As founder and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Takoma Park resident Mike Tidwell spends his time raising awareness about the effects of global warming.
As he walked around his neighborhood, he realized that it is not just the major storms that threaten whole towns that were causing so much damage. Climate change was happening on his very street. On Willow Avenue, massive oak trees have died, Lyme’s disease has flourished and basements have flooded.
When trees are weakened by intense rains and record temperatures, their roots may be damaged. Ambrosia beetles then bore into stressed and dying trees, damaging them even further.
But he also realized that his neighbors were turning to electric cars and buying solar panels to combat the effects of climate change.
Tidwell kept track of all the changes he and his neighbors experienced during 2023 and wrote a book.
Last spring, his book, “The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue,” was published and a short movie was filmed.
The movie recently was shown at Takoma Park Library. Interest was so high, additional chairs were brought in, yet people still ended up standing around the room and even into the hallway.
Comments are closed.