Biomedical Building

Background on 'Treesit,' new Biomedical Facility

On November 7, 2007, a number of people climbed into several trees above two parking lots designated for future construction of the Biomedical Facility on the UCSC campus. One year later, several people, it is believed, remain in the trees. None of these people have reported any affiliation with the campus.

This protest, which has been ruled illegal by a Santa Cruz court, has also relied on misinformation promoted on behalf of the treesitters.

UCSC's position on treesit, growth, and Biomedical Building

• We have consistently said we hope the treesitters come down on their own; we prefer a peaceful, safe end to this protest. That is why the campus initiated mediation talks in recent weeks.
• The landmark agreement we have reached with the city, county, and citizen groups over our Long-Range Development Plan provides specific ways in which the campus will address its growth-related impacts on the community. Since the impact of our growth was an issue that the treesitters said was a primary objective of their protest, we remain hopeful that they will voluntarily end an occupation that is illegal and in violation of a court order.
• At this time we believe several people continue to occupy several trees on a site that was developed as two parking lots within the campus core in the 1960s shortly after UCSC opened. For perspective, UCSC staff care for approximately 15,000 trees within the existing campus core alone.
• Of the more than 2,000 acres on campus, fewer than 600 are currently developed; this figure includes parking lots and roadways. If the LRDP is fully implemented (did not happened with prior LRDPs), a total of 120 acres of "timberland" in various areas of the campus could potentially be converted to campus development (roads, pathways, buildings, parking lots). Of those 120 acres, 50 lie within the campus's existing development footprint; the 70 acres in the North Campus represent 5 percent of UCSC's 1,400 undeveloped acres.
• The Santa Cruz community's primary concerns over UCSC's growth were addressed during seven months of talks, resulting in our landmark agreement with the City of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz, and citizen groups this past summer.
• The Biomedical Building is badly needed by students, (including an increasing number of health science undergraduates), by our faculty (who conduct research on cancer, Parkinson's, and other diseases), and by the state of California (which has a need for more people trained in health and biomedical fields). The building is also anticipated by representatives of the city and local business community for its potential to "spin off" local technology companies and jobs.

Background on court order prohibiting 'treesit'

In an injunction issued earlier this past spring, Santa Cruz County's Superior Court enjoined people from lodging in trees occupied since November 7, 2007 on Science Hill. The court's order affirmed that this tree occupation was and is unlawful and not, as some have claimed on behalf of the treesitters, protected free speech.

The injunction prohibits anyone with notice of the order from lodging in or climbing into the trees, carrying possessions into those trees, providing treesitters with food and supplies, or engaging in other related activities. Those who ignore the court's order are subject to criminal and/or civil penalties.

UCSC reaches landmark agreement with City and County of Santa Cruz

This past August, after more than seven months of mediated discussions, UCSC reached agreement with the city, county, and citizen groups over our 2005 Long Range Development Plan. In addition to mitigations already included in the 2005 LRDP EIR, the settlement agreement provides additional specific ways in which the campus will address its growth-related impacts on the community.

UCSC's settlement with the city, county, and citizens includes very specific measures that significantly increase university housing for students, establish a threshold of car trips to the campus, and cap campus water use in case of water shortage.

» Please see summary of settlement: http://lrdp.ucsc.edu/settlement-summary.shtml

Biomedical Research Facility builds upon record of achievement

The Biomedical Research Facility is needed to accommodate growth in such fields as UCSC's popular Health Sciences undergraduate major. The faculty who would use the building have made important contributions in many areas of health-related research, and many are leaders in their fields.

Medical challenges addressed by UCSC researchers include:

• Cancer (e.g., breast cancer, leukemia)
• Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)
• Infectious diseases (e.g., AIDS, SARS, malaria, cholera)
• Spinal cord injuries
• Blindness (retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration)
• Muscular dystrophy
• Environmental toxins

» Please see Overview of Biomedical Research at UCSC

About the Biomedical Research Facility

The Biomedical Research Facility will provide approximately 92,000 square feet of laboratory space and facilities to support interdisciplinary research for the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Environmental Toxicology, and Biomolecular Engineering concentrating in health and medical issues.

The building will be constructed on two existing paved parking lots, located in the Science Hill area of the central campus.

Careful stewardship of setting, trees

Of the more than 2,000 acres on campus, fewer than 600 are developed. And forests surround many buildings. In fact, approximately 15,000 trees are maintained within the developed campus core area alone. Their care is managed by the UCSC Grounds Department tree crew, which consists of a board certified master arborist and three trimmers. While forests and grasslands are largely maintained in their natural state, maintenance is performed for safety, including the trimming or thinning of deadwood or precarious trees and mowing of meadow perimeters to alleviate fire risk.

Since 1998, for example, UCSC has removed 134 trees due to maintenance needs. During the same period, grounds staff have planted more than 175 trees on campus. For instance, staff removed a rotting madrone at Porter College a year ago, replacing it with three oak trees.

» Please see Tree Stewardship information on maintenance and planting

Other UCSC sustainability highlights

Our campus is already recognized as a national leader among universities in sustainable practices:

• For the second year in a row, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified UC Santa Cruz as the sixth-largest campus purchaser of "green power" in the country.
• UCSC has proactively worked to conserve water and minimize usage. Its aggressive conservation efforts have cut per capita water usage by 36 percent since 1986. UCSC used only 19 percent more water in 2003 than it did in 1986-87, while enrollment in the same period grew by 37 percent.
• At least 50 percent of all "person trips" to campus now are made via alternatives to single-occupant vehicles.
• UC Santa Cruz has been named the campus with the "greenest cafeterias" in a survey published by Plenty, a media company dedicated to exploring and giving voice to the green revolution. The "greenest cafeterias" ranking is part of the magazine and online site's most recent Green Campuses survey.

» Please see UCSC Sustainability web site