To kill a tree, or three
eudyptes posted a report about a wealthy Vancouver interior designer who poisoned five trees in the park in front of her building because they were blocking her spectacular view of English Bay from her third-floor condo and she wanted to "get rid of them."
The Reuters article didn't say much, and I wanted to find out more about it. When I searched Google News, I was dismayed to find that, other than the Reuters.uk report that eudyptes quoted -- which was carried on their "odd news" channel, not reported as anything serious or important -- this incident was covered solely by the Canadian press, and not very extensively at that.
It seems that in the spring of 2004, staff from Vancouver's park board found holes drilled in the base of five trees, including a maple, chestnut, oak and two London planes. The CBC reported (.ram file) that a neighbor saw 72-year-old June Matheson go out to the park in front of the building very late one night with a male companion; while the man paced back and forth nearby, the neighbor said, Matheson knelt down for a few minutes at the base of several trees. She had drilled the trees with a ¾-inch auger and poured in a mix of herbicides that are unavailable in Canada -- she'd gone to Bellinham, WA to buy them, poured them into plain containers and smuggled them across the border. (The CBC's web article includes a photo of the holes drilled in one of the trees, as well as of the building and the park in front of it.) Three of the trees subsequently died.
Her lawyer actually told a CBC reporter that Matheson's action was "not dishonest"! "The public misunderstands," he said. "[These trees] are roughly 25 years old and you can go buy them at the nursery." Her neighbors and others who use the park didn't see it that way -- to express their anger, they threw rocks, eggs and even bags of dog feces at her apartment balcony.
To get out of trouble, Matheson pleaded guilty and wrote a letter to the court apologizing abjectly. "At the time I did this, I thought only selfishly about my view and the thousands of dollars spent on waterfront taxes to enjoy the beautiful ocean. What I now realize is how wrong it was to take away something that wasn't mine to take. For that I apologize." She also said, "I had to sell my home that I love because of endless harassment. I now have a home with no view. My health has been affected and I've had death threats made against me."
She also mentioned that she had already given the Vancouver Park Board a check covering the almost $30,000 cost of replacing the trees, plus an additional $20,000 donation.
Judge Ellen Gordon was quite sympathetic. "The resulting attention and harassment forced her to sell the two things she loved most, her apartment and her business," Gordon said of Matheson, and then gave her an absolute discharge from the criminal proceeding.
But Matheson may have been planning to sell her condo anyway -- prosecutors said she may have felt an improved view of nearby English Bay would increase its value. She sold it in October 2004 for nearly 1.7 million CAD (approximately 1.5 million USD). And she was 72, so it was a good time to sell her business, which included clients like Goldie Hawn, Sarah McLachlan and Bif Naked, and retire on her obviously ample wealth. I'm sure her new "home with no view" is quite comfortable.
Vancouver Park Board chair Heather Holden said she was very satisfied with the result, even though Matheson got no punishment. "But what about the message this sends to the public?" the CBC interviewer asked her. "Yeah... um..." Holden stammered, before noting that after all, Matheson did pay for the trees she had destroyed, and even given them $20,000 extra.
But if Matheson would have gotten, say, "only" 1.5 million CAD with the trees blocking the view, she's still ahead by $150,000 (almost 130,000 USD)! Obviously poisoning the trees was a good choice -- she went through some aggravation over it, sure, but she came out ahead in the long run.
This would go perfectly in the book I'm reading right now, Your Call Is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit. I'm about halfway through, and enjoying it very much -- no, I can't say I'm enjoying a book that's all about the bullshit we suffer with every day. But I am finding it very lively and interesting. And this story would fit right in.
The Reuters article didn't say much, and I wanted to find out more about it. When I searched Google News, I was dismayed to find that, other than the Reuters.uk report that eudyptes quoted -- which was carried on their "odd news" channel, not reported as anything serious or important -- this incident was covered solely by the Canadian press, and not very extensively at that.
It seems that in the spring of 2004, staff from Vancouver's park board found holes drilled in the base of five trees, including a maple, chestnut, oak and two London planes. The CBC reported (.ram file) that a neighbor saw 72-year-old June Matheson go out to the park in front of the building very late one night with a male companion; while the man paced back and forth nearby, the neighbor said, Matheson knelt down for a few minutes at the base of several trees. She had drilled the trees with a ¾-inch auger and poured in a mix of herbicides that are unavailable in Canada -- she'd gone to Bellinham, WA to buy them, poured them into plain containers and smuggled them across the border. (The CBC's web article includes a photo of the holes drilled in one of the trees, as well as of the building and the park in front of it.) Three of the trees subsequently died.
Her lawyer actually told a CBC reporter that Matheson's action was "not dishonest"! "The public misunderstands," he said. "[These trees] are roughly 25 years old and you can go buy them at the nursery." Her neighbors and others who use the park didn't see it that way -- to express their anger, they threw rocks, eggs and even bags of dog feces at her apartment balcony.
To get out of trouble, Matheson pleaded guilty and wrote a letter to the court apologizing abjectly. "At the time I did this, I thought only selfishly about my view and the thousands of dollars spent on waterfront taxes to enjoy the beautiful ocean. What I now realize is how wrong it was to take away something that wasn't mine to take. For that I apologize." She also said, "I had to sell my home that I love because of endless harassment. I now have a home with no view. My health has been affected and I've had death threats made against me."
She also mentioned that she had already given the Vancouver Park Board a check covering the almost $30,000 cost of replacing the trees, plus an additional $20,000 donation.
Judge Ellen Gordon was quite sympathetic. "The resulting attention and harassment forced her to sell the two things she loved most, her apartment and her business," Gordon said of Matheson, and then gave her an absolute discharge from the criminal proceeding.
But Matheson may have been planning to sell her condo anyway -- prosecutors said she may have felt an improved view of nearby English Bay would increase its value. She sold it in October 2004 for nearly 1.7 million CAD (approximately 1.5 million USD). And she was 72, so it was a good time to sell her business, which included clients like Goldie Hawn, Sarah McLachlan and Bif Naked, and retire on her obviously ample wealth. I'm sure her new "home with no view" is quite comfortable.
Vancouver Park Board chair Heather Holden said she was very satisfied with the result, even though Matheson got no punishment. "But what about the message this sends to the public?" the CBC interviewer asked her. "Yeah... um..." Holden stammered, before noting that after all, Matheson did pay for the trees she had destroyed, and even given them $20,000 extra.
But if Matheson would have gotten, say, "only" 1.5 million CAD with the trees blocking the view, she's still ahead by $150,000 (almost 130,000 USD)! Obviously poisoning the trees was a good choice -- she went through some aggravation over it, sure, but she came out ahead in the long run.
This would go perfectly in the book I'm reading right now, Your Call Is Important to Us: The Truth About Bullshit. I'm about halfway through, and enjoying it very much -- no, I can't say I'm enjoying a book that's all about the bullshit we suffer with every day. But I am finding it very lively and interesting. And this story would fit right in.