I oppose the proposed ordinance that will weaken protections for our oak tree communities. When oaks are removed it is not just the individual tree that is removed; it is a diverse community of thousands of species that support the tree and are supported by the tree that are destroyed. I understand that the proposed ordinance will not remove protections, but only weaken them. However, this sets a precedent for future ordinances to continue to weaken protections for our oak tree communities.
What amazes me about the Santa Clarita Valley is the beautiful landforms that support such a diversity of plant and animal life. Our challenge is to balance our needs as human residents with the needs of other species with whom we share this valley. When my family moved here in 1988, I saw that our home was interfering with the diversity of life in this area. I attempted to remedy this encroachment by investing in my backyard with diverse plants to support the diversity of plant and animal life in our area.
I recommend the following for our City Council members:
1. Go on a monthly community hike sponsored by our city’s outdoor recreation department. Take a child with you. View the hike through the child’s eyes. Focus all of your senses on the varied landforms and habitats for the plants and animals that you experience along the path.
2. Look into your children’s (grandchildren’s) eyes. Imagine what the SCV will be like for them in the future. Do we want the SCV to become like much of L.A. County that is overdeveloped and overpopulated with people at the expense of the diversity of life that we depend on? Or, do you want Santa Clarita to be a model city that limits overdevelopment and overpopulation to preserve the balance among people and our other species? If you are not sure of the answer, then ask your children and grandchildren.
3. I recommend supporting intentional communities like the Los Angeles Eco-Village in downtown L.A. as a model for similar communities in the SCV that integrate social, economic and ecologic functions.
4. Remember this statement of sustainability that expresses the indigenous people’s world view: “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
5. If this proposed ordinance to weaken protections for the oak tree communities is approved, then the seal of the city will need to be changed to the “seal of disapproval.”
Gary Kodel
Canyon Country
