RETURNING TO HIS ROOTS ACTIVIST VISITS TRANSPLANTED OLD GLORY OAK.Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer PICO Pico (pē`kō) [Port.,=peak], island (1991 pop. 15,129), 167 sq mi (433 sq km), Horta dist., in the N Atlantic, one of the central Azores. It takes its name from the volcanic mountain, Pico Alto [high peak], which rises to 7,711 ft (2,350 m). CANYON - Standing beside Pico Canyon Road, 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. squinted into the sun to gaze at the giant oak tree where he made his home for 10 weeks within its limbs. One year ago today, the 400-year-old Valley oak dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. ``Old Glory'' was uprooted and transplanted a quarter-mile to Pico Canyon Road to save it from a road project. The tree on Wednesday was in a dormant stage, its bare branches awaiting springtime to leaf out. A year ago, the oak was at the center of a debate between developers and environmentalists. Now it stands as a symbol of what can be achieved when a community comes together, Quigly said. ``Ultimately, the tree serves as a great parable parable, the term translates the Hebrew word "mashal"—a term denoting a metaphor, or an enigmatic saying or an analogy. In the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, however, "parables" were illustrative narrative examples. Jewish teachers of the 1st cent. A.D. about what we can do as a society,'' Quigley said Wednesday. ``We had this tree that was going to be mowed down, until the community rose up. It's a symbol of how a few people stood up to developers' interests.'' The oak earned the name Old Glory after ``tree-sitter'' Quigley camped in its limbs for 10 weeks in protest of a plan to chop it down. His stay in the tree drew both local and national attention. Thousands of people showed up to see him. Children sang songs and held signs. Ultimately, a judge ordered him to come down and development company 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 agreed to move the tree instead of cutting it down to make room for an extension of Pico Canyon Road. Quigley and other activists still believe moving the tree could have caused trauma to its roots. A spring celebration is in the works, and some now say there is hope for its survival. ``I've looked at that tree more than anyone else has and it appears to have a lot of new buds, which means it will have a lot of new growth,'' said arborist Richard Ibarra. But it could take several years before arborists are sure the oak has taken root in its new home. ``Anything at that age and that girth GIRTH., A girth or yard is a measure of length. The word is of Saxon origin, taken from the circumference of the human body. Girth is contracted from girdeth, and signifies as much as girdle. See Ell. and size is always fragile,'' Ibarra said. ``But John Laing Homes is doing what they have agreed upon Adj. 1. agreed upon - constituted or contracted by stipulation or agreement; "stipulatory obligations" stipulatory noncontroversial, uncontroversial - not likely to arouse controversy . Typically the moving companies do everything they can to do it right.'' After a year, the oak still stands supported by several steel cables, surrounded by a chain-link fence and guarded 24 hours a day. The land around it will become a public park. John Laing Homes has agreed to the maintennance of the tree for five years. After that, it becomes the responsibility of 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. Despite the good news so far about Old Glory, Quigley and others said the tree remains in ``the intensive care unit.'' ``We've all been over there checking on it,'' said Lynne Plambeck, president 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 to Planning the Environment. ``People still come to look at the tree. We had folks go over there to check on it after the storms. We were worried it would fall over. Every year it survives, it's something positive.'' Looking back now, Quigley said he has a new perspective on his time in the oak and looks forward to new opportunities as a result of his demonstration. A children's book about the story of Old Glory is in the works. ``It took a long time to come down from the tree,'' he said. ``It took over my life and pretty much a year afterwards af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. afterwards or afterward Adverb later [Old English æfterweard] Adv. 1. . But finally, I'm back in a pretty good place. I'm looking at other situations where trees like this are threatened.'' This year, Quigley will work with other groups to launch an initiative to protect America's trees, he said. ``I do know that everytime I go to the tree I get this rush of love and excitement that this tree is still alive and that people can come to it,'' he said.``I feel very grateful for being a part of that effort. For a long time we were in a political battle, but now it's a process of praying that the tree will survive.'' Susan Abram, (661) 257-5257 susan.abram(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- also ran in Valley edition -- color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour SAC Sac: see Sac and Fox. SAC - 1. An early system on the Datatron 200 series. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. edition only) John Quigley visits Old Glory, with Jose Monzo standing guard, on the 1-year anniversary of its move up Pico Canyon. (2 -- color) Old Glory, an oak tree that was at the center of a development controversy last year, is under constant guard in Pico Canyon. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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