(21:20) WATSONVILLE – Fences have been installed around trees at Pinto Lake Park. The Santa Cruz County Parks Department installed the fences around a group of oak trees at the park on the outskirts of Watsonville after consulting an arborist. The trees have been considered sacred and are the destination of hundreds weekly to pray to the image of the Virgin Mary on one of the trees. The arborist’s report called for fences saying that foot traffic over the root system was depriving the oaks of oxygen. The parks department has noticed an increase in new growth since the addition of the fencing. (P.M.D.)
