Earth First! Northwest Regional Rendezvous

EF! Northwest Regional Rendezvous
May 23-27, 2003
Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion
Specific location TBA

In the last year, eco-activists have seen a rapid increase in the level of forest destruction on public lands, the erosion of hard-fought legal protections and the amount of government repression on groups fighting for social and environmental justice. Bush and his cronies are organizing to continue profiting from injustice and exploiting the Earth. We are organizing to defend it.

Cascadia Summer officially kicks off with the EF! Northwest Regional Rendezvous in southern Oregon. Join us Memorial Day weekend for education, action and fun as we get ready to face a heated summer of defense in the Pacific Northwest.
The weekend will be full of workshops, skills shares and strategy sessions including climbing & ropes, natural medicine & birth control, global justice, coalition building, prison support, primitive skills, Siskiyou geobiology, wilderness/city medic, legal, corporate campaigning, non-violence and so on, amidst the extraordinary mountains of the K-S.

The Klamath-Siskiyou is one of the most biologically diverse and geologically complex regions in the world. Straddling the border of northern California and southern Oregon, this bioregion is home to the largest intact blocks of roadless wildlands remaining on the West Coast. Ancient forests and wild rivers, rare plant species and large carnivores, craggy peaks and lush, fertile valleys; this is the Klamath-Siskiyou. From the Trinity Alps in the south to the Siskiyou Crest in the north, from the Cascade Range in the east to the ocean in the west, this is the place we call home.

Geologists call this area the Klamath Knot. This tangle of mountain ranges and deep river canyons defy simple explanations. Composed of rocks that were created in an ocean environment, the Klamath Knot is a series of exotic terrains that have been shoved up onto the continent over the course of millions of years. The unique geology gives rise to the many rare and endemic plant species that characterizes the region.

When gold was discovered in the hills above Jacksonville, Oregon, waves of desperate miners began to flood into the region in search of the elusive mineral. What followed was one of the worst chapters of genocide and ecocide in North America. In the name of Manifest Destiny, miners denuded the hillsides, slaughtered the native population, fouled the rivers, and began a cycle of destruction that continues today. Industrial logging, mining, and grazing threaten the remaining integrity of the Klamath-Siskiyou. Despite 130 years of exploitation, much is left to defend. Whether it is native communities protecting sacred sites or forest activists defending ancient forests, resistance is on the rise in the Klamath-Siskiyou. Come to our home this spring and learn how you can get involved.

For more information, contact nwregional [at] mazamaforestdefense.org