Ancient Redwood "Aradia" Cut

Eureka, CA - Treesitters were forcibly removed yesterday from their perches high above the forest floor, and two activists on the ground were arrested in attempts to stop the cutting of old-growth redwoods above Grizzly Creek in the Van Duzen watershed. One of the trees cut, Aradia, has been the site of on-going protests and treesits since before the death of activist David "Gypsy" Chain, who was killed there by a tree felled by a Pacific Lumber logger in September 1998.

The treesitters were removed by Eric Schatz Tree Service, who forcibly extracted more than a dozen activists from trees in the Freshwater area in March and April 2003. Schatz and four other extractors are facing civil lawsuits stemming from those incidents. Pacific Lumber, the company that hired the extractors, is also named in the suit.

Activists reported few police on the scene, but said the area dubbed "Gypsy Mountain" was crawling with loggers and workers from the Oregon-based Columbia Helicopters. One activist said he was tackled by a Pacific Lumber forester, who was dressed in camouflage and hiding in the bushes.

Another activist on the scene commented, “We tried to get to Aradia, but security was in the way. So many of us up there who have a history with Aradia - who have a tale or two to tell about her love - thought she was immortal. We thought we had her well-protected.”