Fw: Student Lockdown at Region 1 Headquarters
lotus (lotus@bewellnet.com)
Wed, 1 Oct 1997 01:16:18 -0600
----------
> From: Storm <storm@wildrockies.org>
> To: cove@moscow.com
> Cc: earthfirst@igc.apc.org; cmn@aei.ca; caryfitz@cisco.com;
hollyshemp@marsweb.com; amberose@aztec.asu.edu;
bower@admin.chem.purdue.edu; bower@biochem.purdue.edu; lotus@bewellnet.com;
mendicott@igc.apc.org
> Subject: Student Lockdown at Region 1 Headquarters
> Date: Tuesday, September 30, 1997 8:23 PM
>
> >Mime-Version: 1.0
> >Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 13:45:07 -0600
> >To: wild-rockies-alerts@wildrockies.org
> >From: wild-rockies-alerts@wildrockies.org (Wild Rockies InfoNet)
> >Subject: Student Lockdown at Region 1 Headquarters
> >
> >Student Lockdown at Region 1 Headquarters
> >
> >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> >
> >From: University of Montana's ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COMMUNITY
> >Where: Forest Service Region 1 Headquarters in Missoula. Pine & Pattee
> >When: Today @ 8:30 AM, September 30, 1997
> >Who: University of Montana Students
> >Contact: Glenn @ (406) 542-7343
> >
> >What: A group of about 20 students locked the front doors of the Forest
> >Service Headquarters and constructed a 25 foot high tripod in front of
the
> >headquarter's main entrance doors. One student climbed and occupied the
> >tripod. Four others lockedown in protest; 1 to the headquarter doors, 2
to
> >the staircase railings, and 1 to the legs of the tripod.
> >
> >Why: The group calls for the Forest Service to:
> >
> >1) Immediately halt the illegal Cove/Mallard timber sale now being cut
in
> >the Nez Perce Forest of Central Idaho.
> >
> >These sales fail to comply with conditions imposed by the National
Marine
> >Fisheries Service. The Forest Service is endangering the threatened
Snake
> >River Chinook Salmon, in violation of the Endangered Species Act.
Further,
> >by increasing sediment levels in Big Mallard and Little Mallard Creeks,
> >both of which have been declared Water Quality Limited by the state of
> >Idaho, the Forest Service is violating the Clean Water Act. In
addition,
> >the Cove/Mallard timber sales are based on Environmental Impact
Statements
> >produced in 1990. To comply with the law, a Supplemental EIS must be
> >produced.
> >
> >2) Stop building roads into all roadless areas in the region.
> >
> >3) Have Region 1 Forest Service Supervisor Hal Salwasser publicly face
the
> >group to address these demands and attempt to defend the injustice the
> >Forest Service is perpetrating by allowing logging in roadless areas on
> >public land.
> >
> >For background, see the attached sheet.
> >
> >Bryce Smedley, one of the lockdowns and founder of the Environmental
Action
> >Community, points out, "I'm here today to protect the largest remaining
> >roadless area in the lower 48 states. This area is perfect habitat for
the
> >Grizzly and many other threatened and endangered species that we need to
> >protect. Building subsidized roads and clearcuts in Cove/Mallard will
ruin
> >the diversity of a healthy ecological corridor that connects three major
> >wilderness areas."
> >
> >Activist, John R. Plate stated, "The present logging operation in
> >Cove/Mallard Idaho represents all that is wrong with our Forests
Service.
> >These outlandish, wrong acts to our public wildlands call for drastic
and
> >extreme measures."
> >
> >Wes Delano contends that, "The situation at Cove/Mallard is a perfect
> >example of how the USFS has taken the "public" out of the public lands.
> >When the courts refuse to react to public outcry, we are left with only
one
> >recourse: the actions you are seeing today. This morning I made the move
to
> >put my body on the line to make this point."
> >
> >-30-
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Background: The Cove/Mallard timber sale in the Nez Pierce National
Forest
> >in Central Idaho has all the symptoms of the Forest Service's failing
land
> >use policies. A poster child of the misguiding land use policies in the
> >West, the sale calls for 200 clearcuts and 145 miles of new roads in a
> >76,000 acre roadless area. All this at an estimated cost of only $6
> >million to the taxpayer, for preparing the sale and road subsides,
bringing
> >out 26,000 truck loads of timber-and profit-to a timber company.
> >
> >It's hard to describe the subtle ecological treasure of Cove/Mallard. It
> >isn't the most spectacular landscape in the West. Its magnificence
comes
> >rather from its wild expanses and diverse wildlife. Cove/Mallard is home
> >not only to deer, elk, moose, cougar and an array of smaller critters,
but
> >also numerous rare, threatened and endangered species, including bull
> >trout, chinook salmon, steelhead, westslope cutthroat trout, fisher,
> >martin, lynx, wolverine, river otter, gray wolf, bald eagle, golden
eagle,
> >boreal and flamulated owl, goshawk and winter wren.
> >
> >This (previously) roadless area forms the only viable migration corridor
> >between the Gospel Hump and River of No Return Wilderness areas. These
in
> >turn lay in the middle of a 26 million acre complex of national forests,
> >roadless and wilderness areas known as the Greater Salmon/Selway
> >Ecosystem-the largest untouched ecosystems in the lower forty-eight.
> >Relatively untouched that is, as every year logging intrudes on
unprotected
> >roadless areas.
> >
> >The Cove/Mallard timber sales have been marked with controversy since
they
> >were first proposed in the late 1980's, and have faced citizen
resistance
> >on many levels. In addition to appeals, lawsuits, citizen monitoring,
and
> >grassroots organizing, these sales are the site of the longest running
> >campaign of non-violent direct action on National Forest lands today.
> >Since 1992, over 100 brave citizens have been arrested placing their own
> >bodies in the way of the saws, taking a stand and declaring that
> >Cove/Mallard will survive intact.
> >
> >On September 17, 1997, after 74 days, the second longest timber sale
> >blockade in US history was busted. This was no simple tree-sit. The
Forest
> >Service had to bring in a 50 foot high "cherry picker" over seventy
miles
> >to take down activists sitting on platforms suspended from four huge
wooden
> >tripods and bipods. But before they could even get to the sitters, they
> >had to deal with the "Dragon."
> >
> >The Dragon consists of a metal pipe large enough to put your arms
through,
> >with a metal pin welded in the center. The pin is positioned so you to
clip
> >or lock a small chain to it, with the other end locked around your
wrist.
> >This set up is then encased in a pear shaped concrete slab, and buried
in
> >the ground. Above the dragon sat a carefully constructed huge pile of
slash
> >timber (left over from roadbuilding). It took authorities over seven
hours
> >to cut and chisel out the blockader locked into it.
> >
> >The Forest Service cannot be allowed to continue to ignore these
protests
> >simply because they take place many hours drive from a major media
center.
> >Thus, this protest at the Forest Service Region 1 Headquarters.
> >
>
> Storm Waters
> Box 9286
> Missoula, MT 59807
> 406-728-0867 (phone/fax)
> storm@wildrockies.org
>
>
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