The Humboldt-Houston Connection Made Real
Activists bring their message to MAXXAM and its CEO Charles Hurwitz at the corporate headquarters in Houston
August 15, 2003
"We're sick of watching the liquidation of our last remaining ancient redwoods in California. We think the best place to voice our outrage is right here in Houston, where the orders come from and the money goes to." That said, two intrepid tree-sitters traveled from California's north coast to Texas to protest Maxxam Corporation's destructive logging practices that are destroying their rural community's economy, rivers, and forest habitat in Humboldt county. On July 16, under cover of darkness, two activists climbed 110-foot tall pine trees in Houston's Memorial Park and built tree sits 80 feet high in the branches. They sat in the tree through torrential Texas Gulf Coast rains and even Hurricane Claudia, eliciting response from Maxxam and lots of attention from the media.
Communication between Humboldt activists and those in Houston spawned a new Houston group advocating for old growth trees called SACRED, or the Southern Alliance for Coastal Redwood Earth Defenders. A Texas activist traveled to Humboldt to meet tree-sitters and other activists, and then brought testimony to the Maxxam shareholders meeting in May. They hosted a teach-in on Maxxam logging practices on the north coast recently, and a newly formed local Earth First! group in Houston staged demonstrations at Maxxam headquarters and the homes of corporate officials in early July, including those of Maxxam CEO Charles Hurwitz and president Paul Schwartz.
