Stumptown Earth First! Shuts Down SW 2nd Ave in front of Portland USFS Headquarters

At 11 am, Stumptown Earth First! shutdown SW 2nd Avenue in downtown Portland in front of the USFS Region 6 Headquarters in protest of the Biscuit Logging Project. One protestor currently swings 20 feet in the air on a tripod structure above the roadway while 30 others rally around.

Nonviolent civil disobedience actions, aimed at keeping chainsaws out of the fragile post-burn recovery area, have already resulted in 48 arrests over the past three weeks in the Biscuit logging project. Today Stumptown Earth First! brings the struggle to save the Biscuit and end logging on public lands to the front doors of the USFS regional headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

?We?re here today to bring the demands of the public to the front doors of the
Forest Service. Logging is not restoration. This wasteful project will increase fire
hazard, harm the local nature-based economy, hurt the regeneration of the forest, and cost the taxpayers millions of dollars," said the protestor perched in the tripod.

The US Forest Service has systematically undermined the public process for
participating in land management decisions related to this project. When the USFS first proposed the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project, they received over 23,000 comments from the public, more than 95% of them expressing opposition and outrage. In response, the Bush Administration gave the USFS unprecedented new powers to declare ?emergency exemptions? and deny the citizens who commented their legal right to appeal the final decision.

The Siskiyou Mountains of Southwest Oregon contain the largest expanse of wildlands left on the west coast of the US and are internationally recognized for the extraordinary biodiversity they support. The Siskiyou National Forest is the most botanically diverse in the nation, and the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area contains the highest concentration of federally-designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the lower 48.

The Biscuit Logging Project targets 31 square miles of sensitive forest areas,
including thousands of acres of roadless areas. This extreme logging is fraudulently billed as restoration, contradicting the opinions of respected scientists, such as Northwest Forest Plan architect Jerry Franklin. The majority of Americans are opposed to the continued logging of native and old growth forests on public lands, yet the US Forest Service continues to undermine the process of public participation while catering to the demands of the timber industry.

Stumptown Earth First! plans to continue protesting the commercial logging of our
national forests. The 25th annual Earth First! national Round River Rendezvous will take place this July in Mt. Hood National Forest outside Portland, Oregon.

Blockade Halts Hauling at Fiddler Timber Sale

Hauling was halted this morning at the Fiddler timber sale after a blockade was placed on Eight Dollar Road at the boundary of the area closure issued this week by the Bureau of Land Management. The first logging truck arrived before 3:30 am, encountering an installation that included a person hanging in a 'bi-pod' approximately twenty-five feet above the center of the road. Two poles supporting the person in the platform angled outward from a Volvo sedan set sideways across the road. A cable lead downward from the top of the poles through the sunroof of the vehicle, providing a point of tension that could not be disturbed without endangering the suspended activist.

The man in the pod identified himself as "Erif" (fire spelled backwards) and sent down a statement that said "The reason why I'm up here is so people see people standing up in non-violent, no-compromise direct action against the timber industry."

Beneath the pod a banner read 'THESE FORESTS NEED FIRE, NOT THE REMOVAL OF OLD GROWTH'. By daybreak at least four logging trucks sat idle in front of the blockade and the area was taped off as a crime scene. Around 35 supporters cheered on the dangling activist from the police line. By 8:30 am the police brought in a cherry picker and Erif climbed down voluntarily. His action stopped log hauling for nearly five hours. An arbitrary arrest was made before dawn when police took a man into custody who was sitting nearby playing a drum. The drum was confiscated as evidence.

This is the latest action is a sustained campaign of civil disobedience that is drawing national attention to the issue of post fire logging. The majority of Americans are opposed to the continued logging of native and old growth forests on public lands, yet the US Forest Service continues to undermine the process of public participation while catering to the demands of the timber industry. A Temporary Restraining Order before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could shut down all logging in the Biscuit fire area as soon as today, and a case underway in another court is seeking a Preliminary Injunction to do the same. Meanwhile, loggers are being allowed to fell trees at a frantic pace before federal courts can rule on the legality of this project.

For ongoing coverage please visit the Rogue Valley Independent Media Center, at www.rogueimc.org.

For background information or to get more information about this multi-faceted campaign, visit www.cascadiarising.org and www.siskiyou.org.

BLM Evicts Green Bridge Base Camp 2

First the Forest Service closed the Green Bridge camp and issued an unconstitutional blanket closure of Fiddler Mountain, extending miles beyond the logging units, and now, at this very moment, the Bureau of Land Management is evicting the new Biscuit base camp.

BLM has visited the camp asking everyone to show ID, photographing license plates, and informing those present of the 14 day camping limit. They threatened to come in at night and photgraph people sleeping if campers would not give their names (they cannot force people to provide ID). The camp is nowhere near the 14 day limit, yet the BLM is busting the camp. BLM officials could provide no written rationale for the closure, but stated, "It's health and safety, just like the Federal closure." This is beyond unconstitutional, this is harrassment. When I spoke with Max Yeager, acting Field Director of the BLM, I asked him if he was aware that the federal closure is unconstitutional and being challeneged on consitutional grounds. He replied, "Yes." The BLM is choosing to violate citizen rights. Please call the BLM and demand an explanation. Make it clear that you support this educational camp and important community gathering place and that the public should not be kicked out of public lands.

Max Yeager is the Acting Field Director
His direct line is 471-6749

While you're at it, give Senator Wyden a call and ask him where he stands on citizens being locked out of public lands. Ask him for a written response on his position on the Biscuit as well as the closure of public lands.

Senator Ron Wyden
Washington, DC
(202) 224-5244

Green Bridge Base Camp Two!

Following the closure order issued by the Forest Service- the campaign to stop the massive Biscuit logging project has established a new base camp just below the closure line on BLM land along the Illinois River. The directions are the same- take Highway 199 from Grants Pass about 25 miles west- past Selma but not quite to Kerby- and take a right onto Eight Dollar Road- go a mile or so and turn left onto a dirt pullout and there our wonderful encampment awaits! If you go all the way to the closure and are turned around by grumpy feds in uniforms- simply turn around and take your first right!

Come one come all! Our momentum is still strong and morale is once again high! We are receiving a ton of community support from cooked meals to fire wood and maintain a high profile in the national media in newspapers, television and radio! Bring gear, food, donations, toys of all sorts and fresh minds and bodies to support the campaign!!!! We can win this one!

You can call the Wild Siskiyou Action phone for quick updates and more info: 541-659-2682

Stay tuned to www.o2collective.org & www.rogueimc.org for ongoing coverage.

Download a flyer to print and distribute in your town!

Biscuit Update - Written from the Josephine County Jail

The people's movement to halt the largest logging project in modern history continues to build momentum after a dramatic week of actions and arrests. The Green Bridge over the Wild and Scenic Illinois River is the site of a growing campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience opposing Bush administration attempts to roll back decades of hard fought environmental protections. The story is receiving major national and even international press - with ongoing coverage in print, television and radio networks.

This Monday's compelling all-women's action was the fourth major demonstration against the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project since logging began within the Fiddler old growth reserve timber sale last week. Twenty-two women were arrested, including Stacy Williams, an expectant mother in her ninth month of pregnancy, supported by her midwife and birthing team. Surrounding her on the Green Bridge over the Illinois River were Harriet Smith, 85, Dot Fisher Smith, 76 and Joan Norman, 72, who went to jail for the forests for the second time this week.

Hanging off the bridge beneath them was Becky White, suspended on a small platform by a rope that crossed the bridge and blocked the convoy of Silver Creek Timber logging trucks from passing for more than seven hours. In addition to the eighteen women on the bridge, another three were arrested in a separate blockade a few miles up the road. A tree-sit occupation remains suspended seventy feet in the canopy of a burned, but living Douglas Fir in logging unit 5 on the border of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.

The Forest Service issued a full closure on the access road to the Fiddler Timber Sale Monday afternoon. The encampment at the Green Bridge is no more. A new base camp is being set up a couple miles upstream from the bridge, just below the closure line, on BLM land off Eight Dollar Road. Our morale is high and the momentum of this campaign is strong. We continue to need fresh minds and bodies to infuse this campaign with new ideas and energy. Join us in the beautiful Siskiyou Mountains!

Federal Judge Michael Hogan finally ruled against the Temporary Restraining Order filed in his court. An emergency appeal is immediately being submitted to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The merits of the case are very strong and it challenges the very purpose and need of post fire logging. It has the potential to shut down logging not just in the old growth reserves but in the unprotected 'matrix' sales as well.

See www.o2collective.org, www.kswild.org, www.siskiyou.org and www.rogueimc.org for more info and updates!

Women's Blockade Slows Down Logging at Fiddler Mountain

22 Arrested in a Creative Display of Resistance

Loggers were greeted in the pre-dawn mist at the mouth of the Green Bridge on the Illinois River by a trio of women in yoga poses and drumming, singing people swaying and dancing.

Over 100 people gathered to witness the Women's Blockade Monday morning. Twenty women were arrested in a diverse array of tactics that halted logging operations in the Fiddler timber sale for nearly seven hours.

As police gave the order to disperse, the first group melted away to witness and support the women holding the line on the Green Bridge. An altar stood before them - fallen cedar branches, glowing candles, serpentine rock cairns and a carved wooden goddess figure. Directly behind the altar sat the elders, surrounding Stacey Williams, whose baby is due to be born later this week. Standing strong in the back row, black-clad women sang and rested their hands on the shoulders of the grandmothers. Prayer flags fluttered and a Bald Eagle soared overhead as the women cast their gazes to the sky and howled.

Behind the line of women, stretched a safety rope, which secured a pod suspended from the bridge. Perched upon the pod was a young woman, smiling and singing along with her sisters above.

Law enforcement moved in, carrying grandmothers and young women to the paddy wagon; just doing their job to open the road to forest destruction. Every woman holding the bridge was arrested, except the pregnant woman and her midwife, who were cited and released.

Several hours passed as officers tried to figure out removal of the pod obstruction and the woman swaying above the blue-green waters of the Illinois. Stymied, they finally called in Search and Rescue teams.

Meanwhile, five miles up the mountain, three women locked-down to each other in a pivotal support role. This little blockade prevented the security guard from driving down to transport loggers up to the units. A bulldozer cleared impromptu rock walls from the roadway, and sheriffs descended upon the women. About ten deputies lifted the women and carried them to the side of the road, opening it to loggers. Still the women held fast and forced deputies to cut them out of their lock boxes.

The paddy wagon turned the bend toward the Green Bridge as we got word of the closure. Supporters hooted and cheered as they drove by.

The on-the-ground campaign to save Fiddler Mountain is one week old; 44 people have been arrested. Resistance continues and a tree-sit is in place in unit seven.

22 Arrests to Stop Controversial Logging in Biscuit

The public movement to stop the largest logging project in modern history is entering a critical new phase as logging within federally designated old growth reserves proceeds. Nonviolent civil disobedience actions, aimed at keeping chainsaws out of the fragile post-burn recovery area have already resulted in 22 arrests. Citizens have vowed to redouble their efforts to stop this destructive incursion into previously protected public lands.

"This broad coalition -- of local woodsmen, business owners, teachers, retirees, sportsmen, students and Earth First! -- is united in a historic confrontation. The outcome of this struggle will impact national forest policy for decades to come," says Laurel Sutherlin of the Oxygen Collective.

On Monday, March 7th an injunction issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals expired. The court had previously ruled that the US Forest Service broke its own laws while preparing the sale. The Ninth Circuit will hear the case on March 22, but the Forest Service has refused to halt the sale until then. This weeks actions occur after a broad-based, multi-year campaign by local and national organizations failed to stop the US Forest Service from moving forward with this extreme logging plan.

The US Forest Service has systematically undermined the public process for participating in land management decisions related to this project. When the USFS first proposed the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project, they received over 23,000 comments from the public, more than 95% of them expressing opposition and outrage. In response, the Bush Administration gave the USFS unprecedented new powers to declare "emergency exemptions" and deny the citizens who commented their legal right to appeal the final decision.

The Siskiyou Mountains of Southwest Oregon contain the largest expanse of Wildlands left on the West Coast of the US and are internationally recognized for the extraordinary biodiversity they support. The Siskiyou National Forest is the most botanically diverse in the nation, and the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Area contains the highest concentration of federally-designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the lower 48.

The areas threatened with logging lie within the 500,000-acre perimeter of the 2002 Biscuit Fire Area. This steep and rugged landscape has an ancient relationship with fire and the fire-adapted ecosystems here depend on fire to sustain their habitat diversity. The Biscuit Fire burned in a natural mosaic pattern across the mountains and according to the Pacific Biodiversity Institute, sixty-four percent of the area within the fire boundary either did not burn at all or burned at cool temperatures along the forest floor.

"What some people don't understand is that a burned forest is not dead. It is a living, regenerating forest. It is habitat. In fact, naturally recovering fire-affected forests are among the most rare ecosystems on earth," says Shelley Elkovich of Ashland.

The forest is indeed currently undergoing a natural regeneration process that would be retarded by industrial logging and the accompanying heavy equipment. Logging in a post-burn landscape removes the future nutrient potential stored in the dead snags, causes soil compaction and erosion, and introduces invasive, nonnative species into the area. The resulting runoff threatens the salmon-bearing streams below with unhealthy sediment loads.

"This project will cause massive erosion and run-off, further degrading one the most valuable resources we all share - water. The high quality watershed of the Illinois River Valley, the region's last free-flowing river, is already stressed by historically rock-bottom snowpack levels and a century of unsustainable resource extraction. It can't take any more abuse," said Kerul Dyer with the Biscuit Alliance.

Old Growth Reserve Logging Begins at Biscuit

11 Arrested at Fiddler Timber Sale Blockade
John West of Silver Creek Logging Co. anticipated a fight over Fiddler Mountain. With 85 loggers ready to go, he expressed his intent to begin logging once a court mandate allowed controversial old growth reserve timber sales in the Biscuit Fire area to proceed. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued that mandate this morning, opening the fight West promised.

As dawn broke on the Green Bridge over the Illinois River near Selma this morning, 75 people gathered to block old growth reserve logging at the Fiddler Timber Sale. Forest Service law enforcement officers and Josephine County Sheriffs escorted loggers to the site at 6:30 am where they encountered a large crowd effectively blocking all access to the sale units.

After issuing an order to disperse, 72-year-old Selma resident Joan Norman sat in the middle of the bridge, refusing to move. "We have no laws in our forest so we will be the law," said Norman, before law enforcement officers carried her off to be arrested, charging her with interfering with an agricultural operation. Two other individuals were arrested at the Green Bridge.

As the caravan of law enforcement and loggers moved beyond the blockade at the Green Bridge, they encountered more trouble approximately four miles up the road. At a bend in the road, three forest defenders were locked down to a red pickup truck cemented into the road.

Using a tow truck, a power saw, and bolt cutters, law enforcement officers were able to remove the three people locked to the vehicle. Five other people passively resisted being removed from the blockade site and were arrested.

With the blockades removed, loggers were able to move to the lower units of the Fiddler sale and began falling trees. Ten to twelve loggers worked a shortened day, falling numerous large trees in the heavily burned unit.

Fiddler is one of five old growth reserve sales in the Biscuit Fire area opened to loggers by this morning's court mandate. On Wednesday, March 9, Federal District Judge Michael Hogan will hear a motion for a temporary restraining order to stop logging. Another court case is scheduled for late March.

In the meantime, Silver Creek Logging Co. plans to continue falling trees at Fiddler before a judge can weigh in on the merits of the case. Forest defenders vowed to continue demonstrating against these controversial sales.

Earlier reports:
Arrests at Fiddler Timber Sale

Biscuit/Fiddler Update - Old Growth Logging Begins

Blockade: Fiddler (Biscuit) Timber Sale

Eleven Arrested Protesting LSR Logging

Camp out to oppose old growth logging!

The campaign to stop the largest logging project in modern history is entering a critical new phase- and Southern Oregon forest defenders are calling on all allies who are able to gather for a camp out at the Green Bridge on the Illinois River. Logging is set to begin in designated old growth reserves on Monday, March 7th. Gather for a ho-down campout sunday the 6th and wake up for a colorful demonstration Monday morning.

Green Bridges

The campaign to stop the largest logging project in modern history is entering a critical new phase- and Southern Oregon forest defenders are calling on all allies who are able to gather for a camp out at the Green Bridge on the Illinois River. The Green Bridge is a symbolic and literal gateway to the expansive roadless wildlands of the Siskiyou Mountains beyond. This is an inclusive and ongoing encampment ready to receive helpful people now. Specifically, folks are asked to sleep by the river Sunday March 6th and attend a mass demonstration Monday morning, March 7th, the day the first-ever logging within designated old growth reserves is set to begin.

The Green Bridge is a rallying point for those who wish to show their opposition to the so-called Biscuit Fire Recovery Project, an extreme logging scheme that would remove tens of thousands of log trucks from remote regions of unmanaged native forest. A small group of local organizers are camping beneath the bridge on the bank of the picturesque Illinois River. The camp is becoming the public face of a growing campaign that is increasingly supported by old timers and locals who bring food, warm clothes and camp fire songs to share with those gathered.

This serpentine wonderland surrounding the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area is ground zero in the Bush Administration’s aggressive attempts to gut hard fought legal protections for old growth reserves, inventoried roadless areas and salmon-bearing streams. This is a crucial moment in an historic campaign that will set precedent for forest policy for decades to come, and we need your help now.

The Green Bridge is located a few miles up the Eight Dollar Road which leads into the Babyfoot Lake Trailhead entrance to the Siskiyou Wildlands, also known as the Fiddler Late Successional Reserve Timber Sale. From Grants Pass in Southern Oregon, take highway 199 west about 25 miles between Selma and Kerby, then turn onto Eight Dollar Road. Go until you see the green bridge. There will be caravans leaving the ELAW conference in Eugene on Sunday the 6th. Please organize ride shares from your area.