image for illustration: City of Jurupa Valley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Jurupa Valley City Council has approved a development plan Thursday that would place the world’s oldest known living oak in jeopardy, reports The Center for Biological Diversity.
The Center for Biological Diversity writes:
The plan to build residential, industrial and commercial development on the 900-plus acre site calls for a 450-feet buffer around the Jurupa Oak where project activities such as construction cannot occur and a 550-feet buffer from any buildings. Such a short distance from construction activities may be insufficient to ensure the survival of the Palmer’s oak, which is at least 13,000 years old. ‘It’s shocking and sad to see the city fail to protect an ancient plant that is truly a wonder to behold,’ said Meredith Stevenson, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. ‘Buildings come and go but the Jurupa Oak is a one-of-a-kind gem that can offer lessons about our natural heritage for generations to come. This development plan is no way to treat an international treasure.’
Thursday’s decision was a rejection of a proposal made by a coalition of Tribal, environmental justice and green groups to create a 100-acre preserve to better protect the Jurupa Oak and the watershed on which it relies. Such a preserve would offer enough distance from land grading and blasting that could threaten the health and survival of the oldest known living plant in the state and the third oldest known living plant on Earth. Once the homes, warehouses and commercial properties are built, the hazards associated with development, including air and water pollution, increased fire risk, off-road vehicle use, would also put this special tree at great risk. ‘The Horuuvunga Oak is not just a tree, it is a living symbol of our ancestral connection to this land, estimated to be between 13,000 and 18,000 years old,’ said Laura Jaime of the Shiishongna Tongva Nation Corona Band of Gabrielino Indians. ‘This ancient oak represents our rich cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the time when our ancestors thrived along the Santa Ana River.’
The Jurupa Oak is a vast colony of growths resembling a sprawling shrub reaching approximately 80 feet in length. The tree’s location in western Riverside County is far outside its natural range. This is the only member of its species in the 1,700-square-mile Santa Ana River watershed.For months a coalition of more than a dozen organizations have called on the city to better protect the Jurupa Oak. The site, located in a high fire hazard severity zone, is also home to endangered and threatened species including the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly, California gnatcatcher and Crotch’s bumblebee. In approving the Rio Vista Specific Plan, the city failed to consider and mitigate the various environmental harms. The coalition includes the Center, California Native Plant Society, Sierra Club, Shiishongna Tongva Nation Corona band of Gabrielino Indians, People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society, Redford Conservancy, Endangered Habitats League, International Oak Society and others.
