HE KNOWS THE RESULTS OF GOING OUT ON A LIMB.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

STEVENSON RANCH - On the morning of Jan. 10, when a judge issued the order for John Quigley to vacate the ancient oak he had inhabited for 72 days, the activist and his supporters knew the end was near.

The tension among those who had held vigil at the tree escalated during the day as they anticipated the end of the standoff, and came to a boiling point when an army of law enforcement officials pulled up to the oak to remove the tree-sitter.

Under heavy police presence, some supporters trampled down a chain-link fence ready to rush the tree when a message from Quigley made them reconsider their actions.

Through his attorney, Quigley, 42, urged the supporters not to mar their peaceful campaign with actions that would lead to arrest.

And after firefighters removed the chains that held Quigley to the old oak, the man whose words held the crowd at bay didn't resist and came down from the tree shaking the hands of those who were given the task of bringing him down.

From law enforcement officials to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, people have responded to Quigley as a gentleman activist who doesn't cross the line.

By all accounts, Quigley has class.

``He had a stance to make, and he made it without overdoing it,'' said sheriff's Lt. Mike Dunkle, who was at the scene when Quigley came down from the tree. ``I was pleased that he recognized the fact that we went out of our way to handle things as genteelly as possible.''

The national and worldwide coverage has showered Quigley with a level of celebrity, and because of his mass appeal, people are clamoring to give him awards, invite him to appear and speak at schools and events, and to get his help in other tree-saving campaigns - even asking him to climb other trees.

Quigley was recently asked by the Department of Water and Power to appear at one of its events along with Los Angeles city officials.

``The way he conducted himself and the kind of positive attention he attracted put what he was doing in a general positive light,'' said Walter Zeisl, director of communications for Green L.A., which overlooks environmental programs for the DWP.

``He got a lot of positive community recognition and positive press, and we have no problem inviting someone like that to our events.''

But the activist said was simply following what he believed were fundamental values.

``It comes down to basic human respect,'' he said. ``I just try to treat people the way I would like to be treated and just seeing the best in people. When coming from that place, good things can happen. That's how we all grow.''

The unwitting celebrity who had 1,000 e-mail messages when he returned from the tree to his Pacific Palisades home and now gets monthly $300 cellular phone bills on average - his bills before the tree campaign ranged from $40 to $50 - is trying to deal with the deluge of requests and to get a handle on his new role in the environmental activism community.

``I'm still coming to understand this role I've created for myself. I think what I'm sensing is that people were inspired by Old Glory and the tree-sit, and I feel people are looking to me for inspiration now,'' he said. ``This has amplified my voice - my ability to speak on things.''

As a recognizable figure who's regularly approached by strangers, Quigley is only now able to see the effect the campaign has had on people.

The encounter that reduced Quigley to tears - and revealed to him the purpose of the campaign - was when the mother of one of his biggest supporters, a 10-year-old boy, saw him for the first time out of the tree.

``She came up to me and just burst into tears and hugged me and said, 'Because of you, my son wants to be governor so something like this wouldn't happen,''' Quigley said. ``That, for me, made the whole thing worthwhile. Just that.''

The environmental educator has returned to his job teaching but has been squeezing in two or three speaking engagements a week - all the while keeping the issue of preventing the Pico Canyon tree from being removed his priority.

Now that people are listening to him, Quigley is using the opportunity of school engagements and rallies to share his message of getting involved in the government.

``It's being engaged in the political process so democracy really works, and telling kids how important it is to face their fears and stand up for what they believe in because they have the power to make a difference in their world,'' he said.

He is urging people to get involved in the early stages of planning so it doesn't get to the point where somebody has to climb up a trees.

``I'm asking people to get outside of their comfort zone. I think sometimes we get so comfortable on our couches, watching television, we've lost the sense of who we really are,'' he said. ``I want to challenge them to do something that challenges themselves physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.''

The second part of his message is the importance of spending more time in nature - something he believes will decrease anxiety and depression in society.

``I encourage people to find their own tree - to reconnect with nature, because I think there's a lot of value in that for our society,'' he said. ``We have become such a technological society, there's a disconnect with nature.

Not only has Quigley had to learn to accept to his new role as an in-demand public figure in the environmental community, when previously he had always worked behind the scenes, but he's also had to adjust to the trappings that come with being recognized - such as autograph requests.

``The first time it happened, I thought it was a joke. I'm not comfortable with the idea of why somebody would want my autograph,'' Quigley said. ``But I'm getting comfortable with these things. It's little things like learning how to gracefully spend time with each person when there's a line of people wanting to talk to you, and not keep them waiting too long.

While he has no long-term plans, Quigley has gotten more involved with his passion, aerial art - where kids form a human artwork on beaches - and is working on the outline for a book.

``The one thing I don't want to do is start taking myself too seriously, like I know something more than what I knew before,'' Quigley said, laughing.

But whenever he feels that things are going back to normal, something happens to throw him back into the spotlight.

``I keep getting these reminders that it's time for you to play on a bigger level now and you can't go back to your life the way it used to be,'' he said. ``I'm going to continue to do work that I believe in, and through that process my level of public profile will be determined by the work. I'm not going to seek it.''

For now, he will continue to advocate for the natural heritage and the environment.

``I'm riding the wave and trusting,'' he said. ``It's too early to know where it's all going to go. But it was the same thing when I climbed the tree. I thought I'd be there a few days.''

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Photo:

John Quigley, left, is served with court papers on Jan. 10 requiring him to vacate the centuries-old oak Old Glory.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer