Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/675768
The Sacramento River Discovery Center's May Bird Walk will take place starting at 8 a.m. Satur- day, May 7 at the Red Bluff Recreation Area. Due to a SERRF event the walk will meet at the parking area immediately before the gate into the Recreation Area and the group will go into areas that will not be im- pacted by the SERRF walk- ers and runners. There is a great deal of bird activ- ity at the area. Last week saw a visit by a small flock of Forster's terns and the resident bald eagle is fre- quently seen. DISCOVERYCENTER Last week I got a fran- tic letter from Lisa who is facing an emergency dental situ- ation with a $15,000 price tag. She is des- perate for options that will fix her teeth without plunging her into debt. I received another let- ter from the Madison family. Similar to Lisa, they said that their fi- nances are so tight that regular dental care is a luxury — they can't even afford routine X-rays and cleanings. They ended their letter asking, "Is there a dental plan for families in our situation? Please answer soon be- fore our teeth fall out!" While I am not a den- tist, I know that den- tal care should not be a luxury. It is essential in order for every fam- ily member to be in good health. And the best way for the Madisons to avoid huge dental bills is to practice regular pre- ventive care. But even then, routine hygiene checkups and X-rays should be seen as man- datory. But Lisa is in a really tough situation. I'm not confident that dental in- surance (if by some mir- acle should could get it now) would be that help- ful. The problem is that certain procedures are typically not covered for the first six months to a year. And her condi- tion could be excluded from coverage because it was preexisting. What's more, there could be a maximum annual benefit of $1,000 to $1,500. And the annual premium on most individual dental plans can cost up to half of the annual benefit. I'm not sure if any por- tion of her $15,000 di- lemma would be consid- ered cosmetic, but most dental insurance does not cover cosmetic pro- cedures. However, I am ex- cited because I have good news for Lisa and the Madison family. It's something I hope all of my readers will consider seriously: a dental sav- ings plan. These kinds of plans are not insurance and they don't work like insurance, but as such, they don't carry the downsides of most den- tal insurance plans. Dental savings plans are membership plans similar to the way I am a member of Costco: I pay an annual fee that gives me access to the full privileges of the club for one year. I just show my card at the door and can buy all the things that I need at highly dis- counted prices. That's how a dental savings plan works. You sign up for a plan your dentist accepts, pay your mem- bership fee, and get your card to have access to highly discounted dental services and procedures. The cost of a dental savings plan varies, but an individual will pay around $120 per year, and families will pay around $170 per year. Most insurance com- panies now offer these plans. There are many to choose from, and they are all listed on Dental- Plans.com. If your den- tist doesn't participate, you can ask him or her to consider participat- ing, or you can find a dentist in your area that does (thousands do!). You'll get discounts up to 60 percent (depending on the plan and specific procedures) when you include a specific dentist on your plan. Dental savings plans have no annual max- imums, they don't ex- clude preexisting con- ditions, they don't have monthly premiums (membership fees are paid once a year like a Costco membership), and there are no waiting periods. I know you have ques- tions about this. All the answers are on the "Den- tal Plans" page of the Everyday Cheapskate website. You can look up your dentist, or find other dentists in your area, and see what plans they accept. From there, it's easy to determine which plan is best for you. If you have any ad- ditional questions, give DentalPlans a call. And there's more good news: I've worked out a special deal for our EC family. By using the promo code DPL10 you will get 10 percent off a dental savings plan membership fee, plus two months free for any plan purchased through DentalPlans. I don't think this offer will last forever, so make sure you use the code to get the best deal you can right now. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Dentalsavings plans will put a big smile on your face Mary Hunt The 12th Annual Lions Anderson Century Ride will be held on Saturday, May 21 and fees for the ride will rise after May 14, with a $5 increase. Riders register for the rides of 125, 100, 60, 40 or 25 miles. Ride day registra- tion is available after rates increase at Anderson River Park. Riders are provided rest stops with drinks and snacks and a post ride tri- tip meal. Pre-registration fees are either $40 or $50 depend- ing upon ride distance. Online pre-registration is available at http://www. centurybikeride.com. Reg- istration forms are on the website and at all Redding area bike shops. More than 30 local busi- nesses support the ride with 50 Lions members and other volunteers pro- viding service. Any prof- its from the Lions ride are used in the local commu- nity to help those in need while supporting commu- nity projects. For more informa- tion, ride director Marc Romero can be reached by calling 917-4306, writ- ing to ridesbike14@ gmail.com or visiting h t t p : / / w w w . centurybikeride.com. LIONS CLUB AnnualAndersonCenturybicycleride PHOTOCOURTESYOFBENHUGHES Bird walk set for Sa tu rd ay m or ni ng CHICO The Butte Environ- mental Council will host the 37th annual Endan- gered Species Faire 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at One Mile Recreation Area in Lower Bidwell Park. This event is free and the entire community is encouraged to attend and learn about environmental issues, listen to live music and enjoy food in beautiful Bidwell Park. The Endangered Species Faire attracts thousands of children and commu- nity members each year, offering opportunities to share knowledge, encour- age improvement and in- spire the next generation. This year's event will take place at the Group Picnic Area at One Mile in Lower Bidwell Park with easy ac- cessibility for walkers and bikers, shade throughout the day and close enough to swim at the creek. Thirty environmental booths will be at the event providing attendees with hands-on learning experi- ences and other activities including an eco-scavenger hunt, free vegetable starts, a raffle and a puppet pa- rade featuring paper ma- che puppets made by local elementary students. To promote a sustain- able event Chico Velo will host a free bike valet and Klean Kanteen will pro- vide a hydration station. These services encourage attendees to swap their car for a bike and to bring re- usable water bottles. This event was origi- nally created to celebrate Earth Day and emphasize the efforts in our commu- nity to protect the envi- ronment we live in. Thirty- seven years later the En- dangered Species Faire is as important as ever. With the theme "Back from the Brink" we will be cele- brating the many species that have recently been removed from the endan- gered species list, such as: the Gray wolf, Bald eagle and Maguire daisy. ECOLOGY En da ng er ed S pe ci es F ai re s et i n Ch ic o The Endangered Species Faire attracts thousands of children and community members each year. After a destructive fire season in 2015, conditions inCaliforniaarealreadydry- ing out prompting Governor Brown to declare May 1-7 as "Wildfire Awareness Week." During Wildfire Aware- ness Week, Cal Fire is stress- ing the critical role all Cal- ifornians play in preparing for fire season now. "The rain we received this winter and spring has been great, but with over 29 mil- lion dead trees due to the drought and bark beetle, our fire conditions still re- main elevated," said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire direc- tor. "While our firefighters arepreparingforwhatcould be another busy fire season, this weekis animportantre- minder that all Californians must do their part and be ready." Despite the rain over the winter, Cal Fire has already responded to nearly 700 wildfiressincethebeginning oftheyear.Withwildfireson the rise, Cal Fire is remind- ing all Californians during Wildfire Awareness Week, that when it comes to wild- fires, remember "Ready, Set, Go!" Being Ready for a wild- fire starts by maintaining 100 feet of defensible space and hardening homes with fire resistant building mate- rials. During this drought Cal Fire is highly recommend- ingresidentslandscapetheir yards with drought tolerant and fire resistant plants. Being set includes having an evacuation plan and an emergencysupplykit.Lastly, when a wildfires strikes, res- idents are urged to go and evacuate early. Cal Fire is urging all Cal- ifornians during Wildfire AwarenessWeektolearnthe steps to prevent sparking a wildfire. More than 90 per- cent of the wildfires in Cali- fornia are sparked by the ac- tivity of people, so "One Less Spark,meansOneLessWild- fire."It's everyone's responsi- bility to be fire safe outdoors and prevent sparkinga wild- fire. Residents looking for ad- ditional information on how to prepare themselves, their families and their homes for wildfire can visit www. ReadyForWildfire.org. The site offers tips for residents to make their homes more resistant to wildfires and to ensure that their families are ready to evacuate early and safely when a wildfire strikes. CAL FIRE Wildfire Awareness Week set May 1-7 Caltrans District 2, along with contractor Cal Stripe Inc., will begin placing pavement markers on Inter- state 5 and various on and off ramps along Interstate 5 north of Red Bluff the week of May 9-13. Work will take place on the ramps in both direc- tions at Wilcox Golf Road, Jellys Ferry Road, Red Bluff Rest Area and Hooker Creek Road. This will be a moving op- eration and will take place mostlyovernightfrom7p.m. to 9 a.m. It will take about two hours to remove and re- place reflective markers on each ramp. The crews will then move to the next ramp. Noconsecutiverampswill be shut down at the same time. Please watch for crews on the roadway and move over when you see the am- berlights,asrequiredbylaw. CALTRANS In te rs ta te r am p wo rk f or w ee k ah ea d Despite the rain over the winter, Cal Fire has already responded to nearly 700 wildfires since the beginning of the year. B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 B 6 0 65 N G 52 I 28 BINGO Friday,May6 th Red Bluff Community Center 1500 S. Jackson St. Doorsopen@5:00pm Bingo at 6:00 pm 9 extra Hot Ball Jackpots Buy-In $10 Early Birds $5 365-7194or365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING The Daily News will feature a special section of photos and write-ups on over 90 "Students of Distinction" from middle and high schools across the county. This project has been created in cooperation with the Tehama County Department of Education. Selections of students featured will be made by schools and Teachers. The supplement will be published as a special section of the newspaper and as a digital page-turn online edition on www.redbluffdailynews.com through May of 2017! To sponsor a student's photo and accomplishments is just $59 for 1 sponsorship and $55 each for multiples. Local businesses, professionals, educators, local citizens: All are welcome to support Tehama County's most accomplished students, and demonstrate support of local education in the process. Sponsor Deadline: Friday, May 20 Sponsors will be identified in a 3" tall by 1 column wide space at the bottom of each student salute. This special will appear in the full run of the Daily News on Thursday, May 26, 2016 Daily News advertising representatatives can help you decide what to say. Limited opportunity to support students from individual schools. For further information, contact your Daily News advertising representative or Nadine Souza at Honoring Outstanding Tehama County Students (530) 737-5049 advertise@redbluffdailynews.com Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 5/31/16 With coupon Reg. $13.95 RobertWood tothe Benny Brown Auto Group Family. Robert can be reached at 530-366-3166 or 530-330-2111 Give him a call, or stop by Robert can answer all of your questions on purchasing a new or used vehicle 545 Adobe Rd., Red Bluff 530-366-3166 WWW .REDBLUFFDODGE.COM Red Bluff Dodge Ram Chrysler Jeep Would Like To Welcome (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff UnlimitedTanning $ 25 .00 only April Tanning Special! TUSCAN POOL SUPPLY hasmovedto 40 CHESTNUT AVENUE (530)527-3262 Licensed, Bonded & Insured CLS#944446 SharonWilkes, Sole Proprietor Dropin&seeournewdigs We are no longer associated with Mike Jenkins. LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, May 5, 2016 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4