Gallery of Clips from Growing Up Chico Magazine by MaryRose Lovgren

n e r g v o l e s o r y r a m

Unique Challenges

Home: Southern Canada, the US, and parts of Mexico

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chico.com

Status: Critically Engangered

In the ail Lemurs. gascar, AR, our Ringt of Mada Y and GAZK the island a joy to be Meet MADD are found only on lemurs are a lot of rs . Both our wild, Lemu they need , coast of Africa primates in our shirts off the east because they are like to climb Sometimes around, and and attention. They hair. n from our their atlizatio swing catch socia and s eyebrows things alway people. groom our ise. New s about new of a surpr bit a curiou that’s they are very tention, and

Status: Least Concern

native to This is our new baby bobcat, still to be named, because in the Montana. Her coat is a grayish-blue color the colder, snowy wild she would need it as camouﬂage in spotted to some climate of Montana. Bobcats are always only on the underextent, with some individuals patterned sides onto the sides, others with spots extending up the day and feeds chest and back. It hunts both by night and and deer. mainly on rabbit, but also eats rodents, birds,

ion to educate the public about the Their Miss n is both locally of the foundatio “The Mission and their habitats, ion of all wildlife companion care and preservat le ownership of to teach responsib and globally; and and exotic animals.”

nteer? animals and Wantageto14 Volu a passion to help will or older and have Volunteer! You

n is always lookWish List s, the Foundatio run by volunteer to provide! As it is entirely might be able services that you enclosures ing for items and for building new • Construction materials link, and 10 foot posts) high chain (such as 8 foot • Freezers • Meat and produce • Grant writing services

If you are a Foundation you can become twice a week. College educate others, in four-hour shifts, need to be available available. credits are even

a Member! an individual or Become Foundation by choosing r, free passes, a vital part of the

has startling The screech owl “ears,” and yellow eyes, tufted bill a grey or black

Felina

newslette Become a hip. Receive a quarterly in your name! Different family members plaque cat, and even a Sponsorships. photo with a baby , including Business levels are available

n and the Foun7 datio a week, 9am-5pm VisitingTours are offered days 2-hour Personal ent only. $6 for children are by appointm (or $7 without tour); Fee: $10 for adults Phone: (530) 345-1700 and hner.org ull of educational Website: www.kirs -run Gift Shop, full Visit their new volunteer animal-related items!

Screech Owl “classic” owl t a tree * Looks like your themselves agains * Can comoulfage to hide barn owls-aren’t silent like fast! * Screech owls d on ﬂying very depen they instead h owl, he’ll “With the screec Ranger Bob says: supersonic of nowhere at come ﬂying out of the air.” insects right out speed and pick

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magazine growing up chico

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shape of a The distinctive acts a lot like barn owl’s face collecting a satellite dish, sound waves

Mile Rec Area.

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ter while • Wear your pedome you take more steps? make s—who can take which activities your family member “Compete” with

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unless otherwise indicated, all articles, photos, and layout design by maryrose lovgren

chico.com

a What color is If tree’s bark? you just said “brown,” you’re missing out! the Check out all colors and grains in this display

www.growingup

Species: Bobcat

Home: r Madagasca

magazine growing up chico

how does she describe caches online. So a treasure hunt,” “I think that it’s like this phenomenon? looking for go out into nature she explained. “You a plastic container. you’re looking for something-- usually nge as your position thirty feet es there’s prizes.” within sometim are and You sheet there! r, states are There’s always a log avenly guides. Until, are the same, howeve s, and pokey bushes es branche geocach all sure Rocks, Not your prey. Grail is one with a prize, make aside until your Holy you’re looking for s If caches are content Maggie. erturned and pushed whose “Micro” nal” cache. are container to choose a “traditio are even “locovered: a small Tupperw dispenser or handful of a film canister. There ca Pez or small, usually just ay include a Chewba either take a picture caches, where you ss” the to cationle that oins. hing,” a technoa question, and e-mail find the answer to Welcome to “geocac d-seek with particilty cache designer. ogical twist on hide-an categorized by “difficu It all started in May Geocaches are also ants the world over. y that means it’s really “If it has five stars, US government officiall the or terrain.” when in two, one, 2000, a of Global “I try to do availability” from hard,” Maggie warned. five… We had emoved “selective one I’ve done is a satellites. The result? to get three. The hardest Positioning System me) and climb up the rope by civilians (you and to tie a rope to a bridge GPS units owned . It a lot more accurate years it.” suddenly become began a couple of before someone thought For Maggie, this passion at Table Mountain wasn’t even a week hike Oregon in family ere annual somewh er, and ago, on their to hide a container uncle Mike was a geocach“It wasn’t on-line, with the “My ates . coordin Oroville the in d. and post e,” she explaine find it! it was a he took us on a geocach because taunt: just try and though, such of ds caches, really one of the best Now there are thousan the right spot.” listed it wasn’t hidden in around the world, ofreally long hike and are now of “geocaches” hidden d by zip Maggie and her family g.com and arrange the weekends, at www.geocachin a ficially hooked. “On is uncovered: difficulty. The we might go out “...your Holy Grail code, terrain, and container whose if we’re not busy, a geocache small Tupperware a Chewbaca Pez gymnastics, and basic premise? Pick geocaching. I’m in plug the include site, may the ts using conten so sometimes near you l of coins.” I have to travel a lot, into a GPS dispenser or handfu we’re gone.” coordinates given we do caches while hunt. Once Well, as unit, and start your to start ‘caching in. sign the So now you’re ready you’ve found the cache, container for the next person to s on your ability to the guessed, it all depend have replace and may you book log a little more compliGPS unit, which is possess and use a find. years old and a student Maggie Shields, ten in Oroville, is an avid tary Elemen at Sierra Avenue

Barn Owl to catch its prey * Relies on stealth no feathery h and round with * Head is smoot “ears” act like a l feathers that * Face has conica sounds dish, picking up that deadens have a “comb” * Ends of wings apping the sound of ﬂ enhanced “Because of his Ranger Bob says: silent, he se he is ﬂying hearing, and becau really easily and BOOM! prey can pick up the lf a dinner.” he’s got himse

A Walk in the

Drew Nielsen gives us a look at one of the free pedometers being offered through OPT for Fit Kids.

• dinner time? ent that the most steps by an easy to use instrum and A pedometer is hop-scotch your day? as you walk, run, more “steps” in counts your steps The ﬁrst thing to How can you getthe paved paths in Lower Bidwell really fun to use! Butte County has pedometers leap-frog. It’s also • Take a hike! From the Feather River, Chico Public Library to the trails along Or, enter to Park, and get more active. do is get one. The book. a like to get out in nature for free, just to the grocery has a lot of ways you can check out from the entrance (see red box below). away own very farther day, your • Park all win one of or gym. wear it for a week, sleep store, library, mall, ’ market for the Once you have one, when you go to to your local farmers maybe take it off • Walk together every day (okay, veggies in town. steps you took each freshest fruits and down how many at night). Write e your average daily you can calculat ers to check out add day. After a week, Library offers pedomet brought to you by step count. Just The Chico Public program steps Step Fit Chico and Nutriup the number of courtesy of the Cascade Activity Sierra the and on how and Chico Rotary more information you took each day, (SCNAC). For tion and by tion Consortium vegetable consump divide that number child’s fruit and wer Play! at to increase your track. call 5 a Day—Po the days you kept You can also activity level, please you took physical , or OPT for Fit Kids at 345-0678..org. (For example, if 345-0633 nutrition seven online at www.sc check them out 40,000 steps over steps a postcard with days, that’s 5,714 ter by mailing a should be Enter to win a pedome age(s) with one way that day.) Your goal and in your day. your name, address, to increase the number can get more “steps” Brother daily nter! you and your family of steps you take receive a free pedome Zach Nielsen carFirst 15 entries you reach 12,000 ries out some leap- until ter Contest” at steps a day (10,000 g Up Chico Pedome “Growin frog experiments to: Mail entries One Bidwell Park’s Chico, CA 95926 steps a day for adults).

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Baby Bobcat

Species: rs Ringtail Lemu

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What kind of insects are “Killer Insects”? How of many animals the forest have you seen near Take your home? a look and see!.

magazine growing up chico

ar and Gazk Maddy

the City Park Ranger for Donohue, Senior that’s probMeet Ranger Bob If he looks happy, for twenhim, to the right.) a ranger of Chico. (That’s job! He’s been really loves his here in Bidwell ably because he have been right of the park to sixteen of which ty-three years, enforcing the rules (or “vegetamainly include the plant life ng Park. His duties managi ent. safe place, the Fire Departm keep it a fun and asked him g in rescues with r afternoon and tion”), and assistin the him one hot summe ts of the park: I caught up with hidden, residen owl and favorite, but often main ones out here: the barn back about one of my are the yellow eyes looking about barn two types that “If you see big owl. “We have What to he informed me. he explained. ﬁnd any place the screech owl,” the screech owl,” Bob replied, “they’ll at night, that’s Ranger park the in barns? in you at found are they really time.” owl’s wings are owls, I asked-ﬁnd them all the ends of a barn you The where nest, but that’s completely silent

magazine growing up chico

sable, California where and other non-relea or walk the tigers, clouded leopards,for a personal two-hour tour, Go goes to and exotic animals. your entire donation own. Either way, grounds on your

by MaryRose Lovgren Maggie Shields, expeer rienced geocach old, does Maggie at only 10 years geocacher. Not only discovers the “cache” moniker a log have her own geocaching hidden beside has posted her own on the trail. (“Meo Geo”), she

amazing animals. feeding of these One might say the direct care and Foundation so special? From enclosures What makes the its inhabitants. quality of life for exercise, it’s the focus on regulations, to daily state and federal look and act that far exceed food, these animals e—they the best quality meet elsewher lots of TLC, and animals you might then different a little coms services to the look happy! provides numerou n al programs to Foundatio The off-site education and including: on- and munity as well, ion in species breeding participat ions; Foundation; schools and organizat the Make A Wish ; participation in & Girls Club, to research programs Scouts, the Boys with 4-H, Eagle and involvement name just a few.

your active with to to be more one way ts— Hey Paren ng for a fun way of exercise and track how looki t form meter to Are you is a grea wear a pedo counts towards Walking fun is to step family? r ing more day. Every a day for bette n make walk you take every tes ral. Whe 60 minu on gene many steps being active for surge tables by the of and vege lines set your goal ased the guide hy diet rich in fruits have incre s they s health per healt g score rch show eats a your child e every day, resea , reading and writin , not to classroom oved math and is activ of tion, impr viors in the chances concentra ptive beha decreasing the tes and of ced disru diabe ts ﬁ redu and h bene pressure, Kids the healt as high blood s, OPT for Fit mention lems such - Gina Simm future prob se. heart disea

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way down You make your held in your oute trail, GPS unit of like some sort retched hands ates ing rod. Coordin your divin ry centu s 1st changes, unseen satellite

a walk on the Looking to take fall? Take a short ver “wild side” this Durham and disco drive south to al best kept anim ty’s Coun Butte R. Kirshner Wildsecret… the Barry the only place in Northern n. It’s Bengal and personal with life Foundatio up-close get you can endangered,

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ry is to Community Observato the the Kiwanis Chico its telescopes for The mission of our universe through this community and of provide access to youth of education of the enjoyment and the world. tely Ave, approxima ry Way (off Wildwood Location: 1 Observato to Upper Bidwell Park) 1 mile in from entrance 343-5635 Phone: (530) ory.com info@chicoobservat ervatory.com Email: events at chicoobs Check out upcoming

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magazine growing up chico

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identifyi • Make a game of are the birds you hear? Where different birds do making the sounds? carry along a book of local birds or you see. • Cut our pictures a tally of which ones to go beor field guide. Keep area (see Places a dedicated wildlife need: and Visit • might them!) a camera. What you $25 (don’t drop low) and bring along a pair for around makes a pair d sanctuary. • Binoculars: Get Discovery Toys • Set up a backyar first. For extra fun, check every light practice at home headphones. car, have your kids sounds to a set of for help iden- • When in the kestrels. and resource hawks terrific that also focuses a for of Birds: This is and telephone pole • The Golden Book tifying birds. rces: Online resou logy has an excelLab of Bird Ornitho birds water and s. Learn Where to find them to you with a source of clean easier The Cornell packed with cool bird resource Lure sounds, and lent website rs at home so their • Your backyard: birds, hear their using your binocula about how to identify all on this site! www.birds. some cover. Practice cams” pa“nest and view even to use in the field. near water: Be quiet other natural areas cornell.edu t bird calls. differen • Bidwell Park or many of list under you be aware in our area (see tient, and soon go There are several to some was and over 60 station: hat, a Place Enjoy n, l: • A viewing sunscree Goose Festiva Make sure to wear a plus, too! s at this an• Annual Snow “Places to Go”). a zoom lens are ps and/or free activitie out Butte and a camera with field trips, worksho s through ter. Binoculars in various location nual event held 25-27, 2008. County. January sefestival.org Seco www.snowgoo Llano , Wildlife Refuge • Sacramento take Dayton Rd Kenny ms: From Chico, Viewing Platfor Lovgren enjoys onto Ord Ferry Road. miles, turn west the onto Sevensouth around 5 birdwatching at 3 miles, turn south LLano Seco viewing Continue west around entrance. Call 2 miles to the Unit station in Durham. mile Lane. Travel for more info. ord Rd, (530) 934-2801 e Area,, 3207 Rutherf • Gary Lodge Wildlif 0 Gridley. (530) 846-750 al Wildlife Refuge, 752 Nation • Sacramento 934-2801 Willows. (530) County Road 99W,

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Kenny Lovgren and

Getting Started

atch Ways to birdw kids: How many with young ng bird sounds.

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letterbox with stamp and pen has made A family of birds pole in a a nest on a light ood. north Chico neighborh Photo courtesy Robert R. Hawkins.

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destination: Honey Run Covered Bridge

magazine growing up chico

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, establishing service set up with suppliers of course , advertising, and do-- getting accounts the telephone company from many people and with PG&E and help products. “I had SCORE, Administration, learning about her like the Small Business Services,” she noted. “If it support groups Association of Diaper to get a busis, and the entire and the National raise a child, it takes that and more to with no other employee village a rship dad, takes proprieto s d” from my brothers, back It was a sole which specialize of items “borrowe ness set up.” volumes LeClark Web Design, l websites” for inventory consisted reselling coveted Tam Le, owner of functiona that a brisk business appealing but highly and mom. I made a short-lived venture own friends. After members. It was in “creating visually free websites for desire to to indulgent family it left me with a started by designing the Small Business small business, third grade, but to come in, she contacted ” course. didn’t last past the s the referrals starting and took their “Starting A Business again someday. coun-40% of small businesse my own business Office not alone. Over one of the business County, Administration Apparently, I’m ne counseling with a look around Butte s, big or and from taking “I also set up one-on-ogreat in answering all my question the pages of through roada leafing are owned by women, was I hit busireside here. Just selors there. She today whenever of woman-powered many of them must Le. “I still use her techniques.” up a treasure trove small,” described , a shop at my marketing r in someone to look this magazine opens Norwegian products you may encounte will block or just need online e-store for businesses that licensed center that ent. one of nesses: there’s an Then there are the “we should have dolls, and even a you think to yourself, dedicated to exquisite while you keep your doctor’s appointmthe d with the idea other cities, where cuties ka was very impresse a licensed simmering on watch your little Dionna Kawaoka k,” the next great idea those in Chico!” known as “KidsPar challenges of Perhaps you have 2-12. of the franchise already faced the for children ages fasciand organization maybe you have that provides care like me, you are organiza-back burner. Or, facility the you’re if and way, childcare of centers care Either hourly d with the other running a business. how other women have been taking in Chico.” of “We were very impresse we decided to open a KidsPark , so nated by the stories the leap, tion of the franchise deciding to take own business. a franchisor and franchise business-- their But starting up a After meeting with the licensing process. s. “The application process they had to start its own challenge the con-business isn’t without and it took us even longer because . - from scratch, through takes several months, is still so new,” stated Kawaoka ways to start a business- a previously-existing There are many hourly childcare d in working part-time of or by taking over little cept a intereste do eship, are to who start, you’ve got a kind of apprentic For many women consultant for an how you get your an independent Studio, which one. But no matter of HYPE Dance consultant Jenni their family, being Toys owner y around the or to Blakley, Discover home to buy fits the bill. planning. For Sarah n for ages 2 to adult, and is also customer. “I wanted it established company with a just a very happy because offers dance instructio , you’ve got to start initially just was kit t FUSION Merrell company competithe consultan local market and competitive dance value-- about $300 “Researching the was such a great good business plan. is it takes only $99. Then to raise a child, worth of stuff for are able to see what ed me to try tion is key. You up.” and “If it takes a village what is needed, my husband encourag see what I get a business set currently offered, and that and more to can stand out,” she to have a few parties Club Diaper Service how your business business.” Parties, - Ruxy Walsh, Cotton in the industry first could make of the Being . viewing a fun explained “As a student up their home to a consultant open was also key to Blakley.the physical detheir wares-- whether where friends of And having consultants sell myself, I have learned that I now teach my students... , are where such kitchen gear. es me understand of products k supplies, or gourmet mands and techniqu has really helped they be toys, scrapboo dance companies worked for other of things.” Ruxy Walsh, has the business side Service, owned by s of Cotton Club Diaper , which offers gendiapers to the doorstep took Baby’s Boutique sanitized cotton “baby,” finds Evans, owner of since 1988. She Amy things mine) g been providing soft, other and , babies (includin “the paper, and clothing, furniture g, in her words, cloth diaper-wearing reading an article about it in the tly-used quality and after challenge is in managin is products, services, over the business new merchandise her business’s biggest ed one, up to date with new consignment stores, brought the business her business was already an establish piles.” Like many While aspects that start-ups even a website. many of the technical she had to deal with

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bugs? world be like without not be What would our soil would a long fast, for our rely on burrowPrepare to go on of our crops. We the soil, aerable to support many ability to loosen nts. ing insects for their needed nutrie muchthe grubs, ate it, and recycle us even dine on farther, some of Taken one step And what of the “mosquito pies.” grasshoppers, and , many flowWithout insects a military line, ted, and their flowering plants? than one, say, in be naturally pollina resort to Not we not sill, cease. could ntion) rills along the window glass cleaner... ers (without interve uts. Even work, reproduction would re. Hair spray will honey for your Grapen in a musky vanilla. to mention no more can be kept in check by other not. Cloak our guilt an eternal strugpests wage damaging insect ladybird beetles, s that most of us , and predators, like stoof small, wriggly friendly insect are many success There gs. elves of all manner that insist on sharmantids, and lacewin biological control of insects that atures. Creatures erialized homes ries involving natural chemical pestiread damage of antiseptic and de-bact them? Considering do not do the widesp cides. it us who share with been take some the fossil record, of us This spring, ave, according to farther, some out to trek through million Taken one step ers, time upper Bidwell hopp and s grass lower s, perhap us, e to dis-even dine on grub park on a search more accompies.” that call and “mosquito cover the insects n fact, insects your own insect in part home take their too can Chico home. You stop and smell the every conceivtake a moment to suburban adventure-- just -- from our own with a friend. Or on this planet . Only come face to face roses. You may and the dry deserts poles snowy the Lovgren lunch. deep ocean are without Photo by MaryRose and fishes of the great it weren’t for their ing. However, if it would be life as we know and persistence, nt. group represent one ue “bugs” only million or so other The tera. , the Hemip as the tly named groups and l into such eloquen ea (cockroaches), dragonflies), Blattod ants), to name a few. and tera (bees, wasps, and ined exoskeleton with their armor from other be distinguished fact antennae, can scorpions, by the and spiders awlies, like three divisions and have three body and freethem the agility legs. This allows wriggle climb, jump, and .and movement to soar, , and into our hearts.. ers, under streams

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it (unless, In the next are all I’ll bet you can do Why? Because birds dove, a funny quail. ound chamber). lives, they in some vast undergr their ubiquitious nature in our of if you tune around us! Because serve as background music. But realize that can sometimes merelye to the all-bird station, you will your internal antenna ded. surroun word, a in we are, start to your life, and you’ll n to the birds in their way Start paying attentio You’ll see snowy egrets making ere. entries a telephone foron log out hanging see them everywh a hawk or kestrel birds being fed through a rice field; or a nest of baby down HWY 99; here in Butte pole as you cruise are so lucky to live birds of all (see picture). We to see migrating by their mother places great many le, it makes a are County, as there so easy and accessib Bird-watching is colors and sizes. with their kids. parents to enjoy great hobby for apher cher and photogr Blackstone, birdwat insights into I met with Dr. Sarah State to get an expert’s Chico at r and former professo how best to get started.

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Umm... what’s up with all the wooden snails? (There are over 100!)

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Spring making you “antsy?” Learn all about these and other creatures that really “bug.” by MaryRose Lovgren Photo by MaryRose Lovgren

Our ﬁrst impulse is to squash them, preferably with an inanimate object-- a paper towel, a shoe, yesterday’s newspaper-- which removes us from the violence of our action. If

18 growing chico magazine growing up chico up magazine

What would our world be like without bugs? Prepare to go on a long fast, for our soil would not be able to support many of our crops. We rely on burrowing insects for their ability to loosen the soil, aerate it, and recycle the much-needed nutrients. Taken one step farther, some of us even dine on grubs, grasshoppers, and “mosquito pies.” And what of the there are more than one, say, in a military line, perflowering plants? Without insects, many flowforming their drills along the window sill, we resort to chemical warfare. Hair spray will work, glass cleaner... ers could not be naturally pollinated, and their reproduction would (without intervention) cease. Not perfume? Why not. Cloak our guilt in a musky vanilla. to mention no more honey for your Grapenuts. Even It seems that most of us wage an eternal struggle to rid ourselves of all manner of small, wriggly, and damaging insect pests can be kept in check by other friendly insect predators, like ladybird beetles, persistent creatures. Creatures that insist on sharmantids, and lacewings. There are many success stoing our clean antiseptic and de-bacterialized homes ries involving natural biological control of insects that with us... or is it us who share with them? Considering do not do the widespread damage of chemical pestithat insects have, according to the fossil record, been cides. around 350 million Taken one step farther, some of us This spring, take some years before us, perhaps we should be more accomeven dine on grubs, grasshoppers, time out to trek through lower and upper Bidwell modating. In fact, insects and “mosquito pies.” park on a search to dishave made their home cover the insects that call in almost every conceivChico home. You too can take part in your own insect able niche on this planet-- from our own suburban adventure-just take a moment to stop and smell the dwellings to the snowy poles and the dry deserts. Only roses. You may come face to face with a friend. Or the whales and fishes of the deep ocean are without lunch. their pestering. However, if it weren’t for their great abundance and persistence, life as we know it would be very different. True “bugs” only represent one group of insects, the Hemiptera. The million or so other species fall into such eloquently named groups as the Odonata (dragonflies), Blattodea (cockroaches), and Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), to name a few. Insects, with their armored exoskeleton and inquisitive antennae, can be distinguished from other creepy-crawlies, like spiders and scorpions, by the fact that they have three body divisions and three pairs of legs. This allows them the agility and freedom of movement to soar, climb, jump, and wriggle into flowers, under streams, and into our hearts...and arms... and hair...

Photo by MaryRose Lovgren

Take a journey into the heavens at the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory

ﬁeld trip!

by MaryRose Lovgren

“There’s an observatory in Chico?”

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growing up chico magazine

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�� Kenny Lovgren and friends exploring the heavens.

Visiting the Observatory The mission of the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory is to provide access to our universe through its telescopes for the enjoyment and education of the youth of this community and of the world. Location: 1 Observatory Way (off Wildwood Ave, approximately 1 mile in from entrance to Upper Bidwell Park) Phone: (530) 343-5635 Email: info@chicoobservatory.com Check out upcoming events at chicoobservatory.com

�� Lon Glazner and son Becket investigate the �� new handheld devices in the new outdoor �� amphitheatre.

the stories behind

women in business

the storefront Be inspired and informed by some local women and the businesses they’ve created! by MaryRose Lovgren

www.growingupchico.com

I once owned a small bookstore under a staircase.

do-- getting accounts set up with suppliers, establishing service with PG&E and the telephone company, advertising, and of course learning about her products. “I had help from many people and support groups like the Small Business Administration, SCORE, It was a sole proprietorship with no other employees, and the entire and the National Association of Diaper Services,” she noted. “If it inventory consisted of items “borrowed” from my brothers, dad, takes a village to raise a child, it takes that and more to get a busiand mom. I made a brisk business reselling coveted volumes back ness set up.” to indulgent family members. It was a short-lived venture that Tam Le, owner of LeClark Web Design, which specializes didn’t last past the third grade, but it left me with a desire to own in “creating visually appealing but highly functional websites” for my own business again someday. small business, started by designing free websites for friends. After Apparently, I’m not alone. Over 40% of small businesses the referrals starting to come in, she contacted the Small Business are owned by women, and from taking a look around Butte County, Administration Office and took their “Starting A Business” course. many of them must reside here. Just leafing through the pages of “I also set up one-on-one counseling with one of the business counthis magazine opens up a treasure trove of woman-powered busiselors there. She was great in answering all my questions, big or nesses: there’s an online e-store for Norwegian products, a shop small,” described Le. “I still use her today whenever I hit a roaddedicated to exquisite dolls, and even a licensed center that will block or just need someone to look at my marketing techniques.” watch your little cuties while you keep your doctor’s appointment. Then there are the businesses that you may encounter in Perhaps you have the next great idea simmering on the other cities, where you think to yourself, “we should have one of back burner. Or, maybe you have already faced the challenges of those in Chico!” Dionna Kawaoka was very impressed with the idea running a business. Either way, if you’re like me, you are fasciand organization of the franchise known as “KidsPark,” a licensed nated by the stories of how other women have been taking care of hourly childcare facility that provides care for children ages 2-12. business-- their own business. “We were very impressed with the other centers and the organization of the franchise, so we decided to open a KidsPark in Chico.” After meeting with a franchisor and deciding to take the leap, they had to start the licensing process. But starting up a franchise There are many ways to start a business-- from scratch, through business isn’t without its own challenges. “The application process a kind of apprenticeship, or by taking over a previously-existing takes several months, and it took us even longer because the conone. But no matter how you get your start, you’ve got to do a little cept of hourly childcare is still so new,” stated Kawaoka. planning. For Sarah Blakley, owner of HYPE Dance Studio, which For many women who are interested in working part-time offers dance instruction for ages 2 to adult, and is also home to the or around their family, being an independent consultant for an competitive dance company FUSION, you’ve got to start with a established company fits the bill. Discovery Toys consultant Jenni good business plan. “Researching the local market and competiMerrell was initially just a very happy customer. “I wanted to buy tion is key. You are able to see what is the consultant kit just because it currently offered, what is needed, and was such a great value-- about $300 “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes how your business can stand out,” she worth of stuff for only $99. Then that and more to get a business set up.” explained. Being in the industry first my husband encouraged me to try Ruxy Walsh, Cotton Club Diaper Service was also key to Blakley. “As a student to have a few parties and see what I myself, I have learned the physical decould make of the business.” Parties, mands and techniques that I now teach my students... And having where friends of a consultant open up their home to a fun viewing worked for other dance companies has really helped me understand of products, are where such consultants sell their wares-- whether the business side of things.” they be toys, scrapbook supplies, or gourmet kitchen gear. Cotton Club Diaper Service, owned by Ruxy Walsh, has been providing soft, sanitized cotton diapers to the doorsteps of cloth diaper-wearing babies (including mine) since 1988. She took over the business after reading an article about it in the paper, and Amy Evans, owner of Baby’s Boutique, which offers genbrought the business up to date with new products, services, and tly-used quality clothing, furniture, and other things “baby,” finds even a website. While her business was already an established one, her business’s biggest challenge is in managing, in her words, “the she had to deal with many of the technical aspects that start-ups piles.” Like many consignment stores, new merchandise is

growing up chico magazine

Getting Started

Unique Challenges

ﬁeld trip

birds are

all around us! by MaryRose Lovgren

Here’s your assignment:

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In the next ten minutes, you must find a bird. Any bird. A crow, a dove, a funny quail. I’ll bet you can do it (unless, perhaps, you are in some vast underground chamber). Why? Because birds are all around us! Because of their ubiquitious nature in our lives, they can sometimes merely serve as background music. But if you tune your internal antennae to the all-bird station, you will realize that we are, in a word, surrounded. Start paying attention to the birds in your life, and you’ll start to see them everywhere. You’ll see snowy egrets making their way log out foron entries through a rice field; a hawk or kestrel hanging a telephone pole as you cruise down HWY 99; or a nest of baby birds being fed by their mother (see picture). We are so lucky to live here in Butte County, as there are many great places to see migrating birds of all colors and sizes. Bird-watching is so easy and accessible, it makes a great hobby for parents to enjoy with their kids. Ways to birdwatch I met with Dr. Sarah Blackstone, birdwatcher and photographer and former professor at Chico State to get an expert’s insights into how best to get started.

• Your backyard: Lure them to you with a source of clean water and some cover. Practice using your binoculars at home so their easier to use in the field. • Bidwell Park or other natural areas near water: Be quiet and patient, and soon you be aware of many different bird calls. • A viewing station: There are several in our area (see list under “Places to Go”). Make sure to wear sunscreen, a hat, and some water. Binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens are a plus, too!

growing up chico magazine

with young kids:

• Make a game of identifying bird sounds. How many different birds do you hear? Where are the birds making the sounds? • Cut our pictures of local birds or carry along a book What you might need: or field guide. Keep a tally of which ones you see. • Binoculars: Get a pair for around $25 (don’t drop them!) and • Visit a dedicated wildlife area (see Places to go bepractice at home first. For extra fun, Discovery Toys makes a pair low) and bring along a camera. that also focuses sounds to a set of headphones. • Set up a backyard sanctuary. • The Golden Book of Birds: This is a terrific resource for help iden- • When in the car, have your kids check every light tifying birds. and telephone pole for hawks and kestrels.

Where to find birds

A family of birds has made a nest on a light pole in a north Chico neighborhood. Photo courtesy Robert R. Hawkins.

Kenny Lovgren enjoys birdwatching at the LLano Seco viewing station in Durham.

Online resources:

The Cornell Lab of Bird Ornithology has an excellent website packed with cool bird resources. Learn about how to identify birds, hear their sounds, and even view “nest cams” all on this site! www.birds. cornell.edu

Places to go

• Annual Snow Goose Festival: Enjoy over 60 field trips, workshops and/or free activities at this annual event held in various locations throughout Butte County. January 25-27, 2008. www.snowgoosefestival.org • Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, Llano Seco Viewing Platforms: From Chico, take Dayton Rd south around 5 miles, turn west onto Ord Ferry Road. Continue west around 3 miles, turn south onto Sevenmile Lane. Travel 2 miles to the Unit entrance. Call (530) 934-2801 for more info. • Gary Lodge Wildlife Area, 3207 Rutherford Rd, Gridley. (530) 846-7500 • Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, 752 County Road 99W, Willows. (530) 934-2801

ﬁeld trip

all about

“letterboxing”

beginning letterboxer

by MaryRose Lovgren

destination: Honey Run Covered Bridge

letterbox with stamp and pen

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log for entries

Need a little encour agement t o ge t out in natur e t his summer? T r y Le tt erboxing! ��

growing up chico magazine

What is it?

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So how do you begin ? ��

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�� Do you have an idea for a letterbox? Create your own and we may post it online! Just e-mail your instructions to: maryrose@growingupchico.com.

ﬁeld trip! Photo by MaryRose Lovgren

Come with us as a new generation teaches us how to explore nature... the high-tech way!

growing 8 up growing chico up magazine chico magazine

You make your way down the trail, GPS unit held in your outstretched hands like some sort of 21st century divining rod. Coordinates

by MaryRose Lovgren Maggie Shields, experienced geocacher at only 10 years old, discovers the “cache” hidden beside a log on the trail.

geocacher. Not only does Maggie have her own geocaching moniker (“Meo Geo”), she has posted her own caches online. So how does she describe this phenomenon? “I think that it’s like a treasure hunt,” change as your position changes, unseen satellites your she explained. “You go out into nature looking for heavenly guides. Until, there! You are within thirty feet something-- usually you’re looking for a plastic container. of your prey. Rocks, branches, and pokey bushes are There’s always a log sheet and sometimes there’s prizes.” overturned and pushed aside until your Holy Grail is Not all geocaches are the same, however, states uncovered: a small Tupperware container whose contents Maggie. If you’re looking for one with a prize, make sure may include a Chewbaca Pez dispenser or handful of to choose a “traditional” cache. “Micro” caches are coins. small, usually just a film canister. There are even “loWelcome to “geocaching,” a technocationless” caches, where you either take a picture or logical twist on hide-and-seek with particifind the answer to a question, and e-mail that to the pants the world over. It all started in May cache designer. of 2000, when the US government officially Geocaches are also categorized by “difficulty removed “selective availability” from Global in terrain.” “If it has five stars, that means it’s really Positioning System satellites. The result? hard,” Maggie warned. “I try to do a one, two, or GPS units owned by civilians (you and me) three. The hardest one I’ve done is a five… We had suddenly become a lot more accurate. It to tie a rope to a bridge and climb up the rope to get wasn’t even a week before someone thought it.” to hide a container somewhere in Oregon For Maggie, this passion began a couple of years and post the coordinates on-line, with the ago, on their annual family hike at Table Mountain taunt: just try and find it! in Oroville. “My uncle Mike was a geocacher, and Now there are thousands of such he took us on a geocache,” she explained. “It wasn’t “geocaches” hidden around the world, listed really one of the best caches, though, because it was a at www.geocaching.com and arranged by zip really long hike and it wasn’t hidden in the right spot.” code, terrain, and difficulty. The Maggie and her family are now of“...your Holy Grail is uncovered: a basic premise? Pick a geocache ficially hooked. “On the weekends, small Tupperware container whose near you using the site, plug the contents may include a Chewbaca Pez if we’re not busy, we might go out coordinates given into a GPS geocaching. I’m in gymnastics, and dispenser or handful of coins.” unit, and start your hunt. Once I have to travel a lot, so sometimes you’ve found the cache, sign the we do caches while we’re gone.” log book and replace the container for the next person to So now you’re ready to start ‘caching in. Well, as find. you may have guessed, it all depends on your ability to Maggie Shields, ten years old and a student possess and use a GPS unit, which is a little more compliat Sierra Avenue Elementary in Oroville, is an avid

A pedometer is an easy to use instrument that counts your steps as you walk, run, hop-scotch and leap-frog. It’s also really fun to use! The ﬁrst thing to do is get one. The Chico Public Library has pedometers you can check out for free, just like a book. Or, enter to win one of your very own (see red box below). Once you have one, wear it for a week, all day, every day (okay, maybe take it off when you go to sleep at night). Write down how many steps you took each day. After a week, you can calculate your average daily step count. Just add up the number of steps you took each day, and divide that number by the days you kept track. (For example, if you took 40,000 steps over seven days, that’s 5,714 steps a day.) Your goal should be to increase the number Brother Zach Nielsen car- of steps you take daily ries out some leap- until you reach 12,000 frog experiments at steps a day (10,000 Bidwell Park’s One steps a day for adults). Mile Rec Area.

Make a game out of using your pedometer!

Drew Nielsen gives us a look at one of the free pedometers being offered through OPT for Fit Kids.

• Wear your pedometer while playing— which activities make you take more steps? • “Compete” with your family members—who can take the most steps by dinner time?

How can you get more “steps” in your day?

• Take a hike! From the paved paths in Lower Bidwell Park, to the trails along the Feather River, Butte County has a lot of ways to get out in nature and get more active. • Park farther away from the entrance to the grocery store, library, mall, or gym. • Walk together to your local farmers’ market for the freshest fruits and veggies in town. The Chico Public Library offers pedometers to check out courtesy of the Step Fit Chico program brought to you by Chico Rotary and the Sierra Cascade Activity and Nutrition Consortium (SCNAC). For more information on how to increase your child’s fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity level, please call 5 a Day—Power Play! at 345-0633, or OPT for Fit Kids at 345-0678. You can also check them out online at www.scnutrition.org.

Enter to win a pedometer by mailing a postcard with your name, address, and age(s) with one way that you and your family can get more “steps” in your day. First 15 entries receive a free pedomenter! Mail entries to: “Growing Up Chico Pedometer Contest” 973P East Ave, Chico, CA 95926

Photos by MaryRose Lovgren

get active www.growingupchico.com growing up chico magazine 22 growing up chico magazine 2

your Hey Parents— more active with a fun way to be r y to fo g wa e kin on loo d u an yo Are form of exercise t ea gr w a is ck ing meter to tra ho family? Walk is to wear a pedo n fu s e rd or m wa to ng ts lki make wa ery step coun r take every day. Ev many steps you tes a day for bette inu m 60 active for hen W l. ra ne ge n eo your goal of being t by the surg se es lin s ide gu ble e ta th ge its and ve health per hy diet rich in fru alt ed he as a re ts inc ea ve ild ha your ch ows they y day, research sh es er or ev sc e g tiv itin ac wr is d d an ing an proved math, read t to concentration, im the classroom, no in rs vio ha be ive pt of ru s dis ce d an ce ch and redu sing the beneﬁts of decrea h and alt s he te e be th dia n , tio re men h blood pressu hig as ch su s future problem T for Fit Kids - Gina Simms, OP heart disease.

Bidwell Mansion growing up chico magazine 18

Take a tour with Kelsey and Makenzie Zimmer! by MaryRose Lovgren Have you ever wanted to go back in time? Or meet the people that you read about in

the caboose– I make sure that everyone is following the tour guide.” Makenzie, an eighth-grader at Champion Christian school, loves the Bidwell Mansion because she loves history. As she puts it, “you can’t know where you’re going to go unless you know where you’ve been!” They go on tours with their mom when they can, anywhere from once a week to several times a month. “We could probably give you a tour in the mansion!” said Makenzie, and it turns out, they were right.

Meet Kelsey and Makenzie Zimmer, sisters and Bidwell Mansion experts. Their mom, Suzie Zimmer, started working at this historic state park three years ago, and can be credited with their knowledge. “I’ve always loved helping out my mom in the mansion,” explained Kelsey, a ﬁfth-grader at McManus school. “I like to go on the tour. I’m usually

As we walked from the Visitor’s Center to the Mansion, I could easily imagine that I was living back in the 1800s, particularly since Kelsey and Makenzie were dressed in beautiful costumes from that time period. The dresses were made by local women and are worn by tour guides and for festivals put on at the mansion, such as the Open House and other events happening in December (see Bidwell Mansion Holiday Events, next page). As we discussed how fashion has changed since the time of Annie Bidwell, Makenzie let me in on this macabre bit of trivia: some women, to get their feet small enough for the fashionably tiny shoes of the time, would cut off their pinkie toe! Suzie Zimmer corroborated this fact, but added that it was usually women in “high society” that might go to this extreme. However, it was also not unheard of to remove a rib to ﬁt into the 18-inch corsets that were so popular!

your history books? Well, there’s a place in Chico where you can almost do those things. It’s a big, pink house just south of Chico High School, and when you step inside its tall, ornate doors, you can imagine that you are living 100 years in the past. Two lucky girls probably come the closest to feeling like they actually live there– complete with the clothes to match.

Above: Makenzie (left) and Kelsey look the part as they pose on the second ﬂoor balcony of the Bidwell Manion in costume. Right: Kelsey stands next to one of her favorite pieces, the square grand piano.

After entering the house, we went up a long stairwell, originally for the servant’s quarters, and entered the main room. As we walked, my two tour

ﬁeld trip!

Make some wild friends at the Kirshner Wildlife Foundation! Looking to take a walk on the “wild side” this fall? Take a short drive south to Durham and discover Butte County’s best kept animal secret… the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation. It’s the only place in Northern

California where you can get up-close and personal with Bengal tigers, clouded leopards, and other non-releasable, endangered, and exotic animals. Go for a personal two-hour tour, or walk the grounds on your own. Either way, your entire donation goes to

the direct care and feeding of these amazing animals. What makes the Foundation so special? One might say it’s the focus on quality of life for its inhabitants. From enclosures that far exceed state and federal regulations, to daily exercise, lots of TLC, and the best quality food, these animals look and act a little different then animals you might meet elsewhere—they look happy! The Foundation provides numerous services to the community as well, including: on- and off-site educational programs to schools and organizations; participation in species breeding and research programs; participation in the Make A Wish Foundation; and involvement with 4-H, Eagle Scouts, the Boys & Girls Club, to name just a few.

Baby Bobcat

r Maddy and Gazka

www.growingupchico.com

Species: Ringtail Lemurs Home: Madagascar

growing up chico magazine

Home: Southern Canada, the US, and parts of Mexico

Status: Critically Engangered

Status: Least Concern

. In the AR, our Ringtail Lemurs Meet MADDY and GAZK dagascar, Ma only on the island of wild, Lemurs are found a joy to be are urs ica. Both our lem off the east coast of Afr a lot of ed ne y the tes ma they are pri around, and because ou b in r shirts, tion. They like to clim socialization and atten Sometimes ha d swing from our ir. groom our eyebrows an ch their atcat ays alw s se. New thing that’s a bit of a surpri w people. very curious about ne tention, and they are

Their Mission

Species: Bobcat

“The Mission of the foundation is to educate the public about the care and preservation of all wildlife and their habitats, both locally and globally; and to teach responsible ownership of companion and exotic animals.”

Want to Volunteer?

If you are age 14 or older and have a passion to help animals and educate others, you can become a Foundation Volunteer! You will need to be available in four-hour shifts, twice a week. College credits are even available.

Become a Member!

Become a vital part of the Foundation by choosing an individual or family membership. Receive a quarterly newsletter, free passes, a photo with a baby cat, and even a plaque in your name! Different levels are available, including Business Sponsorships.

This is our new baby bobcat , still to be named, native to Montana. Her coat is a gra yish-blue color because in the wild she would need it as camouﬂage in the colder, snowy climate of Montana. Bobcat s are always spotted to som e extent, with some individual s patterned only on the und ersides, others with spots ext ending up the sides onto the chest and back. It hunts bot h by night and day and fee ds mainly on rabbit, but also eats rodents, birds, and dee r.

Felina

Wish List

As it is entirely run by volunteers, the Foundation is always looking for items and services that you might be able to provide! • Construction materials for building new enclosures (such as 8 foot high chain link, and 10 foot posts) • Freezers • Meat and produce • Grant writing services

Visiting the Foundation

2-hour Personal Tours are offered 7 days a week, 9am-5pm and are by appointment only. Fee: $10 for adults (or $7 without tour); $6 for children Phone: (530) 345-1700 Website: www.kirshner.org Visit their new volunteer-run Gift Shop, full of educational and animal-related items!

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Little Kenny goes on assignment to see what’s jumpin’ at the Oroville Fish Hatchery. By MaryRose Lovgren

The story of the salmon, like that of Cinderalla, is a classic tale of transformation. From small

growing up chico magazine

pumpkin-colored egg it morphs into a silvery ocean swimmer, who, when visited by some fairy godmother of a biochemical reaction, rushes to ﬁnd its mate before time runs out. Lucky for us in Butte County, we have direct access to this ancient love story right in our back yard. The Oroville Salmon Fish Hatchery, a mitigation byproduct from the building of Oroville Dam, is a wonder of modern engineering and foresight. Built with education in mind, it is also a wonderful place to see the process in action. One misty morning last spring

I tracked down Steve Brightwell, of the Department of Fish & Game, for a detailed background on salmon. You can easily imagine the tall Brightwell in the great outdoors-- with his dark brown beard and solid frame-- but right now, we are in the confines of his office, where he obliges my many questions about the salmon circle of life. Salmon, Brightwell begins, are what are called “anadromous” fish: their

life cycle includes time spent in both fresh and salt water. “When they hatch, they imprint on the water supply and there’s something that goes on inside their mind that they remember that supply. They’ll go out into the ocean. After three years, they’ll come back into the bay and they’ll pick up that chemical signature of Feather River water in the bay and they’ll follow it upstream to the Feather River.” But just how, exactly do they remember where to return? “(Scientists)

color change here as well, for the salmon go from the bright silver that they donned in the ocean to the darker olive greens or even reds that you see at the Hatchery. There is one big difference, however-- “once they enter fresh water,” Brightwell warns, “it’s basically a race with death to spawn before they die!” This pivotal journey upriver has one goal in mind: to ﬁnd the right spot to lay and fertilize the female’s eggs. “When they get ready to spawn, they move up current, and try to get upstream

“Once they enter fresh water,” Brightwell explains, “they undergo physiological changes: they quit eating, they re-absorb their digestive system, and live off that as well as the body fat they’ve stored up. They basically digest their own digestive system.” Ewwww.

know it’s basically sense of smell-- each water has a slightly different chemical makeup. How they can pick that out of all the other ones ﬂowing together, that I don’t know!” In any case, some internal biological trigger is pulled, and a countdown begins. “Once they enter fresh water,” Brightwell explains, “they undergo physiological changes: they quit eating, they re-absorb their digestive system, and live off that as well as the body fat they’ve stored up. They basically digest their own digestive system.” Ewwww. This process might remind you of another great transformation in nature: that of the caterpillar to the butterﬂy. And like that story, there is a

and into areas where there’s inch and a half-sized gravel, and they lay their eggs in the gravel. They use their ﬁns to blow out any silt that’s in there, and lay their eggs down in the cracks.

ﬁeld trip!

by MaryRose Lovgren

(1) Let’s start with the viewing platform on the east side, where you can walk down and look at the river. “Late in the summer,” Ford describes, “the ﬁsh in there are so packed in it almost looks like seaweed in the current. Then you can see them trying to jump over the barrier dam. So every so often, you’ll see one come rocketing out there. It’s amazing how high they can get! Some will jump ten or twelve feet clear out of the water. But they can’t jump high enough to clear the barrier. When we open the ladder up” (September 15th this year), “they’ll start coming up the ladder. And all along the ladder (2) you can see them jumping the boards as they keep climbing higher and higher.” Ford points out this cool fact: the ladder is over a half-mile long, which makes it the longest ladder on the West Coast.

After traveling up the ladder, the salmon will reach the gathering tank (a rectangular tank or trap), and from there they are moved either by hand or mechanically into one of four round holding tanks (3), where they are held until they are ready to spawn.

growing up chico magazine

Once a week, fish from the holding tanks are then forced into the building, and anesthetized with carbon dioxide which slows them down enough to be handled (which is important, as the average size of these fish is 30 pounds). Through the great windows (4), you can see the Fish & Game workers sort the salmon that are ready to spawn by gender. Eggs are released from the females and mixed with “milt” from the males (5), and the miracle of fertilization takes place. Salmon that aren’t ready to spawn are shunted back into the holding tanks, where they fully revive. They are held there until the group ripens. The story ends here for the adult salmon, for once they’ve spawned, they die. At the hatchery, this inevitable death is hastened to make handling them easier. If 100% of the salmon came through the hatchery, the carcasses would have to be released back into the river system as part of nature’s recycling process. But since only 30% are artificially spawned here, they can preserve those fish and have them canned. Working through the Community Action Agency, the fish is then given out to those in need. Whole salmon are also provided to the Native American tribes in the area.

Up to 30,000 adult salmon reach the Hatchery, and from these, 12 to 13 million fertilized eggs may be incubated (6), as Brightwell demonstrates. These eggs are placed in row after row of incubator stacks, where fresh, oxygenated Feather River water can flow through them. The eggs “water harden,” becoming plump and firm. “After around 25-30 days,” Brightwell narrates, “they get through that tender stage and they develop into what we refer to as ‘eyed eggs,’” so-named because you can see the fish’s eyes developing inside. The eggs are now tough enough to handle, and to remove dead eggs that may be harboring fungus, water is sprayed into the troughs. Dead eggs turn white due to a rupturing of the membranes inside, and these can be picked out. “We refer to that as ‘addling’ the eggs,” interjects Brightwell with a twinkle, “because we get them all addled up!” For thirty days after that, they live off the yolk of the egg. Called “alevin,” these larval fish, if fertilized outside of the hatchery, would still be in the gravel of the river’s bed.

science & nature

Meet Ranger Bob Donohue, Senior Park Ranger for the City of Chico. (That’s him, to the right.) If he looks happy, that’s probably because he really loves his job! He’s been a ranger for twenty-three years, sixteen of which have been right here in Bidwell Park. His duties mainly include enforcing the rules of the park to keep it a fun and safe place, managing the plant life (or “vegetation”), and assisting in rescues with the Fire Department. I caught up with him one hot summer afternoon and asked him about one of my favorite, but often hidden, residents of the park: the owl. “We have two types that are the main ones out here: the barn owl and the screech owl,” he informed me. “If you see big yellow eyes looking back at you in the park at night, that’s the screech owl,” he explained. What about barn owls, I asked-- are they really found in barns? Ranger Bob replied, “they’ll ﬁnd any place to nest, but that’s where you ﬁnd them all the time.”

The ends of a barn owl’s wings are specialized to be completely silent

Barn Owl * Relies on stealth to catch its prey * Head is smooth and round with no feathery “ears” * Face has conical feathers that act like a dish, picking up sounds * Ends of wings have a “comb” that deadens the sound of ﬂapping Ranger Bob says: “Because of his enhanced hearing, and because he is ﬂying silent, he can pick up the prey really easily and BOOM! he’s got himself a dinner.”

growing up chico magazine

The screech owl has startling yellow eyes, tufted “ears,” and a grey or black bill Screech Owl * Looks like your “classic” owl * Can comoulfage themselves against a tree to hide * Screech owls aren’t silent like barn owls-they instead depend on ﬂying very fast! Ranger Bob says: “With the screech owl, he’ll come ﬂying out of nowhere at supersonic speed and pick insects right out of the air.”

The distinctive shape of a barn owl’s face acts a lot like a satellite dish, collecting sound waves

science & nature growing up chico magazine 20

What animal has a rings around its tail, a mask on its face, and loves to eat cat food?

Answer:

A raccoon! I just love raccoons-- I think it has something to do with their funny bandit faces and inquisitive personlities. So, I tracked down Ranger Bob Donohue again to ﬁll us in on that deceptively cute and cuddly resident of the park, a creature that has been known to sneak into people’s houses (like mine) looking for some snacks. Ranger Bob was quick to point out that looks can be deceiving. “Raccoons may look cute and cuddly, but they are anything but that.” You see, several years ago, when he was patrolling the park, a raccoon fell out of a tree and knocked himself out. “I saw him hit the ground,” continued Ranger Bob. “He laid there for a minute, then he got up, staggered over to one of the picnic tables, and collapsed there.” Now, Ranger Bob carries with him an aluminum “catch pole,” with a loop on the end that he can tighten. This allows him to just put the loop around the body of an animal that might be injured and need help. He had put the loop around the raccoon, when Ranger Bob got a big surprise. “All of a sudden he comes to, and he was less

No, they’re not really washing their food-- more likely, raccoons use water as a way to make their hands more sensitive, making it easier to remove the parts that they can’t eat.

w n Ra n g ’s O er

Question:

co hi

Raccoon Facts • The word raccoon comes from a Native American word, arakunem, which means “he who scratches with hands.” • They can grow up to 3 feet, and weigh up to 30 pounds. • Raccoons have a whitish gray coat with black patches of long, dense fur.

than thrilled that I was in the area, to say the least! He thought I was there to hurt him. So he started scratching that pole with his claws, and biting it with his teeth.” The raccoon was so strong, he left marks and indentations in the metal pole! “If he can do that to a metal pole with his claws and teeth, what could he do to your arm? So be real careful,” he warned, “because an injured animal can be a real serious situation.” There are a lot of raccoons in lower park, fewer in upper park. A good time to see them is in the early morning and evening (dusk and dawn). This is their feeding time, and they usually can be seen moving towards water. Another place you might ﬁnd a raccoon is in a storm drain, which they use as underground passageways. According to Ranger Bob, “they’ve got those routes pretty much mapped out!”

ﬁeld trip!

A Walk in the Woods Been to the Chico Museum lately? Now’s a good time to “tree” what you’ve been missing!

www.growingupchico.com

By Paul Russell

What color is a tree’s bark? If you just said “brown,” you’re missing out! Check out all the colors and grains in this display

growing up chico magazine 18

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What kind of insects are “Killer Insects”? How many animals of the forest have you seen near your home? Take a look and see!.

Umm... what’s up with all the wooden snails? (There are over 100!)

Did you know that a tree’s rings can tell you what the weather was like 20 years ago? Find out how!

Trees are perhaps the world’s most remarkable plants, and the love and admiration of trees is almost universal—��

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the world of trees

by MaryRose Lovgren

#1.

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Ask your mom or dad (or other adult) to tag along on this nature adventure. Start at the World of Trees sign at the east end of the Cedar Grove Parking Lot (see photo). Head left, and Tree #1 will be on your right. Learn about each numbered tree and ﬁll in the correct name on this sheet. When you’re done, send it in and you may be our lucky winner! (Note: Not all trees are listed.)

#3.

#2. You might have some of tree number two in your home right now! Because of its sweet smell and ﬁreproof properties, it is often made into furniture, roof shingles, and fences. Squeeze a needle-like leaf between your ﬁngers and see where part of its name comes from. What is it? __________________________________

Ooh... the “Trees of the Dead!” These tall, skinny evergreen trees earned their name by representing the mourning of the dead and being found near Egyptian tombs. It is ironic, then, that they can actually live to be 3,000 years old! What are they called? _______________________________

#6.

#8. You know that bulletin board in your classroom? The material that makes them so useful is made from the bark of these trees! How does it feel? Is it hard, or soft? Another neat fact is that this is the largest plantation of its kind in the U.S. One more thing to notice: very few other plants can grow amongst these trees, as the tree’s leaves produce a substance that prevents other plants from growing. What is it? ___________________________________

Can you guess why this tree is sometimes called the “Cigar Tree?” (Hint: Look at the strange shape of their seed pods!) This tree also produces showy white ﬂowers, and its wood is used for fence posts. What is it? ___________________________

Right across from tree #3 is a kind of “owl cafeteria!” Owls sit high up in the trees and scarf down their food (usually mice) that they caught during the night. Look around and see if you can spot the boney remains. Look, don’t touch, though-- these “owl pellets” aren’t going to be very clean!

Wow! The pinecones from this pine tree are the heaviest in America-- up to ﬁve pounds! Also, Native Americans living in Southern California used to eat the seeds from these cones. What is it?

#13.

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Enter to Win!

#9.

One of the world’s tallest living things, these conifers (conebearing trees) can grow to a towering 300 feet high, almost as tall as a football ﬁeld is long! What is it?

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Photos by MaryRose Lovgren

Have you ever eaten a persimmon cookie? They are made with the strange, orange fruit from this tree! But beware-- the unripe fruit is more tart than a lemon. Yuck! What is it?

When you’ve completed your quest, write down your answers to each numbered tree on a separate piece of paper, and mail it to us. The ﬁrst ﬁve kids under age 14 that reply will receive a special gift from the Chico Creek Nature Center! Mail To: Growing Up Chico Scavenger Hunt P.O. Box 1234 Chico, CA 95928

growing up chico magazine

#10.

mouse skull found on the ground

www.growingupchico.com

1. The very first tree you will see has a name that, well, just isn’t quite right! It was first identified long ago in a monastery in Portugal, but its home is actually in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Because it is somewhat rare, its wood is quite valuable. What is it?

scavenger hunt

Do you like to play games in the great outdoors? Then this outdoor scavenger hunt is just for you!