Letters

SUSD established a dangerous precedent

Oops, did it again!

Congratulations to the School District on cutting down that dirty, old Eucalyptus tree. Heck, it was just getting in the way. I guess the precedent to cut first and notify the city later is now well established.

Am I mistaken, but didn't a lot of hundred-year-old oaks, nestled on a lovely hillside, get bulldozed a couple of years ago by an overzealous builder. We sleep while they cut, but who cares, the economy is good. I guess its now open season for any Saratoga homeowner who wants to tidy up the ole property. Timber, Look Out Below! Hey, "mistakes were made"! The mantra of the 1990's lives on. I hope the School District doesn't have any "controlled burns" planned for the fall.

But, maybe the Eucalyptus tree didn't die in vain. There still is time to save our Heritage Orchard from those stealth, trigger-happy lumberjacks. We don't need any ridiculous, expensive surveys to evaluate if we need another gymnasium or the like, replacing the orchard. The City is going to spend $10,000, we've been promised, on an unbiased telephone poll. Just say no to the Parks and Recreation Commission's scheme to modify Heritage Orchard. I think I'll go hug my trees tonight while I still can.

Jeffrey B. Nickel
Via Ranchero Drive

Orchard should be kept for next generations

Having owned property here since 1934, raising our children with wonderful spring flowers in the orchards, and now being able to watch my grandchildren play making trails in the mustard fields in the only orchard left by the library--I feel very disheartened to have the Heritage Preservation Commission try to take our heritage away from us. A poll would not find a significant amount of people, like myself, who would really miss the orchard if the last one were to go. Our orchards and beauty of the mountains is very precious. We have so little left. Please help maintain this for our children and children's children as we are doing with open space.

Please help me maintain this! It would be very unsightly to have a basketball court there. I would be unhappy to see more concrete and asphalt in place of the orchard.

Lori Wortley
Park Drive

Students already learned a lesson from SUSD

Am I missing something? AFTER the SUSD chopped down the 100-year-old eucalyptus, they now want to teach Saratoga School students to value and protect trees by holding a special celebration when classes reconvene in the fall? Seems to me that a lesson has already been taught. I certainly hope that one of the proposals for the Heritage Orchard doesn't include ripping out the fruit trees and then building a display honoring the orchards that used to grace our community.

Margaret L. Bourne-Raiswell
Glen Brae Drive

Where was celebration of life of Eucalyptus tree?

When my great oak of 350 years had to be taken down because it had died of oak root fungus, I gathered all my friends to pay homage to this great giant that had lived amongst us here in the valley.

Clyde Arbuckle, San Jose historian, told of all that had taken place over the years and all those who had come before us and experienced the gifts of this great oak tree.

Barry Coate, Saratoga's arborist, told the life story about what it means to be an oak tree.

Big Buffalo came with the drum he had made to sing an Ohlone Farewell from his people. We danced and sang our gratitude with an Eurhymist. We read poems of thankfulness. The mayor came with his handwritten poem about the oak tree. We ate acorn meal bread that Joan Skillman had made as we looked at the Indian grindings stones of long ago that we had brought up from the creek.

Where was the celebration of the life of the Eucalyptus tree at the Oak Street School that was taken down in secret last Monday? How many thousands of us enjoyed its beauty, its shade and pure gift of oxygen? How can we call it a school if it desecrates all that we know about gratitude, pays an arborist that tells us to keep the two large eucalyptus trees, does not recycle the wood into benches, tables, etc., and does not respect our city government in its concern over working with the school about its trees?

But most important, how can we build a better tomorrow with all that we know about the sacredness of all life so that schools become citadels of truth that has taken us 15 billion years to discover?

Betty Peck
Saratoga Avenue

Mayor not invited to holocaust event

In response to the letter from Gerald Daniel, in the May 17 issue of the Saratoga news regarding the annual commemoration of Yom Hashoah, I am sorry I missed this. I have attended events in the past regarding the holocaust such as the dedication of the memorial to the holocaust victims at the Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos.

I was not invited to this commemoration, nor was I made aware of it. I checked with the city manager, and he had not received notice either. I will place this event on my calendar for next year.

Thank you for calling this to my attention.

Mayor Stan Bogosian
Lomita Avenue

Blind court reporter article offers hope

Thank you so much for the wonderful article, in the Sept. 29 issue of the Saratoga News, written by Jason Baker about Diane Harms, the state's only blind court reporter. The article was forwarded to me by the raisers of Diane's Guide Dog, "Gideon." The story shines a spotlight on some of Diane's accomplishments and offers encouragement to other people who are blind who may want to enter the field of court reporting.

Joanne Ritter, PIO
Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.

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