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Altacal Audubon Pro- gram and Field Trip ac- tivities for November are as follows. All programs and activities are free of cost unless otherwise in- dicated and are open to the public. Program Birding of the Svalbard Archipelago, Presented by Catherine and Bill Camp: 6:30 p.m. Monday Nov. 21 at Chico Creek Nature Center Catherine and Bill Camp, members of Wintu Audubon, just returned from a trip to the High Arctic. They joined a Na- tional Geographic and Linblad Expedition cruise in an ice-enabled ship. They were able to drift past icebergs and walk on newly ice-free land. They will bring photos of the birds of the Svalbard Ar- chipelago, Eastern Green- land and Iceland, as well as polar bears, walrus, whales and lots of ice. Catherine is retired from a career providing policy analysis and legis- lative advocacy for chil- dren's services and public mental health programs. Bill is retired from a ca- reer as a labor organizer. They have returned from Sacramento to eastern Shasta County, to coun- try where they lived in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They are delighted to have more time for travel, birds and nurturing grandchil- dren. Field trips Chico WTP — Oxidation Ponds: Saturday, Nov. 5 The group will get a per- sonal and up close view of the winter waterfowl mi- gration at the Oxidation Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary at the Waste Water Treat- ment Plant, west of Chico. They will have a first hand look at the returning birds from Alaska and Canada, Northern Pintail, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Green- winged and Blue-winged Teal and possibly some unexpected migrants. The walk is less than 2 miles and 3 hours. For shorter, you can walk out to the viewing blind. The walk is flat and pretty easy-going. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Oxi- dation Pond parking area, back to the lot by noon. To get to the Oxidation Ponds, go west on West 5th Street from State Route 32 in Chico. Follow West 5th, which becomes Chico River Road, for 3.9 miles. The wildlife viewing park- ing area is 300 yards past the main entrance to the water treatment plant, on the left. Bring binocu- lars, spotting scopes, wa- ter, walking shoes and proper clothing for the expected weather condi- tions. There is a chemi- cal toilet on the way out to the viewing area. Rain cancels. Matthew Forster, findforster@yahoo.com or Wyatt Hersey, skateyono@ gmail.com. Gray Lodge Wildlife Area #1: Saturday, Nov. 12 Join Altacal for a walk- ing tour at Gray Lodge. The group will walk the 2-mile trail that includes the bird blinds after scop- ing the pond by parking lot #14. Fall migration should be well underway. Meet at 8 a.m. sharp at the Chico Park & Ride lot closest to freeway, carpool from there, and return by 3 p.m. If you would pre- fer, meet at 9 a.m. at the Gray Lodge parking lot #14. Bring a lunch, water, $4 per person entry fee, binoculars and a scope if you have one. For more in- formation, write to Kathy Trevino at kathytrev@sb- cglobal.net or call 520- 2872. Llano Seco Viewing Platform Big Sit: Sunday, Nov. 13 Give your legs a rest and your eyes a treat on this leisurely morning at Llano Seco viewing plat- form. Bring your lawn chair, binoculars and snacks, sit back and re- lax as the birds come to you. You'll learn to iden- tify the waterfowl species that frequent this idyllic setting. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Llano Seco Viewing Platform. Call trip leader Matthew Forster at 619- 347-2269 or write to find- forster@yahoo.com. ALTACAL Audubon events planned forNovember My cyber mailbag is like the proverbial box of choc- olates. I never know what I'm about to get. And I love that. Take today's offering for example 00 questions that run the gamut all the way from the dilemma of re- paying huge student loans to the heartbreak of dried up mascara. Dear Mary: Fifteen years ago my husband fin- ished medical school with $170,000 in school loans. While in forbearance, when we couldn't afford the payments, it grew to $185,000. We are back on track now and have paid the debt down to $160,000. That's progress, but we have so far to go. We have $90,000 equity in our home. Should we use that to pay down the stu- dent debt faster? We have no other debts. —Denise Dear Denise: I see no good reason to transfer $90,000 of the student debt to your home. If you were to do this, you would lose the death benefit that comes with federally guaranteed stu- dent loans on that $90,000 you borrower against the house. Not to get morbid, but if your husband were to die before the student loan is repaid, the balance is forgiven. If you were to use your equity to pay it down and he were to die, you would have to carry that debt. You wouldn't get any tax benefit by transferring the debt to your home. Student debt interest is already tax deductible within certain limitations. Mortgage lenders do not hesitate to foreclose when borrowers fall behind. The way it is now, if you fall be- hind on your student loan payments, the lender will hassle you and make your life miserable, but cannot take your home. Forget that you have $90,000 equity. It's not like you have cash sitting in a vault somewhere with your name on it. It's only a number — an estimate of how much you would have left if you were to sell your home and pay off the mortgage. But it is also a safety net. If you were to borrow against the house by way of a home equity loan, use that money to pay down the student debt and then the housing market were to suffer a downturn, you could end up owing far more on your home than its market value. Then you'd really be stuck un- derwater with your mort- gage and home equity loan and the remaining student debt as well. As it is now, your equity offers more than just a nice number — it's a safety net. Dear Mary: How do you deal with mascara that has dried up before its time? —Rhea Dear Rhea: If your mas- cara seems to be dried out, but you need to get just a few more uses out of it, trickle just a drop or two of baby oil on the wand and then mix it well. It should yield a few more coats of eyelash enhancement. Tip: If you don't want your mas- cara to expire faster than its fresh date, don't pump the wand in and out. That needlessly exposes the product to drying air. Ex- tra tip: If the mascara is more than 3 months old, throw it out. A mascara tube is a dark, wet environ- ment — the perfect breed- ing ground for bacteria. Preservatives in a mascara only work for so long. 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 Fromstudentdebt repayment to dried up mascara Mary Hunt Lisa Hansen was re- cently honored by the Red Bluff Kiwanis Club with a Hixson Award and is the first female in the club's history to earn the recog- nition. The award is named for George F. Hixson, Kiwanis International's first presi- dent. It is a way of recog- nizing people who have contributed significantly to Kiwanis' history of generos- ity and service to children in their local community. Past Hixson winners in the club include Lou Bo- setti, Bill Ellison, Hal Go- forth, Jim Hirsch, Walt Logan, Bill Martin, Rich Mehling, Gary Napier, Mel Oldham, Harlan Warwick, Don Young, Andy Hough- ton, Dave Minch and JB Stacy. The award was pre- sented during the club's annual installation ban- quet, held Sept. 29 at Wil- cox Oaks Golf Club. During the banquet, Tony Carbonell was named Kiwanian of the Year. Officers were installed for the upcoming years — Cody Marshall, president; Bill Groom, president- elect; Lois Rogan, trea- surer and Chip Thomp- son, secretary. RED BLUFF KIWANIS Hansen honored with Hixson award CONTRIBUTED The Tehama County Continuum of Care invites the public to LIFT — Live Inspired For Tomorrow — Tehama, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, rain or shine at the Tehama Dis- trict Fairground. TRAX will be offer- ing free transportation during this event to any- one wishing to attend. More than 50 vendors will be available to offer free services to low income and homeless residents of Tehama County. At- tendees may receive med- ical and dental screen- ings, eye care, connection to benefits and resources, haircuts, clothing, blan- kets, DMV ID cards, pet services and a free meal. The event is designed to lift participants' health, family and hope. It's not too late to volun- teer, if you would like to be a part of LIFT in any ca- pacity, or for more infor- mation, call 527-6159 or visit the Tehama County Continuum of Care web- site at http://tehamacoc. weebly.com/. Volunteer forms are available on the web- site. Volunteers must be 18 or older or ac- companied by an adult. Visit the event on Face- book to help spread the word. RESOURCES LI FTTe ha ma s et f or F ri da y, N ov . 18 Join Dawn Garcia and her owl banding team for a specialnightofowlbanding 5-10:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. For more than 10 years the team has been study- ing the migration ecology of the northern saw-whet owl at the reserve. Come sit underthestarsandlistento the tune of the saw-whet's call as organizers attract migratingowlstomistnets. Participants will bring owls back to the station for banding, ageing and deter- mining sex, then release thembacktothetrees.Star- gazing and storytelling are required. Wearhikingboots,warm clothes,bringheadlampsor flashlights, a chair, snacks and warm drink. The cost is $10 per per- sonandreservationsarere- quired by writing to jaull@ csuchico.edu. Limit 10 peo- ple. For more information about the reserve, visit www.csuchico.edu/bccer/ and find it on Facebook. 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