PR's from latest Humboldt Forest Actions

Northcoast Earth First!

Press Release: (for immediate release) Sept. 20, 02’
Contact: 496-2956

Five Arrested In Mattole: Protests Continue Against Maxxam’s Illegal Logging

Four Forest Defenders locked themselves to a gate at redwood State Park before dawn on the road leading to Maxxam/Pacific Lumber’s Mattole forest land, preventing five logging trucks from hauling illegally cut trees.

Twenty-one supporters joined them, posting the recent stay by judge Golden, ‘an order shutting down operations on all timber harvest plans subject to special permits on their entire 2l0,000 acre holdings. The four activists were cut out of their lockboxes and arrested. Another man who refused to move when ordered, was also taken into custody. The sheriff insisted they were on private property, although the property lines have been well established from prior false arrests at this gate.

This mornings action dramatized the devastating effects of clear-cutting and the loss of Old Growth Douglas fir on the steep and seismically active slopes of the Mattole watershed. Logging on geologically fragile soils combined with extremely high rainfall, causes landslides that dump lethal doses of sediment into the streams.

"Today’s protest is one in a series, expressing the communities outrage at the company’s continued flouting of the judges order. Maxxam/Pacific Lumber has been logging illegally, causing irreversible harm to endangered species, damaging of water quality to down stream residents and hurting local economy with unsustainable practices;” said David, one of the arrested lock-downers, a long time resident of Mendicino County, who has seen the long steady disappearance of his local forest.

The industrial logging in this area reaps huge profits for Maxxam/PL and its contractors, lining the pockets of their chief executive Charles Hurwitz.

“By ignoring the judges order they continue to profit from their illegal operations. Maxxam/PL has a long history of flagrant violations, corporate crimes shown by their deliberate defiance of the Endangered Species Act in l993 when they cut Owl Creek;” as quoted by Arcata activist Ayr.

California Department Of Forestry and the Department OF Fish and Games, the state agencies entrusted with protecting our public values including water, air and soil, wildlife habitat are being sued by EPIC/Sierra Club and The Steelworkers Of America for failing to meet certification requirements for incidental take (permit to kill all species including endangered) and other permits under the Sustained Yield Plan (SYP), part of the l998 Headwaters Forest deal.

“We all need to rise up non-violently to sustain the Earth so that the Earth will sustain us”, stated Jennifer.

Northcoast Earth First! and Mattole Forest Defenders vowed to continue the resistance.

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Protesters halt Freshwater logging (Sep. 17, 2002)

Twenty activists arrived when Remedy called for help early September 17, 2002 due to Lewis Logging’s clear cut expanding towards her six month tree sit. Perched high in an old growth, she could see the falling trees getting closer. Protesters hiked to 01-451 THP unit 4 to find clear cutting on steep slopes, violating two major Earth First demands. The clear cut now reaches 22.7 acres with out the use of helicopters but pulleys only, which exceeds the Forest Practices Act by 2.7 acres.

Protesters successfully halted cutting for the day and secured the area with in less than an hour of their arrival. A non-violence code was strictly upheld by protesters while they were threatened repeatedly by loggers. Ed Lewis, owner of Lewis Logging manhandled two protesters himself while trying to pull them away from machines.

“He grabbed my wrist really hard and took away my cigarette,” America said.

Loggers were physically aggressive with only female protesters.

“I was pushed down and screamed at because I would not leave my log,” Freedom said.

Activists then formed a prayer circle for over an hour in memory of David Nathan Gypsy Chain who was killed four years ago by an angry logger while trying to stop an illegal cut. During this time activists were surrounded and threatened by loggers until sheriffs deputies arrived.

After the deputies identified activists, they were then escorted to the gate, and where assaulted protesters requested to press charges numerous times and were denied by Deputy Quenell. Fifteen trespassing citations were issued before protesters were released. No legal action was taken towards loggers. However, they were all sent home for the rest of the day.

Contact: Forest Defense, 826-2511