Tree Sitters Enter Woodlands, But Trees Still Fall
Protesters, media, sheriff's department descend on Arcadia Woodlands as construction begins.
Four opponents of the county's plan to bulldoze 11 acres of oak woodlands have entered the construction site and are stationed in oak trees in an attempt to stop further progress on the project.
David Czamanske, Vice Chair of the Pasadena Sierra Club, said he did not know the names of the protesters who had entered the site, but that they were not affiliated with Sierra Club. Czamanske told Patch that the tree sitters had climbed 40 to 50 feet high in the oak trees. Local news helicopters have been circling the scene trying to spot the trees sitters.
Camron Stone, an Arcadia resident who has emerged as a leader of the movement to save the trees, said the tree sitters accessed the site through an entrance on Sycamore Ave. at around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Monrovia Planning Commissioner Glen Owens told Patch that one of the tree sitters was activist David Quigley, who has staged similar acts of civil disobedience in the past.
According to sources at the scene, trees have already been destroyed but the construction crew was taking extra caution not to bulldoze the trees that the sitters are stationed in.
About 20 concerned Arcadia residents and environmentalists arrived to the construction site at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. A half-dozen Sheriff Department vehicles arrived soon thereafter. At this time, no arrests have been made.
“It’s not our point to get arrested. We want to get our message across and I think we’re succeeding,” Czamanske said.
Stone was unhappy that it had come to this.
“The government is shoving it down my throat. They know what’s best for me. They know what’s best for the people,” Stone said.
Local and national media have descended on the scene to document the trees destruction.
The Santa Anita Dam Riser Modification and Reservoir Sediment Removal Project would remove around 500,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Santa Anita Dam to bring the dam into compliance with state seismic regulations. The sediment removal will also free the flow of water and provide additional storage to supply the water needs of the area.
About 250,000 cubic yards of debris would be placed on 11 acres of untouched land in the Middle Sediment Placement Site (SPS) currently home to the oak trees, sycamore trees and other plant vegetation. The remaining 250,000 cubic yards of debris would be placed on the existing Lower SPS.
The proposed project area is located within the City of Arcadia on land owned by the county. Both the Angeles National Park and Arcadia’s Wilderness Park are north of the area, while single-family residential homes are to the west and south of the area. To the east is open space owned by the City of Monrovia and known as the Monrovia Hillside Wilderness Preserve.
Drew Ready
11:32 am on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Very sad to see this rare ecosystem bulldozed. And what a PR nightmare for city of Arcadia and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.
michele Zack
6:03 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
This is a major loss for all of us: the last bit of what was once the San Gabriel Valley's largest oak woodland covering dozens, if not hundreds, of square miles. All early visitors to the SGV commented on it from the time the Spanish first arrived through the 19th century. The senselessness of the destruction leaves one gasping — of all places, why choose this precious vestige of rare habitat that included one and two hundred-year old trees, for debris storage? A natural, cultural, and historic resource is being ruined and will soon be filled up with dirt and rocks. A site of unique beauty that was home to many birds and other critters is gone forever.
Supervisor Antonovich now owns this as his legacy. At the very least he could have secured a further moratorium that would have allowed a investigation into how an EIR was secured for this project, and if, as has been alleged, improprieties allowed it to move forward without proper public input.
L D
9:03 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
My family and I, as well as circle of friends, will NEVER trust nor support Antonovich again.
LD
Ed English
5:59 am on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
And people wonder why there are questions about any level of goverment involvement in our lives... it is unlateral actions such as this PR blunder, that bring the sceptisim of the every day reasonable person to doubt that the actions of "their" goverment acting on their behalf; there are hurdles as Enviromental Impact Reports .. State laws ... as I understand it there is a "replant" plan .... ok as long as the replant consists of a complete & mature woodland ... sourced from a wide range of areas ... saving individual trees that for some legitimate reason are threaten with removal