According to the Mattole Forest Defenders, THP 520, the so-called "Hole In Headwaters" plan, could be approved at any time; CDF has been silent on the issue since public comment closed on Jan 11. This present incarnation of THP 520 was in direct response to the EPIC/Sierra Club lawsuit which was granted an injunction on logging last July and is set to go to trial in March. Palco has also filed five new logging plans (THPs 1-00-352, 1-00-387, 1-00-388, 1-00-448 & 1-00-452) that span both sides of the South Fork Elk River and total nearly 700 acres of mature second growth forest. The land inside the "Hole" and across the river from it, some 7,000 acres of forest, were traded to Maxxam/Palco as part of the Headwaters "Deal." This 7,000 acres of forest was identified in the state law that funded the "Deal" as a priority for acquisition with whatever funds remain after the purchase of Owl Creek, for which $80 million was allocated. The state just announced that it is buying Owl Creek for $67 million, potentially leaving $13 million for this acquisition. These new logging plans pose a serious threat not only to the proposed acquisition area, but also to the biological integrity of the Headwaters Reserve itself. New logging on the South Fork Elk River (except on THP 97-520) is currently constrained by a so-called "moratorium" that was imposed by the CDF in January 1998. This moratorium requires additional information on aggravated flooding and public safety concerns for downstream Elk River residents. However, in nearby Freshwater Creek, the same so-called "moratorium" has been lifted under a substantially weaker standard than that originally imposed by CDF.