Mass Tree Sit!!

    MASS TREE SIT! PLANNED FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 19TH, 2003
       Recently, I left Humboldt County and went into California's vast suburban landscape. The rate of development was astounding, and quite heart breaking. It doubled in size since the last time I was there. What made it worse was that 75% of the people I talked to were unaware of ancient forest issues, their own local environmental issues, tree sitters-including Julia-, salmon decline, endangered species and so on. Few questioned the sprawl around them or they called it progress.  
Many of them were complacent towards environmental issues and thought being an environmentalist meant you were some kind of fringe radical. Being concerned for the environment is not a phase that rebellious youth go through before landing a corporate job but that's the way a lot of them see it. I realized we need much more effort to involve suburban communities in the struggle to preserve and restore natural habitats.
An idea occurred to me to re-introduce them to our struggle to protect ancient forests and show them some resistance tactics at the same time. Especially since so few were aware resistance was ongoing in places like Humboldt County, California at all. At first I thought we needed tree sits in some of the protected redwood groves along Hwy 101 with banners that read, "Trees like this one are falling a few miles from here!" After a few fellow forest activists heard the idea they expanded on it to include the entire 101 corridor. Many good folks from Southern California, recently inspired by John Quigley's Oak sit, have already expressed a desire to wake up urban areas to the threat of out-of-control sprawl. Groups from Oregon, Washington and beyond are excited at the outreach possibilities. So far the media finds it easy to ignore the courageous resisters that are sitting high up in trees risking their lives for unprotected ancient forests on corporate land. Lets bring the tree sitters to them on April 19th. It is time for a mass tree sit.

Here's a list of preliminary needs and some ideas/advice from some old-school forest activists.
This is a pre, pre, preliminary list. Very open for change
We need.
1. An organization in each region to volunteer to be the communication center for participating groups. In California those regions are: North Coast-Marin to Crescent City. Bay Area is the Bay area. Central Coast is Santa Barbara to San Jose. Every thing south is the Southern California region. You can break your regions down smaller of course. Other areas that want to participate should start by delineating regions and agreeing on a date with us.
2. A web page for each region with links to the others.
3. Letters to the editor that stress the loss of old growth, out of control urban growth, loss of open spaces, over use of water, ect.
4. We need to get as many people, groups, celebrities involved. Especially churches, schools, and community groups. The destruction of clean air, water and healthy forests is everyone's dilemma and everyone needs to be aware of that. Then we all need to be a part of the solution.
Keep in mind
1. Keep in mind that this overall campaign is to be legal and appealing to the so-far-inactive moderates, and suburban folk. Any direct actions that test the legal issue in an area will be the responsibility of the local groups or the persons involved in such civil disobedience acts.
2. Local environmental groups should organize the flavor of the sits in their region, but embrace or include a "protect ancient forest" theme. Even if they're doing a "grass sit" in an open prairie. Grasslands need help too!
3. Urban groups could hold banners in a visible area to protest development if trees are not available.
4. Educational campaigns, community meetings, speakers, and field trips should accompany the tree sit. Rallies should be planned for some of the tree-sit sites.
5. Tree sits can be any length of time. At least one tree per area should be kept going for 24 hrs. Encourage groups to tree share. For example 12 people=2 hours in the tree each.
6. Invite the press to come sit with you.
7. This list is assuming that this is a 101 corridor sit only. If it expands, then good. A world wide tree sit?

       An awesome person created a yahoo group for further communication on this topic.  Mail to: worldtreeclimbday2003-subscribe [at] yahoogroups.com to join. If you, or your group is interested in being a communication center, please post your name, your region, and contact info. Oh yeah, and please your ideas, efforts, and advice too.
       Please forward this hastily written and unedited introductory list to every group in your area that's interested in saving old-growth forests and other natural places.
       A contact group for the Northern California region should be established by week's end. We are still looking for someone to design a web page for our region. Inquiries can be emailed to the worldtreeclimbday2003 yahoo group. If you have been wanting to organize your neighborhood, church, school, group, friends in taking a stand for nature, or in this case a sit, here's your chance to do it. 
Ignorance precedes regret; let everyone know what's happening to the forests. Regards, The Naturalist
       More detailed information coming soon.