie B's Community Drive is dedicated to strengthening nonprofit organizations in our area. Donations may be made online from August 1 - September 30, 2010. Or mail checks to NVCF/Bidwell Park to 3120 Cohasset Rd. Ste. 8; Chico, CA; 95973. Funds raised during this drive will be used toward Bidwell Park vegetation management and restoration efforts; an Intern volunteer leader program; and general maintenance. For more information read our brochure.riv is dedicated to rengthening nonprofit

CHICO CAT COALITION (CCC) NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!

If you have just a few spare hours a week, you can make a difference in the lives of dozens of homeless felines. CCC has an immediate need for volunteers to assist with Adoption events and to temporarily foster cats and kittens in their home. Please call 530-894-1365 for more info on how you can help or email: catcoalition@hotmail.com

Volunteering

Did you know that each year 50% of Americans donate a total of more than 20 billion hours to various causes? The City's Park Division, like a number of agencies and non-profit groups in Chico, seeks volunteers to work in Bidwell Park.

Why Volunteer in Bidwell Park?

FOR FUN!
It keeps you active and fit.
It provides you with new experiences.
Some classes offer academic credit or service hours for it.
To connect with the Community.
To feel good about yourself.
To have an impact.
To give back to the Community.

You may even have some reasons unique to you!

For more information on how you can get involved, contact Lise Smith-Peters, Volunteer Coordinator, at 530-896-7831 or via email lspeters@ci.chico.ca.us

Listed below are just some of the volunteer opportunities in the Park:

Adopt-A-Park Site

Everyone has their favorite spot in the park to picnic. Volunteers are needed to help upkeep these sites. Some tasks include weeding the area, cleaning the BBQ grills, painting signs, litter removal and small construction projects. Once a site has been adopted, the Park staff can help create a volunteer plan to be followed.

Adopt-A-Trail Program

Community & business groups, classes & service organizations may adopt their favorite Upper Park trail to maintain and repair. Adoptions typically last a year with volunteer groups setting their own work hours. Park staff will meet with group leaders and devise a workplan to be followed based on their interests, skill level and input. Volunteers will work with the Park's trail crew several sessions prior to working independently and may check out Park tools for with several days notice prior to their work session. Park staff will provide professional guidance on trail maintenance techniques. For more information on adopting a trail, see the Adopt-A-Trail Handbook.

Litter Control

Individuals or groups are assigned or may choose a specific area of Bidwell Park to remove litter. In addition to these projects, the City co-sponsors several community-wide cleanups each year.

One Mile Oak Regeneration Project

The Oak Woodland trees of Bidwell Park are the most visible and vulnerable oak habitat in the Park. The regeneration and protection of baby oaks is vital to ensure that new generations of oak trees will inhabit Lower Bidwell Park. One Mile Recreation Area has designated oak regeneration sites that are neither irrigated nor landscaped. Volunteers help identify new oak seedlings then weed around them so they don’t compete with weeds and tall grasses for water and sunlight.

Painting

Winter weather as well as the summer sun damage the paint on everything from picnic tables to lifeguard chairs to Bidwell Park signs. Volunteers can help keep the Park looking attractive by repainting these items.

Park Watch

Do you enjoy visiting Bidwell Park on a regular basis? Then consider joining PARK WATCH. Our Park Watch members are trained on providing visitors with information on Bidwell Park and the rules and regulations. Members also report any suspicious or unusual activities or conditions to Park Rangers on cellular phones provided by the City. Park Watch trainings are conducted several times a year. To join Park Watch, click on Park Watch Application and return to the Park Division.

Sycamore Restoration Site

This restoration site was started by Streaminders several years ago at which time as part of its project, volunteers hand removed invasive plants that are not found in California. This fall, the Park Division has hosted several work dates for continuing the removal of Himalayan blackberries, pokeweed and other invasives. The goal is to revegetate this restoration site with native trees such as willows and sycamores and native plants such as spice bush, santa barbara sedge, mugwort and deergrass, to name a few. For more information on helping restore this site, call Lise Smith-Peters 896-7831.

Trail Maintenance & Repair

Volunteers help repair and maintain established trails (ie: constructing water bars to reduce trail erosion, clean drainage dips, etc.). They also eradicate and revegetate unauthorized "bootleg" trails and perform small construction projects to encourage usage of authorized trails. There are two Trail work seasons -- Fall and Spring -- in Upper Bidwell Park. This year's Spring Trail season starts on April 14 and runs through the June 6 (Tuesday through Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm). Heavy rain cancels trail work and it is important to call our trail crew leader at (530) 624-9672 for specific work site location.

Weeding

Volunteers can help the Park Division reduce the amount of herbicides used in Bidwell Park by helping manually remove weeds. Weeding projects are normally confined to Lower Park near areas such as Caper Acres, the One-Mile Recreation Area, Sycamore Restoration site, Annie’s Glen, and Lost Park.

Special Projects

Volunteers can perform specially designed projects in Bidwell Park. Construction projects such as information kiosks, shade structures, routed signs, and wood maps have been made by volunteers. Some Special Volunteer Projects* include:

The donation of funds & labor toward building accessible picnic sites in Lower Park.
GPS mapping of various invasive weed species in Bidwell Park.
The installation (and donation if possible) of split rail fence to replace old barriers.
Lower Park’s exercise Vita Course needs to be replaced. Donations of exercise equipment and volunteer labor are needed to install a new course.Call Volunteer Coordinator for equipment costs.
Purchase and installation of a slide in One Mile playground area.

*For costs associated with special projects or for more ideas on how you can volunteer in the Park, please call Lise Smith-Peters, the Park Division�s Volunteer Coordinator, at (530) 896-7831 or email: lspeters@ci.chico.ca.us

For more information on special projects, also visit our DONATIONS AND MEMORIALS page.

Community Service

Youth and adults can complete community service or volunteer hours by participating in any of our drop-in programs or by scheduling a special project. Please arrive a few minutes early if you have any paperwork that needs to be signed and let the group leader know that you are completing service hours.

City of Chico