The Charleston City Council has recently approved a project (and rezoned the land accordingly) that will allow a developer, Robert DeMoura of  Angel Oak Village LLC,  to build over 600 hundred homes and 80,000 square feet of retail space, all only 150 feet away from Angel Oak Park on Johns Island.  The small park surrounds the 1,400-year old Angel Oak, which is not only a natural phenomenon, but also an important historical, cultural, and religious landmark. 

The plan was passed through City Council very fast with very little public knowledge.  Letters on file with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control/Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (SCDHEC/OCRM), the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S.  Department of the Interior: Fish and Wildlife, clearly state their strong opposition of the plan, citing numerous ways development could harm the environmentally fragile area on the project site.  Both agencies agree that a 150 foot buffer is not sufficient protection for the tree, yet the city seems to be ignoring this. The developer has received a variance for the removal of Grand Trees, which are trees that are protected by law, and has submitted his application to disturb 4.23 acres of wetlands, an important home for many state and federally protected species.  No environmental impact study has been done.  There is also an archeological report which states that part of the land proposed for development is recommended for the National Historic Registry.

Throughout human history, trees have been powerful symbols. Trees symbolize life and growth, reaching down underneath the ground and up to the sky at the same time. A bridge between all worlds. 

What if we could, for the first time in history, begin to realize that human beings survival upon this planet within this vast and enormous universe depends only on how consciously we act to preserve and protect our environment?  All forms of life depend on each other.  Life attracts other life. 

Please Visit: www.savetheangeloak.org for details on how to help save this amazing tree. Thanks!