Forest Update

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Water Board caves to PL pressure despite rivers of evidence


Pepper Spray by Q-tip civil rights trial nears, trial-related events in Bay Area

Forest activist get-together next week (April 7)


Day of Action for forests at Victoria's Secret April 14


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WATER REGULATORS CAVE
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On March 10, we alerted this list regarding the March 16 North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB) public hearing in Santa Rosa to consider demands by Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Co. (PL) for authorization to conduct extensive logging in two of its severely fractured watersheds, Elk River and Freshwater Creek.


The March 16 hearing before the Water Board followed a hearing on the same issue in Eureka Feb. 23 after which the NCRWQCB's executive officer agreed to withdraw challenge to half of the logging plans Maxxam/PL had been pressuring the agency to sign off on. The logging plans are located in watersheds (Elk River and Freshwater Creek) federally listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act because of previous damage, subjecting the logging to site-specific regulations related to sediment discharge. Those specific regs are not yet released, the Water Quality staff says, because of delays by PL in submitting necessary information. PL has brought extraordinary pressure on the water agency to enroll the logging plans under the old, general regulations, even to the extent of issuing threats to the executive officer Catherine Kuhlman after her decision in February. However, instead of standing up to Maxxam/PL's outrageous bullying tactics, the Board increased the enrollment of timber harvest plans in the old, inadequate standards to 75% of PL's demand.


It is difficult to understand the Board's logic, given the superb presentations by the Humboldt Watershed Council and residents, bringing irrefutable evidence before the Board related to the company's bad business management, disregard for neighboring residents' property, demonstrated destruction of fish habitat and long standing record of violations of law. But the decision by the NCRWQC Board, had little to do with logic and bought into Maxxam/PL reps' arguments that approving logging plans that allow the company to stay afloat will allow PL to "fix" damage in those watersheds.


The Humboldt Watershed Council, EPIC and the Sierra Club have requested a stay of the Water Board's decision: that stay request will be heard in Sacramento on April 5 (1:30 pm, Cal/EPA Bldg., 1001 I St.)


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P E P P E R S P R A Y T R I A L I I I
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The civil rights lawsuit that Headwaters Forest activists brought against law enforcement after liquid pepper spray was swabbed into their eyes with Q-tips at sit-in protests will be heard in federal court in San Francisco in April. The charge of excessive force was first heard in 1998, the year after the protests when people were pepper sprayed, and after a hung jury, the judge threw the case out. The appeals court reinstated the case, removed that judge for bias, and after long delays it came to trial last September, when two hold-out jurors narrowly prevented justice from being delivered.


The jury deadlocked, 6-2 for the plaintiffs (activists), bringing us to the present trial. The third time's the charm. The trial needs and deserves your support: Come to the courtroom, donate to the case, volunteer to help. The trial start date is April 12, but may change because of a trial the same judge is hearing. Hotline for public info is 510-835-6303. Trial takes place at the SF Federal Bldg, 450 Golden Gate, near Civic Center BART. You must have a photo i.d. to enter the federal building. Exact times will be in a notice to this list when we know if the April 12 start date is firm. Volunteers are needed for **flyering in the Bay Area, **helping update our media lists, **helping as a media intern, **helping raise funds for legal costs. We will have the latest info at BACH's 4/7 meeting (below). Lots of info at http://www.nopepperspray.org


~~~~~~~UPCOMING EVENTS RELATED TO THE PEPPER SPRAY TRIAL:
**Bay Area premier of the film "FOREST FOR THE TREES: JUDI BARI VS THE FBI". Wed., April 6, 7pm at La Pena, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley (near the Ashby BART). Benefit for pepper spray trial, plaintiffs will speak.


**David Nelson with the Flying Other Brothers
featuring Pete Sears (Rolling Stones, Jefferson Starship), Barry Sless (Phil And Friends) and
Jimmy Sanchez: Sunday, April 17, 2005, 7 pm. Twelve Galaxies Nightclub, 2565 Mission St., S.F. Masters of Ceremony: Chet Helms and Wavy Gravy


**SOLIDARITY RALLY: April 18. Location tba


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F O R E S T A C T I V I S T G E T - T O G E T H E R
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Join other forest activists THURS., APRIL 7 for our monthly round table at the Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave., Oakland, 5 blocks south of Rockridge BART. We gather at 7 pm, and will screen "Fire In the Eyes", a film by Earth Films made about the use of pepper spray on non-violent protesters.


We will also have the latest info on the timber harvest plans under consideration by the Water Quality agency, comment opportunities on the mammoth SPI logging plan in Humboldt county, the pepper spray trial dates and updates from recent forest summit, including the new HOT SPOTS map we will bring to the meeting. Bring snacks and drinks to share, and adjourn to McNalley's for further discussion.


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F O R E S T E T H I C S S A Y S V I C T O R I A ' S S E C R E T K I L L S T R E E S
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Victoria's Secret prints 395 million catalogs each year predominately on virgin paper from Endangered Forests. On April 14th there will be a National Day of Action against Victoria's Secret challenging Victoria's Secret to stop using paper coming from the world's last remaining Endangered Forests and switching to high post-consumer recycled paper.


For Fact Sheets, Postcards, or other materials write to catalogs@forestethics.org, call 1-800-725-0087 or visit http://www.victoriasdirtysecret.net
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