| Dear friend of the forest, We believe in the power and in the basic common sense of coalition work and alliances. We believe that working with other organizations and individuals brings together deeper, more diverse perspectives, and expands knowledge and skills that one organization simply could not muster. Diversity is strength. We also believe strongly in standing in solidarity with our indigenous allies. When faced with agency misconduct around sacred sites and the issue of tribal co-management of ancestral homelands, following the tribal lead is the route to arriving at wise decisions.  The Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters (BACH) is proud to be part of the Save Jackson State Forest Coalition. This great group of member organizations and individuals meets weekly over zoom to strategize, collaborate on letters to agencies, and to put together press releases for the media and calls to action to the public. All of these activities focus on moving toward better management of this public land that some call the “People’s Forest.” Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) is made up of mature and young redwoods and hardwoods, and inherently brings to the human community the invaluable ecological functions of sequestration and storage of carbon in this age of extreme climate crisis. As well, the forest holds important Indigenous cultural sites held sacred by the tribes whose ancestral homeland the Jackson Forest encompasses. Why have we made work with the Jackson Forest Coalition and on this forest a priority in our work here at BACH? We find the aspirations and goals of the Save Jackson Coalition to be at the top of the list with other critical forest habitat on our state’s north coast, and we found we had something to bring to the table in this coalition. So—we do the work. We find our particular niche and bring what we at BACH can to the table. But to do that, we need the support of our constituency here in the Bay Area to support our simple infrastructure. That’s you. |
| LATE BREAKING NEWS!On December 6 and 7, Jackson Forest Coalition activists traveled to Sacramento for 2 days to testify before the Board of Forestry, taking the campaign up another notch. It was a very successful trip–Indigenous leaders testified before the whole Board, a group of us presented the Jackson Forest Coalition vision and protestations, and other individuals came and brought well-rounded and hard-hitting testimony. From this point, we plan our strategy for 2024, but it feels like we are turning a corner.   At the Board of Forestry ~ photo credit U’ilani Wesley |
| Your support will help us at BACH continue to participate in strategy discussions and agency meetings, maintain media lists, host workshops, send the press releases, and stand in as media consultants and “411” resource for referrals for information and interviews, thereby supporting campaigns to preserve forests and respect and honor Mother Earth. Monthly donations are hugely valuable, but whatever you can throw into the virtual donation can on our table is valuable and so appreciated! We’ve been around a long time, working with many activists in coalitions, in alliances, in solidarity. We want to continue collaborating and conspiring with them and with you. for the wild, Karen >>Important: make checks out to Ecology Center/BACH ! Mail to P.O. Box 2072, Berkeley, CA 94702 >>You can donate securely online—just click on the “Donate” bar at the top of our website www.headwaterspreserve.org, or you can use the form enclosed with this letter. >>You can also donate via Venmo at @karenpickett-bach >>See the “Save Jackson Forest Coalition” social media links and website, and please “like” and share the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters on Facebook >>And sign up for our updates and action alerts at www.HeadwatersPreserve.org!>>Please update your address and email with us when they change, so we can stay in touch to let you know what’s going on in our precious forests. You know that we don’t clutter your inbox with frequent or unnecessary appeals, nor do we send wasteful mailings. Please help us keep our lists up to date. |