There is a truly amazing tree on the campus of Cabrillo College in Aptos. It is a native coast live oak. What is amazing, almost magical, is the fact that this tree springs from the stump of a much older oak that had been cut down.

The new tree is quite large. It sprouted possibly 80 to 100 years ago— before there was a Cabrillo College, before Highway 1 was constructed.

Unlike redwoods, coast live oaks do not regenerate. I have pondered on the scenario. Sometimes in my yard I observe scrub jays poking acorns into the ground, often in my vegetable patch! They push the acorn into the moist ground in the fall and winter. Then they tap it in further so it is completely covered with earth.

Perhaps on a day long ago, another scrub jay pushed an acorn into a crack in the stump that is now almost exploding around the base of the new tree. The old tree must have been quite venerable when it was cut down, probably before the nearby Porter Sesnon House was built in 1911. Judging from its size, it could have been several hundred years old.

Every time I see it, I am filled with hope and wonderment. It is a living example of how nature heals itself when we just let it do its thing.

Aah, that's the trick, isn't it. Keeping our busy minds and machines off Mother Nature. We seem to forget that she has had millions of years to figure out the best way to do things. So instead of protecting the flood plain so that rivers can overflow and deposit rich sediments for growing crops, we build in the flood plain, then construct channels and levees to protect our development.

Instead of letting the rain percolate through the soil to replenish the water table, we install impervious surfaces with zeal and then bemoan the fact that our water table is dropping and salt water is intruding landward.

Hopefully, we're starting to get the picture. We're not as smart as we think we are when it comes to living in harmony with the natural world. We need to look around more and learn from the expert.

A photo of this tree is on our cover this issue. It is even more impressive in person.

—Debbie Bulger

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