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.