Following up on my mention of the Cal tree huggers, I found these reasons that the tree huggers provide for their protest that they distribute on pamphlets:
SEVEN REASONS WHY THE OAK GROVE SHOULD NOT BE DESTROYED
1. It is a Native American burial ground. Native American remains were found at the site in 1923 when the stadium was being built. UC Berkley tried to hide this from the public but documentation was leaked by a conscious UCB employee.
2. It is a World War I Memorial site. The stadium and the Oak Grove are named in honor of Californians who died in World War I.
3. Berkeley City Law prohibits removing mature Coast Live Oaks. Coast Live Oaks are Protected Heritage Trees in the City of Berkeley. If UCB, the largest landowner in Berkeley, doesn't have to follow city ordinances, why should anyone else have to?
4. The new proposed development is adjacent to the (recently active) Hayward Fault. Since the tree-sit started on Dec. 2 there have been seven earthquakes (ranging from 2.0-4.2 on the Richter scale) on the Hayward fault which runs directly under Memorial Stadium.
5. There are four lawsuits against UC Berkeley. A diverse group of institutions and organizations; the City of Berkeley, California Oaks Foundation, Panoramic Hill Association and Save Tightwad Hill are challenging the proposed development as being in violation of various regulations including CEQA (California Envoironmental Quality Air Act), the Alquist-Priolo Act (earthquake fault proximity), and laws regarding emergency access and response requirements.
6. Global Warming is the biggest problem we face today. Cutting down old Oak (and other trees accellerates warming and climate change. Replacing these trees with saplings does not come close to replacing the bio-mass lost.
7. There are other viable alternative sites for the facility. The athletic training facility can be built at Maxwell Field, with the playing surface maintained above. The parking lot at Bancroft/Fulton is another option. A third option is the building at 2223 Fulton St., which is in need of demolition. A further option is expansion at the Edwards Field site. These are only some of the many alternatives to building at Oak Grove.
WE CAN HAVE NEW GYMS AND OLD GROWTH
I can’t find very much information on this issue, but I heard on radio news that the tree huggers are being legally evicted this week and that the company has been given the permits required for the development. This means a defeat for the students’ issues, but a win for student protests. These student have essentially devoted this time (which some say has been as long as year of living in trees) in their lives to a cause. They earned national attention and gained a lot of support. I am glad that the Berkeley students are still living up to their sixties generation of political activism. Good for them!
http://12thstreetchatter.blogspot.com/2007/09/cal-tree-huggerscampers.html
1 comment:
As someone who cares deeply about the environment, I am saddened and disgusted by the actions of the tree-sitters. The tree-sitters are wasting precious resources to achieve an end that is dubious at best, even from an environmental perspective. We can do better -- read more here.
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