Helicopter Logging in Nanning

Activists Celebrate Hurwitz Out of Humboldt !

Activists and community members gathered at Cuneo Creek Horse Camp on Saturday, to celebrate the end of Maxxam Corporation's control of the Pacific lumber Company. Julia "Butterfly" Hill, who sat in the ancient redwood "Luna" for nearly two years, was among those who spoke at the gathering. Darryl Cherney and others played music for the group. Mike Jani, the President of the new Humboldt Redwood Company, and Estelle Fennell, candidate for County Supervisor, were among those who stopped by to visit.

Gypsy's Family and Friends Gather in SoHum

Friends and family of David Nathan Chain gathered in Southern Humboldt last night to mark the tenth anniversary of his death. People that I talked to were very pleased with the new location of the Gypsy Memorial Plaque. The memorial was moved because it was repeatedly vandalized at the old location on Hwy. 36. The memorial has been restored by the artist and is now owned by Gypsy's mother instead of Pacific Lumber.

Just Got Back from Action Camp

Action Camp at Grizzly Creek State Park was great! There were the usual non-violence, climbing, and backwoods trainings. There was a hike up Gypsy Mountain, which always brings back lots of memories. But the best thing was coming up with a new strategy for forest defense in Humboldt.

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Now playing: Guns N' Roses - Pretty Tied Up
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Unite for Change

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Now playing: Slayer - Piece by Piece
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Fern Gully and Spooner are Saved!

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Now playing: Pearl Jam - Jeremy
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Humboldt Redwood Company said that the ancient redwood groves, that tree-sitters have been defending for several years, will be protected. For more details read this article.

EF! Humboldt Announces September Action Camp

Earth First Humboldt has just announced that an action camp will start on September 5 and run through September 13. Tree climbing, backwoods, and non-violent direct action are some of the trainings that will be happening at the camp. More details will be coming soon, and more information is posted at http://efhumboldt.org/

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Now playing: Tool - Vicarious
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Tree-sit Evacuated Because of Fire

A new tree-village in Six Rivers National forest was recently evacuated because of the nearby Hells Half wildfire. The air in the area has been very unhealthy due to heavy smoke. The tree-sit was in the Burnt Ranch and the Underwood Mountain area. Forest defenders were trying to stop the building of a road in a roadless area. Sierra Pacific Industries is hoping to use the road to access old-growth on their property that is adjacent to the National Forest. A press release about the action was posted today by Earth First! Humboldt on their website at http://efhumboldt.org/

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Now playing: Led Zeppelin - Misty Mountain Hop
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Earth First! Rising

If you are interested in Humboldt County forest defense, keep an eye on a new website: efhumboldt.org. There is not much there right now, but I expect that to change soon. I see a lot of new energy coming into the movement and this new website is the first publicly visible sign. People may think that with the entrance of MRC, that there is no more reason for forest defense, but that is not the case at all. Green Diamond, Pacific Lumber, and Sierra Pacific all have bad plans coming up.

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Now playing: Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
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Judge Rules in Favor of MRC Plan

Judge Schmidt announced yesterday that he was confirming the Mendocino Redwood Company plan for the reorganization of PALCO. The T-S article is here.

Largest Ponderosa Pine in U.S. Found

The Forest Service has reported that one of their employees, Tim Lovitt, has found the largest Ponderosa Pine in the United States. The tree is located in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. It is 240.5 feet tall and the trunk is almost 8 feet wide. Lovitt is a graduate of Humboldt State University.

Utah Phillips Dead at 73

Folksinger, railroad tramp and activist Utah Phillips has died of heart failure. Utah was a friend of forest defender Judi Bari and a witness at the Bari vs. FBI trial. In recent years Utah started a homeless shelter in his rural home county. His extensive writing and recording career included two albums with Ani DiFranco which earned a Grammy nomination. Phillips's songs were performed and recorded by Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Tom Waits, Joe Ely and others. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Folk Alliance in 1997.

Vote No on 98!

If you live in California, please vote No on Proposition 98 and Yes on 99. Prop. 98 is opposed by the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, the Environmental Defense Fund, and other environmental groups. The Environmental Defense Fund says:

"Under the guise of property rights protection, a coalition of wealthy mobile home park landlords placed Proposition 98 on the ballot.

If passed, Proposition 98 would:

• Undermine groundbreaking climate policies in California.
• Impede virtually all environmental efforts including habitat conservation, smart growth planning and water and air quality improvement.
• Eliminate rent control along with other tenant protections.

Together with other environmental groups and local governments, Environmental Defense Fund is supporting Prop 99. It protects private property owners from having their property seized for development. Prop 99 preserves a vital property right without compromising the environment."

For more information visit noprop98.org

Endangered Species Day

Today, May 16, is the third annual National Endangered Species Day. Endangered Species Day was declared a national day of observance by the US Senate in 2006. The Senate said that the purpose of the Day is to “encourage the people of the United States to become educated about, and aware of, threats to species, success stories in species recovery, and the opportunity to promote species conservation worldwide.”

Humans Wiping Out Species - BBC Reports

The BBC reports in a new article that wildlife populations are plummeting. The link to the article is
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7403989.stm

Save Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed closing 48 of California's State Parks, including Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park here in Humboldt. This would be a terrible loss for people everywhere and would make it difficult to protect this magnificent old growth forest from poachers. Over 30,000 people visit the park every year, generating nearly $60,000 in revenue for the state. Contact Arnold and ask him to keep our park open. Check out Ranger Dana Johnston's reasons to save Grizzly Creek in the Times-Standard. Also check out what you can do at savestateparks.org and calparks.org

McCain's "Spiritual Guide" Wants America to Destroy Islam

I just watched this very disturbing video. People think that Bush is bad, but if you investigate John McCain, it looks like he could be much worse.

Back From Camp

I had a great time at our camp. I did a lot of hiking and went to the non-violence and climbing workshops. There was a very informative discussion about Pacific Lumber's bankruptcy.

Forest Defense Camp at Grizzly Creek on Friday

The Humboldt Forest Defenders Camp-out will begin Friday at Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park. The park is located 17 miles east of Fortuna on Highway 36, between Carlotta and Bridgeville. Hwy. 36 is 20 miles south of Eureka.

Happenings: Forest Defense Skillshares - Discussions - Hikes (mellow + challenging) - Music - Story Telling - DIY Media - Swimming - Campfires - Games - Group Cookouts

We will be examining recent events in the Pacific Lumber bankruptcy and what the future may hold for the ancient forests of this region.

Free Event, please bring whatever food, funds or other supplies that you can.

Please bring your own camping gear, dishes/utensils.


contact info: (707) 502-0673 mattoledefense@lycos.com

Ride sharing from the Arcata Co-op at noon. If you have a vehicle with room for riders, please stop by the Co-op market on I Street. If you need a ride meet at the Co-op kiosk.

Roger Rodoni Dies in Car Crash

Second District Supervisor Roger Rodoni was killed this afternoon in a car accident on Highway 101, just north of Rio Dell. Besides being a Humboldt County Supervisor, Rodoni was a rancher and was a teacher for nine years. He was born in Scotia. He was on his way to a fundraiser for his reelection campaign when the crash occurred. A biography can be found on his campaign website. His opponent Estelle Fennel announced that she is suspending her campaign. In the comments section on Heraldo's blog it says there’s a statewide rule that if the incumbent dies within 60 days of the election, the vote won’t count and another election day must be set.

Video about Pacific Lumber Company

I ran across this video on the Justice through Jostle blog, and thought I would repost it here as it gives a good background on the problems with the Pacific Lumber Company.

Local Tree-sit on German TV

A German television crew visited the Fern Gully tree-sit in Freshwater last week and the footage was broadcast in Europe last Sunday. View it at: http://www.daserste.de/mediathek_blank/play.asp?cid=25220

Flier for Upcoming Camp

Forest Defense Camp Set to Begin May 2

Humboldt Forest Defenders have announced that there will be a forest defense skillshare and camp in the redwoods. They are inviting old-timers and newcomers alike and plan to release more details soon. My understanding is that the camp will run from May 2 through May 9 and include hikes and discussions about Pacific Lumber's bankruptcy.

My Favorite Open Source Software

I have found it helpful to carry around computer applications on a USB flash drive. I thought I would share some of the apps that I like. Most important is the web browser. I like Portable Firefox best. Other portable browsers I have used are Opera, Avant, The World Browser, Pocket K-meleon, and Portable Sleipnir. For music I like the Foobar2000 MP3 player and Screamer radio. Portable RSSOwl is a good news reader. I also use Spider Player and Evil Player. For photo editing I use Picasa, Photoscape, and Fastone Viewer. For screen capture I use MWSnap. For launching apps I use P-Start, uStart. For video I use VLC media player. And all of the software mentioned above is free. My favorite sites for downloading portable apps are: The Portable Freeware Collection, Softpedia, and PortableApps.com.

SF Chronicle Backs Marathon/MRC Plan

The San Francisco Chronicle today endorsed the Pacific Lumber reorganization plan put forward by Marathon Finance and Mendocino Redwood Company. The Chronicle joins the Times-Standard, EPIC, the Rio Dell City Council, Congressman Mike Thompson, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and others in supporting the MRC plan.