Thank you, Rebecca Snowdale, for your recent letter to Eugene Weekly (1/18) concerning the removal of the female ginkgo biloba tree on the University of Oregon campus.
Unfortunately, the current university administration appears to have lost any understanding of the value of trees on campus, choosing instead to adopt the worldview of former President Ronald Reagan when it comes to trees as living, breathing entities with invaluable contributions to life on our planet.
In early August 2017, the university removed 22 beautiful trees near the Johnson Hall Administration Building in order to make room for the construction of Tykeson Hall. One spokesperson, Martina Oxoby, stated that “[w]hile the campus realizes the ‘great loss’ of these trees, we take comfort that none of the trees to be removed are ‘one-of-a-kind trees.’ There are other trees of the same species on campus and none of the trees to be removed have ‘outstanding historical value.’”
This statement reminds me of what Reagan said when visiting a grove of redwood trees: “If you’ve seen one redwood tree, you’ve seen them all. You know, a tree is a tree; how many more do you need to look at?”
For an institution that is purporting to be a ‘research-oriented’ university, someone needs to take to heart the massive amounts of research already published about the invaluable contributions that trees provide to the health of our planet and the creatures that reside here.
Coyote Connelly, Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519