April 10, Rainbow Ridge: Residents and activists in the Mattole, now faced with a Pacific Lumber Co. lawsuit, are maintaining their struggle against logging plans that threaten to level endangered old-growth forests and despoil sensitive watersheds. On April 10, Humboldt County Sheriffs again stormed the Mattole Free State; blockades were dismantled and burned along with plastic tarps, buckets and sleeping bags. One activist had to be jackhammered out of her cemented lockbox to be taken into custody. Three others were run down in the woods by Sheriffs and Fish and Game officials. One of these activists was being chased by a Fish & Game officer when he slid off a cliff, falling 40-50 feet into a creek drainage. He had to be air-lifted out of the area by CDF Fire & Rescue to a hospital in Eureka. X-rays and cat scan revealed no broken bones or internal injuries, only a bruised hip. The three lockdowners arrested on April 5 - Verbana, Osprey and Acorn - were released from custody on April 9 after being charged with tresspassing and resisting arrest. No logging has yet been attempted in the Free State, but law enforcement will likely maintain their position and begin escorting in logging crews. Mattole residents have pledged to keep a presence at the outer gates to slow law enforcement's progress and support the forest defenders remaining in the woods. The free state has been under siege since Tuesday April 3. April 10 Morning and Evening Reports from the Mattole