There is a development afoot that is trying to destroy some of the most beautiful and untouched land on Johns Island, South Carolina.
The Angel Oak is one of the most famous landmarks on Johns Island. It's estimated to be over 1500 years old! People come from all over the world to see this majestic tree, as well as school groups and local families.
Charleston City Council has just approved a plan to put 600 homes and a shopping center on the property surrounding the Angel Oak.
This development, named the Angel Oak Village, will surround and imperil the Angel Oak. The developers also want to cut down or harm 55 other grand trees so they can squeeze in as many buildings as possible!
Grand trees are supposed to be protected by law, but the developers are seeking a variance from the city's Board of Zoning Appeals so they can cut down these trees anyway.
There is a petition that I would love for as many people as possible to sign. They are looking for 20,000 signatures, but it was right over the 3,000 mark as of this blog being posted.
If you get a chance, please help us tell Charleston City Council that this is an unnecessary destruction of priceless history. These trees have been around a heck of a lot longer than any of us, and getting rid of them just for the sake of greed should not even be considered.
I drove by a sign the other day that said, "Save the Angle Oak" and wondered what was up. I'm terribly upset to hear this. You can count my name on that petitiion and the other of age adults in my home as well....
Melissa: Thanks so much for your support! We need as many signatures as we can possible get. And feel free to pass this along to anyone else that may be willing to help.
WOW when we will respect the past in some areas of Dallas a protest for destroying the trees great if families refused to purchase in the development LOL have a great week.
I went to The Angel Oak website and I could not believe what I was seeing. Thanks for posting that site, Robert. I always thought that area was protected by the City of Charleston, but I guess I was wrong. How can something this big be planned for that area and no one know about it? I signed the petition. Let me know if there is something else I can do.
The proposed, "Angel Oak Village", an extremely dense development that will destroy a pristine maritime forest and imperil our most precious low country treasure-the Angel Oak, is a really AWFUL idea. A community of that density within 150ft feet of the park will destroy the serenity of an internationally recognized natural and historic phenomenon. It is absolutely astonishing to me that the city of Charleston would risk loosing its integrity for it's commitment to historical, cultural, and environmental sensitivity.
What if we could, for the first time in history, begin to realize that human beings survival upon this planet within this vast and enormous universe depends only on how consciously we act to preserve and protect our environment? All forms of life depend on each other. Life attracts other life.
The human experience has always involved a relationship with forests. In the human imagination, forests have often been deep, dark, mysterious places in which danger lurks, but they have also been venues for escape from reality, for dreaming, for mystical experiences.
Throughout human history, trees have been powerful symbols. Trees symbolize life and growth, reaching down underneath the ground and up to the sky at the same time. A bridge between all worlds.
When the first colonists arrived in South Carolina, they lived among, wolves, bears, panthers, deer, elk, and buffalo. Today, there are no elk, buffalo, wolves, and bears roaming in South Carolina. They were wiped out. Deer live in the state today, largely as transplants, restocked for hunters. The last native wolf in South Carolina disappeared sometime in the middle of the 19th century. It was a prime example of how fear manifested itself into hatred. The South Carolina "Act for Destroying Beasts of Prey" in 1695 ordered every Native American bowman either to produce two bobcat skins or the pelt of a wolf, panther, or bear each year. Native Americans who did not do so were to be "severely whipped."
The colony of Charles Towne gave science more descriptions of new species than any other state. In 1664, a visitor reported that "great flocks of Parrakeeto's" filled the skies. It is tragic that North Americans wiped out at least nine of their bird species in less than two hundred years, a record of extinctions unmatched by any other large area of earth. The last Carolina Parakeet died on February 21, 1918. The species went extinct because they were being killed by farmers protecting their crops and merchants who used their beautiful feathers to make ridiculous looking hats for women to parade around in. It is also interesting that the city of Charleston was a winner of the "Heroes of Horticulture" award, for its work in "preserving the Angel Oak from the threat of encroaching development." WOW. We have lost so much already. I will stand up to Angel Oak Village LLC, and any other developers who try and alter the sacred land in which the Angel Oak found her home, and I found mine. Just as we should not have to look at a caged panther at the zoo and envision a wild animal, we should not have to look at a single tree and imagine its forest.
Samantha: You have a great point. I think that the City of Charleston needs to be reminded of the "Heroes of Horticulture" award that they received for protesting this precious landmark, since they seemed to have forgotten.
The developer has just submitted his request for a tree variance to the BZA. He is asking for permission to cut down 25 Grand Trees and encroach upon 5 other Grand Trees. The hearing is set for October 1 at 5:00 at 75 Calhoun St. 3rd floor Main Conference Room.
We need as many people as possible to attend this meeting and let the Zoning Board know we are opposed to this variance and the development. Go to the web site Robert posted savetheangeloak.com to check for updates. The developer has put this on the agenda before and then deferred it at the last moment.
Good luck getting the room packed. This is just unbelievable that the City would even consider possibly endangering such an area. Coming from a town that is so into history, it suddenly seems there has been a major shift. They need to remember how much tourism this tree brings to the area! I would go to see the tree, but not a shopping center.
I hope to see you and your friends at the BZA meeting Wednesday. If you know of anyone who can't make the meeting because of work or other issues, they can fax a statement to 843-724-3772 Attention Eric Schultz. It will be read out loud and made part of the record.
Of course, it will be much better to show up in person and speak but not everyone can do that. I hope this helps!
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WOW when we will respect the past in some areas of Dallas a protest for destroying the trees great if families refused to purchase in the development LOL have a great week.
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I drove by a sign the other day that said, "Save the Angle Oak" and wondered what was up. I'm terribly upset to hear this. You can count my name on that petitiion and the other of age adults in my home as well....