OUT ON A LIMB 400-YEAR-OLD OAK MAY BE DOOMED.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer STEVENSON RANCH Stevenson Ranch, California (in the 91381 ZIP Code) is a Los Angeles County, USA, unincorporated community west of Santa Clarita a few miles south of Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. The Stevenson Ranch fountain was redone in 2007. - 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 Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Organization for Planning and the Environment about the potential destruction of the heritage oak tree, John Quigley John B. Quigley is a professor of law at the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University, where he is the Presidents' Club Professor of Law. In 1995 he was recipient of The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award. of Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). 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. ``This tree is a symbol of all of the trees we've already lost and all the trees we're not going to be able to save,'' said Cynthia Neal-Harris, vice president of the Santa Clarita Oaks Conservancy. The county Department of Public Works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. has been looking into the issue for several days but has yet to find a solution, officials said. The Santa Clarita City Council will discuss the matter at its Tuesday study session and may vote to urge Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County officials to reduce the size of Pico Canyon Road - the main thoroughfare in the planned community Noun 1. planned community - a residential district that is planned for a certain class of residents residential area, residential district, community - a district where people live; occupied primarily by private residences west of Santa Clarita - or reroute it away from the oak tree. ``We need to be more creative,'' said Councilwoman Laurene Weste, who participated in the early morning rally. ``No one wants to decimate dec·i·mate tr.v. dec·i·mat·ed, dec·i·mat·ing, dec·i·mates 1. To destroy or kill a large part of (a group). 2. Usage Problem a. Pico Canyon.'' John Laing For John Laing, the 15th century bishop of Glasgow, see John Laing (bishop) John Laing plc is a British developer and operator of privately financed, public sector infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Homes, the builder of the Southern Oaks 279-home subdivision, promised not to cut down the tree near Whispering Oak Avenue until after the council meeting. ``We don't want to make this road any bigger, and our homeowners don't want this road any bigger,'' said division president Bill Ratazzi. ``We'd be very happy not to cut that tree down, but we need to reach an agreement quickly.'' The development cannot be completed until Pico Canyon Road, which has been under construction for months, is expanded to four lanes. That is tying up millions of dollars in road improvement bonds, Ratazzi said. Eventually, Pico Canyon Road is slated to be extended to State Route 126 to relieve congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. in the rapidly developing area west of the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. , which includes the proposed 21,600-home Newhall Ranch project. Mayor Frank Ferry said he would oppose any plan to reduce Pico Canyon Road to two lanes because it would force hundreds of cars onto I-5 and city streets. ``We have to strike a balance between the environment and the quality of life of our residents,'' Ferry said. ``The reality is that the cars are coming.'' Lennar Communities - the developer of Stevenson Ranch - has submitted plans to county officials that would reduce the size of the road and spare the tree as part of its proposal for the development of the fifth phase of the community. However, it is expected to be several years before those plans are approved, county officials said. The obvious solution to resolve the situation quickly is to separate the road issue from the development, Ratazzi said. ``I'm hopeful that we can reach an agreement and save the tree,'' Ratazzi said. ``I don't need any more firewood.'' CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- color in SAC edition only) Environmental activist John Quigley, 42, chats on his cell phone while perched in a 400-year-old native California oak along Pico Canyon Road in Santa Clarita. (2) Activist John Quigley of Pacific Palisades sits among the shadows of a branching native California oak in Santa Clarita. (3 -- 4 -- ran in SAC edition only) Oak-tree enthusiasts gather Friday along Pico Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, where a massive native oak is slated to be cut down for a road-widening project. At left, tree-lover Judy McClure of Santa Clarita holds signs for motorists on Pico Canyon Road. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion