Drake High palms, targeted for removal, to be spared until new ...

Dear Drake High School Officials and Tamalpais Union High School District,

We the trees thought we would write you a letter. We see you every day. In fact we have seen you for many, many years now. We know what you are up to. We know that you killed our baby trees already. Shame on you. While no one said anything we didn't find it very cool to do this to our babies. We haven't done anything to you. In fact we do the opposite. We watch over your students. They come over to us all the time and sit in our shade while they wait for their ride home. Some have lunch under us. They like us so much they gave us names. Ever been to Las Vegas, they named that hotel after us. Not too many trees receive honors like this. We are special. All this means that we are loved. And we love those that love us. And now you want to kill us? Why? What did we do to you? We are 99 years old. We were born here too and our parents were both born here, that makes us Natural Born Trees and as it turns our we were more eligbile to run for President of the United State than Obama was. We have a right to be here. Someone said we were younger but that is not true but thank you. We are old and like older people we do need some care. Don't sign us up though for that socialist healtcare, we don't have that kind of money. You are showing though that when it comes to money, you are deciding our fate. You are an example of what happens when you put money ahead of health. You are a death panel.

Just to be clear, we are not democrats, we are not republicans, and we are definitely not a radical liberal communist like your President of the United States, we are simply trees. We don't care about money nor are we underwater on our mortgage. We care about providing shade and creating an interesting sight for everyone to enjoy. Apparently though you don't enjoy us. If you don't like us, maybe you should just leave (pun intended). There are far more people that like us than you. We know who you are and should you chop us down and drag us off to the dump, the word will get out that you hate trees. Not a good career move in a bad economy. We have told all our tree friends about you. They are watching you too. Trees never forget and sometimes trees will just fall and and land on someone that has done us wrong. Call it "Tree Jihad". Think about that the next time you stand under a tree.

If you don't like where we are, then move us. We like being moved. A change of scenery can be nice. But don't move us off our property. Students, alumni, and teachers all love to see us.

We do have a demand to make. Since you are stressing us out, we want some lights so people can see us at night. Some of those fancy white lights that go up our trunk. A spot light would be nice too. Year round. It is the least you could do for all the service we have provided over the years.

If you don't like the rats that live on us, then simply put a metal ring around us, like everyone else does.

To conclude, please don't chop us down. We have been here for so long. Just because you don't like us doesn't mean everyone else has the same opinion.

For our fans, thank you very much for supporting us. Please continue to support us and do all you can to stop the madness. Call your Senator, call congress, and lastly call Fox News they will tell the true story of our plight.

Sincerely,

Palm Trees of Drake High School
Go Pirates!

Long live the Palms !!

Rich T says - "We're losing so many trees from sudden oak death and the effects of global warming" . Globull Warming causing us to lose trees ?
Rich T says "We keep taking away habitats for our wildlife. It think those sides need to find a compromise and try to keep our living organisms. I mean, each one of these trees is an ecosystem on its own." I now feel awful about pruning my trees and destroying untold numbers of little ecosystems.
Why is it Marin County has so many of these loons?

Go with the green solution. Leave them. It saves money, chainsaw gas and exhaust, money for the replanting, water for the new plants, etc. Besides, they are historic and beautiful.

Like Duh wrote:

I now feel awful about pruning my trees and destroying untold numbers of little ecosystems. Why is it Marin County has so many of these loons?

You sound like a bit of a loon yourself, which is fine. We understand that you (I'm guessing red-throated) loons were recently hit by an unusual algal bloom off the coast. Well we're here for you. It will be okay and you'll be glad to know that pruning is beneficial.

required - Who is we? Are you speaking in the third person or as one of a gaggle? You sound as though you have consumed too much red and are fit to be tide.
Pruning (just 5 or 6) might help you lighten your load and cure your ills.

It's a jungle out there!
This is the kind of thing that makes for community spirit. Keep the trees and put up a warning sign.

many of the small trees are growing along the creek bank and are at risk of falling in the creek. The two or three large trees should remain. The rest should go. The school district has a liability on their hands. If one of the smaller trees falls into the creek during a storm, it would instantly cause flooding. It is a bit shocking that the school district has allowed these out-of-place trees to mature to their current size. I believe the school district has been somewhat derelict it is responsibility to properly maintain its portion of the creek.

resident of town wrote:

many of the small trees are growing along the creek bank and are at risk of falling in the creek. The two or three large trees should remain. The rest should go. The school district has a liability on their hands. If one of the smaller trees falls into the creek during a storm, it would instantly cause flooding. It is a bit shocking that the school district has allowed these out-of-place trees to mature to their current size. I believe the school district has been somewhat derelict it is responsibility to properly maintain its portion of the creek.

So why hasn't anything happened for the last 80 years? Is this a big "if"?
Like all the fire houses and police stations are going to fall down if there is an earthquake.

cut them down. Stupid tree huggers. They are just palm trees that aren't even native. Don't belong in Canada where they looked idiotic in Vancouver and don't belong here.

I would like to see the Drake High nurses report for the last ten years showing any treatment for palm related injuries. My guess is there is none. These palms grow around the world without injury, risk is everywhere... so what...it does not justify cutting them down!

We must have a maintance department with a good weed whacker. This is not that difficult. They make ground cover fabric to stop the growth of new sprouts!

For some reason they want the palms gone. I can only guess that the motivation is some misguided nativist ideology.

America 2 wrote:

We must have a maintance department with a good weed whacker. This is not that difficult.

I'm for keeping the 2 tall palms but axing the smaller ones by the culvert. As for the shoots that come up from the seedlings, there's no way a weed whacker would even put a dent in those things. Palm trees eat weed whackers for lunch. I feel as if anybody who is going to comment here should walk down there themselves and take a look. The ground is like a field of fishing knives. Get rid of all that, fix the culvert and leave the 2 big suckers alone. Then recruit all the tree huggers to volunteer and pick up seedlings so this doesn't happen again.

Reality check wrote:

<quoted text>
So why hasn't anything happened for the last 80 years? Is this a big "if"?
Like all the fire houses and police stations are going to fall down if there is an earthquake.

Reality Check is out to lunch. Go check it out for yourself.

Glad to see there is a more balanced commentary here. There are always two sides to a story which is certainly the case here.

Glad to see this board is getting some more balanced commentary. There is always two sides to every story.

Foster Brooks wrote:

<quoted text>
I'm for keeping the 2 tall palms but axing the smaller ones by the culvert. As for the shoots that come up from the seedlings, there's no way a weed whacker would even put a dent in those things. Palm trees eat weed whackers for lunch. I feel as if anybody who is going to comment here should walk down there themselves and take a look. The ground is like a field of fishing knives. Get rid of all that, fix the culvert and leave the 2 big suckers alone. Then recruit all the tree huggers to volunteer and pick up seedlings so this doesn't happen again.

Good post. This is probably what is going to happen. Proper maintenance may cost the school district more than cutting them all down but it will keep the PCers happy.

America2 is wrong. It has nothing to do with non-native.

This George.....whoever...I certifiably nuts.
He argues that the tree BIT HIM???
He somehow found himself recovering from a wound inflicted by ....a TREE????
This is UNIONTHINK...1 A!
WOW!
He wants to remove these beautiful classy behemoths.
He has no class.
This single act of unsanitary thinking should be reason enough to LOSE THIS FOOL.

I can understand taking out the smaller, younger palms but not the big 70 year old trees. They are part of Drake, I graduated in 72 and it would not be Drake without those big Palms out front. Recently we had a sever winter where I live now in Vancouver Washington and we lost alot of our tree cover due to a winter ice storm. Many old trees were lost, and it is something that if we could not prevent. But the lose of those old trees is something we should prevent. If we are to be teaching our children to help change the way we have been damaging our world, then maybe we should start here.

I'm glad those iconic trees will continue to stand. Also, the non-native argument is so fraudulent. Again, if non-native is so important why isn't anyone talking about removing eucalyptus trees, they're like weeds, for god's sake?

Martina2 wrote:

I'm glad those iconic trees will continue to stand. Also, the non-native argument is so fraudulent. Again, if non-native is so important why isn't anyone talking about removing eucalyptus trees, they're like weeds, for god's sake?

Non-native is a non-issue. It has very little to do with the plight of these trees.

For anyone that cares, take a closer look at the trees in and around the creek. The smaller trees in the creek need to go and the school needs to repair the damage to the retaining wall.