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--------- After getting several requests for more info on the current saga of my doings, here we go. Though the following isn't taking place directly on the PCT, remember that it can happen anywhere. (there won't be too much legal mumbo jumbo in this message, don't worry) I have met many people from all walks of life who are against this old growth logging. INCLUDING several loggers and Forest Service authorities. I met one logger who said that it won't be environmental reasons that will cause them to lose their jobs. It will be the fact that there is nothing left to cut. He said if the giant corporations could have their way, they would cut every last tree no matter where it was. Last year many congressmen including Slade Gordon & Mark Hatfield, etc. tacked a "Salvage Rider" onto the "Rescissions Act" that Bill Clinton signed July 27, 1995. This read like it was "supposed to remove dead and dying trees". The mega fine print is that it allows timber companies to log healthy old-growth forests, regardless of environmental restriction! This bill has nothing to do with salvage logging, it is just a loophole that enables logging of ancient trees. Here are some of the things that it enables: * Ancient Forests with trees 600 years old are being logged, without any chance for citizen appeal. * Timber sales formerly classified as regular "green" timber sales and disallowed because of environmental problems, are being reclassified as "salvage" sales so they can be sold under the rider without any environmental restrictions. * Overrides any court ordered protection for Ancient Forests or any other forests. * Opens logging in previously protected roadless areas in Montana, Idaho, and across the US. * This rider keeps the courts out of the whole logging process. Even if the Forest Service is found guilty of illegal logging, there is nothing that can be done about it, because the trees will have already been logged. Enough of the disgusting legal stuff. Here is what has been going on in the Olympic "National" Forest. There are about 10 of these salvage sales up for the cutting in the Olympic forest. There are a bunch in the Cascade Mountains of Washington also. Oregon has it the worst, they have about 10 times the amount of land as Washington does up on the chopping block. Here is a rundown of what we have been up to (and the Forest "Service" also): - If you look on a Washington State map and find the town of Brinnon, we were about 10 miles to the west. Rocky Brook is an area that was protected by environmental laws. Spotted owls and Marbled Murletts were known to have nested there. Some of the trees are(were) 600 years old. The other sick thing was that the whole 55 acre plot sits on a steep slope. Some parts are as steep as 75 percent! I'd like to see anything try and grow back there. The prescription is to clearcut the entire area. There are supposed to be stream buffer zones, but it is hit or miss as to whether that will be followed to the proper regulations. Keep in mind that "selective logging" can be defined as leaving one tree per acre. -On February 8th three activists set up a blockade on Rocky Brook Road. The snow had just melted and logging was set to begin. The blockade was rather amusing. A large couch was placed in the middle of the road. Concrete was then poured into the couch. A coffee table, lamp, and TV set were also set up in the road. What we have here is...."The American Family!" The three activists then locked themselves down to the cement-enhanced couch. The blockade was rather effective for two days....then the Forest Service Law Enforcement stepped in. The first thing they did was set up a "closure" from the logging site down to an area past were the activists were. People who tried to give food support to the locked down activists now stood the chance of being arrested for trespassing. Now the Forest Service people were getting kind of restless and wanted the blockade removed, so what do they do????? Simple. They start cutting off the activists clothes! The FS Law Enforcement removed their sleeping bags and warm clothes...and it is still a February night. It was either die of hypothermia and make one hell of a strong point, or live and get arrested. Is this legal?, no. Can this happen?, of course, they are the government they can do anything they want. - The closure is soon extended for a 6 mile radius from the clearcut zone. Keep in mind that this is public land we are talking about. Just imagine going out for a hike through the woods and come upon an officer, who places you under arrest. - On February 17th, over 300 people turned out for a rally at the closure site. 101 people crossed the line and got arrested. Everyone gets handcuffed and are all transported in buses of all shapes and forms, from genuine "paddy wagons" with bars, to city buses! Everyone was transported about 50 miles up Highway 101 to a sheriff's office. People were fingerprinted, mug shots, booked, the whole works. After spending a bunch of time out in the cold in a "detainment area", everyone was released. It turns out that Jefferson County dropped the charges against everyone, because they said they had no way of financing the prosecution of the protesters...since they knew everyone would be requesting jury trials. (The Federal Courts are now picking up the charges, so the hopes of driving the system broke are a bit harder now) - March 9th we had another rally up at the closure, this was the first one I went to. Two weeks prior to this, I was just another working class hero in Seattle; but now I felt it was time to make a change in my life. After many people from ages 4 to 70 spoke, Ben White said "Let's go see OUR forest". There were cameramen from the Jim Leher (sp?) news hour there, the PBS news show. About 90 people including me walked under the yellow "CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS" tape at the blockade. Kind of ironic isn't it?? We weren't the ones committing the crime, it was the Forest Service! Anyway... We all walked passed the stern faced sheriff saying "You are subject to arrest for crossing this point...". A bunch of us hit the woods, because we were expecting to be arrested right after we crossed the line. It turns out this wasn't the case because the Officers didn't want to look incompetent. They didn't want to try and arrest people running past them, in full view of the people at the rally. After awhile we realized they were not arresting anyone, so we cut back down to the road. After the group of us walked about 4 miles up the road and rounded a corner, there were the buses waiting for us. One person yelled, "Those of you who want to see your forest, hit the woods!". Next thing I knew I was running though the forest. It was like an adult version of "hide & seek". Never in my life have I ever broken a law. (except for the typical traffic stuff). It started getting dark and we planned on getting arrested anyway, so we went up to the road. I started walking up the road eating a banana, singing "This land is my land, this land is my land" (Woody Guthrie would approve). I heard a policecar drive in reverse at a very high speed towards me. I had plastic handcuffs put on me and I went though the whole arrest procedure. To make a long story short I was processed 50 miles up the road. It was such a great feeling to leave the building by myself and have 150 people cheer! - March 15th. My friend Chris and I decide we want to see the clearcut and take pictures. We load up our overnight gear and drive up a road that gets us about 4 miles from the clearcut. Now we just have to climb about 3000 feet elevation going cross-country. Pretty soon we make it to the cut. Giant trees are strewn everywhere. Many are split in half from hitting the logging road. It was sick. I started taking rapid pictures and proceeded to get my camcorder from my pack. I spotted a couple of Forest Service vehicles across the cut. I let out a couple of naughty words in panic. Chris and I split up and hid, since we heard voices nearby. I hid under a felled tree that was still in the woods a bit. I put a bit of brush over me so I wouldn't be found. I knew I wouldn't be found, until I heard a voice below say "Good Boy.. Good Boy Ruger...Good Boy" About five minutes later a big German Shepherd was looking at me, wagging his tail. If only that dog knew what he was doing. The Forest Ranger appeared. " We were transported up the road 50 miles and processed and released. The bummer was that there was nobody there to cheer for us, so Chris and I cheered for each other! We then had to hitchike the 60 miles back to the base camp. No other direct things have happened in the forest as of now. All of the Rocky Brook sale is now cut. I finally got through to the proper Law Enforcement officer at the Ranger Station. I asked him why my stuff was taken, and when would I get it back. Why were they trying to keep me from letting the rest of this world see pictures/video of this? This was his response: "Your things that were seized are things that can be considered useful in sabotage, or at least be used to sabotage the progress of the timber sale."; he said. "But we are a nonviolent group and condone sabotage of property. I see your point, maybe if the American People knew what you guys are doing...we might have 20,000 people out here protesting!"; I replied. If you still have a few unanswered questions, heck, give him a call at (360)765-2200, ask for John. If he isn't there just tell him how disappointed you are with the Forest Service and ask him why my stuff got seized, and maybe where you are calling from. I told him that I'm not angry with him, just his whole organization. I told him how my parents and everyone else can't believe how this can be allowed to happen. He gave me an address of someone else to contact, and really wouldn't talk anymore. CNN reported awhile back about a memo being leaked from the big-whigs in the Forest Service. The memo basically said "to put the word 'Salvage' in every timber sale, because it is good for business". Well this is where it stands now. If you want more info or need people to contact. Our Web page is: http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/pcbp/ There are all kinds of environmental groups. Some work differently than others. Our office has its computer and fax machine and papers everywhere, but it doesn't stop there; we actually go out to where the action is taking place and try to stop it. I'm working on getting phone numbers of groups people can contact in their area. Meanwhile you can email President Clinton and urge him to repeal the Salvage Rider. He can with an executive order. When he was in Seattle he said it was a mistake. He said it needed to be repealed and we need to support the Murray bill. The way he said it made him look like he was jumping on an environmental bandwagon, so it really wasn't coming from him. Well, the Murray bill (which would have greatly repealed the Rider) was defeated. Most of this was due to Slade Gordon saying what an insignificant part of the forest these sales are. Email President Clinton at: president@whitehouse.gov even at that urge your congressman to support legislation that would overturn the Salvage Rider. Sorry to be so long, but hopefully this will answer several peoples questions. I hate in when people post off topic stuff to mailing lists, but it sooner or later this could happen on the PCT. Not all of the PCT lies in wilderness areas. Thanks, Craig craig@newestindustry.com |