Feature Archives

The California Fish and Game Commission is poised to take public testimony with regard to the threatened-species status of the Siskyou Mountains salamander under the California Endangered Species Act. In its delisting petition, the California Department of Fish and Game argued that the salamanders can be found in clearcuts, but failed to recognize that a few individuals dispersing through an area is different from a reproducing, viable population. Read More

Klamath Riverkeeper sent a 60 day notice of intent to file a lawsuit today against Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp for polluting one of the nation's most important and controversial salmon rivers, the Klamath. Klamath Riverkeeper's lawsuit asserts that operation of the Iron Gate Dam hatchery has resulted in repeated violations of the Clean Water Act and is just one of the ways that PacifiCorp, as the owner of the four dams along the Klamath River, is destroying the River, its salmon runs, and the coastal fishing economies of the California and Oregon Coastline.

In the Klamath River Basin these days environmental news is dominated by talk about dam removal and, occasionally, new restrictions on fishing. But now another issue is poised to compete for the headlines.

Old-growth forest near Siskiyou County’s wild and scenic Salmon River is headed for the auction block - and the chopping block - after losing a years-long battle in the court of appeals. The Knob Timber Sale is part of a large scale logging plan that included the Glassups Timber Sale which was cut in 2003, and the Meteor Timber Sale which is still winding through the courts.

The District Attorney who won fame and beat an attempted recall for filing a lawsuit against timber giant Pacific Lumber in 2003 won re-election June 6, 2006. After a bitter race between Gallegos and his police-supported challenger, Worth Dikeman, Gallegos walked home with nearly 53% of the vote.

The relationship between the DA’s office and law enforcement was a central issue during the campaign. Gallegos, who did not seek endorsement by law enforcement, cited rules by the American Bar Association that state “prosecutors should take care to avoid any relationships with the police that might cast doubt on the independence and integrity of the office of the prosecutor.”

Dikeman’s close relationship with law enforcement failed to capture voter support. Dikeman’s campaign manager, Dave Parris, is an investigator for the Eureka Police Department.

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Eureka, CA - A ballot initiative was approved that will prohibit large out-of-county corporations from making political contributions in Humboldt County elections. The initiative was inspired by two separate corporate-funded campaigns in Humboldt County where hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent to push corporate interests.

The Oxygen Collective has been at the forefront of both public education and popular protest of the so-called “salvage logging” that followed the massive “Biscuit fire” which burned 499,965 in 2002. The Oxygen Collective will be offering a free multi-media presentation reviewing the Biscuit saga and highlighting how the latest logging proposals will create detrimental national precedents. The high energy show will be in Arcata on June 4th at The Milk Barn, 2950 Janes Rd @ 6 pm, and will feature music, video, speakers, slides of direct action for the Biscuit, and the films Keep Towing That Line, and Portland IMC's Truth & Lies of the Biscuit Fire.

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SEE INDYBAY'S PAST COVERAGE OF THE STRUGGLE FOR THE BISCUIT: Largest Forest Service Logging Project In Modern History I Old Growth Logging Begins - 11 arrests I Fiddler Timber Sale Blockade I Video of Arrests I Sister’s Of The Siskiyou’s Sound Off Over Lawless Logging I US Forest Service, Loggers Recklessly Endanger Lives of Nonviolent Protesters