SPRING 2008
CONSERVANCY AWARDED $25,000 GRANT FOR GREENWAY TRAIL TREES In January 2008, the Whittier Conservancy was awarded the Edison International Corporate Contribution Grant: Sustaining a Quality Environment in the amount of $25,000. The money was presented to the City of Whittier to be used for the purchase and planting of trees on the Greenway Trail. (continued on pg. 2)
Do your part to preserve and protect what’s special about Whittier...Become a new member or renew your membership today! Consider making a donation to the Whittier Conservancy to support our programs and efforts to preserve our city’s unique history. Donations may be sent to the address listed on page 7. For any questions, please call The Whittier Conservancy at (562) 693-5853.
L to R: Sylvia Southerland- SCE (Edison), Owen Newcomer- Whittier Mayor, Maria ClaverWhittier Conservancy grant writer, Dorothea Boyd- President, Whittier Conservancy
broadway massacre redux About twelve years ago, residents at the corner of Broadway and Greenleaf awoke to the cringing sounds of chain saws and grinders as three gorgeous oaks were ground to their stumps, leaving the corner blighted and leafless. It caused an uproar that put the Conservancy into action as the City was inundated with questions and complaints. The “mature” replacement trees are exactly the same size as they were when planted, offering a frac-
tion of the shade and beauty once provided. A couple of years later, with sidewalks buckling under the expansion of the ficus trees on Painter, the City decided to wipe out ALL of the Painter Avenue canopy in order to “solve” the problem. Again, Conservancy members dropped everything and went to the defense of the trees. The idea that the city could not come up with a better slogan than “Save the concrete; take down the trees”
made no sense to us at all. We proferred the economic as well as the health benefit of beautiful tree-lined streets, noting at the time that a mature tree added at least $15,000 to the value of real estate. Hence, the meandering sidewalks on Painter that now accommodate the growth of the trees. From these two incidents emerged the Whittier Tree Ordinance, a citizen-driven, city-adopted policy that protects mature (continued on pg. 2) 1