Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/684273
Thefollowingaresched- uled Mount Lassen Chap- ter California Native Plant Society activities for June. All events open to the pub- lic. For more information, visit mountlassen.cnps.org. • Belden to Chips Creek, Sunday, June 5 Meet at Chico Park and Ride west lot at 9 a.m. Bring lunch, water, hiking gear, sun and insect pro- tection and money for ride sharing. This is an easy 2 mile walk along the Pacific Crest Trail from the Belden Rest Area to Chips Creek where the group will stop for lunch. This part of the PCT has exposure of gra- nitic bedrock marking the northern boundary of the Sierra Nevada. The Feather River Can- yon will be putting on a show of bush monkey- flower, lupine, woolly sun- flower and other. Call Mar- jorie at 343-2397 for alter- nate meeting locations. • Feather Falls Scenic Area, Plumas National Forest, Saturday, June 18 Meet at Chico Park and Ride West Lot in time to leave by 8 a.m. Bring lunch, water, hiking gear, sun and insect protec- tion and money for ride sharing. Because of the shaded, well-maintained trail, the group will see many early summer flow- ers, including campion, Clarkia, wild ginger and woolly sunflowers. The group will hike a moderate to strenuous 9 mile loop, with an eleva- tion change of 2,460 feet. Lunch will be at the view- point opposite Feather Falls, which has 640 feet vertical drop to rival wa- terfalls in Yosemite. Call leader Woody at 588-2555 for alternate meeting lo- cations. • Paradise Lake, Sun- day, June 26 Meet at Chico Park and Ride West Lot at 9 a.m. Bring lunch, water, hiking gear, sun and insect pro- tection and money for ride sharing. Paradise Lake is about 3 miles north of Ma- galia, off Coutelenc Road. The group will follow the easy trail for about two to three miles round trip through mixed coniferous forest, riparian zones and rock outcrops. Some plants grow only on the serpen- tine outcrop. A variety of nearly 300 different kinds of plants have been found along the trail. Call leader Marjorie at 343-2397 for alternate meeting locations. NATIVEPLANTS Lassen Chapter plans June activities Pacific Gas and Electric Co. recently announced a $260,000 sponsorship that will put more than 100 portable solar kits into the hands of local high school students through the com- pany's Better Together Giv- ing Program. Not only will students build portable solar units, they will participate in local sustainability proj- ects and have a chance to make a global impact by distributing solar kits to certain countries in Af- rica, Haiti and other en- ergy-poor regions of the world. The kits, called We Share Solar Suitcases, are small, portable photovol- taic lighting systems, pow- erful enough to illuminate a small room. PG&E will pro- vide more than 100 of them to high schools in North- ern and Central California, supplied by the nonprofit We Care Solar. The schools who receive the kits will be trained to use them by We Care Solar and will learn firsthand the basic princi- ples of producing clean en- ergy. Students will then be in- vited to submit videos of their own local sustain- ability projects. Winning schools will choose student and teacher representatives to deliver solar suitcases to orphanages, schools and medical clinics in Kenya with international char- ity Free the Children. Ad- ditional suitcases will be sent to energy-poor regions around the world. "I love how this pro- gram combines clean-en- ergy education and em- powers young people with a spirit of community ser- vice. It's about instilling the value of acting locally and thinking globally and show- ing young people that they have the power to make a difference," said Helen Burt, PG&E's senior vice presi- dent, External Affairs and Public Policy. Following a successful first year for the program in 2015, PG&E is providing more Solar Suitcases per school this year, delivering them to more countries in need and expanding the en- ergy training that students will provide to recipients during their humanitarian delivery trip to Kenya. "It is the goal of this part- nership to encourage global connections and to promote the solar energy literacy of students everywhere—here in California and in Ke- nya," said Hal Aronson, co- founder and co-director for We Care Solar. This Solar Suitcase col- laboration adds a global dimension to PG&E's com- mitment to STEM educa- tion and renewable energy. In total, PG&E has given $75 million to educational initiatives in Northern and Central California over the past decade. "Last October, I was sit- ting in the classroom and we were building these So- lar Suitcases. We knew the suitcases were going to go to Africa, but getting to see them in Kenya and see- ing the people so happy to have this opportunity that they greeted us with a song and dance—it's unlike any- thing I've ever seen in the U.S. or anywhere else," said high school junior Connor Schademan, one of the stu- dents who traveled to Ke- nya as part of last year's program. Learn more about the Solar Suitcase program by visiting pge.com/solarsuit- case or PG&E Currents for coverage and footage of last year's program. B- Roll and interviews from students and teachers who participated in last year's program are available upon request. EDUCATION Utility to fund portable solar kits If you are generally wary of free stuff, I'm right there with you. Most of the time, I've found that free stuff is like bait. It's a tasty morsel, a big tease with the clear intent of getting us to part with money we had no intention of part- ing with. But now and then, a free thing is truly free with no strings attached. And when it's something I'll find useful in my life, well, that's a happy find. Today I have three truly free things for you to consider. There's a good chance you'll find them downright awe- some! Kitestring If you, your kids or par- ents are on a solo trip or even just out for a walk alone at night, it's a good idea to let a loved one know where you are and whether you're safe (or not). Kitestring (https:// www.kitestring.io/) is a simple web app and SMS service that checks up on you and sends a text mes- sage to your emergency contacts if you don't re- spond by a designated time. It is an SMS-based ser- vice. If you can send text messages, you can use Kitestring. That spares you the trouble of down- loading another app. You don't even need a smart- phone to use it. If necessary, you can always extend your check-in time or check in early. If you don't re- spond to Kitestring's text message, your emer- gency contact(s) will get your customized message alerting them that you have not arrived at your destination or may not be well. Kitestring is a free source that offers peace of mind, especially those adventurous types and their families and friends. Instead of having to make a call just to say, "I made it safe," Kitestring does the checking in for you. To learn more, take a look at the Kitestring FAQs. My Job Chart My Job Chart (www. myjobchart.com/) is an ingenious website that digitizes a way to teach kids the value of money, using a virtual job board and incorporating the concepts of sharing and saving. Simply go to the site, open a free account, then add your kids to it. Next, choose from a list of chores to assign them along with a deadline. For each chore or job, you also need to set the num- ber of points your child will earn upon comple- tion. The points become a pretend currency sys- tem that My Job Chart in- tends to teach children more about money. Chil- dren are free to save, spend or share the points they earn. And spend- ing is linked to rewards like a bedtime story or anything they want from Amazon, which you get to add. There are also My Job Chart mobile apps. IkeaHackers Oh, this one is fun! IkeaHackers (www. ikeahackers.net/) is a website devoted to amaz- ing ideas and hows-to's for modifying and repur- posing IKEA products. Think of IkeaHackers as a place where IKEA hack- ers from all over the globe gather to share their ge- niousness. They submit their creations with the hope of providing alter- native ideas. A "hack," as shown on this site, may be as simple as adding an embellish- ment, while other hacks may require power tools and lots of ingenuity. Just think: You can turn a simple IKEA framed mir- ror into a jewelry storage vault by simply adding a couple of hinges. Or you can make a laundry orga- nizer out of IKEA kitchen cabinets. Curious, aren't you? Well, head on over to IkeaHackers to find out what that's all about. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Three free life-improving resources COURTESYPHOTO CongratulationstoGagePatrickfortakingsecondplaceatNorthAreaWrestlingAssociationonApril30. Patrick's been wrestling for six months and competed against kids that have been wrestling competitively for more than six years. Patrick is pictured with his award alongside Northstar Wrestling Academy coach Jesse Orduno at Psycho Fitness & MMA, Inc. WRESTLING SECOND-PLACE WIN Mary Hunt May is National Motor- cycle Safety Awareness Month. This observation aims to increase awareness of motorcyclists at a time of the year when large num- bers of riders take to Cal- ifornia's roads because of good weather. California is home to more than 830,000 regis- tered motorcycles — the most of any state — and morethan1.4millionriders. According to the Califor- nia Highway Patrol's State- wide Integrated Traffic Re- cords System statistics, in 2013, motorcycle collisions resulted in 475 fatalities and 13,143 injured victims. Within Tehama County there are several roadways that motorcyclists favor. State Route 36 West to the coast is very busy during the summer months. "We also experience a rise in traffic collisions in- volving motorcyclists dur- ing this time," said Red Bluff CHP Officer Troy Somavia. "It's a beautiful ride, with lots of turns and curves. But when there are difficult riding conditions, a novice rider can end up dropping their motorcy- cle and suffer injuries, or worse." In addition to car driv- ers being aware of their surroundings and keeping an eye open for cyclists, pedestrians, and motor- cyclists; it's equally im- portant for motorcyclists to minimize their risks by riding responsibly, always wearing a DOT approved helmet and other protec- tive gear, and never riding after consuming alcohol. If you would like to learn how to safely ride a motorcycle, Red Bluff is one of the few areas locally that has a California Mo- torcyclist Safety Program. The Motorcycle Train- ing Institute conducts two day classes at the Tehama District Fairground. For more information you can access the website at www.mti-redbluff.com or get more information at www.chp.ca.gov. 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