British Columbia Rainforest Blockade Ends: Twenty four people were arrested June 24th in one of British Columbia's longest running and most effective protests to stop clearcutting of the province's ancient rainforests. The blockade by the Nuxalk First Nation and four environmental groups, stopped all clearcut logging by International Forest Products (Interfor) at Ista on King Island, British Columbia, for a total of eighteen days.

Forty members of the RCMP descended on the blockade, and arrested 24 people who were preventing Interfor contractors from clearcutting Ista. This blockade has brought the total arrests at Ista to 46.

The blockade site, Ista, is sacred to the Nuxalk Nation. It is the place, according to the Nuxalk creation story, where the first woman descended to the world. The Great Bear Rainforest, of which Ista is a part, contains the world's largest remaining areas of temperate rainforest.

The King Island blockade began on June 6 after eight hereditary chiefs of the Nuxalk Nation invited environmentalists to the area to participate in an effort to stop the clearcut logging. Ista was the site of 22 arrests in 1995, 17 of which were Nuxalk first nation people.

For more info contact Gavin Edwards, Forest Action Network, Box 625, Bella Coola, B.C., Canada V0T 1C0; 250-799-5800.

Scalping and Head Bashing of Protester in Grants Pass: On June 4, 15 people were arrested for protesting at the China Left timber sale in southwest Oregon. When two women went to court on disorderly conduct charges from the June 4 arrests, the judge placed them under arrest when they would not agree to a release agreement. Soon after, the judge modified the conditions, which the two agreed to, and the jail began to process them for release.

While one of the women was getting her picture taken an officer smashed her head against a wall, which knocked her unconscious. She was revived and then dragged up on a chair by an officer using two handfuls of hair. She was then put in solitary confinement for 18 hours without an explanation. She suffered a concussion and two 2" by 1/2" bald spots on her head.

On Friday, June 13, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) gave the green light for logging in the China Left timber sale to contiune. (ETS! #39, June 3.) Clearcutting was halted on June 5th when regulations for the protection of coho salmon under the Endangered Species Act went into effect. The NMFS has now released for logging all but five of the 16 ancient forest units.

For more info or to help out contact Kalmiopsis Earth First!, P.O. Box 383, Cave Junction OR 97523.

Blockade At Cove/Mallard Idaho: The road to the Noble timber sale, one of nine proposed sales in central Idaho's Cove/Mallard wildlands, was occupied June 16 by citizens demanding that the sales be halted. One person was perched forty feet above the road, sitting in a tripod which blocked the access of all vehicles and machinery. This marks the start of a sixth year of nonviolent civil disobedience to stop the Cove/Mallard sales.

Cove/Mallard is a region of unprotected wildlands at the heart of the largest unroaded forest in the lower 48 states. It is adjacent to three designated Wilderness Areas. The Forest Service proposes to build 145 miles of roads and log an estimated 16,000 truckloads of timber.

Jammin' in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest: A base camp for forest defenders has been established in the Jammin' Timber Sale of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This sale is approximately 60 miles east of Portland (Vancouver, WA) in south central Washington.

Ten days prior to the expiration of the Salvage Timber Rider, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest sold the Jammin timber sale to the Vanport Company. Jammin' is in the Little Huckleberry Mountain Roadless area. Over 300 acres will be logged, much of it by helicopter due to the steep slopes. This area abuts the Lava Beds / Red Mountain / Bear Creek Roadless complex of about 30,000 acres which is the only portion of the Littler White Salmon River Drainage that is still intact. The remaining portion has been heavily clearcut.

Cutting of this old growth forest could begin in mid July. To help save this forest contact Seattle EF! (206-632-2954) or Pacific Crest Biodiversity Project (206-545-3734).

Activism Works!: A week after protestors occupied the Forest Research Facility in Seattle's U-District and dangled from an adjoining billboard, protesting the June 4 anniversary of logging on public lands, AK Media NW (your friendly Ackerley empire) dismantled the billboard.