Fences put up around sacred ‘Virgin Mary’ tree in Watsonville

It’s considered a sacred place and every week hundreds of people visit Pinto Lake Park in Watsonville to see the image of the Virgin Mary on a tree.

Many visit the park to get a look at the tree but recent visitors may have noticed some changes. What used to be an open prayer area with benches, is now closed off after the county parks department noticed several oak trees dying.

The county hired an arborist who determined the roots are not getting enough oxygen because the ground was being trampled by the thousands of people who’ve visited the park since the early 90’s.

“They sit down to pray all the time. So I think it’s a bad idea. I don’t know, you know what I mean? But you gotta care for the trees too,” resident Hipolito Perez said.

“There was just decline in leaf growth in the spring when you would see more leaf growth and more die back,” Santa Cruz County Parks Department representative Gretchen Iliff said.

The county parks department said it has noticed some improvement since the fences were put up last month. People are still able to visit the area.