Back in October 2013, we saw a report on SFGate (the online presence of the SF Chronicle) saying that Mayor Ed Lee would be responding to petitions addressed to him on Change.org if they crossed a certain (unspecified) number of signatures. The interview wasn’t with Mayor Lee, but with Jake Brewer, his Director of External Affairs. (The link to the relevant page was included in the article. It’s HERE.)

We’ve had a petition up for a while now, asking Mayor Lee to rein in the Natural Areas Program (NAP) that is destroying trees, restricting access, and using toxic herbicides in Natural Areas. (That petition is HERE.)  It has over 1500 signatures on it. But though that’s still live, it’s at MoveOn.org, a different (though similar) organization to Change.org.

So we started another one on the proper page at Change.org that gained superb momentum, exceeding 1,000 signatures in the first month. (Please sign if you haven’t already done so – click on the yellow button to go to the petition.)

People are passionate about these natural areas, and they don’t want San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department to fell trees, use toxic herbicides, or restrict access.

A  tiny selection from the hundreds of comments on the petition (with added emphasis):

• “Our parks, like Glen Park and Sutro Forest, are beautiful. Please don’t let them become barren wastelands.”
• “Our city parks are looking like war zones with so much destruction. Just look at Glen Park.”
• “Mt. Davidson is beautiful and healthy the way it is. It has its own wildlife and ecosystem. It was nothing before Mayor Sutro had those tree planted. Pls don’t disrupt it. Also, it is definitely NOT a fire hazard.”
• “We need more trees in our urban environment, not less. Herbicides are dangerous for the overall environment and often the consequences of use do not show for years to come. Greenery in urban areas is beneficial to our health and well-being.”
• “Herbicides are dangerous to children, adults and animals. This space is enjoyed by all–keep it safe, keep it open, keep the trees and healthy undergrowth.”
• “Stop messing with NATURE!!!”
• “Trees are the lungs of the planet. We need them to help to slow down impending climate catastrophe. Don’t poison the earth with herbicides — they are toxic to all living things, especially young children and pregnant mothers.”
• “There are 100s of people who have given scientific and emotional reasons to prevent the deforestation of the Sutro / Mt. Davidson Area. It is easy to destroy an area that took a hundred years to create. I can only wonder about the ulterior motive for this mindless plan. Obviously it is the desire to develop this land. So once again commerce and immediate financial gain is at the root of this mindless proposal. Please think again! Next you will want to uproot the inhabitants of SF that are not “native”. They have adapted and now fit in with our plan. Because these trees have been here longer than you or I, they no longer need a great deal of care to grow and thrive. ANYTHING new that is planted will require at least 10 to 15 years of very careful nurturing. I live on Warren Dr. where a neighbor cut down all the trees and shrubs, on his property and on the easement, in order to plant native plants. The result was that about 4 years later, after a heavy winter rain storm, one side of his car was buried in mud. Terrific!… that is native to California!”

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