"Over four hundred days ago, a handful of activists climbed up into the trees on Science Hill as a symbol of resistance to the university's plan to destroy 120 acres of campus forest. For the past 13 months, the tree sit has drawn attention to UCSC's reckless plan to develop upper campus without regard for the welfare of one of Santa Cruz's last wild ecosystems.
At approximately 8 AM this morning, the tree sit drew to a close as police seized control of Science Hill, arresting one Tree Sitter. Later, a tree cutting service hired by the university cut down a grove of 100 year old redwood trees to make way for construction of a new Bioscience building.
The three clusters of redwoods which have now been clearcut were inhabited since November 7, 2007, when over 500 students, alumni, and community members rallied in opposition to the University's "Long Range Development Plan". The Tree Sit and the University entered mediation to find a solution to this conflict, but the University was unwilling to modify any of their plans, despite the devastating effect that upper campus development will have on the Santa Cruz ecosystem. Precious watershed regions, unique manzanita groves and hundred-year old redwood forests will be destroyed by the University's development of the wild lands just north of campus. The homes of such rare native animals as the burrowing owl and the endangered red-legged frog will be irreparably damaged."
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Infoshop News
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment