Environmentalists applaud deal to shield the Jurupa Oak — estimated to be at least 13,000 years old — from development.
The Palmer’s oak is a patch of green midway up this sloping hill in Jurupa Valley. Estimated to be 13,000 years old, the shrub is the oldest living thing in California.
The agreement also calls for 54.7 acres near the oak to be preserved as open space, the center said in a news release.
“I’m relieved that we can steer development away from an oak that’s so special it can’t be found anywhere else in the world,” Aruna Prabhala, a senior attorney at the center, said in the release. “Our goal was to minimize risk to the Jurupa Oak and this agreement does exactly that while also making it easier for hillside animals in the region to roam and thrive.
” Joe Perez, Jurupa Valley’s assistant city manager/community development director, said via email that “while the City was not directly involved in the negotiations, we are pleased that the developers and the environmental groups were able to reach an agreement that provides additional protections for the Jurupa Oak while allowing the Rio Vista development to move forward. ” Jurupa Valley City Manager Rod Butler said in an email that the city “had always hoped this would be the outcome, and we believe the agreement reflects a thoughtful balance between preservation, community interests, and responsible progress.
”that’s almost 80 feet long, also known as the Hurunga Oak, started growing at the end of the last Ice Age. It’s the oldest-known living plant in California and the third-oldest known living plant on Earth. , which aims to develop 917 acres into a mix of homes, businesses, an elementary school and an industrial park north of the 60 Freeway and between Armstrong Road and Rubidoux Boulevard.
, a real estate development firm with an Irvine office, proposed the plan, which replaced an earlier planning vision for the area. No building plans in the area covered by the specific plan have been issued “and we have no estimated time of construction,” Jurupa Valley spokesperson Monique Claude said via email.
While an environmental study acknowledged the oak’s existence and outlined steps to protect it, critics said the planned 450-foot buffer around the plant needed to be at least 550 feet. Industrial development planned 450 feet from the oak threatened its survival, conservationists argued. Critics also sought a 100-acre preserve to safeguard the oak.
When natural disasters strike, another crisis hits those recovering from opioid addictionWhat to know about the predictions for a potentially record-breaking El Nino Besides expanding the buffer zone around the oak, the settlement shrinks the specific plan’s footprint and allows California tribes or environmental groups to buy another 54.3 acres to preserve even more open space, according to the biological diversity center. The settlement “also sets standards to minimize the project’s environmental harms such as minimized lighting, proper fencing to protect the oak and using native plants along the wildlife corridor,” the center’s release states.
A lawsuit settlement announced Tuesday, May 12, 2026, will widen a buffer zone and require other protections for the Jurupa Oak, a Palmer’s oak in Jurupa Valley believed to be Earth’s third oldest-known living organism. Review: Pop star fails to impress in so many ways with latest concert tourStabbed in a Safeway, shopper pulls out a gun and shoots, Redwood City police sayDear Abby: I can't bring myself to meet Joey's surprise brideAsking Eric: I feel guilty traveling when my kids don't have much money
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