Please help us save the 13,000 year old Jurupa Oak

Please help us save the 13,000 year old Jurupa OakHelp

This oak and habitat is a treasure for generations to come learn and explore, having survived the Pleistocene era by cloning itself over 13,000 years.

The Friends of the Jurupa Oak need your help to reach 1500 signatures before the city’s committee meeting hearing on the Rio Vista Specific Plan on June 26, 2024. Their plan is to build new warehouses within 200 feet of the oak. This buffer is not enough distance to preserve the oak and the new warehouse buildings will disrupt the ecosystem for many years to come.

You can review the petition here and decide to sign anonymously if you wish.

https://www.change.org/p/halt-rio-vista-plan-to-save-the-13-000-year-old-jurupa-oak

jurupavalley

in InlandEmpireby doowapeedoo

372

95%

throwawaydixiecup

I wish you got more engagement here on Reddit. How did the city council meeting go yesterday?

Pica-nuttalli

The planning commission voted to continue the public hearing in July (the 10th I think). They are requesting more studies/information on the root system of the oak (oaks have very extensive root systems), impact of the heat island effect on the oak, & other mitigation strategies like extending the buffer zone

HakanJ

I’m on the planning commission but missed the vote because I’m with my family in Ecuador . I’m very concerned with how this project will affect the Oak so I’m happy to see they’ll be getting more information on it.

designer-farts

Hopefully the FACTS knock some sense into them

ImPinkSnail

Will you vote in favor if the requested studies find the project will not adversely impact the tree?

HakanJ

It also depends on what I hear from people who show up and any other evidence I hear. I pretty much have to keep an open mind as possible. If it seems like my mind is made up before the public hearing then the city is opened to being sued.

ImPinkSnail

I'd just advise that you consider the hearing to be a trial. The project, developers, and land sellers have rights. The process is a kangaroo court where anyone can speak and say things but the credibility of the evidence and testimony matters. If they present experts and have a comprehensive assessment of how they're going to mitigate impacts to the tree, traffic, lighting, stormwater management, etc. and the evidence says it's not going to create adverse impacts to the community or neighboring properties you should heavily consider that. Similarly, if the opposition presents their own experts and evidence you should heavily consider that, too. They're probably a couple million deep into this project. And it sounds like the town may have asked them to complete more studies and evidence to determine if the tree will be impacted. I'd be pissed if you told me to go spend more money only to show up and get voted down.

If you violate their rights you're going to get smoked in a lawsuit.

HakanJ

I agree full heartedly with everything you’ve said. It’s a serious project with serious consequences and I won’t take my vote lightly at all.

Precious_Angel999

Honestly, they need to leave all of those Jurupa Hills alone. They are really cool to explore back when I visited.

dancetothe-radio

Signed!

Maybe add the link to this post so it’s easier for folks to access it.

doowapeedoo

Thank you! Sorry folks. I had the link in the body but it disappeared when I posted it and I cannot edit it for some reason. Here’s the link: https://chng.it/4stqLJS8nR

mauvareen

Put this on r/California and maybe any conservation sub reddit. Get a wider variety of people to see it, make it global news.

doowapeedoo

Thank you!

bleezy_47

Signed! Thanks for sharing, will have this shared around my social media as well.

_jmandr

Signed!

rockingchairwisdom

Where is the link?

doowapeedoo

Sorry folks. I had the link in the body but it disappeared when I posted it and I cannot edit it for some reason. Here’s the link: https://chng.it/4stqLJS8nR

Apprehensive_Pen6726

That’s it I’m moving my ass out of here it has it turning itself turning into a shit hole it can’t help itself

money10adventures

I'm from Chino. Just signed it either way that's a super historical for jurupa valley

User deleted comment

jstucco

I don’t know why you are putting “oak” in quotations. It is an oak, and it is around 13,000 years old as it has cloned itself and spread into a thicket over thousands of years. There are many species of oaks that form shrubs, and just because this one doesn’t conform to what your idea of an “Oak tree” is doesn’t mean that it is not an oak or thousands of years old.

User deleted comment

jstucco

I don’t know why you are trying to pretend that old clonal trees are not unique. They absolutely are. In fact the Jurupa Oak is the 5th oldest clonal tree on the planet https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_trees Which to me makes it pretty damn special. And I think other people will care too. And no one is claiming it’s a billion years old. The claim is that it’s around 13000 years old. And how else would you “advertise” it? Majesty is more than just a big tree. There are millions of big trees. There is only one Jurupa Oak.

Cheap-Recognition-97

“There are millions of big trees. There is only one Jurupa Oak. “

Damn that really hit home for me, great way to put it.

ColinCancer

Also, my botanist dad (and friends) found it and dated it which I think is pretty cool.

And yes. It’s unique and special and cool. Any unique single organism that gets a Wikipedia page is pretty special. Like that whale that sank all those Greek ships 1500 years ago.

JayAche

Why does BardInChains hate preserving something so historic? Especially when a WAREHOUSE is what is threatening it? Feels weirdly specific to support something so bland and shitty as a warehouse. Vested interest maybe?

C0MM0NSPELLING

Bc wArEhOuSeS cReAtE jObS 😂 as if every damn place in the IE isn’t already hiring.

monkeyonfire

I was looking for a tree in another post lol

B-ILL2

-23

We need affordable housing. Wait don't build more houses. Reddit logic.

Rocklobsta9

This project is for warehouses I believe not homes.

Icy_Communication262

It’s for homes (low, medium, high density), a school, parks, light industrial and business park.

Cheap-Recognition-97

Why is this person getting downvoted? Anyone care to share what I’m missing from the statement?

Icy_Communication262

Original comment is being downvoted because anything regarding housing construction is automatically viewed negatively on this sub. I guess I’m getting downvoted because I provided additional details from the plan itself. Reddit can be strange sometimes.

Job_Stealer

Yeah it’s like they forgot the rest of the Specific Plan’s components

jcore294

Costco warehouse may have housing on top of it soon.

/s for the unaware

B-ILL2

-21

Even better. More jobs for the local community.

C0MM0NSPELLING

Warehouses don’t always mean jobs, there are plenty of vacant warehouses all around the IE doing nothing but taking up real estate.

B-ILL2

-17

Someone has to build them and maintain them.

IAmTryingNotToBeRude

Oh yay more dead end jobs and pollution. Thats exactly what we need.

russian_hacker_1917

There's plenty of empty lots and single family homes around we can infill and upzone.

mushrooms

This is an irreplaceable living piece of natural history. You can build warehouses somewhere else but you can't build a 13,000 year old tree. There's tons of land further east you know.

B-ILL2

Trees don't grow on trees? We can plant them somewhere else. No big deal.

ColinCancer

Invent the Time Machine then.

Im_inappropriate

We have miles and miles of empty lots all over that can be developed into houses away from historical significance. We can care about more than one thing at once and not risk killing one of the oldest things in existence in the entire state to achieve the goal of more houses.

Neocrog

Whoever wrote that petition title did not do it justice. I was sitting here wondering why the fuck REDDIT was petitioning to kill a tree.

AceO235

-15

Please help us deport NIMBYs from california, y'all could give a rats ass about any other location but your back yard

Ok-Definition-366

-3

If the people with money want this to happen it will and no signing of any petition is going to change it, people need to get real in the IE

thicccockdude

-6

Who gives a shit

TheVizslasDidIt

-18

Jesus F Christ. It's just a gddmn tree