We took a tour of Pacific Lumber last week!

There is a new environmental group called Children of Earth, dedicated to building the bridge between forest defenders in Houston, Texas and Humboldt County, California. Children of Earth also plans to approach Houston's MAXXAM, and its CEO Charles Hurwitz, intellectually, creatively, and on a regular basis.

As a Houston coordinator, I decided to take a trip to visit Humboldt and meet the forest defenders in person, as well as to scope out the devastation of the forest (http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/05/1615262.php). The appalling amount of clear-cuts, obvious erosions, disgruntled home owners, and pending SLAPP lawsuits (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) planted on activists, leaves me with the knowledge that what we are fighting for is real, it is tangible, and the permanent ecological damage caused by MAXXAM/ PL will take thousands of years to restore.

At MAXXAM’s annual shareholder meeting in Houston on May 21 (http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/05/1613259.php), concerns about the
endangered species and ecological devastation were addressed; MAXXAM offered us a tour of Pacific Lumber facilities when in the Humboldt area, in an attempt to demonstrate MAXXAM/PL's status as a model timber company. Four of us took them up on this offer to receive the grand tour on Thursday, May 29, hosted by Ruthanne Schulte (PL Environmental Stewardship Director), and Wayne Rice (PL Resource Forester). Upon arrival, Jim Branham (PL spokesperson), greeted us and refused to allow all four of us on the tour, stating that only I would able to go. I suggested the help of local activist, Jon Stevenson, as a cameraman, and the offer was received after some negotiating.

Although Pacific Lumber showed us a model company with the most beautiful timber harvest plans imaginable, nothing can erase the memory of MAXXAM/ PL's massive Freshwater clear-cuts I also witnessed on this trip. The fact that PL proclaimed the areas they chose to show us as demonstrative of MAXXAM/ PL's entire company policies was a bit disconcerting, since what they showed us was actually a selectively logged forest. They provided us with a map that showed 44% of MAXXAM/ PL's land marked in red as untouchable, preserved land. This was used to strengthen the fact that they use selective logging but, when asked, they softly admitted that just because this land is set aside does not mean it is virgin land, and very well could represent old clear-cuts.

When asked why MAXXAM/ PL will not relinquish the small percentage of old-growth Redwoods remaining on their harvestable lands, every one of them provided the unsatisfactory reasoning that MAXXAM/ PL has already given so much by setting aside acres for the Marbled Murrelet Habitat Conservation plans, that they
do not see a reason to relinquish the remaining harvestable old-growth Redwoods. It's hard to believe that just because MAXXAM/ PL has been forced to set aside a little land for preservation purposes that this gives them the right to annihilate that which remains "harvestable" and to destroy trees that are older than Jesus, and certainly older than the democracy of this country or the founding fathers of Pacific Lumber Company.

Also interesting to note is the fact that PL has acquired Incidental Take Permits as part of the of the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that allow them to kill endangered species. No other timber company has an Incidental Take Permit, which is essentially a permit that allows them to violate the Endangered Species Act and clear-cut endangered species habitat. They call it "taking"; others call it "killing".

While grateful that MAXXAM/ Pacific Lumber took the time to share their side of the story, I am not satisfied and nowhere near convinced that they represent a model timber company. I do, however, have full faith that this is not an impossible dream. Earth First! activist Darryl Cherney, who has long been entrenched in this campaign, posed a similar idea to MAXXAM at the annual shareholder meeting, through a speech that I read on his behalf. Part of his speech reads, "Can the corporate leaders of the 21st century decide that they want to be leaders of how we can make the world a better place? Can you conceive of making Pacific Lumber into a model timber company that practices truly sustained yield? Can you employ people to repair the earth, including the land you've logged and left with landslides and dead streams? Can there be a way a company like MAXXAM can live in harmony with the Earth?"

After the meeting, Cherney was quoted saying, "I suggested that they start to engage in preserving the environment as a corporate practice instead of mowing it down and destroying it. I realize that it is a bit of a pipe dream, but the bottom line is that we have to ask for what we want." That is what we are here to do- to ask for a sustained timber company; to ask for the small percentage of old growth trees left in this country to remain intact; to ask for an end to clearcutting practices; to ask for an end to the violence against peaceful protestors, perpetrated by PL's hired contractors such as Eric Schatz.

With a company like MAXXAM/ Pacific Lumber in the area, it was impressive to see the Humboldt community unite on this issue. The willingness of everyone to work together for a common goal, activists and county citizens alike, is truly inspiring. K-MUD (http://www.kmud.org), a local community sponsored radio station, was kind enough to open its doors for us to present our platform on their local show, Women on Wednesdays, and every forest defender that I met welcomed Children of Earth with open arms. Rest assured Humboldt, Children of Earth is here, we are watching and we will do everything in our power to help from Houston.


**NOTE: I do suggest that anyone heavily involved with this campaign contact MAXXAM/ PL to hear what they have to say. The more well-rounded our knowledge, the more reason we have to stand up for what we know to be true. We were able to record the majority of the Pacific Lumber tour on cassette tape, and will be happy to share it with anyone interested.

For more info, contact:

Children of Earth
PO Box 980751
Houston, TX 77098-0751
713-858-0074
FightMaxxam [at] aol.com



add your comments