One of the great tragedies of the republican attacks on the constitution (Republicans hate the constitution - how about that for a slogan?), human rights, and middle eastern children is that a great many issues that most of us care deeply about can't garner the attention they merit, or would have meritted if US bombs weren't being used to kill children (sorry - I was incredibly moved by Amy Goodman's
Democracy Now! inteview with Robert Fisk in Lebanon yesterday, continued today). Perhaps this is as it should be - we've got to fight the most important fights first, and there are many of them.
But... yesterday I received an email from the Oxygen Collective about an issue I have cared deeply about for many years - the destruction of western forests via logging.
The O2Collective is just one manifestation of a group of dedicated activists that we should all admire - they are on the ground and in the trees working to save the forests that they love. They talk, but not much. Mostly they act - by sitting in trees, holding rallies, blocking log trucks, and getting arrested. I know a lot of Kossacks are real-world activists as well, but these folks deserve a special hat tip.
The email announced a sad milestone in the Bush administration's systematic dismantling of Clinton's efforts to ban logging in roadless areas in National Forests:
August 7th is now cast as a dark day for America's forests and the people who love them. For the first time since 2000, loggers will begin felling ancient forests in a formerly protected roadless area.
A little background:
After years of tireless work by millions of Americans on behalf of wildlands, in January 2001, the Clinton Administration put in place a regulation protecting 58.5 million acres of roadless National Forests. These areas are the cream of the crop of pristine, otherwise unprotected wild places: some of the biggest trees, the wildest rivers, and last refuges for endangered wildlife.
Ever since, the Bush Administration has been working to undo these protections in order to log, mine, and drill these precious areas. Bush gets his way on August 7th, when logging begins in Mike's Gulch, located in the extraordinary South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area of the Siskiyou-Rogue River National Forest [in Southwestern Oregon].
The USDA Forest Service is using the massive Biscuit Fire of several years ago as an excuse to get into forests that the timber companies have had their eyes on for many years.
The Bush Administration claims that governors are allowed to petition for protection of roadless areas in their states. The petitions are not due until this Fall. The Administration promised interim protection for all roadless areas pending review of those petitions.
The Administration has broken this promise at Mike's Gulch.
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongowski has called repeatedly for full protection of all 1.9 million acres of roadless Oregon forest. Ignored by the Bush Administration he is now suing the Administration in federal court.
But of course we know that the repubs prefer a massive centralized national government that makes decisions for the states.
At any rate, this is the region where I grew up. Some of my fondest memories come from spending a week each summer at scout camp in the Illinois River drainage, near the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. Here is a photo I snapped last summer. You can see the damage the fires did to my scout camp, but you can also see that many trees are still alive and the forest is doing just fine, thanks, without the log trucks.
I can't be there, but those of you in the Oregon/Northern California area might like to participate in:
A massive protest to decry this precedent-setting destruction that will take place at the Siskiyou-Rogue River National Forest Service office, 333 W. 8th St. in Medford [Southern Oregon - near Ashland] at noon on August 7th.
Our message is "Roadless is Priceless." T-shirts bearing this message will be available. In addition, please bring the following props: Oregon State flags, potted baby trees, colorful signs and costumes.
After the rally, all who choose to are invited to participate in a peaceful act of civil disobedience. We plan to express our discontent with Bush forest policy by staging a peaceful sit-in or simple line-crossing. Details will not likely be worked out until the morning of the 7th but all are welcome to participate on that day.
This event is designed for the whole family. Please bring everyone you love. Car pools are planned from Eugene, Portland and the Illinois Valley.
So go wave a tree for me. Visit the Oxygen Collective website to donate and for more information and links to other groups of dedicated activists. Thanks.
This issue is not going away and it is not just an Oregon issue, as you know.
The Bush Administration has just announced that it will sell a second roadless area off to loggers. The Blackberry sale, in the North Kalmiopsis Roadless area is set to be auctioned on August 4th, once again at the Siskiyou-Rogue River National Forest Office in Medford.
Meanwhile roadless logging is planned this winter in New Hampshire, Minnesota, Wyoming and elsewhere. The Administration is also moving aggressively to grant permits for oil and gas exploration in roadless areas in Colorado.
More background on Mike's Gulch (fot those still reading):
The area was burned in the 2002 Biscuit Fire. Like many areas at Biscuit it is in full natural recovery. A study this year showed that natural restocking levels for conifers meets Forest Service guidelines. Another study recently showed that logging retards natural recovery and increases the threat of future fires after logging operations.
The area to be logged is on steep slopes and sits above the Wild and Scenic Illinois River. That river is world-class salmon habitat. The sale area is filled with wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife.
The South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area is Oregon's largest. Logging may disqualify this area and surrounding areas from future protection as Wilderness.
More information on the Klamath Siskiyou bioregion is available from Rogue IMC and KS Wild.