2-7-07 Chico ER Editorial - Hit!Chico Enterprise Record From Hits and Misses:HIT — The Chico Creek Nature Center has been called an educational treasure, and rightly so, considering how much this community learns from the museum and its programs. Not only is it known throughout Northern California, its reputation reaches through the state, ranging from acknowledgments from private foundations through grants to coverage in Sunset magazine. For years, the center has been trying to expand. It has found its East Eighth Street facility near the old deer pens just too small. Responding to demand, the center wants a new classroom and other space. For whatever reasons, it is having a tough time making budget and bottom line meet. Behind the current center is a legacy of giving, guided by the late Janeece Webb, who died last year. Webb was able to turn an original $50,000 grant into the $100,000-plus museum because of the community's willingness to step up with money and donations of labor. We hope the private sector can again offer the assistance that this great treasure needs. |
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