Action Alert: Saratoga
Threat to Acorn Woodpeckers in Saratoga
The Saratoga Retirement Community looks for approval of plans for new residential buildings and facilities. This project plans to remove 124 trees, including 65 trees that are protected by City ordinance. Among the trees slated for removal is a majestic cork oak that provides a granary and a home to a colony of acorn woodpeckers. The removal of the tree is planned to make room for grading, a pathway, and a swale.
Acorn Woodpeckers are fascinating birds. They live in large social groups and work together to store thousands of acorns in granaries, like the granary in the Saratoga cork oak. Males and females, raise young together in a single nest in a tree cavity. These are such endearing birds! No wonder residents of the retirement community described , “This huge tree is the nesting place for a large number of woodpeckers, who drill into the soft cork bark to store hundreds of acorns each winter. This natural resource simply cannot be restored if the tree is removed.”
Saratoga Planning Commission will discuss the project on September 27 (details below) . Please let the Planning Commission know that this tree should not be removed, and ask for the plans to be revised to ensure that the tree is protected. Please also ask for the new buildings to incorporate Bird Safety measures in all glass surfaces, and to reduce light pollution - as suggested in our SCVAS comment letter to the City of Saratoga.
How You Can Help
Participate in a Study Session on Wednesday September 27, 2023 before the Planning Commission will take place on Wednesday September 27, 2023, beginning with a site meeting at 6:00 p.m. which will adjourn and resume at the Civic Theater at 7:30 p.m.
Participate In Person
6PM at the project site (14500 Fruitvale Avenue)
AND/Or
The Civic Theater at 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070.
Participate Online
Webinar URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83234319864
Webinar ID: 832 3431 9864
Submit Written Comments
Comments can be submitted in writing at www.saratoga.ca.us/comment. Written communications will be provided to the members of the Planning Commission included in the Agenda Packet and/or supplemental meeting materials.
Dark Sky Advocacy
Valley Christian High School student Canis Li comment to county supervisors:
Good morning supervisors. Thank you for this opportunity to speak.
My name is Canis Li, I live in Evergreen in San Jose, and I’m a senior at Valley Christian High School interested in astronomy. I’d like to take this moment to talk a little bit about the night sky, because I think a lot of us overlook just how powerful it is. To me, the night sky is not just an indicator that today is ending and tomorrow will begin. It’s a beautiful sight that I can be lost in for hours, and the more I lose myself, the more I realize that “life is short”, and that compared to the stars, we’re just a second in a calendar year. I’m grateful to the night sky for inspiring me and fostering my curiosity. But I’d like to say my feelings aren’t unique. The stars have inspired generations of poets, musicians, scientists, artists, and dreamers. Vincent Van Gogh himself once said, “For my part, I know nothing with any certainty but that the sight of the stars makes me dream.” I hope that in the future, generations can continue to marvel at space and find humility in its vastness. But currently it’s becoming apparent our ability to do so is being more and more compromised by the rapid increase in light pollution that we’re facing. Light pollution is harming our ability to stargaze, but it’s also more serious than that—the circadian rhythms of humans, birds and nocturnal animals are being disrupted; just from light pollution alone we’re losing 3 billion dollars a year, and adding 15 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. But the good news is that this is preventable. And it starts with more conscious lighting designs. I’m determined to keep the magic of the night sky alive, and I hope you help me in this journey of fighting light pollution.
Thank you,
Canis Li