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A new report finds that the practices of poisoning, cutting and chopping down trees to increase the visibility of billboards are more widespread than previously believed.

The report, by the investigative journalism organization FairWarning, highlights several recent incidents in which it is alleged that billboard companies killed trees by poisoning or cutting.  Robert Barnhart was the first whistleblower to come forward and claim that his bosses at Lamar told him to drive around in an unmarked truck at night and hack at and poison trees obstructing the views of billboards.  Barnhart's story was the focus of a video produced by Ossion Or that includes interviews with his attorneys.  Barnhart has since been joined by a second worker who backs up his claims about the poisoning.

The report by FairWarning detailed a pattern of tree destruction by the billboard industry.  "Scenic America commends the workers who have had the courage to tell the truth about poisoning of America’s landscapes for corporate greed," said Mary Tracy, president of Scenic America. 

Scenic America has long worked to raise the alarm about the practice of tree cutting around billboards.  Our groundbreaking publication "Beauty and the Beast" detailed how the billboard industry makes money by chopping down the public's trees.  Click here to download it as a PDF.

Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee received Scenic America’s highest honor, the Stafford Award, during its recent meeting of affiliates and Board of Directors in Washington, D.C.

Senator Alexander’s selection recognizes his longtime, outspoken support for America’s scenic and natural landscapes. An early advocate of sustainable tourism, Senator Alexander has sponsored legislation to protect scenic wilderness, spearheaded efforts to improve air quality in national parks (especially his beloved Smoky Mountains) and, as chairman of President Reagan’s Commission on Americans Outdoors in the late 1980s, recommended a national network of greenways and designated scenic byways.

During his two terms as chief executive of Tennessee (1979-1987), then-Governor Alexander introduced initiatives to limit tree-cutting and visual clutter along the state’s highways, declaring that “tourists come to Tennessee to see the scenery, not the billboards.” (Subsequent studies confirm that he was right: Beauty sells!)

More recently, Senator Alexander led the successful effort to block an amendment, tacked onto a defense appropriations bill, which would have allowed the rebuilding of nonconforming billboards destroyed by hurricanes. Invoking Lady Bird Johnson’s landmark 1965 Highway Beautification Act, Senator Alexander called the amendment “a big wet kiss to the outdoor advertising industry” and “a full-scale assault on one of the most important pieces of legislation that helps keep our country beautiful.” USA Today said his efforts resulted in “a rare setback for power and money in the Senate.”

The Stafford Award is named for former U.S. Senator Robert Stafford of Vermont, for his concern for the environment and efforts to strengthen federal highway beautification laws. Previous recipients include Scenic America founder Marion Fuller Brown of Maine, Governor Pete Wilson of California, Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island and U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena.

“Senator Alexander has been the greatest advocate for ‘America the Beautiful’ in Congress since Mr. Stafford himself,” said Mary Tracy, Scenic America president. “We can think of no one more deserving of this award.”

Scenic America President Mary Tracy presented the International Scenic Visionary Award to the director and producer of This Space Available, the groundbreaking documentary film on visual pollution, at a recent special screening of the movie in Washington, D.C.

The film, which debuted at the DOC NYC festival in November and has been making the rounds at festivals and universities, takes a global look at the effects of outdoor advertising on our cities' public spaces and the people who move through them on a daily basis.  Many Scenic America members are featured throughout the film, including founder Charles Floyd, board members Ronald Lee Fleming and Margaret Lloyd, and former president Kevin Fry.

Mary Tracy presented the award to Gwenaëlle Gobé: "For changing the world through your passion and vision as Director of This Space Available," and to Marc Gobé: "For changing the world through your tireless efforts as Producer of This Space Available."

These are the second and third Scenic Visionary Awards given out by Scenic America.  The first was given to Sao Paulo Mayor Gilberto Kassab for his bold efforts to eliminate visual pollution in that city.

To learn more about the film and find when it will be playing near you:

www.thisspaceavailablefilm.com

http://www.facebook.com/tsathefilm

https://twitter.com/#!/tsathefilm

 

The City of Houston has been presented with Scenic America’s inaugural Clear Vision award for its success in combatting visual pollution through its decades-long effort to reduce the number of billboards blighting the city’s visual environment.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker accepting Scenic America's Clear Vision award

Houston Mayor Annise Parker accepted award at a reception at WorldFest-Houston International Independent Film Festival, before the Texas premiere of This Space Available, a ground-breaking documentary film about the problems caused by visual pollution.  The City of Houston is featured as one of the film’s success stories.

“The Clear Vision award is being given to Houston in recognition of the city’s persistent enforcement of its no new billboard policy in its 30 year fight against visual pollution,” said Ronald Lee Fleming, Scenic America Board Chair.  “It’s clear that maintaining and enforcing one simple policy will dramatically reduce visual pollution over time.”

The number of billboards on the streets of Houston has dropped from more than 10,000 in 1980 to fewer than 1500 today.  “Houston is the best example in the country of what a city can achieve with a strong policy that stands the test of time,” Fleming added.

While other major cities around the world are working to reduce visual pollution, including one of the largest -- Sao Paulo, Brazil -- which has put a near ban on outdoor commercial advertising, the city of Miami is opening up its skyline to yet more outdoor advertising.

Would digital billboards improve this skyline?

In an op-ed in the Miami Herald, Scenic Miami's vice-president Peter Ehrlich Jr. says that the city is ruining its brand by allowing a new generation of enormous digital signs to go up on structures including the Olympia Theatre at the Gusman Center, recently selected one of the 100 best structures in the state.  Also in line to get covered in digital billboards is the city's Children's Museum!

Ehrlich asks: "Does it matter that tourists come to see our subtropical blue and green scenery, our river views, our bay views, our intracoastal views, and not LED digital billboards? Does it matter that all properties near these offending billboards, including attractions like Jungle Island, are cheapened and lose value? Does it matter that we live here for Miami’s subtropical environment? Does it matter that all of this seems very shortsighted, bad for business, and not in the public interest?"

To learn more and take action, visit Scenic Miami-Dade's website.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer used her first veto of the year to reject a bill that would have legalized electronic billboards along state and federal roads, just months after an Arizona Court of Appeals ruling deemed them unlawful.

In her veto, Gov. Brewer cited the state's unique position as a national leader in astronomy due to its famed dark night skies. 

"The astronomy industry has invested $1.2 billion in Arizona, represents more than 3,300 jobs and has an estimated economic impact of $250 million each year," she said.   "I simply refuse to place all of this in jeopardy."

Click here to read Scenic America & Scenic Arizona's press release on the Governor's veto. 

A major investigation into the systemic use of money and power by the billboard industry to subvert democracy is the cover story on the new issue of High Country News.  Senior Editor Ray Ring's article looks at how billboard companies entrench themselves in city halls and state houses and endear themselves to some politicians with campaign contributions of cash and free advertising.

Ring focuses on the industry's impact on western states like Utah.  In particular, Salt Lake City and Mayor Ralph Becker are currently dueling with industry, saying that long-standing billboards are actually preventing development in the city, while they try to fight off an onslaught of digital billboards.

Click here to read the entire article free of charge.

A new video looks at the efforts of the billboard industry to convert static billboards near Seattle into new digital signs that change advertisements every 6 or 8 seconds.  The segment, produced by veteran videographer Ossian Or, can be viewed here.

The tactics represent a desire by the industry to infiltrate an area that has been particularly unreceptive to the encroachment of digital billboards.  Residents of nearby Tacoma protested vociferously before that city enacted a complete ban on the signs.

The industry is trying to convert billboards in unincorporated areas of King County outside Seattle.  As these areas grow they are likely to be annexed by surrounding municipalities whose zoning laws prohibit digital billboards.  Knowing this, the industry is pressing hard to make the conversions happen before the annexations take place.

A new study shows that billboards negatively affect the values of neighboring properties.  It also found that cities with strict billboard controls are experiencing greater economic prosperity than those with controls that are less strict.

The report, “Beyond Aesthetics: How Billboards Affect Economic Prosperity,” by urban planner Jonathan Snyder, is believed to be the first study on the economic impacts of billboards on nearby real estate value.  Click here to download the study (PDF).

Snyder found that in Philadelphia there is a correlation between a home’s value and its proximity to billboards.  He found that homes within 500 feet of a billboard are worth $30,826 less on average at the time of sale than those properties further away from billboards.  The study also found that each additional billboard within a census tract resulted in a decrease in home values of nearly $1,000.

Additionally, Snyder performed a survey of billboard controls and economic prosperity in 20 cities across the United States.  His report found that cities with stricter billboard controls have greater median incomes, lower poverty rates and lower home vacancy rates than city with less strict billboard controls.

Snyder is an urban planner from Philadelphia with a Master in City Planning degree and a concentration in Community and Economic Development from the University of Pennsylvania.  His research was generously support by a grant from the Samuel S. Fels Fund.

The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that digital billboards along state and federal highways are illegal because they violate the state's ban on intermittent light.

The case pitted Scenic Arizona and the Neighborhood Coalition of Greater Phoenix, Inc. against American Outdoor Advertising, Inc. (AOA) and the City of Phoenix Board of Adjustment over permits issued for electronic billboards.  Scenic America filed an amicus brief in the case.

The ruling is significant in several ways, namely because the Court affirms the common definition of what intermittent lighting is.  The argument for whether digital billboards are legal hinges on the fact that billboards with flashing, intermittent or moving lights are banned under the Federal Highway Beautification Act and many state laws, such as Arizona's own Highway Beautification Act.

American Outdoor argued that the lighting on the signs is constant and that the change of message constitutes a change in "copy."  However, the Court said "What American Outdoor calls a change of 'copy' is actually a transition from one lighted image to the next lighted image." 

"Because the combination of LEDs used to display each brightly lit image on the billboard changes every eight seconds, the billboard's lighting necessarily is intermittent," the ruling said.

Click here for more background on this case and to read Scenic America's amicus brief.