Houston Tree-Sitters Make a New Nest High

Contacts: Trust, the Tree-Sitter/ 832-443-2525
Karen Pickett, Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters/ 510-548-3113

Houston, TX -- Two intrepid tree-sitters traveled from the rural north coast of California to Houston, Texas to protest MAXXAM Corporation's destructive logging practices that are destroying their rivers, communities and forest habitat in Humboldt county. Saturday night, under the cover of darkness, two activists climbed 110-foot tall pine trees in Houston's Memorial Park and built tree sits 80 feet up, intending to stay indefinitely in order to bring their message to MAXXAM and its CEO Charles Hurwitz at the corporate headquarters in Houston.

"We're sick of watching the liquidation of our last remaining ancient redwoods in California," said Artemis, a spokesperson for Coalition for a Better Way. "We think the best place to voice our outrage is right here in Houston, where the orders come from and the money goes to"

One of the trees has been named "Gypsy" in honor of David "Gypsy" Chain, a Houston activist who had moved to Humboldt and died in 1998 working to preserve old growth forests. He was killed when a tree was felled on him by an angry MAXXAM/Pacific Lumber (PL) logger while activists were documenting illegal logging on MAXXAM/PL land near Grizzly Creek State Park. Another of the trees has been named Gaia, in memory of a 150-year-old Douglas Fir tree that was chopped down by PL just over a month ago.

The District Attorney of Humboldt County California, Paul Gallegos, is currently suing Maxxam subsidiary Pacific Lumber Company $250 million for fraud. Superior Court judge John Golden is simultaneously about to pull the company's permits to log due to its incessant, destructive logging practices which continue to harm endangered species, the environment and to flood resident's homes. Pacific Lumber has continued to log in the face of court orders, findings of violations, community uprisings and massive protests. CEO Charles Hurwitz took control of Pacific Lumber in 1985 in a hostile takeover bid and immediately nearly tripled the rate of timber cut. He also raided the $60 million pension fund of its workers, sold $250 million of the company's assets and funneled the money directly to Maxxam.

A Coalition for a Better Way has joined forces with SACRED (Southern Alliance of Coastal Redwood Earth Defenders) in sponsoring a free Teach-In scheduled for Saturday, July 12 at 5:00 pm, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5200 Fannin at Southmore in Houston. Speakers will include Rod Coronado, longtime Native American Earth First! activist, Artemis, a forest defender from Humboldt County, California, and Raya Green, local Director of SACRED.

For more information, visit http://www.SacredRedwood.org or http://www.HeadwatersPreserve.org.
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