Earlier this week, Forest Defenders reported that the Rainbow Ridge forest in the Rattlesnake Creek watershed is being cut. The forest needs you to help protect it from further destruction!
On Nov. 4, log trucks headed into Humboldt Redwood Company (HRC) timberlands encountered a 30-foot tripod blocking the road with a forest defender perched at the apex. The forest defender called for HRC to stop cutting trees on Rainbow Ridge, where the forest contains some of the largest unprotected Douglas fir and hardwood stands in Northern California. There is also an outcry from residents and forest defenders alike that the logging now creates a heightened risk of forest fire.
This marks the second week of work stoppages in the “Rainbow Ranch” timber harvest plan, located immediately west of Humboldt Redwood State Park in the Mattole River watershed. The tripod blocked vehicle access to the worksite for two hours before a logger bulldozed a road cut through the steep hillside below the tripod, letting multiple trucks through before Humboldt County Sheriffs arrived and told workers not to use this road due to safety concerns.
A forest defender stated, “These logging operations have local and global implications. HRC’s timber harvesting violates a unique watershed that has seen decades of successful restoration work. Meanwhile, in the face of climate change and mass extinction, we cannot afford to sacrifice carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots. Rainbow Ridge is both.” Meanwhile, local residents rallied at the logging road access gate, decrying HRC’s lack of community accountability.
By mid-morning, the sheriffs were cutting the legs of the tripod, endangering the sitter. The sitter was badly bruised, before being arrested and taken away. Forest defense actions have continued all this week.
This diverse forest is a habitat corridor for endangered species, connecting the Lost Coast Wilderness to the redwoods that are just inland. The ecosystem of old Douglas fir, Madrone, and oak, harbors northern spotted owls, Pacific fishers, and many other threatened and rare animals and plants. Scientists say this area, along with the other conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest, sequester two times more carbon than the Amazon.
Here is how you can help:
Email Humboldt Earth First! – who can meet you and find ways to get you plugged into the resistance based on skills and interests. We will be organizing Non-Violent Direct Action trainings. Let us know when you’re coming! (efhum@riseup.net)
Tell your friends! And bring them to the training!
Check out the FB page Save the Mattole’s Ancient Forests for updates. There are dramatic videos uploaded that show logging crew individuals cutting into a tree right next to a protester.
Find support in transitioning away from using new materials, and be vocal about it! Discover other lifestyle-activist tactics that do not perpetuate capitalism and resource extraction.