New:

A couple of recent articles in the Chico News & Review:

A guest comment by FOBP President Susan Mason, pointing out ways that volunteers can help Bidwell Park, There’s no ‘they’ in Bidwell Park—It’s up to us to polish Chico’s crown jewel

An article about invasive plants and their impact on Bidwell Park, Invasion of the land-snatchers

A list showing some of the things that Friends of Bidwell Park has accomplished since our founding in 2003.

Thanks to everyone who donated to Friends of Bidwell Park through the July-September Chico Natural Foods Nickel/Bag program and the Annie B’s Community Drive. Thanks also to North Valley Community Foundation for organizing the Annie B’s drive as well as providing a 10.6% match on all donations and to CNF for their continuing support of local non-profits.

Nickel/Bag Program	$ 235.33
Annie B’s Drive	$3141.10
Total Contributions	$3376.43

Another site for disc golf in Chico is described in a recent Chico News & Review article.

The site at Sunset Hills Golf Course is one of several recently built or proposed courses that could serve as a sustainable alternative to the thirty-nine hole course in Upper Bidwell Park recently approved by the Park Commission.

We have proposed Annie's Amendments, which would re-emphasize the intentions of Annie Bidwell's original philosophy concerning park lands. We hope to see them adopted by the City Council this fall.

How to contact your City Councilors and Park Commissioners

A new page showing current conditions at the disc golf courses in Upper Park.

photo of short course, 7th fairway, July 31, 2008

photo of trampled fairway, short course, July 31, 2008

The Sierra Club Yahi Group Conservation Report on disc golf in Upper Park.

The slides from the FOBP 2008 Bidwell Park Summit [pdf 750 KB]

The 1993 Grant Deed from the Trust for Public Land [pdf 3.5 MB] to the City of Chico for the area of Upper Bidwell Park where the unofficial disc golf courses are located. Also, a letter from the Trust for Public Land reminding the city that they must comply with the restrictions in that deed.

The final Environmental Impact Report for the Bidwell Park Master Management Plan update is available on the city of Chico web site . Printed copies are available for viewing at the Chico Library reference desk, CSU Chico Library Special Collections and at the Chico Parks Dept., 965 Fir St.

As an illustration of how some things haven't changed much over the years, a newspaper article from 1941 describes efforts to clear the park of noxious weeds.

The City of Chico has posted environmental documents for bikeway projects at Annie's Glen [PDF 12 Mb] and Sycamore Creek [PDF 1.8 Mb].

See our Reasons to Keep Upper Park Wild

FOBP on-site volunteer hours to-date:

7744 hours of work contributed to volunteer projects in the park.

See our Events Calendar for upcoming volunteer opportunities.

All contributions to Friends of Bidwell Park are now tax-deductible!

Please send donations to: Friends of Bidwell Park, PO Box 3036, Chico CA 95927

If you prefer, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to us online through the philanthropic organization JustGive.org by clicking on the button below.

Join our campaign— Order your bumper stickers now!
Also available at:

Pullins Cyclery, 801 Main St., Chico
Sacramento River Preservation Trust, 631 Flume St., Chico

We've taken positions on some controversial issues related to Bidwell Park. Sometimes our positions have been misunderstood or misrepresented by those with opposing views. To help clear things up, we'd like to expose some of the...

Myths About Friends Of Bidwell Park

Myth:: FOBP opposes trails.
Fact:: We don't oppose trails. We regularly support trail maintenance projects and we are happy to see continued access to the park's trail system by hikers, bikers, and equestrians. We do oppose the development of new trails when there aren't adequate resources to properly maintain the existing ones.
Myth:: FOBP is against disc golf.
Fact:: We have nothing against disc golf. We do have concerns with the location of the current 39 hole, 40 acre course in Upper Park. There are very shallow soils in this environmentally fragile area. Native plants and animals are being severely impacted by this intensive use.; We think that disc golf would benefit from a move to a location that could be used year-round; someplace that is accessible to local kids and to people without cars.
Myth:: FOBP wants to restrict access to the park.
Fact:: We encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the park. Backers of development have implied that opposition to their projects somehow denies 'access' to people. Bidwell Park is a public park and everyone is free to explore it to their heart's content. It can be accessible without any need to destroy its natural character.