On Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, community members from Chico and the surrounding areas will take to the streets in support of science at the March for Science - Chico. The event will include booths, activities and speeches at Trinity Commons Lawn on the Chico State Campus and a march through downtown Chico. All are welcome to attend this free event.
The march is one of over 430 satellite marches being planned around the world in collaboration with the national March for Science to be held in Washington DC on the same day. The marches were inspired by concern for the growing movement to dismiss scientific evidence in public policymaking—in areas such as climate and medical research—as well as efforts to slash funding and restrict open communication of science.The March for Science – Chico will kick off at Trinity Commons Lawn on the Chico State campus at 11am with a family-friendly booth expo featuring over 30 different tables from local organizations and student groups, including Butte Environmental Council, Gateway Science Museum, Sacramento River Preservation Trust, Omicron Biology Honor Society, and many more! Tables will have hands-on activities and demonstrations for all ages to celebrate the central role science plays in all our lives! At 12pm, there will be a series of brief speeches about the importance of science from both scientists and non-scientists alike who have been deeply influenced by science in their lives. Following the speeches at approximately 12:30pm, the march will proceed east on W. 1st St. towards Farmer’s Market, south on Wall St., west on 5th St., north on Broadway, and west on 2nd St. to Chestnut, back to Trinity Lawn. There will be closing remarks after the march, and the event will end at 3pm.
Participants are encouraged to bring signs that highlight—in clever and creative ways—the importance of science in protecting health, safety, and the environment, and that call for preserving funding for research and enacting evidence-based policies. Participants are asked to keep in mind that this is a non-partisan event in support of science, and that this is a family-friendly and peaceful event.
The March for Science – Chico can be found on social media: @ChicoMarchScience on Facebook, and @ChicoMarch4Sci on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at www.marchforsciencechico.com
The peaceful and non-partisan local event is meant to highlight the important role that scientific research plays in our daily lives in the North State community, and sound a call to support scientific research and evidence-based policies.
Marchers maintain that science protects the health of our communities, the safety of our families, the education of our children, the foundation of our economy and jobs, and the future we all want to live in and preserve for coming generations. It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted.
Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility are central to the mission and principles of the March for Science. Scientists and people who care about science are an intersectional group, embodying a diverse range of races, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, religions, ages, socioeconomic and immigration statuses. The event welcomes all people who support science.
Over 130 scientific societies and organizations have endorsed the March for Science movement, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, NextGen Climate America, Earth Day Network, and The Nature Conservancy.