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| Forest defender jailed through Christmas For Immediate Release - Contact: Jamie Harris (707)441-0702 The Grizzly Creek timber harvest plans were quiet this Christmas, but things were hardly quiet for Kim Starr, Humboldt Co. resident of 10 years. Kim spent Christmas eve and day in jail for caring about our ancient trees and rivers. Kim was arrested on December 19th with three other demonstrators, who were previously released. Kim was bailed out by a donation from a concerned citizen. Early afternoon December 19th, near Grizzly Creek, four non-violent forest activists, including Starr were arrested while protesting Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Co.'s logging in their residual old growth. The arrests occurred when two activists suspended themselves from a bridge in hammocks over the rushing waters of Grizzly Creek in the Van Duzen River watershed, blocking the way into the two active timber harvest plans (THPs). Apart from Christmas eve and day, palco has been cutting non-stop in Gypsy Mountain and OeTexas, and even picked up the pace on Sunday to make up for the short holiday lull. Tree-sitters have been up through both Thanksgiving and Christmas, giving up time normally spent with family and friends. The protested THPs in the Van Duzen watershed, part of the well-known Headwaters Forest include intended clear-cuts ( plan #01-382) on Gypsy Mountain, where activist David Gypsy Chain was killed in 1998 by an angry logger falling a tree on him. Along with plan # 00-439, which PL calls Texas due to its shape and size (and the desert it could become), these areas of threatened forest, are Class E (highest protection rating) Marbled Murrelet habitat, containing old growth Redwood and Douglas Fir trees, and many other endangered species such as spotted owls, red tree voles, bald eagles, and coho salmon.. The "Texas" THP is 160 acres of residual old growth, trees similar in size to those on the Avenue of the Giants. Prior to the hostile takeover by Charles Hurwitz, owner of Maxxam Corp., Palco was engaged in sustainable logging practices but has been exporting raw logs since the shut down most of the Palco mills, and contracts loggers from out of state, pulling money and jobs directly out of the community on multiple levels. The day before the abovementioned protest at Grizzly Creek, Sue Maloney came to a rally near Gypsy Mountain to show solidarity with fellow non-violent forest defenders. Sue recently protested unsustainable timber harvest practices by means of a 52-day hunger strike in hopes that Gov. Gray Davis would uphold his campaign promise from 4 years ago that "every old growth tree would be spared from the lumber jacks axe". Ms. Starr hopes that ,,...those of us crying out for living, wild Earth will be heard before the true criminals destroy all that is vital, wild, and wise." Says nine month long tree-sitter Remedy. "Maxxam/Palco owns the largest tract of old growth Redwoods in the world. In a week we may not be able to say that anymore."  << Back to Press Release Archive | Latest Press Release | Newsroom | | 
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Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters (BACH) is a project of the Ecology Center. Website design facilitated by Trees Foundation. © BACH |
