Donald Trump has already wreaked havoc on Washington before even stepping foot in the Oval Office, a local group of conservationists claimed Wednesday.
According to the nonprofit Potomac Conservancy, the Republican presidential candidate ought to focus on making “our Nation’s River great again” before tackling the entire country.
The group announced Wednesday it has collected over 6,300 signatures for a petition demanding that Trump donate 500 trees to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority by Dec. 11 to “mitigate the damage” he caused during the development of Trump National Golf Club.
Trump reportedly removed 465 trees along the shore of the Potomac River to accommodate the “unobstructed views” he sought for his newly-remodeled golf course in Loudoun County, Va.
“Trump’s irresponsible actions to cut down trees and destroy water quality for the sake of a golf course show how out of touch he is with the way we do business in Washington, D.C.,” Hedrick Belin, president of the Potomac Conservancy, said Wednesday in a statement.
“Trees are nature’s Brita filter and one of the most cost-effective ways to maintain the purity of local water quality,” he added.
The environmental group, which previously requested that Trump donate the 500 saplings by Oct. 31 before deciding to extend the deadline, claims the elimination of the trees negatively impacts 5 million local residents “whose drinking water comes straight from the Potomac River.”
“It also degrades water quality for outdoor enthusiasts who fish, paddle, and run and bike along the Potomac,” Belin claimed.
“The DC metro area has heavily invested in initiatives to improve the health of all our region’s rivers and streams, including the Potomac River. Donald Trump negated much of that progress in one fell swoop,” Bryon Bradley, a Potomac River guide and paddle instructor, noted in a press release.
“I’m not sure I like him putting the needs of golfers over the needs of our local fishermen,” Bradley added.
The group plans to deliver the petition to Trump’s campaign on Wednesday, although no consequences currently exist should the billionaire choose to ignore their request.
Trump ranks fourth in the Washington Examiner‘s power rankings.
