Murder on Lilly

City, Community Mourn Death of Beloved Maple Tree

Above: The root system of an 80 year old Bigleaf maple tree in Olympia was cut in April by subcontractors of CenturyLink. The tree was deemed a loss by city staff and cut down in late September. The tree was located on the property of Surgical Associates, on the corner of Ensign and Lilly Road in northeast Olympia near St. Peter's Hospital.

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

A large Bigleaf maple tree was murdered on the corner of Ensign and Lilly in northeast Olympia. Its death is being mourned by city staff and community members who have admired its beauty in all seasons.

The tree was estimated to be eighty years old. Its diameter was estimated to be 71 inches.

The tree was killed by subcontractors of CenturyLink, South Bay Excavating, Inc., who were observed on April 25 digging a deep trench adjacent to the tree, cutting into its root system.The tree was located in the city’s right-of-way at 3610 Ensign Road NE, on the property of Surgical Associates.

Staff at Surgical Associates, puzzled about what was going on, called the city to report the work.

“I came to work and saw them doing something and thought, 'this isn’t right',” said Michael Brooks, an employee at Surgical Associates.

“I only started here in March but I loved that tree. None of us are happy….About two or three weeks later, we found out what happened. I was just mortified….” said Brooks earlier this week.

Above: This picture of the Bigleaf maple was taken September 26.

On September 26, the tree was observed by Little Hollywood to be in the process of being cut down over a period of several hours by Asplundh, a tree maintenance company, which prompted an inquiry to City of Olympia staff.

When first asked about the tree, it was difficult for City of Olympia Urban Forester Michelle Bentley to speak of the loss.

“That large maple tree, the absolutely magnificent tree in front of Surgical Associates, unfortunately, very unfortunately…we were very disturbed about this. CenturyLink was in there this spring, upgrading some of its boxes and underground utility lines. They severely cut the rooting system of that tree, making it extremely prone to wind throw, and it was not safe to have it remain through this winter. It was just a terrible loss…we at the city were all…yeah, unfortunately, the roots were damaged and tree had to come down,” said Bentley.

The Cover-Up and Investigation

City of Olympia senior vegetation specialist Tom Otto says it was the staff of Surgical Associates who first noticed the work being done and reported it.

“By the time we got there, they (the workers) had backfilled it, and prettied it up,” says Otto, a certified arborist and certified tree risk assessor.

“It’s really been a painful process… it’s really tough to appraise a tree like that. The problem was that if the tree failed, the hospital might have to go on an emergency generator, or could impede the entrance to the emergency room,” said Otto. The tree was located near transformers and utilities that serve St. Peter’s Hospital.

On his hazard tree assessment form, Otto noted structural and fine root damage along the south and east sides of the tree, and that root failure would likely lead to whole tree failure. The report includes two pictures depicting the scene. 

“More than 33% of the roots were damaged within the critical root zone and on the upwind side of prevailing wind direction. Ganodrema applinatum fungal conks around base on tree and in cavity opening. Primary power lines feeding hospital; commercial medical buildings, parking lot, major intersection leading to hospital, communication utility junction boxes. Total risk factor of 11 out of 12,” Otto stated in his report dated May 8, 2014.

“Given the extent of the root damage on the upwind side, the trees (sic) structural integrity has likely been significantly compromised. Tree failure could likely cause significant damage to infrastructure, vehicles, and potentially harm people,” Otto also noted.

When asked about the possibility of extraordinary life support measures, such as those in place for trees on the state Capitol Campus, Otto says the city hired a consulting arborist to conduct a separate assessment of the maple. 

“I’m aware of the efforts to save declining trees on the Capitol Campus because of their historical significance however, this tree would likely never receive that kind of consideration. As for the decision to remove, it was a made by several people here at the city and based on my risk assessment,” said Otto.

Adequate Restitution For Crime?

In a restitution letter dated May 30 addressed to Bob Watters, Contract Project Administrator of the Qwest Corporation doing business as CenturyLink, the City of Olympia did not ask for a dollar amount. It cites Olympia Municipal Code, Section 16.60.020 regarding tree protection zones and the definition of removal.

“....The tree damage is a clear violation of the City's code...The only acceptable means of restoration for this damage is to remove the remainder of the tree, grind the stump below grade, and pay for the cost of a replacement tree….The City will purchase and plant a replacement tree after the removal of the damaged tree and stump. This will ensure quality of the nursery stock and planting….” says the city’s restitution letter to CenturyLink.

The city billed CenturyLink for the cost of the labor and materials to replant the tree.

Above: The rings of the Bigleaf maple on the corner of Ensign and Lilly Road in Olympia on October 4. The stump has since been removed.

Attempted Murder: Not The First Time

This is not the first time the City of Olympia has caught CenturyLink in its course of work, said Otto. 

Otto says the city put a stop work order on a project on Martin Way when the company was close to a big pine tree.  In another case, CenturyLink was getting ready to create a trench near a tree but it too was stopped in time.

“We wouldn’t have known about this tree (the Bigleaf maple) if the staff at Surgical Associates hadn’t called us,” said Otto.

Urban Forester Michelle Bentley is busy this time of year due to the urgency of hazard tree situations and development review projects, but is very concerned about CenturyLink's actions.

“I met with Bob Watters yesterday to discuss work they will be doing at a Harrison Avenue location. They are now on board to contact us whenever they install equipment within the city right-of-way adjacent to trees so we can meet on-site and determine the best course of action to protect the trees,” said Bentley in an email to Little Hollywood this morning.

Otto encourages anyone who is seeing work done on a tree and has questions about it to call the city. He also noted that there is no inventory of trees that are in the city’s public right-of-way.

“We have an inventory of trees on city property that are typically downtown and along major arterials. It’s not as comprehensive as it could be….” said Otto.

The city’s Urban Forestry program is located in the City of Olympia's Public Works Department, Water Resources department. For more information, contact Michelle Bentley at mbentley@ci.olympia.wa.us or (360) 753-8046.

Above: The view from Surgical Associates will never be the same.

State Divestment in Fossil Fuels Urged by Climate Crisis Activists

Above: People wait in the lobby of the Washington State Investment Board prior to the board's meeting on April 17 in Olympia. Several speakers with a local climate crisis group addressed board members during the public comment period.

 

By Janine Unsoeld

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) heard from current and retired state workers, community members, and members of a local climate crisis group during their meeting held April 17.

Speakers were united in their request for Washington State to divest from fossil fuel companies and the companies that serve them.

The WSIB was created in 1981 and has a staff of 79 employees who work in three divisions: Investments, Operations, and Institutional Relations. The board, which accepts public comment at its monthly meetings, is composed of 15 members. All were present during public testimony except for Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos.

Divestment Testimony

Testimony and personal stories from several local citizens did not overlap, providing the board with compelling information and facts about the divestment issue.

Glen Anderson, a member of the Confronting the Climate Crisis group sponsored by the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, said he started working for the state in 1972 and retired in 2006.

“I enjoy my pension and appreciate your efforts to wisely protect it. I understand your responsibility to avoid unnecessary risk,” said Anderson, who mentioned that many cities throughout the United States have divested from fossil fuels.

Seattle divested in November 2012 and by May 2013, 11 cities had committed themselves to divest because of the climate crisis.

Anderson said that during the 1980s, he and other state employees organized an effort they called “State Employees for Socially Responsible Investment” and persuaded the state’s Committee for Deferred Compensation to offer a socially responsible alternative to the regular mutual funds. Anderson said the committee initially assumed that the investments would produce lower returns than the regular mutual funds, but the group convinced the committee that they would be strong.

“The past few decades have proved we were right,” said Anderson.

Retired Ecology state employee Patricia Holm says she depends on her pension. She said that just last week, Archbishop Desmond Tutu added his voice in support of the growing divestment movement and called for an anti-apartheid style campaign against fossil fuel companies, which he blames for the “injustice” of climate change.

Holms asked the group to start the process of divestment now, before stranded assets like the earlier banking crash and real estate and technology bubble takes them by surprise.

“....Then, it could be too late to retain investments. As a pensioner, I care about this….Clean energy is not costly, but inaction is. Costly in terms of lives, livelihoods and economies if governments and business continue to allow climate change impacts to escalate.”

Boutai Hargrove, a retired state employee, urged the board to divest on behalf of her grandchildren’s and their grandchildren’s future. 

Rhonda Hunter, a retired 25 year employee of the state, said that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently declared that most remaining fossil fuels must remain in the ground.

As for clean energy, Hunter said Goldman Sachs is declaring the renewable energy sector one of the most compelling, attractive markets, investing $40 billion in wind and solar.

“Goldman says the window for coal globally is eroding and closing rapidly….Bloomberg New Energy Finance says power from wind is now cheaper than power from new natural gas plants….Warren Buffett’s utility company just invested $1 billion in Iowa wind turbines and $5.6 billion to buy Nevada Energy. Are you worried about returns? Aperio Group reports that divesting from the top 200 fossil fuel companies in an indexed portfolio increases theoretical return risk by only .003 %.

“Don’t hope you can just get the industry to clean themselves up – they won’t,” she told the investment board. “Their business plan requires burning five times what the climate can afford.  Please conduct a serious risk assessment to divest our pensions from fossil fuels.”

Donna Albert, a current state employee with 20 years’ experience managing capital construction and a master’s degree in civil engineering, said it is technically and economically feasible to transition away from fossil fuels to 100 percent renewables. She read portions of an open letter written and signed by 93 Harvard University professors addressed to the president of Harvard University asking Harvard to purge its $33 billion endowment of holdings in oil and coal companies.

Stewart Henderson, a current state employee, also addressed the board:

“When the Manville Corporation went bankrupt in 1982, it was the largest corporation ever to go bankrupt in the U.S. Enron stock went for $90.75 per share in mid-2000, then plummeted to less than $1 by the end of November, 2001. 

“Lehman Brothers held over $600 billion in assets when it filed for bankruptcy in 2008.  In each case, a Fortune 500 firm that seemed like a Grade A investment years, months, and even days earlier, suddenly left investors holding pennies on the dollar.  In each case, the corporations were engaging in highly risky economic activity. In each case, they were concealing that risk. And in each case, they were manipulating the political process and public perceptions to further conceal the risks.

“Just as Manville hid the danger and costs of asbestos, and Enron hid its high-risk accounting practices, and Lehman Brothers hid their credit default swaps, the fossil fuel industry is hiding the facts that they are cooking their books with bogus assets, and their entire business model rests on their ability to escape paying for the costs of the externalities they are imposing on citizens, on governments, and on other corporations.

“As fossil fuels continue to drive climate change, the fossil fuel industry is directly contributing to – but not paying for more severe storms, including hurricanes, typhoons, and tornadoes, more severe winter storms across the U.S., increased heat waves, increased drought, increased wildfires, sea-level rise, ocean acidification and, as pointed out recently by Governor Inslee, the increased rainfall which triggered the mudslide in Oso, for the victims of which flags are flying at half-staff throughout the state today.

“As this connection between fossil fuels and the unpaid bills they cause becomes clearer; as alternative fuels become every day more affordable; and as it becomes clearer that – as a United Nations panel recently revealed – three quarters of the assets (the underground reserves) of these fossil fuel companies are completely worthless, because we cannot afford the cost of burning them; with each coming day it will become clearer that the fossil fuel industry is in fact the greatest bubble the world has ever seen. 

“It is the legal and ethical responsibility of this body to examine that risk far more carefully and publicly than it has done to date. Sooner or later, the State Fund will be unloading these stocks.  Let’s do it today, at the top of the market, not years, or months, or days from now, at pennies on the dollar. We can’t afford the risk.” 

Rozanne Rants, spoke to the board in poetic terms:

“I will just add a few grace notes to the sad symphony of possible futures you have heard here this morning…. I do not expect you, individually or as a group, to make a quick decision about this question. The question: shall we, must we, can we, choose to cut off support to companies who profit greatly, while doing great damage to the earth, by mining and selling fossil fuels….Maybe the best thing we can do is listen to the quiet voices of those who have moved through denial, fear, and despair, and now sing songs of hope.”

Bernie Meyer, who portrays Mahatma Gandhi throughout the United States and India, said he is not a retired state employee, but worked in human services during his working career, and has his retirement fund in a socially responsible PAX world mutual fund account.

“Passover is this week, when Jews liberated themselves and it’s the Holy Week for Christians, celebrating Jesus giving away his life for humanity. These events represent growth. Like Gandhi, we must live by truth and express it with love. In our time…we are experiencing….climate change.”

Board Response

Board Chair, State Treasurer James McIntire thanked those who appeared before the board.

“We do listen and take this matter to heart. We operate here as fiduciaries, to produce the highest return with minimal risk. We do belong to a number of organizations that try to understand the risks associated with standard assets, and I think we will continue to review your comments, investment patterns and portfolios and how we move forward as investors.

“As a policy, the board has not supported divestment for several decades…so from that perspective, we will be doing our own self-reflection.”

Prior to the group’s testimony, Liz Mendizabal, institutional relations director for the Washington State Investment Board, explained the board’s position on divestment to members of the Confronting the Climate Crisis group in a letter on April 9:

“....You may be interested to know that the WSIB is a member of the Boston-based Ceres, a coalition of investors and companies that advocate for sustainable business practices, as well as several other organizations working on long-horizon investment issues. These include the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance, the International Centre for Pension Management, the Council of Institutional Investors, and the Asian Corporate Governance Association. The priority of all of these organizations is to help investors better understand the risks associated with short-termism, how responsible or poor governance impacts investment returns, and the risks posed by potential stranded assets.

“Through our corporate governance program activities, coalitions with other funds, and participation in the organizations mentioned above, we believe divestment from the fossil fuel industry would not be wise or effective as a means for the WSIB to advance progress towards addressing climate change. The most productive and meaningful strategy for the WSIB as a large institutional investor and shareholder at this time is to use our influence to actively engage with fossil fuel and other companies whose practices have come into question to encourage them to place a higher priority on transparency, mitigation, and implementing strategies focused on the long term that will be good for shareholders, the environment, and all concerned.

“We appreciate hearing your perspectives and value your concerns and suggestions.”

Group Letter to Governor Jay Inslee

The Confronting the Climate Crisis group wrote and presented a letter to Governor Inslee in February urging him to place a moratorium on all new permits and infrastructure for fossil fuels in Washington.

The group has a meeting with an aide to the Governor to discuss the issue in early May.

For more information about the Washington State Investment Board, go to: www.sib.wa.gov or call (360) 956-4600.

For more information about the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Confronting the Climate Crisis group, go to: www.olympiafor.org.

Above: Pictures of Washington State Investment Board members hang in the lobby of the agency.