Feature Archives

2-24-03 The Humboldt County District Attorney sued the Pacific Lumber Company for $250,000,000, on six counts of fraud and deceptive concealment in applying for its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Sustained Yield Plan in 1999. The suit alleges that PL lied to state and federal agencies so that it could log 100,000 additional trees on unstable slopes, thereby committing unfair business practices. The suit alleges that PL did not reveal information it had that showed that the increased logging would result in landslides that would degrade the streams and water quality downstream. The DA believes that withholding that information prevented compliance with the CA Environmental Quality Act requirement to "recirculate" the EIR. Complaint Press Release

2/7: Treesitters have taken to the canopy in unprecedented numbers in recent months.Freshwater tree sitters had all the trees marked with orange paint on the morning of Febuary 6, 2003. Maxxam/PL security Carl Anderson appears to be up to some sort of tactic in dealing with the protestors even in light of being sued personally by Demo Forest activist Jamie Harris. Mr. Harris' cross-complaint also names PL's Robert Manne and the PL contractor Eric Schatz. Meanwhile sitters continue to maintain a presence on Gypsy mountain and in the Mattole Watershed.
Aradia Avalon Lower Village Remedy's blog

12/19: Four non-violent forest activists were arrested while protesting Maxxam/Palco's insistence to cut their largest stand of residual old growth. This arrest occurred in conjunction with two other activists who had suspended themselves from a bridge in 'pods' over grizzly creek in the Van Duzen watershed. All four protesters are now free, with the last being bailed out on Christmas eve. Protestors accuse Maxxam/Palco for engaging in unsustainable logging practices; believing that once all of the big trees have been liquidated; and the community's land and rivers wasted, the out-of-state owner of Maxxam will take the money and run.

12-11-02 - As the court case that would presumably address whether Maxxam/Pacific Lumber (PL) logging even approaches sustainability is postponed until the end of February, PL crews are going in for the kill on marbled murrelet habitat. Logging began yesterday and today in what is known as "E stands" of residual old growth forest, which are confirmed occupied habitat of the endangered marbled murrelet, their highest quality habitat on PL plans up for approval.......

As tree-sitters hold firm in many locations, the risks have risen as PL crews seem to be self-deputizing themselves in order to extract sitters from their perches, sometimes using pain compliance holds and very questionable tactics. Under an agreement reached as part of the settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of David Gypsy Chain, PL employees are supposed to stop work when they encounter protesters and call their supervisor, who would contact law enforcement. Tree-sitter Abstract Jane Marsh had a bail reduction hearing on Dec. 10, after 3 weeks in jail under $200,000 bail. The 19-year-old had been extracted from her perch, naked, by PL employees who assaulted her. She was released from jail Dec. 10 and will go to trial Feb. 3.
BACH - 1 - 2

11/15: On the morning of 11/14, activists with the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) civil disobedience actions were undertaken at five separate Citibank locations in San Francisco. They came as part of a larger campaign against the corporation's investment and partnerships that directly contribute to environmental destruction and poverty. One group of people who locked down may be charged with 'property destruction.' Report | Photos | Flashpoints report (realaudio) | Rainforest Action Network | Citibank and predatory lending | Citibank launders money for Vicente Fox

11-20-2002 - Sue succesfully gets hearings to be held on January 28th, 2003. The head of the California Senate apparently met with Sue and agreed to set hearings on the old-growth issue. CA Governor Davis has still refused to meet with Sue.

11-19-2002 - Friends and colleagues of Susan Moloney have become concerned about her weakened condition as she enters her 7th week without solid food. Sue, who conducted the petition drive this spring to get a ban on logging of old growth trees on California's state wide ballot, has been persistent in her effort to get Gov. Gray Davis to live up to his campaign promise to stop logging of old growth in the state. After consulting with doctors, Sue started drinking broth last week, after ingesting only herbal tea and water for over 5 weeks. She just started drinking fruit and vegetable juice, but still has not eaten any food.

10-29-2002 - People demanding that Governor Davis uphold his promise to protect the old-growth trees of California will gather on the steps of the State Capitol with hunger striker Susan Moloney, Executive Director of the Campaign for Old Growth, and Green Party Gubernatorial Candidate Peter Camejo. A press conference at 12 noon on the North Steps of the Capitol Building in Sacramento on Tues., Oct. 29, 2002. Moloney , who began her fast on October 7, 2002 to remind Governor Davis, and the voters, that Davis' campaign promise to save old-growth trees remains unfulfilled, is entering her fourth week of the hunger strike. Susan has been on a hunger strike for 50 days.

Fastforoldgrowth - 1 - 2 - Images

Ask the govenor yourself what's up with his campaign promise?
ADDRESS: Gray Davis
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
phone -- (916) 445-2841 -- fax -- (916) 445-4633)
graydavis@governor.ca.gov

Treesitter dies in Santa Cruz

From the Portland IMC open publishing newswire: Robin (last name unknown), called in the woods by the name Naya, had just arrived in Santa Cruz from Arcata, CA where he may have been involved with direct action in the Mattole area of Humboldt county. He was eager to go to the forest and defend against logging that would harm Steelhead Trout at the southern end of the coastal redwood forests. He was found Tuesday night by employees of Redwood Empire at the base of "Esparanza," the tree he had been sitting in for about 12 hours. He was taken by helicopter to Valley Medical Center in San Jose where he died on Wed. October 9, 2002. He would have been 22 years old on Thursday, October 10, 2002. While he enjoyed rock-climbing, this was Naya's first treesit.
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