Swap Or We Cut!

In ETS! #33 we reported on the proposed swap of Plum Creek Timber Company land for National Forest land in the Wenatchee Forest near Snoqualmie Pass. The land owned (illegally) by Plum Creek was passed down to them from lands granted to Great Northern Pacific Railroad--lands that were supposed to be auctioned to settlers at no more than $2.50 per acre. Now Plum Creek is saying: "close the deal by December 31, or we will accelerate the logging in the lands involved."

Is that like saying "give me the money or I'll shoot?" Is this a hostage situation? Sure is. Plum Creek is also threatening to ask Congress to mandate a plan that would reduce opportunities to appeal or litigate the swap. Congressional approval of the swap would truncate the National Environmental Policy Act processes and circumvent both administrative and judicial processes. The Environmental Impact Study on the exchange is available for review and comment. For more information contact Janine Blaeloch at the Western Land Exchange Project at 206-223-8454 or blaeloch@westlx.org.

Save The Forests: Buy Them!

If we want to save forests, all we have to do is come up with a few million dollars or so. In the Loomis State Forest, in north central Washington, five environmental groups will need to raise $10 to $20 million within 15 months to compensate the state for not logging 30,000 acres. The Loomis is home to the healthiest remaining population of lynx and grizzlies in the lower 48 states. It is the largest remaining roadless area of state-owned trust land.

The deal means that all five groups will agree to drop three lawsuits concerning the proposed logging. The cash will go to schools for construction expenses. State forest lands subsidize the school construction budget. Not only should the public not have to buy public lands to save them from the chainsaw and environmental destruction, but this should not be the funding method for public education. Public education must not be linked to environmental destruction. If we adequately taxed and sanctioned corporations that destroy forests and public lands, we'd never need to log our public lands to pay for schools--and the public wouldn't have to buy back its own land.

Escape to British Columbia!

With the 1998 activist season underway, Forest Action Network needs volunteers to participate in the Great Bear Rainforest Campaign. FAN works with the Nuxalk First Nation to stop the destruction of the greatest temperate rainforest left on earth. Volunteers have the opportunity of spending time in beautiful Bella Coola, surrounded by extraordinary mountains, fjords, clean rivers, and coastal rainforest. This spring and summer, FAN needs activists with the following skills: videography, media liaison, translation, bookkeeping, engine repair, navigation, carpentry, organizing and aiding with logistical nightmares, cooking for large groups in rustic outdoor kitchens, computer troubleshooters, and the ability to train activists in civil disobedience and nonviolence. FAN also is looking for folks who are willing to risk arrest in a nonviolent protest. Anyone interested in joining us this season should send a brief biography to "Dayna Chapman, Volunteer Coordinator" at FAN, Box 625, Bella Coola, BC, V0T 1C0, Canada, or fanbc@envirolink.org. For more info call 250-799-5800 or 604-739-4782.

Hang Out in the Gifford Pinchot!

Forest activists are preparing for a season in the Gifford Pinchot National Forests. Last season, because of the presence of an ongoing activist base camp, logging in the GPNF was kept to a minimum. There are over 30 timber sales in the GPNF that are slated to be cut within the year. These sales total more than 80 million board feet in 10,000 acres.

One of the most contentious sales in the GPNF is the Jammin timber sale. Logging Jammin would destroy 416 acres of old growth and native forest. The sale consists of 8 units totaling 8.2 million board feet. Jammin has several nesting pairs of Spotted Owls, two Goshawk nesting sites, and habitat for numerous other forest dwellers, including roadless habitat for reintroduction of native species such as Gray Wolf and Grizzly Bear. Taking full advantage of President Clinton's suspension of environmental laws in the Salvage Logging Rider, companies planning to log this area will blatantly disregard legal requirements to maintain high water quality, preserve native cutthroat trout habitat, and protect roadless areas larger than 1000 acres. The administrators of the GPNF have ignored recent upper level agency directives. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, Forest Service Chief Dombeck and Regional Forester Bob Williams have ordered the Agency to stay out of roadless areas, yet these sales have not been stopped. This sale has it all: violating roadless areas, cutting old growth, and logging in riparian zones. To get involved, see our contact information below.

Stump Talk is put out every other week by a few ecofreaks. If you want to help out, contact NW Forest Action Group at 206-632-2954, e-mail: can@scn.org.