Dear Colleagues,
John Quigley (whom you may know as Executive Director of Earth Day LA) is
presently sitting in a magnificent 400 year old oak tree in Pico Canyon,
just outside Santa Clarita, to keep it from being cut down to widen Pico
Canyon Road to serve a 279-home subdivision being built in Supervisor
Michael D. Antonovich' s district of unincorporated LA County.
John is working with the Santa Clarita Oaks Conservancy and Santa Clarita
Organization for Planning and the Environment (SCOPE). His important
action has been featured on Channel 9 News and in the LA Daily News. You
can see an article with a wonderful picture of John high in the tree at the
following link:
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E20949%257E964944,00.html
You can help save this ancient tree as a symbol of our regional heritage
by writing or calling:
1. Mayor and City Council of Santa Clarita (see addresses and sample
letter below).
2. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and the other Supervisors (see
addresses and sample letters below). (Faxing is far preferable to
emailing.)
Thank you for your action on behalf of all the ancient trees of Southern
California.
Jim Stewart, Earth Day LA
1. Mayor Ferry and Councilmembers:
fferry@Santa-Clarita.com,
csmyth@Santa-Clarita.com,
bkellar@Santa-Clarita.com,
lweste@Santa-Clarita.com,
mmclean@Santa-Clarita.com Dear Mayor and Councilmembers of the City of Santa Clarita,
As a member of the greater Los Angeles Community, I would like to support
the preservation of the magnificent oak tree in Pico Canyon. The natural
survival of the tree for 400 years is in itself an inspiration to all of
us. It would be tragic to cut it down now, when it can be avoided. I
request your aggressive and timely steps to protect and preserve this oak
tree.
2. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and other Supervisors
Ph (213) 974-5555 Fax: 213-974-1010
Please speak to Conal McNamara, planning deputy for Michael Antonovich
E-mail addresses (less preferable to faxing) are:
FifthDistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us FirstDistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us SecondDistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us ThirdDistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us FourthDistrict@bos.co.la.ca.us Dear Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich, Gloria Molina, Yvonne B. Burke, Zev
Yaroslavsky, Don Knabe,
As a member of the greater Los Angeles Community, I would like to support
the preservation of the magnificent oak tree in Pico Canyon. The natural
survival of the tree for 400 years is in itself an inspiration to all of
us. It would be tragic to cut it down now, when it can be avoided. I
request your aggressive and timely steps to protect and preserve this oak
tree.
Excerpt from Daily News:
Oak tree may be doomed
By Heather MacDonald
Staff Writer
STEVENSON RANCH -- Desperate to prevent a 400-year-old oak tree from being chopped down, an environmental activist scaled it Friday and prepared to sit there until a deal is reached to save the majestic tree.
Alerted by members of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment about the potential destruction of the heritage oak tree, John Quigley of Pacific Palisades climbed the massive tree just before 7 a.m., hours after an agreement protecting the tree on Pico Canyon Road expired.
"I'll be up here as long as it takes," Quigley said, via a walkie-talkie from about 50 feet above the ground. "This tree is older than any of us, and there's no reason for it to be cut down."
Down below, other environmentalists protested plans that call for the tree to be cut down to expand Pico Canyon Road. After tying yellow ribbons to the orange mesh fence surrounding the oak, they urged drivers to honk in support.
