Redwood protest: update and clarifications.

[http://pastebin.com/u/RidgeRedwoods]
____________________________________________________________________________
Protest /// MORE TREES, LESS SURVEILLANCE: April 12, 10AM, Ridge Rd and Le Roy, Berkeley
____________________________________________________________________________

UPDATES:

No further damage to the trees has been done by the UC or private contractors at this time (morning of today.)

When the contractors hired by the UC pruned the redwoods to prevent tree climbing, a method of promoting free-speech and non-violent protest, branches were even removed on trees too young to support human weight.

The UC Berkeley police are still present at the Redwood Grove at Ridge Road and Le Roy Avenue.  They maintain their position at the trees all day and night, using flood lights during the night hours.  Even the volleyball court is behind police barricades.

The DailyCal ran an article about the trees.  The article quotes Sam Kirschner, a founder of the student initiative for the Jacobs Institute; he states that the redwoods have to be removed as there is no other space on campus for the building.  His statement is untrue.  The Campbell Hall Staging Area will be available upon the completion of the new Campbell Hall.  The UC has no current development plans for the staging area after the new Campbell Hall is completed.  The construction staging area is as large as, if not larger than, the area behind Soda Hall where the grove stands. Using the staging area would place the design institute near the Engineering Library and Sutardja Dai Hall, the UC Berkeley College of Engineering - a fitting location for an engineering design institute .  Placing the design institute at the staging area puts the building in a more centralized location on campus, rather than on the very edge of campus.

The UC is still promoting images of early design concepts which do not accurately define the layout of the building in context with the redwood trees.  There are images on the UC Berkley Design website which superimpose the grove on top of the building concept making the lot appear larger than it is, and making it appear as if the UC intends to leave standing trees with the building.  The UC does intend to remove all the trees in the grove, and this is not reflected in images shared with the public.  As of now there is no final design as the growing opposition is pushing the UC to rethink the plan.  However it necessary to continue to insist that the building be moved to another location and that no trees be removed and that the volleyball court remain as well.