Neighbors battle to save ancient oak trees in Alexandria park

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The fight to save three old trees in an Alexandria park is blowing up online, with thousands of neighbors joining the discussion on Nextdoor.

A dozen neighbors gathered in Eugene Simpson Stadium Park on Thursday to wrapping their arms around one of the willow oaks, which they say are as much as 157 years old.

Alexandria’s mayor says that’s a huge exaggeration. City staffers say historical photos show the area in the 1940s was largely open space, with an informal baseball field.

Del Ray neighbor Giselle McAuliffe sparked the rebellion to save the trees. She says she consulted an arborist and measured the trees. Using that method to calculate their ages, she says the youngest tree is at least 100 years old.

It took a half-dozen protesters just to hold hands and encircle one of the three big trees slated for a date with a chainsaw. "Paved paradise put up a parking lot. Doh, doh, doh, doh," Glenda Bromberg said, quoting from the old Joni Mitchell song.

The Alexandria City Council unanimously approved permits last weekend to renovate the park. Renovations include cutting down the three old oaks to make room for parking spaces and concrete bleachers.

"They're going to increase the parking for 16 new cars. And they're going to put in new cement bleachers," said McAuliffe.

"We drive by this park all the time, and it's very seldom you see anyone sitting in the bleachers. So I don't understand what the demand is for bleachers," said another tree lover, Andrew Durant.

Mayor Justin Wilson (D-Alexandria) responded to McAuliffe's post online to say the city's plan includes planting 100 trees and doubling the area covered by their leafy crowns.

The neighbors say young trees will take decades to provide the habitat for moths, butterflies and baby birds already provided by their old friends. "It retains thousands of gallons of runoff water. It sequesters an immense amount of carbon," said McAuliffe, holding tight to the biggest tree.

"I don't think our legacy is that we bulldoze things that are inconvenient," said Durant.