Spare these trees from Aspen development

Today I’m watching the ugly results of humanity’s disregard for nature — again. Several years ago, when the Limelight Lodge and Dancing Bear Luxury Residences were built, I fought hard at Aspen City Council meetings to save two of the three beautiful, large spruce trees that graced the south side of the 200 block of East Cooper Avenue, along with our own tall spruce next to the Limelight on the north side. So they saved the trees but built the building as close as possible to them.

Today, with the city of Aspen’s approval, those trees are being cut down, not because they are sick, or bug ridden, or dying, but because they have “outlived their space.” And who encroached on their space?

All over town I’ve seen homes whose owners went out of their way to cooperate with and honor the lovely trees that give Aspen a large part of its beauty and give back healthy oxygen in the midst of all our toxic automobile exhaust. I’ve seen sidewalks that curve around existing trees, a carport that has a hole in the roof so the tree could continue to live, and our own building that is going to shave off a corner of a new mansard covering to give room for that large spruce tree standing “too close” to it to have room to grow.

So call me a crazy eco tree hugger, please. I’ll gladly own that title.

Ricki Newman

Aspen