Did He Save the Tree?

After sleeping in a tree for more than a week, one man is claiming victory.

Andrew Watkins, 27, climbed up the tipuana tipu  tree last week at Orpheus Park in Encinitas.  He was protesting the city's plans to cut down that tree in order to preserve the ocean view for nearby condo owners.

Watkins claims he was contacted by the city's mayor and told the tree would be saved. Encinitas Mayor Maggie Houlihan told the San Diego Union-Tribune, she did not have any discussion with Watkins this weekend and the city's plans to remove the tree remain unchanged.

Tipuana tipu trees have played a role in the region's history, local plant experts told the North County Times.

The most famous tipu tree in all of San Diego County is perhaps the one grown from seed by nursery-woman Kate Sessions in the early 1920s, Encinitas arborist Mark Wisniewski told the paper. That tree in Pacific Beach has become a California Registered Historical Landmark.
 

Contact Us