PL Climbers are Raiding the tree-village near the Death Site of David "Gypsy" Chain

PL Climbers Raid Tree-Sits Near The Death Site Of David “Gypsy” Chain

Grizzly Creek, Ca.- After a several week pause, climbers hired by the Pacific Lumber Company are once again attempting to remove tree-sits that interfere with logging. This time however, their target is the “Tree-Village” which includes the old-growth redwood known to activists as “Aradia”.

This tree was first ascended by activists in September of 1998 only a couple of weeks before the death of David “Gypsy” Chain who was killed nearby when a tree was felled on him during an attempt to halt logging until the legality of the logging plan had been assessed. Chain was originally in the area to work on the first tree-sit there.

“ Aradia and the grove that surrounds her have a unique significance for those that knew him and those who respect what he stood for,” said Farmer, an eyewitness to his death. “ I am deeply worried that the continuing reckless behavior on the part of Pacific Lumber may lead to the death of another forest activist.”

Activists cite the use of false information in advertisements paid for by PL and their associates to sway public opinion in the face of dangerous tree-evictions. An add that was published in the Times-Standard on Sunday, June 17, credited to contract climber Eric Schatz, claims that “ Last year, “Bird” fell out of a tree and broke his pelvis”. This event actually took place over four years ago at the end of 1998.

“ Information has been twisted to make tree-sitting seem more dangerous now than it really is,” said Annie, a forest defender that helped build the tree sits. “ The irony of the matter is that the platform in Aradia is probably the most structurally sound of any existing tree-sits in Humboldt.”

“ PL seems to be using false information so that if someone else is killed they can get away with it again,” said another activist.

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These sits are off of Highway 36 outside of Carlotta.