But, wait, there's more! [was St. Clair River]

[ckaratnytsky at nypl.org]

     Well, now that my Mittelwerk/Steely theory has gone out the window, 
     here's part of a story from the NYT, 1 Feb., that I've been chewing on 
     for a couple of days.
     
     THE TALE OF A TREE, IN WHICH SCIENCE MEETS THE SOUL
     
     By Anthony De Palma
     
     Vancouver, British Columbia
     
     Ever since he took over nine years ago as director of the Botanical 
     Garden at the University of British Columbia, Bruce Macdonald has 
     known there was something unusual about the two scrawny spruce trees 
     with needles that are golden like the sunlight itself.
     
     For the 56-year-old horticulturalist who trained at the University of 
     London, Picea sutchensis aurea is a scientific oddity, a rare golden 
     Sitka spruce with a genetic mutation that mysteriously turns the 
     needles a lively yellow when exposed to sunlight.
     
     [...]a few days ago Mr. Macdonald read in the local newspaper that 
     under cover of night someone had gone to the island and felled the 
     tree with a chain saw in a confused attempt to make a political 
     statement[...]
     
     According to Guujaaw, a 43-year-old Haida [Indian] spokesman who 
     talked by telephone from the [coastal Queen Charlotte] islands 400 
     miles north of Vancouver, the 160-foot golden spruce on the banks of 
     the Yakoun River had a name, kiidk'yaas, which means ancient tree, and 
     it was among the most sacred parts of the Haidas' traditional life.
     
     As the story goes, when the ancient people had mistreated each other, 
     the creator was angered and buried the entire village in snow.
     
     "An old man and a boy hid under a cedar plank till they heard a bird 
     call," Mr. Guujaaw said.  The only two survivors of the village ran up 
     the Yakoun river, and the old man told the boy not to look back.  He 
     did anyway, and because he disobeyed, he was turned into a tree.  "It 
     was said that the tree would then be admired until the last 
     generation," Mr. Guujaaw said.
     
     After growing for more than 300 years, kiidk'yaas was felled one cold 
     night in January.  A 48-year-old drifter who objected to "freaks" and 
     "university-trained professionals" took responsibility in a letter and 
     has been arrested[...]
     
         
     That Chris

     Heh heh heh.