Thursday August 14, 2014
Chico News and Review
August 14, 2014
by Howard Hardee
The Butte Environmental Council and local eco-consulting firm FISHBIO have found common ground—or, perhaps more accurately, common water.
That is to say, both organizations are dedicated to protecting the Big Chico Creek ecosystem, though their approaches differ. BEC’s is one of advocacy and community engagement, touting the importance of water conservation through its new watershed program and preparing for the annual Big Chico Creek Cleanup in September. Meanwhile, FISHBIO’s work is science-based; researchers there are currently in the process of compiling data from their second fish count survey in as many years, intending to keep decision-makers informed on the overall health of the waterway.
By working parallel to one another, it’s natural that BEC and FISHBIO’s paths would cross.
“We reached out—we were really interested in the work FISHBIO was doing,” said Robyn DiFalco, BEC’s executive director, during a joint interview with Gabriel Kopp, director of operations at FISHBIO. “In terms of local scientific research, we realized that these are the guys doing it, and we’re the ones trying to advocate on behalf of the water bodies, the aquatic ecosystems.”
While there is no formal working relationship between BEC and FISHBIO, both DiFalco and Kopp said their respective organizations’ recent efforts to benefit the creek complement each other.