Yesterday, October 20, 2020, in the midst of this pandemic that we struggle to not die from or spread, corporate greed, community disconnect, and County ineptitude resulted in a failed meeting and a failed decision to destroy what nature has given us to heal--the little bit of it left in urban Alameda County that is not yet destroyed simply due to the same ineptitude and poor decisions--that is the little nook called Ruby Meadow.

I always feel bad when I go there and scare the animals, often unseen, until they bolt from their hiding places. Dense brush is their home. Birds use the trees, not just for photo ops but for the basic needs of every living creature--food, shelter, and the ability to mate. Without this, life doesn't last.

Please enjoy the photos and videos on saverubymeadow.org and facebook. You can still walk by and see peaceful life in the meadow. The Supervisors agreed to add a condition of approval that no trees may be removed until the other permits are all in place. This might provide habitat for another year to these animals living for generations here at Ruby Meadow. Deer are not migratory. The turkeys may not be native, but their presence means the habitat could support the native California Quail which human disturbance has displaced. Native squirrels, foxes, and some bats also can't tolerate the human activity, but non-native ones do.

The turkeys are maybe related to the early days of poultry farming which was prevalent in our area. The big brick building on the corner of Ruby and A Street is the hundred year old Hatchery building. There were lots of poultry farmers but few hatcheries. From 1945-1948, the hatchery advertised Broad Breasted Bronze Turkey Poults. The Bronze turkey is a cross between the English turkey and the wild turkey, which produced birds larger than the European turkeys but tamer than wild turkeys, per wikipedia.

All of our European encroachment was built upon the many-thousands-of-years-old Indigenous People's society. Water is life and flat areas near waterways are particularly special for humans. The President of Friends of San Lorenzo Creek envisions that at one time the creek was almost level with the meadow. An local geologist described the massive prehistoric land movements that must have created the sharp waterway twists at Ruby Meadow, which is on the silent Chabot Fault.

The process that led to this Supervisor decision was neither legal, proper, nor transparent to the public. A vulnerable population was disadvantaged at every turn. And historically that doesn't matter in land use issues. The billion-dollar corporate developer, Eden Housing, once a commendable local grassroots effort, prefers to slam down their edict instead of restoring community in a damaged neighborhood.