Conservationists defending a historic tree standing in the way of President Donald Trump's border wall in Arizona began staging a "tree sit" on July 29 to keep contractors from tearing down the towering cottonwood.
The cottonwood is the last of four hardwood trees from a species that's believed to have stood alongside the U.S.-Mexico border in Lochiel, Arizona, for between 100 and 200 years. Department of Homeland Security contractors tore down the first of the three trees on July 27.
Conservationists in the area have rallied around the remaining tree, slamming Homeland Security for not picking an alternative route that does not involve cutting down the trees.
The cottonwoods have provided people a shady gathering place for generations, conservationists say. And for local wildlife, the trees are essential for the area's diverse and rare species, including potentially the few jaguars that range into the United States.
"Destroying these ancient cottonwoods is a death sentence for an entire ecosystem," said Russ McSpadden, a conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit founded in 1989 focused on protecting endangered species. "These magnificent cottonwoods survived centuries, nourishing wildlife through floods and drought, only to be bulldozed for the Trump administration's disastrous border wall."
#down
The cottonwood is the last of four hardwood trees from a species that's believed to have stood alongside the U.S.-Mexico border in Lochiel, Arizona, for between 100 and 200 years. Department of Homeland Security contractors tore down the first of the three trees on July 27.
Conservationists in the area have rallied around the remaining tree, slamming Homeland Security for not picking an alternative route that does not involve cutting down the trees.
The cottonwoods have provided people a shady gathering place for generations, conservationists say. And for local wildlife, the trees are essential for the area's diverse and rare species, including potentially the few jaguars that range into the United States.
"Destroying these ancient cottonwoods is a death sentence for an entire ecosystem," said Russ McSpadden, a conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit founded in 1989 focused on protecting endangered species. "These magnificent cottonwoods survived centuries, nourishing wildlife through floods and drought, only to be bulldozed for the Trump administration's disastrous border wall."
#down
2 months ago
