Since December 1, 2006, diehard environmental activists have sat in a redwood tree by UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium in order to stick it to the man and protest the school’s decision to cut down a grove of redwoods to build an athletic center. Today Berkeley officials threw down though, cutting several limbs from the tree as the protestors swung from the remaining branches like rabid monkeys.

A San Francisco Chronicle article noted:

Work crews cut more than a dozen limbs from a redwood tree outside Cal's Memorial Stadium this morning, a move that UC Berkeley officials said was aimed to make it more difficult for four remaining protesters to swing from branch to branch and for other tree-sitters to join them. The action comes as a judge is expected to rule soon whether to lift an order barring the campus from cutting down that tree and the rest of a grove to build an athletic training center.

Protesters have been sitting in the trees since Dec. 1, 2006, saying they will not leave unless UC spares the grove.

"If you want me down, you're going to have to take me down dead," a male protester yelled from a platform as workers moved up and down in two cherry-pickers, carving off at least 16 branches from the tree by 10:45 a.m.

 

As much as it may have been fun playing Swiss Family Robinson, it looks like it's time for the protestors to log onto craigslist and find new places to reside-- besides arboretums.