Danielle++Thiele

California Berkeley Tree Sitters Ok so this is a very highly debated issue where I live since many parents in my city went to UC Berkeley. Basically, the University wants to build a new football stadium, which is great except they wish to do so where 300-500 year old California Oak Tree grove is. Not only are these trees really old but the fact that they hadn’t caught a disease that was wiping oaks was miraculous. And to continue this issue further, it’s not like theres trees grow quickly it takes tens of years for them to grow inches or even centimeters. So they are essentially an endangered species. Well when the public was told of this new fabulous athletic facility people split those who liked it and those who didn’t. And when the university wouldn’t reconsider a location people built contraptions and have been living in the trees to prevent them from getting cut down. They didn’t get down to shower, to use the rest room, for more food nothing, they relied on their friends to throw them water or food for survival. This all went to court and the judge recently decided that it was ok for the university to build the new stadium eventhough Berkeley municipal law prohibits the removal of any California Oak tree with a trunk larger than six inches within the city boundaries. Thesis: While the UC Berkeley athletic department has made legitimate reasons for the necessary removal of Memorial Stadium in Strawberry Canyon, they have failed to execute accordingly. The stadiums unsafe proximity to the Hayward Fault is exemplified in the inches of movement in the concrete structure and therefore demonstrates the necessity for an alternate facility. However if this as dire a situation as the University has led on then why have football games continued to be played there? Furthermore a city of Berkeley municipal law prohibits the removal of any California Oak tree with a trunk larger than six inches within the city boundaries. However the city boundaries do not include the university, even though the university if majorly funded by taxpayers dollars similar to state park. Three lawsuits were cased against the university asking for consideration of relocation of the plan where removal of the trees would not be needed, all requests were denied, without adequate reasoning. The University however did promise that they would replace the removed trees, however a malignant often terminal disease is known to harm the slow growing oak tree, and with more and more dying off these few healthy ones were more and more valuable to the maintenance of naturalism in California habitat. How many acres on campus? Why can’t they rebuild over existing? Number of trees? 90 trees,65 oaks, including 38 coast live oaks, 25 pittoporum, 5 pines, cypresses, peper, cedar Amount of dollars spent? Why are people taking the stance that they are taking? 649-day standoff with UC Berkeley (09-09) 21-month-long standoff University officials have released various cost estimates for the 158,000-square-foot sports training facility. Mogulof said the most recent estimate is that it will cost about $125 million and take about two-and-a-half years to be completed. http://cbs5.com/local/berkeley.tree.sitters.2.812613.html Berkeley municipal law prohibits removing any oak with a trunk larger than six inches within city boundaries, but city boundaries do not include the university and the university further claimed an exemption to the city law as a state agency. California memorial stadium’s proximity to the Hayward fault zone sitters argues if it is unsafe then they should move all games and staff to another location http://www.californiaoaks.org/ExtAssets/Oaks2040%20Final.pdf Tom Gaman and Jeffrey Firman. “Oaks 2040:The Status and Future of Oaks in California” “More than one million acres of California's oak woodlands are developed and approximately 750,000 are at risk of development before 2040. Twenty percent of California's oak woodlands are facing rapid and increasing urbanization by 2040.”

Amari: This is a very interesting topic and you have answered many of the questions that I had. But I am wondering if there is an organized body of activist besides the activists sleeping in trees relying on their friends? Why are people being denied in court for their claim? What are the different viewpoints besides in favor or not in favor of cutting down the trees? Is there another issue behind this like private vs. state land? etc.

This is a very good topic for the argument paper with clear issues on all sides. This is just another protest in the very politically active UC Berkeley that has had a reputation for speaking their ideas. What are the students planning to do now that they were kicked out of the trees? Do they plan on having any more protests against the university? Whose controls the land next to the stadium because UC Berkeley is a public institution? Chris G.