Humboldt Forest Defense Update

The recent Skillshare workshop here in Humboldt went well. We were camped on BLM land near a place called Panther Gap in a grove of old-growth Oaks! There were trainings every day and a couple of nature walks and hikes. We had security/welcome people at the front area 24 hours a day. On Wednesday night a pick-up truck with people in the back drove by and pelted the cars and security people with eggs. Thursday night they came back with plastic bags full of a mixture of barn-yard feces and urine. On Friday night the remaining cars were moved to a local supporter’s driveway and nothing more was thrown.

The local tree-sits are doing well but people who wish to come and help are always welcome. One-thousand ft. below Aradia, the tree-sit on Gypsy Mountain, is a new bronze plaque dedicated to David "Gypsy" Chain, a forest defender who was killed on that mountain in 1998 during an attempt to halt logging.

Ethan Coonon went to the county jail Sunday, June 9 to begin a 60-day sentence (36 of which will probably be served with time off for good behavior). Ethan was arrested last summer after being evicted from a tree-village on Brushy Ridge. Carl Anderson, head of PL (Pacific Lumber Company) security, ordered loggers who were on the scene to cut down all of the trees surrounding two trees that Ethan was occupying by sitting in a hammock hanging from a 20 ft. traverse rope between the trees. Climber Eric (a climber who sells himself to PL) was also there and at some point cut all of the branches below Ethan’s traverse. After all the surrounding trees had been cut, Eric climbed one of the trees Ethan was defending. Aware that Ethan was not safety tied in, he attached his own rope to one end of the Ethan’s traverse, cut the traverse off of the tree and began to let out rope. At a certain point Ethan was in a very real danger of being tipped out of the hammock and plummeting 80 ft. to the ground. Not knowing if Eric was going to kill him or not, Ethan climbed up the traverse toward the other tree. It was very difficult however and Eric was able to go to the ground and spur up the tree Ethan was nearing. He was then able to lower him to the ground by his harness.

I know there is more info to be shared about this area of the Pacific Northwest so stay alert and leave your comments and questions for further communication.