‘Unfortunately, it's the trees or Zozobra': Battle over Siberian elms puts Zozobra in jeopardy

Yahoo

2 days ago

SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's a major ultimatum from Zozobra organizers, who said they won't hold their event if a group of trees in and around Fort Marcy Park aren't removed. While the idea has some support, others said it's not worth it for the one-day event.
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Less than a month away from its 101st burning, this year's Zozobra is in limbo. 'Unfortunately, it's the trees or Zozobra,' said Zozobra event chairman, Ray Sandoval.
The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe announced at a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night, 12 trees have to go for Old Man Gloom to go up in flames.
Sandoval showed KRQE News 13 the trees in question, including nine Siberian elms in the arroyo and three more along the path at nearby Magers Field. 'The thought of cutting down a lot of nice trees for an extremely short window opportunity to view something is shortsighted,' said concerned neighbor, Bill West.
Sandoval said it's more than just improving the viewing experience, citing safety concerns that could cost the event its insurance. 'What happens is we have a jumbotron in the corner, and so as soon as the lights go off, everybody crowds this bridge,' said Sandoval.
While the 90-foot concrete bridge can handle a heavy load, it's still a risk. 'We understood that if we had an emergency situation that we were going to hurt people just in terms of trampling,' said Sandoval.
Some say they'd rather see the trees go than lose out on tradition, but not everyone is on the same page. KRQE News 13 heard from multiple neighbors who didn't want to go on camera. They said one of their biggest concerns is that while it's only 12 trees now, there's no guarantee that more won't come down in the future. 'I bring my grandkids here to play, as do a lot of other people, and it's part of the attractiveness to this particular park,' said West.
When asked if it could be put in writing that only 12 will come down, Sandoval said no. 'Before anything else, my goal is that people go home safe that night, and if safety requires that I go in front of people and they get mad at me and they yell at me, that's part of the responsibility of running a safe event,' said Sandoval.
KRQE News 13 reached out to the City of Santa Fe to see when they will make their decision on the issue, but have not heard back yet.
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