Save the Coronado Trees!

We believe that trees are more important than artificial grass!

We are speaking for the trees!

This petition reflects the community’s outrage over the City of Coronado’s planned destruction of five healthy trees: Four mature Canary Island pines and a 100-year old Torrey Pine, the rarest tree in North America. In addition to being a critically endangered species, the Torrey Pine also happens to be Coronado’s “official” city tree.

The City has decided to take the extreme measure of ordering the removal of these five healthy trees all for the sake of protecting a lawn-bowling field covered with artificial turf.

This outrageous decision fails to take into consideration community input, alternative solutions, or the environmental impact of killing these five trees. Notably, the City Council’s decision was made without any environmental analysis whatsoever, in violation of the California Environmental Quality Act.

The City also failed its legal obligations to provide proper notice to the community before the City Council decision was made. As a result most people in the community did not have the opportunity to comment on this issue until after the decision to kill the trees was already made. In short - the City has failed to listen to the people, the vast majority of which want to save the trees.

These trees are living symbols of Coronado’s history and provide beauty, shade and a range of environmental benefits including a cooling effect on the surrounding sidewalk, asphalt and indoor temperatures, reduction of electrical bills, carbon capture, reduced noise, and reduced air pollution. The trees also provide critical habitat to nesting birds other wildlife.

We believe that the preservation of mature trees is more important than artificial turf. We demand that the City of Coronado rescind its absurd decision to destroy five mature and healthy trees on Coronado City property.

The decision is already being challenged in court, and it is a waste of taxpayer dollars for the City to fight this litigation when the City should just do the right thing and save the trees!