the powers-that-be at uc berkeley think cutting down a grove of old coast live oaks is a good idea. apparently they need to build an athletic training center on the grove site, and have promised to plant three oak saplings for every mature oak they fell. this sounds well and good, but greenwash usually does.

1. all trees are not created equal. a mature oak is a keystone in its ecosystem - providing food and habitat for many other species. a young oak cannot provide the same services.
2. cal does not need to build their athletic facility on the grove site - several alternative sites have been proposed that meet the university's needs as well as the needs of the city of berkeley.
3. the city has an environmental ordinance that forbids the felling of a coast live oak that is more than six inches in diameter at chest height. uc berkeley claims that as a state entity they are exempt from the local ordinances - essentially thumbing their noses at the city.

tangental:
this whole affair is turning into a PR debacle for cal - good. there is a pervasive attitude in academic administrators in this state that they are beholden to no one other than themselves and their respective boards of regents - this seems to hold true for both the CSU and UC systems. it is (long past) time for students, staff, and faculty to join with citizens of the community at-large and hold the administrations of offending institutions accountable for their lack of vision and stewardship. they work for us - not for themselves.

a grassroots effort to save the cal oaks grove is underway; you can find out more at save oaks. this issue goes beyond berkeley - it's about intelligent, conscious community planning. the east bay (and califas in general) has enough sprawl and concrete - preservation of the last remaining bay area green belts and habitat islands is critical.