An Unnatural History of UCSC by Jeff Arnett

Visitors traditionally leave a trinket behind in the upper branches, with everything from charm bracelets to concert tickets left fluttering in the wind. “Tree Nine has become a major landmark to students of not only upper campus, but of the entire university itself,” UC Santa Cruz students Tyler Munger and Paige Miller write.Ĭlimbing Tree Nine is considered by some students to be a prerequisite for graduation. Tree Nine, as it is known, a towering Douglas fir that has rewarded generations who dared to scale its branches with panoramic views of Monterey Bay, is featured prominently in the book. The most well-known and treasured spot on upper campus, however, is not man-made. Campus officials leave notes on artifacts, warning they will be removed. Reserve managers have said students should not alter these areas of the forest because the purpose of the reserves is to avoid human impact. To students and some pagan groups, though, the sites are places of worship and refuge.

Tucked into the redwoods, many of the places resemble things you might find at summer camp: rope swings, a teepee, several tree houses, a wooden labyrinth and a large, hand-carved totem pole of unknown origin. The book, seeking to protect the sites it documents, does not reveal exact locations, so it’s unclear which ones fall on the wooded land that could be developed under UC Santa Cruz’s Long-Range Development Plan. “The process of stumbling upon these sites represents that youthful willingness to explore and wander.” “Many of these creations are known primarily to students … and some could be destroyed if all proposed development takes place on the upper campus,” said Arnett, a writing instructor who graduated from UC Santa Cruz in the 1970s. With names like “Hobbit Hole” and “Wiccan Circle,” the series of earthen forts, environmental sculptures and other wonders documented in the book have captured the imagination of college students since the university’s early days, when it was known as a haven for hippies and artists. The class, “An Unnatural History of UCSC,” compiled the sites in a book by the same name, due out this week with an accompanying DVD in the works. That’s why 30 students set out this quarter to research and document 35 natural and man-made features amid the trees, most known only by word of mouth. SANTA CRUZ - Legend has it that there’s magic and mystery sprinkled in the forest above UC Santa Cruz.īut instructor Jeff Arnett and his writing class fear some of it may be lost if the university builds new housing, classrooms, roads and an athletic field in the redwoods as part of campus expansion plans.

An Unnatural History of UCSC by Jeff Arnett