top
North Coast
North Coast
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

5/22/01 - Defenders of Ancient Douglas Fir Forest Continue Presence

by MFD (ncef [at] humboldt1.com)
2 more activists were arrested deep in the woods yesterday (5/21/01) attempting to stop the destruction of the irretrievable ancient Douglas fir forests of the Mattole
River in Humboldt County, California. Over 50 activists have been arrested since late last year defending these irreplaceable wildlands.
Defenders of Ancient Douglas Fir Forest Continue Presence in
Remote Mattole River Watershed in Northern California

2 more activists were arrested deep in the woods yesterday (5/21/01) attempting to stop the destruction of the irretrievable ancient Douglas fir forests of the Mattole River in Humboldt County, California. Over 50 activists have been arrested since late last year defending these irreplaceable wildlands. Although a civil SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit was filed by Maxxam to intimidate and silence direct action, it has been more effective in drawing attention to the fate of these disappearing ancient forests. This morning, 20+ citizens are at one of the main entrances to this pristine area, risking arrest, in an attempt to dialogue with loggers about the need to preserve the last 3% of our country's old growth forests.

Chainsaws Roaring

The 3,000 acre old-growth Douglas Fir forest of the Mattole is well into a two week logging siege by Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Company. Maxxam Corporation, of Houston, Texas, is the parent company of Pacific Lumber Co. of Scotia, California. Operating on two separate logging plans (THP 475 & THP 031) Columbia Helicopter (based in Portland, OR) and Lewis Logging fallers have leveled a majority of the 68 acres slated for clear cutting.

Civil Resistance Continues

Non-violent resistance has been strong. Activists have shut down logging for periods of time in different areas by climbing trees and dialoguing with falling crews. Multiple blockades have been effective in slowing clearcutting operations. Activists had halted Maxxam's logging operations in the Mattole for over 5 months with a blockade twelve miles from public roads nicknamed the Mattole Free State.

Violence Against Demonstrators

There has been continued and increasing violence against activists from logging crews deep in the woods and at the gates. Several backwoods activists have reported being beaten with sticks by loggers as Humboldt County Sheriff deputies looked the other way. These activists were also chased up trees and had wood debris built up at the base with one logger waving a can of gasoline threatening to burn them out. The same activist also experienced a security guard attempt to intimidate him by firing ten gun shots at the base of the tree he was up in. At several outer gates activists have been physically assaulted by truck drivers, punched, spit on, bumped by trucks and had hot coffee thrown in their faces. One activist received facial injuries by being punched by a supervisor of the logging crews. Charges are being filed in this incident and another where a woman standing at the side of a logging road was violently shoved and punched in the head.

Fallout from "Deal"

These and other logging plans fragment this once contiguous ancient forest. During the past year, as a result of the controversial "Headwaters Deal", Maxxam/Pacific Lumber has initiated an onslaught of logging plans in the most sensitive regions of its holdings: the Mattole River Watershed. These logging plans are clearcuts, exclusively in old growth Douglas Fir stands, and are planned in areas of steep mountainous terrain which have extreme seismic activity, intense rainfall and easily erodable soils. Maxxam calls for the liquidation of the remainder of their old growth within the next two to three years.

This 3,000 acres of old growth Douglas Fir is the largest unprotected coastal old growth Doug-Fir forest left in the Pacific Northwest. The Mattole River is a federally listed 303d impaired waterbody. It is a crucial habitat link between the old growth refuges of the Kings Range, Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Gilham Butte. The Mattole Watershed is located west of Scotia, CA and Highway 101.
Add Your Comments
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network