EPIC ACTION ALERT
Please Forward Widely!
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STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD HEARING
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On March 16th, the Humboldt Watershed Council and EPIC appeared before
the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in Santa Rosa to
present their case against enrolling new timber harvest plans for
Pacific Lumber in the severely damaged watersheds of Freshwater Creek
and Elk River (see *http://www.wildcalifornia.org/actions/number-21*
for futher details).

At the end of the day, the Regional Board voted to give Pacific Lumber
the right to log 75% of the amount of board-feet they initially
requested. That's 25% more than their own staff felt was prudent! We
think it's 75% more than the watersheds can tolerate!

EPIC joins the Humboldt Watershed Council in appealing this process to
the State Water Resources Control Board, which is holding a hearing on


Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at 1:30 pm.

If you can show up at the hearing in Sacramento to witness the process,
please attend:

CAL/EPA BUILDING
1001 I Street
First Floor Training Room
Sacramento, CA

If you can send a message to the Board to let them know that they
should NOT permit logging in these watersheds, use our prepared email,
or feel free to add your own thoughts.

Take action now by responding to this alert using EPIC's web site:
http://www.wildcalifornia.org/actions/number-23

BACKGROUND ON THE REGIONAL BOARD HEARING:
At the March 16th hearing in Santa Rosa, Maxxam/Pacific Lumber
presented their view that inadequate logging due to over-regulation has
driven them to the brink of bankruptcy.

Mark Lovelace of Humboldt Watershed Council presented compelling
evidence that Pacific Lumber has consistently over-logged and diverted
profits to their parent company in Texas. He also presented video
footage of the serious damage done to property of many local residents
who have been fighting Maxxam/Pacific Lumber's destructive practices
for years.

The Regional Water Board's own advisory staff presented data that
support their recommendation to limit Pacific Lumber to take no more
than 50% of what they asked for, recognizing the damage that would be
done by additional logging activities.

Several North Coast Regional WQ Board members expressed great concern
for the health of the watersheds. They seemed to agree that Freshwater
Creek and Elk River are impaired watersheds, and that they need to be
protected. Many of us were shocked as we witnessed the irrationality of
the vote that resulted in giving Pacific Lumber three-quarters of what
they wanted, when the evidence overwhelmingly suggested that at least a
temporary moratorium on logging was prudent, if not essential to the
recovery of the watersheds in question.

Help us tell the State Water Resources Control Board that they must
protect the health of our watersheds--and our communities.

Tell them to deny approvals for all THPs in Elk River or Freshwater
Creek until adequate Watershed-wide Waste Discharge Requirements have
been developed.

We think they should protect our watersheds, not provide a bail-out
scheme for Pacific Lumber!

Take action now by responding to this alert using EPIC's web site:
http://www.wildcalifornia.org/actions/number-23