A Coronado resident opposed to the city’s chopping of some old Eucalyptus trees has been protesting since Monday from atop one of the trees, making his stance known.
For more than 24 hours now, Dan’l Steward has been living in a Eucalyptus tree on E Avenue near the San Diego Bay. Steward said he’s up there for his wife, Amy Steward, a former park ranger who is also against the trees being chopped down.
But even Amy was surprised by her husband’s climb into the tree.
“He called and said, ‘I’m in the tree. Call who you want,’” Amy told NBC 7 upon learning her husband had climbed one of the Eucalyptus trees in protest. “I was sort of shocked because he had his badge on, he was ready to go to work, I made him his lunch – everything was normal.”
Coronado residents were told that four of about 12 Eucalyptus trees were unhealthy and, for safety reasons, needed to be cut down by city crews.
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Steward made his way into one of the massive trees Monday morning as crews prepared to chop it down. He feels the city should’ve discussed the plan with residents in the neighborhood before getting rid of the trees so abruptly.
"I'm up here actually not as a protest, but to draw attention to the need for the city of Coronado to have a dialogue with the citizens guarding the disposition of these 100-year-old trees,” said Steward.
Many neighbors have shown their support for Steward. Another man even joined him by climbing into another tree that’s in danger of being cut down.
Some residents believe preserving the old tree is important.
“I’m not as old as they are but definitely they’ve been here since my birth, and they mean a lot,” said neighbor Catherine Gill.
Residents feel there was a lack of communication with the city of Coronado.
“[They should’ve done everything to] make sure there was nothing that could be done to preserve them. Obviously, if there was a danger to the homes, [to] the people living here, it's the safest thing to do. I don't agree with it. And I think they made a very quick decision," Gill said.
Still, some residents believe chopping down the large trees is in the best interest of the neighborhood, as they cause damage and get in the way of the view.
“Though they’re very beautiful, they’re very big. They’re raising the sidewalks – the roots are too big, they’re incredibly messy. And some of these trees block the view of the beautiful bay,” said Maria Villalobos.
In the end, Steward said his intentions are not to cause harm in his neighborhood, but rather to convince the city to hear what residents have to say.
"The city here is a wonderful city. The city leadership is good. The mayor is wonderful. It's just that reasonable people need to sit down and talk about it way ahead. And that conversation hasn't been had," he said.
For now, Steward doesn’t plan to climb down. So far, two of the four Eucalyptus trees in line to be chopped down have been cut down successfully. The other two still have Steward and another neighbor in them.
