Local: In Berkeley
People get naked to save trees in Berkeley
By Tracey Taylor on July 18, 2015 at 8:53 PM
Volunteers pose naked against eucalyptus trees at the Grinnell Natural Area of UC Berkeley on Saturday July 18, 2015 to show opposition to a FEMA-funded tree-clearing proposal. Photo: Ted Friedman
BERKELEYSIDE: Dozens of people stripped naked on the UC Berkeley campus today to protest what they say is an unnecessary and potentially harmful FEMA-funded proposal to clear thousands of trees in the East Bay hills.
The event was orchestrated by the Tree Spirit Project whose mission is "to raise awareness of the critical role trees play in our lives, both globally and personally." Jack Gescheidt, who founded the project, does this partly by taking fine-art photographs of people, often naked, communing with trees and nature.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency in March allocated $5.7 million to the California Office of Emergency Services to remove eucalyptus trees as part of fire hazard abatement in Claremont Canyon — scene of a devastating wildfire in 1991 — and other nearby areas, such as Tilden Park and Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. The funds will be distributed to UC Berkeley, the city of Oakland, and the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD).
Berkeleyside is an independently owned news website based in Berkeley, Calif., that shares content with partner organization sfgate.com. Would you like to receive the latest Berkeley news in your email inbox once a day? Click here to subscribe to Berkeleyside's free Daily Briefing.
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