The Donald has another fire to put out. Five years ago, he clear-cut roughly 450 trees along the shoreline of the Potomac River, so his Virginia golf course would have unobstructed views, and now a petition is asking him to replace them.
The Potomac Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental group working to protect the Potomac River, was never too keen on the clear-cutting, and has tried to get Trump to replace the trees ever since. After five years of no such luck, the conservancy believes Trump's presidential campaign could be the perfect opportunity to draw attention to this long-ignored issue.
In July, they started a Change.org petition asking Trump to donate "500 mature native trees to NOVA Parks." The petition argues that the trees provide filtration, reduce topsoil erosion, and help prevent chemical pollution. It says that removing the mile and a half of trees will worsen the water quality for outdoor enthusiasts, and will have a negative impact on the roughly five million people whose drinking supply comes from the river.
So far the petition has 5,000 signatures, and the nonprofit group is aiming for 7,500 by Oct. 31. Trump hasn't responded yet. [DCist]
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