Image of The Senator via Kyle May on Flickr
Sadly, a woman burned down a unique pond cypress known as “The Senator” while she was smoking meth. The giant tree “was the oldest pond cypress tree in the world, and was believed to be the fifth-oldest tree on the planet.” The incident should be a wake-up call for government officials who are charged with protecting some of our most valuable, unique natural landmarks.
Apparently, the behemoth was also a victim of neglect by government officials. More via the Orlando Sentinel:
Police say a 26-year-old hooked on meth lit the fire because she needed some light to see while she got high.
But there’s another culprit in this tragedy.
The crime against The Senator started decades ago, when Seminole County let Big Tree Park become a haven for drugs and prostitution while doing next to nothing to protect one of the oldest trees on the planet.
Officials with the Sheriff’s Office have long acknowledged the park’s seedy after-hours reputation.
There was no concerted effort to stop the mischief that went on there after dark. No security cameras. No lights. Cursory patrols. Only a fence around The Senator’s base, and apparently not a very good one considering what happened in January.
That’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.
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This has angered me greatly. This great tree was older than our country. What poor stewards we have been. Penny wise and pound foolish, we have allowed its noble beauty and elegance to be destroyed by the lowest of the low, a meth who needed more light to use her drugs. She was too stupid, or too drugged, to download an app to her smartphone. Yes, there’s an app for that.
I weep for the loss of this tree. I had planned a trip this upcoming summer to introduce my son to The Senator. Now there are only ashes where once a noble tree stood. The oldest pond cypress in the world is no more.
People who count only the cost in money care nothing for the heritage of our children. We have failed in this attempt to care for this tree. Will America still exist 3500 years in the future? Judging by the way we looked after this National Treasure, I doubt it. Seminole County public servants, shame on you all for allowing this tree to go unprotected. It’s a universal disgrace.
I’ve seriously wept over this. I remember visiting this wonderful beauty as a child and just being blown away by such a natural creation.