April 12 protest to save redwoods in Berkeley

[Save the Ridge Redwood: http://pastebin.com/u/RidgeRedwoods]
[EMAIL the chancellor and send a message to save the trees: chancellor@berkeley.edu]
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PROTEST TO SAVE REDWOODS IN BERKELEY
April 12, 10AM
Ridge Rd and Le Roy Avenue

Obfuscation by developers has muddied the history of the redwoods in the East Bay.  Logging and the development of farms, the university, and then the city of Berkeley cleared the ancient redwoods in this area.  The old growth redwood forest extended down the California Coast.  But by 1881, all merchantable redwoods had been logged from the East Bay.  Redwoods in the Bay Area were clear cut before they were properly cataloged and mapped.  Redwoods were and still are native to the Bay Area, and Berkeley is no exception. An 1881 map places previously logged redwoods in the Berkeley halls, trailing down into Oakland. There are redwoods in the hills currently.  Redwoods can thrive down from the hills in the flatter parts of Berkeley; it stands to reason that in the past redwood trees were not limited to only the hills.  Even if the area that became Berkeley was not the densest part of the ancient redwood belt, redwoods were here for a very long time.  Many redwoods now in Berkeley were planted as the university and city developed; however that does not negate the fact that Berkeley is part of the natural redwood corridor that runs down California.  These planted trees partially replaced trees that were present before.  Redwood trees are part of California's heritage; regrowing and maintaining redwood groves sustains the redwood heritage for future generations.  The UC claims that the trees on campus are merely ornamental. However redwoods are a essential native species.

The redwood grove behind Soda Hall is to be cut down and replaced by a tech design building, the Paul Jacobs Design Institute.  The design building is part of the 2020 Development Plan on UC Berkeley campus.  The grove of trees behind Soda Hall are not the only redwoods scheduled to be cut down.  For the next 6 years, clusters of redwoods on campus will be cut down and replaced by building, leaving very few trees standing by the year 2020.

The overwhelming feeling from residents, UC students and faculty is that the trees should be left to grow.  The majority desire is for the design center to be relocated, or the design program to be implemented in already standing buildings.  However Paul Jacobs of Qualcomm, and the powers-at-be from the University of California are ignoring popular sentiment to save the trees.

Save redwoods on campus to mark the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech movement.  50 years ago, a movement sparked for freedom of expression and freedom of protest.