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LHIA Special Update continued

how important Banyan trees are to our environment, what confidence. A Sergeant and two Detectives have been
role they play in the ecosystem and how fragile they are. He assigned to the case.
explained how spray paint is probably the most damaging In closing, what I have learned as a result of this process is
thing you can do to a tree, particularly a Banyan tree, which that we are extremely lucky as residents of Fort Lauderdale to
has extremely thin bark. He estimated the tree to be well over have an incredible team of city officials at our disposal when
100 years old. He also addressed questions from the crowd the need arises. As residents, we need to speak up, reach
about the ‘No Fishing’ and ‘No Swimming’ signs and why out, and engage with our neighbors, our city commissioners
they are important to maintain a healthy ecosystem for the and staff when horrible things like this happen. Most
wildlife that resides in Cliff Lake Park.
importantly, we need to band together as neighbors with a
All in all, it was a successful get together. Thankfully, I also common goal; to preserve and protect the most beautiful
received some information from an anonymous source place I’ve ever lived, Fort Lauderdale. LH
regarding who may have committed this act. If you have any
information about this act of vandalism, please feel free to John Calabrese
reach out to me directly. Our RIO VISTA & LAUDERDALE Lauderdale Harbors Improvement Association
HARBORS Magazine has my contact information, so contact
them at 954.828.1337 and they’ll pass along your contact
info to me. To assuage any concerns about privacy, all #CliffLakeTree
information given will be delivered directly to the Fort
Lauderdale Police Department and held in the strictest of

22 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com