The movement that began with Occupy Wall Street has been criticized for lack of clarity in its agenda, but despite mainstream media coverage suggesting it is unfocused, that agenda has seemed pretty clear to me and many of those I know who support it: Reduce corporate influence on politicians and government policies, address glaring income inequality, attend to the environmental catastrophe of climate change, and re-engage people as citizens, rather than fatuous, self-absorbed “consumers of stuff.” All that may at first glance appear remote from the struggle to protect Knowland Park, but there is an underlying vision that informs both: the possibility of transforming who we are and how our institutions relate to the social and natural worlds. That vision, I think, includes a shift away from regarding everything around us as a resource for making money– toward considering the worth of nature in its own right.
Protecting Knowland Park and the ‘Occupy’ Movement
FollowLittle Fuzzy Animals: Knowland Park’s Babies Threatened by Zoo Plans
Wood rat
We’ve all been charmed by photos and footage of the latest animal acquisition at the Oakland Zoo and other area zoos. Often these are baby animals, ramping up the “Awww” factor and stimulating us to think about taking the kids on an outing. This is one of the elements that keep people feeling warm and fuzzy about zoos in general: the warm and fuzzy animals that they use for their public relations campaigns. But—particularly with an institution like the Oakland Zoo, with its grand development plans—what that warm fuzzy photo covers over is the exploitation of captive animals at the expense of the wild ones.
There’s Nothing There
A few months ago, in the heat of our appeals to the Planning Commission and the City Council, I received an email from a supporter of the Zoo’s theme park development plans for Knowland Park. “There’s nothing there,” she said, arguing that this was a reason to develop it. This floored me for a moment. I tried to think how I could explain, but wondered if we just lived in worlds too different for words.
Welcome to saveknowland.org!
The purpose of this site is to educate the public about Knowland Park and the campaign to protect its rare, beautiful natural resources from being lost to a “conservation”-themed Oakland Zoo expansion into the park. Enjoy the photographs of the Park’s wildflowers and other native plants, its birds and animals, its views and vistas.
Learn about the history of Knowland Park, the threat to its preservation, and the campaign to protect it. Find out how to access its trails. Our blog will be published twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at other intervals as new events happen or new information becomes available.
- Go to our Take Action page and find out how to help protect Knowland Park
- Subscribe now to the blog! Get regular email updates on new blog posts and updates on our campaign Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/Atv6B5
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- Comment on our posts and share our site with your network.
- Contact us directly to get more involved.
Thank you so much for your help and interest in redefining conservation in the 21st Century.
KQED Radio’s Forum Discusses the Knowland Park – Oakland Zoo Controversy
On April 21, San Francisco Public Radion station KQED presented a discussion on their nationally recognized Forum program of the Knowland Park – Oakland Zoo controversy.
Host Michael Krasny interviewed FOKP Co-chair, Prof. Ruth Malone, and Oakland Zoo
Director, Dr. Joel Parrott, as well as others, and took listener comments in email and on their website on the air.
This one hour program delved deep into the issues and opinions on both sides, and is well worth listening to.
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