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- A Visit to the Ahart Herbarium
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Instructor: David Popp
Dates: 10/23/2026 - 10/23/2026
Days: F
Times: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Sessions: 1
Location: Chico State Campus (opens in new tab)
Room: Ahart Herbarium Holt Hall 129
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
The Ahart Herbarium at Chico State is the most complete repository of plant specimens from Northern California, containing more than 125,000 dried and mounted plant specimens. This guided visit will show you how herbariums work, what they do, and why they are an important source of information for scientific research.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- A Visit to the Chico State Greenhouse
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This will be an opportunity to tour the Chico State greenhouse and see how it functions, what it does, and the different habitats that it supports to grow plants from many parts of the world. You'll also see some unique plants. This will be a walking tour lasting about 1 to 2 hours at the greenhouse and surrounding gardens.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Addiction 101
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Substance use disorders are often confusing and frustrating for family, friends, and communities. Learn about the science of addiction, the treatment realities, and the psychopharmacology of common drugs in the North State. This presentation will leave your head spinning with data and brain scans that explain what we know about this complex disease of the brain.
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- Birding in the Chico Area: All Levels
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Instructor: Joyce Bond, Joan Mitchell
Dates: 9/24/2026 - 11/12/2026
Days: Th
Times: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Sessions: 3
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $30.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
This class is for both beginning and experienced birders. Through observation and the use of your binoculars, field guides, and birding apps, class participants learn to identify birds in their natural habitat. We will meet once a month at different birding locations for field trips that may involve up to 2 miles of walking.
Please register for only one birding section.
This class meets September 24, October 22, and November 12.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Birding in the Chico Area: Beyond the Basics
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Instructor: Joyce Bond
Dates: 9/10/2026 - 11/5/2026
Days: Th
Times: 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Sessions: 3
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $30.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
Registration in this class is restricted to participants who meet the prerequisites. Please click the "Add to Waitlist" button below to request to be added to this class.
This class is for students who have taken the "Birding in the Chico Area" class more than once. We will not cover birding basics and will spend more time in the field. We will meet once a month at different locations for field trips that may involve 2-3 miles of walking.
Please register for only one birding section.
This class meets September 10, October 1, and November 5.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Explore Your Public Lands: Gray Lodge Wildlife Area
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Instructor: Vickie Stoll, Lorraine Smith (she/her/hers)
Dates: 11/20/2026 - 11/20/2026
Days: F
Times: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
The North State is home to rich, diverse public lands: refuges, parks, forests, and reserves. Your public lands provide vital wildlife habitat and protect our natural resources. On this field trip, we'll explore Gray Lodge with guidance from a California Department of Fish and Wildlife naturalist and enjoy an easy 2-mile nature walk on level paths. We will identify birds, enjoy stunning views of the Sutter Buttes, and learn about this haven for over 300 species of wildlife. Come explore your public lands with us!
Further details will be provided prior to the class.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Garden Gourmands
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Instructor: Debra Barger (she/her/hers), Laurie Smith
Dates: 9/16/2026 - 9/23/2026
Days: W
Times: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Sessions: 2
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $30.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
California's temperate climate allows an amazing array of plants to be grown locally. Edible gardens, pollinator gardens, native gardens, contemplative gardens, and demonstration gardens are some of the many varieties to tour. Inspired by the successful model of the "Arts & Eats" OLLI class, "Garden Gourmands" will focus on touring the art of garden landscapes combined with eating locally. Join Master Gardeners as we explore different area gardens followed by a no-host lunch at various local eateries to enjoy the bounty of Butte County.
Each section of this class will visit different gardens. Registered participants will receive the specific garden location via email by the Saturday before each tour. Plan for possible travel time of at least 35 minutes before and after the scheduled class meeting time. There will be a no-host lunch 12-1pm.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Garden Gourmands at Merlo Park in Stirling City
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Instructor: Debra Barger (she/her/hers), Laurie Smith
Dates: 10/3/2026 - 10/3/2026
Days: Sa
Times: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
Join us for a half-day adventure to Clotilde Merlo Park in Stirling City. This privately owned garden park with an abundance of plants, trees, and pollinating insects along with a fish-filled pond, is a lovely 20-acre gem situated at 3500' elevation. Bronze statues dot the landscape with numerous references to the historic activities in and around Stirling City. Opportunities for photos abound and depending on the weather, we may see the start of fall colors. After touring the Park, we will enjoy our bring-your-own picnic lunches.
More details will be provided before the class. Please allow adequate time to drive to Stirling City. The instructors will provide seasonal fruit bounty from the County, cookies, and iced tea.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Hike & History: Meadow Hike & Jonesville Hotel
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Instructor: Richard Utter, Pamela Waldsmith, Bill Casey
Dates: 9/18/2026 - 9/18/2026
Days: F
Times: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
Join us for history and a hike. We will be treated to viewing the Jonesville Hotel with a local historian and resident. We will then hike in the meadows near the creek in Jonesville for about 5 miles at roughly 5500' elevation. Be prepared for uneven ground.
Hiking poles, good hiking shoes, and binoculars for birding are recommended. Further details will be provided prior to the hike.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- History, Art, Bees: Orland Museum Tours
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Instructor: Hendrik Feenstra
Dates: 10/23/2026 - 10/23/2026
Days: F
Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
History. Art. Bees. Orland has plenty of each. Spend a couple of hours exploring all three in one afternoon. The Alta Schmidt House Museum houses many historical artifacts, documents, and photos. The Orland Arts Center and Gallery has a new exhibit every three months, plus other events almost monthly. The Honeybee Discovery Center is a great learning experience for schoolchildren, but also for all other age groups. Check out the Story Walk in Library Park when walking between the venues.
This class involves standing for most of the time with two city blocks of walking between venues.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- How Herbarium Specimens Are Mounted
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Instructor: David Popp
Dates: 11/4/2026 - 11/4/2026
Days: W
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Chico State Campus (opens in new tab)
Room: Ahart Herbarium Holt Hall 129
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
An herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens. This class offers a unique hands-on learning experience as an introduction to the art and science of mounting plants. The class will cover how herbarium specimens are mounted, handled, processed, stored, displayed, and repaired. It is useful, but not necessary, to have visited an herbarium before.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Human Evolution
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Are you wondering if some of your friends are part Neanderthal? Was Herb Caen correct when he intimated that Chico is the cradle of civilization? We'll address these questions after a brief introduction to such topics as DNA, natural and artificial selection, and genetics. We can even discuss the question of whether or not we're still evolving and where our species might be heading regardless of the outcome of the next election.
All materials necessary for class discussion will be provided by email or by direction to readily accessible, free online resources.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Identifying and Quick Sketching Birds at Llano Seco Unit
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Instructor: Azure Kurth, Carolyn Short
Dates: 11/17/2026 - 11/17/2026
Days: Tu
Times: 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
The Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area, Llano Seco Unit hosts massive numbers of Pacific Flyway migratory birds in November. Taking our sketchbooks, binoculars, field guides, and cameras, we'll meander along the 1/2-mile walking trail and stop at two observation platforms allowing us to observe and quickly sketch bird poses and behaviors. We'll identify key species: green-winged teal, American wigeon, northern shoveler, mallard, pintail, bufflehead, snow geese, white-fronted geese, swans, ring-necked ducks, sandhill cranes, and raptor species.
Further instructions will be given prior to the workshop. Binoculars and journaling materials required.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- In Search of California's Vanishing Flora
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Instructor: David Popp
Dates: 9/15/2026 - 9/15/2026
Days: Tu
Times: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
Get an introduction to California native plants and basic botany in the field as we saunter in search of California native wildflowers.
Further details will be provided prior to the class. Dress appropriately and be prepared to face the elements of nature.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Introduction to Heart Health
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This class is for non-medical people who have questions about heart-related diagnoses or procedures. The explanations will use diagrams, analogies, and simple language to help you understand how the heart works. This is not a lecture about how you should live, but more on the effects of lifestyle choices.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Master Gardener Lecture Series
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California Master Gardeners provide educational outreach from University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) offices throughout the state. The mission of the Butte County Master Gardeners is to extend research-based education and technical assistance throughout the non-commercial gardening community and to foster successful gardening practices by helping individuals make informed decisions about plants, pests, and the environment, with an emphasis on sustainability. Join us as we address a wide range of fascinating subjects.
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- Meandering in Interesting Places: Feather River Fish Hatchery
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Instructor: Vickie Bernhardt, Candice Roethler
Dates: 10/12/2026 - 10/12/2026
Days: M
Times: 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
Join us in visiting the Feather River Fish Hatchery in Oroville to learn about Chinook salmon returning to the Feather River at the height of fall spawning season. We will visit both sections of the Feather River Fish Hatchery: the spawning room, hatchery, and rearing ponds on the west side of Table Mountain Boulevard; and the fish barrier dam, observation platform, and underwater viewing on the east side of Table Mountain Boulevard. We will walk about 3.5 miles.
Further details will be provided prior to the class.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Oral Health and Longevity
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Your mouth is the front door to your whole body – and what happens there can add years to your life or quietly take them away. In this class, Dr. Kevin Kremer from OLLI sponsor New Smile Now shares what most people are never told: how gum health, missing teeth, and chronic infection connect to heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and longevity. You'll leave with simple, practical habits to protect your health, your independence, and your smile for decades to come. No jargon. Real answers.
This class meets in Bradley 2 on October 7 and 14 and at New Smile Now on October 21.
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- Pacific Crest Trail: Humboldt Peak Hike
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Instructor: Vickie Stoll, Lorraine Smith (she/her/hers)
Dates: 9/18/2026 - 9/18/2026
Days: F
Times: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sessions: 1
Location: Outdoor Experiences
Room: Various Locations
Fee for À La Carte Members: $15.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
Expansive views and interesting rock formations will be some of the highlights of this moderate, high-elevation hike (3 miles round trip, 200' elevation gain). The trail is well-traveled, with gradual steady ascents and descents. Our path will follow the Pacific Crest Trail through a regenerating fir forest, burned in the 2021 Dixie Fire, to our lunch spot nestled amid remnants of 3-million-year-old stratovolcano Mount Yana. Our pace will be leisurely as we enjoy and learn about the flora and fauna along the way.
Further details will be provided prior to the hike. Sturdy hiking boots required; hiking poles optional but recommended.
This class requires additional forms. Review the outdoor class forms information before attending class.
This class counts toward the 3-class limit.
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- Recreational Mathematics
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Instructor: LaDawn Haws
Dates: 9/17/2026 - 11/19/2026
Days: Th
Times: 3:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Sessions: 10
Location: The Social Chico (opens in new tab)
Room: Bradley 1
Fee for À La Carte Members: $55.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
While some people might consider "recreational mathematics" an oxymoron, this class will pursue the enjoyable aspects of math. Be prepared to be an engaged participant in this class with interactive demonstrations and exploration through drawing, cutting things with scissors, and other activities. Most activities will have a historical context. This class will show you how to find interest, enjoyment, and appreciation of mathematics in the world surrounding you.
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- Sapiens I: Humanity before Agriculture
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Instructor: Jesse Frey, OLLI at University of Arizona
Dates: 7/14/2026 - 8/18/2026
Days: Tu
Times: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Sessions: 6
Location: Online Learning
Room: Link to be Provided
Fee for À La Carte Members: $55.00
Fee for Unlimited Members: Included
This class is the first in a planned four-class sequence based on Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Together, the sequence follows the long arc of human history from the origins of the universe to the modern scientific age. This course focuses exclusively on part one of Harari's book, prehistory from the big bang to the threshold of the agricultural revolution. The purpose here is to explore the evidence underlying the starting point for Harari's story of how evolution produced an unremarkable primate – that's us, Homo sapiens – that sort of by accident came to dominate the planet. Throughout the class, particular attention is given to separating well-established evidence from interpretation and informed speculation.
This class from OLLI at the University of Arizona will be recorded. OLLI-UA recordings can take up to a week after the class meeting to become available.
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- What Is the Vestibular System and How Does It Affect Balance?
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We all know that as we age our mobility declines. Changes in strength and flexibility certainly affect our balance. But what is the purpose of the vestibular system with regard to balance? What are common disorders involving the vestibular system and how can we improve vestibular function as we age? This class will review the anatomy and function of the amazing vestibular system, as well as discuss the functions of the other primary systems – vision and somatosensation – for optimal postural control.
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