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    • Sep 25

Efforts Amp Up to Save Ancient Oak Tree in Tumwater

For Immediate Release                                                                 25 September 2024

 

Contact:

 

·         Brett Clubbe blclubbe@gmail.com  360-970-1272

·         Michelle Peterson, 360 878-7689, michellepeterson.RN@gmail.com  

·         Ronda Larson Kramer, 360 259-3076, ronda@larsonlawpllc.com 

 

Reports and background documents under Media Resources  Save the Davis Meeker Garry Oak

Information Links: http://linktr.ee/TumwaterOak

 

 

 

 

Efforts Amp Up to Save Ancient Oak Tree in Tumwater


DATELINE— TUMWATER, WA

Supporters of the Davis Meeker Oak are celebrating recent events and court filings that buoy hopes the ancient oak tree next to what is currently the Olympia Airport will not be cut down by directive of the Mayor of Tumwater.


 “We filed our reply brief in the Court of Appeals on Monday and now anxiously await a decision,” said Ronda Larson Kramer, one of the attorneys for the citizen group that sued to stop the mayor.  “We are expecting a decision within a month or two because it’s on a fast track,” she said.


Michelle Peterson, the group’s spokesperson, said, “We’re excited about our latest legal filings. The reply brief is a powerful rebuke of the mayor’s actions.” She added that the group is also preparing a recall petition to remove the mayor from office. Her term ends in 2025.


The Davis Meeker Oak is an iconic tree that has guided travelers to the South Salish Sea for untold generations. The tree was a guidepost along the historic Cowlitz Trail, an Indigenous trade route between the Columbia River and the Salish Sea. The grand oak welcomed early settler families near the end of the Oregon Trail, marking the termination of the migration across the country.


In late May this year, Tumwater citizens and local Tribal Members leapt into action when it was leaked that the mayor intended to have the landmark tree cut down over the Memorial Day weekend. Community members organized and have been successful in getting a court-supported stay on any action by the city involving the Davis Meeker Oak.


The tree’s supporters have hosted a series of events locally to raise awareness of the plight of the oak and raise money for legal representation. The next event is scheduled for Thursday September 26, 2024. Evergreen Alum, musician David Rovics, will perform songs from his recent European tour and organizers will present an update on the campaign to save the tree.

Funds will be raised through a silent auction for legal fees and attorney costs. All are welcome. The group is accepting tax deductible donations on its website.


The Davis Meeker Garry Oak is located at 7527 Old Highway 99, Tumwater, Washington.


Photo credit: Karen Fraser, 1984, right before the road was moved the first time. Fraser and other then-county commissioners voted to move the road instead of having it cut down as had been requested by the county road department.

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