Forest Defenders Table at Trinity Tribal Stomp

Humboldt Forest Defenders set up an information table at the 2007 Trinity Tribal Stomp in Junction City, California. There was a lot of great music and a strong sense of community. A sunrise ceremony on Sunday morning was dedicated to honoring the memory of long-time activist Corbin Harney, who died recently.

Ancient Redwood Spooner Still Threatened

Spooner is a huge, ancient redwood tree that is almost 300 feet tall and is estimated to be as much as 2,000 years old. Marked to be cut down by Pacific Lumber Company, Spooner is located in the Nanning Creek watershed, near Scotia, Ca. Activists began sitting in Spooner two summers ago and have set traverse lines to protect the surrounding grove of trees. For more information go to http://spoonerdirect.org

Some Photos from the Mattole

Arcata People Project Protests for Human Rights

For the past nine days the People Project has been protesting the criminalization of homelessness as a human rights violation. On Saturday, April 21 they established a protest encampment that was raided by the police on April 25. Eighteen protesters were arrested. Many suffered injuries during the arrest. The encampment moved to City Hall for two days, and then moved to 14th And Union Streets. Tomarrow the protesters will rally there and march back to City Hall to be at the City Council meeting. For more information visit http://peopleproject.wordpress.com

Demonstration Tree Sit at Arcata 420 Fest

Yesterday, Humboldt County forest defenders put up a demonstration tree sit and banner hang at the Arcata 420 Festival in Redwwood Park. They were trying to make the public aware that ancient forest is still being cut and get people interested in supporting the tree sits in Nanning Creek and Fern Gully. Police estimated that about 3500 people attended the annual event.

Step It Up 2007 - Cut Carbon 80% by 2050

Last Saturday, I was part of the Step It Up campaign to tell Congress to cut carbon 80% by 2050. Over 1300 actions were planned nationwide. Locally, people planted 500 native willow trees. It is very disturbing to me to see that some people still deny that global warming is a real problem. They seem to think that Al Gore just made it all up to further his own importance, and then hypnotized or bribed all the world's scientists into going along. I suppose they think that only the tireless effort of Exxon-Mobil to debunk Gore's idea- will save us all. It's the worst kind of insanity. Another disturbing development is that the timber industry is using global warming as an excuse to cut all the remaining old growth. The extreme craziness and evil is becoming overwhelming to me.

April 13: Day of Action Against SPI

Activists have called for a "Day of Action" on Friday the 13th of April to expose the devastating clearcutting done by Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) in the forests of the Sierra Nevada. These forests are rich in biodiversity, providing a home to bald eagles, giant sequoias and pacific fishers. People are being offered a variety of activities big and small, including delivering letters to stores that sell wood, calling SPI headquarters and handing out information. Sierra Pacific is the largest landowner in California. Although the focus of this action is logging in Eastern California, SPI is also causing terrible destruction here on the North Coast. The photo above is of a log truck that I recently saw coming out of an SPI logging plan in Davis Creek, right next to the Mattole watershed. Sierra Pacific has also been logging in the Bear Creek watershed. The logs in the photo are probably headed to the SPI mill on Samoa Blvd. in Manila (right next to Arcata). For more information go to forestethics.org or call 415-863-4563 ext.328.

New Blog

I just created a new blog about Arcata. The Arcata Reporter will cover news and entertainment events that I come across in Arcata, California.

Please sign my petition to the Governator to save Mattole

I just created an online petition to Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger, asking him to take measures to protect what remains of the old growth forests in the Mattole watershed. About 2000 acres of old growth is left. This unique ecosystem provides habitat for endangered species. A tiny pecentage of the original old growth forest in California is left. Pacific Lumber has been known for its unsustainable logging practices since it was taken over by Texas based Maxxam Corporation. These practices have harmed water quality and downsteam residents. Steps could be taken to purchase the land or to ban old growth logging. To sign this petition click here.

Redwood Peace and Justice Center

I want to thank the Redwood Peace and Justice Center for giving me use of their space and computers for my forest activism, and our People Project meetings. The Redwood Peace and Justice Center is a nonprofit community project which provides a resource network and physical space to empower local organizations and individuals committed to education and action in human rights, social justice, and nonviolence. Groups use the center for meetings, outreach, and organizing. The center brings different perspectives to the public through their retail space and info shop, and sells locally made handcrafts and fair trade imports as an alternative to corporate sweat shop manufactured goods. To contact them or make a donation go to http://rpjc.net/