The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday advanced an effort to designate a large oak tree known as Old Glory in Stevenson Ranch as a historic landmark.
The tree in Pico Canyon Park gained famed 20 years ago when area activists saved it from being destroyed for a development project in Stevenson Ranch.
“I’m very pleased we are moving forward to protect and preserve Old Glory,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement following the board’s approval of her motion to seek a landmark designation for the tree. “It’s a magnificent tree that means a lot to locals and deserves wider recognition.
“Old Glory has demonstrated it has the power to bring communities together. It is a symbol of strength and resilience. It survived a quarter mile move in 2004 and earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest tree to ever be transplanted on our planet. Weighing in at over 415 tons, this tree is a marvel to behold. Protecting Old Glory by designating it as a landmark ensures future generations will enjoy the wonder that this ancient oak tree inspires.”
The 70-foot tree is estimated to be over 400 years old. When plans to remove the tree for a housing and urban development project in Pico Canyon surfaced, John Quigley and a group of environmentalists began a campaign to save the tree. Quigley lived in the tree for 71 days in 2002 and 2003 before an agreement was made to move Old Glory instead of destroying it.
There was a reunion in March at the new site of Old Glory in Pico Canyon Park to mark the 20th anniversary of saving the tree.
“We are a part of nature and we come from nature,” Quigley said in March. “That moment with Old Glory was just a moment where it feels like there was a higher power at work brought all the right people together to save that tree.”
The motion introduced by Barger would instruct the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning to initiate the nomination process for Old Glory as a Los Angeles County Historic Landmark.
Lynne Plambeck from the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment and a member of the Newhall Water District Board at the time Old Glory was the target of removal helped organize the reunion in March and began the campaign to have the oak tree designated as a historical landmark.
Quigley returned and climbed into the tree again. Members of the Santa Clarita City Council attended and activists spoke about how important the tree was to the community.
“It’s awareness. It’s understanding how important oak trees are. People are starting to understand how important oak trees are,” Plambeck said in March. “People came together from different cultures, different political viewpoints, and they saved a tree together.”