Residents Concerned About Green Leaves in Avis Wooding Park

Nut Mountain residents are concerned the new trees Mayor McElroy purchased for the Avis Wooding Park last spring aren't adapting well to winter. Their leaves are still green and haven't shown the slightest signs of turning to fall colours even though every other tree in town has been bare of leaves for weeks.

"We're looking into," said McElroy. "I don't see what people are up in arms about. The birds seem to like it."

In fact migratory birds that normally fly south in late summer have been spotted in the park--all dead.

"We think the birds were confused by the green leaves and didn't leave before they froze on the branches and fell to the ground like feathered ice cubes," said local birder Eric Peagler. "Why the leaves haven't changed is beyond me, it's been freezing for the last month or so."

Town parks superintendent Lance Nolf thinks the trees Mayor Mack ordered may in fact be fake. "I saw a wood pecker last week lose his beak trying to get at the bark," he said. "I never seen anything like it but at least I don't have to clean up the leaves."

Nolf also noted the trees came prestrung with lights when they arrived in April.