Karen Pickett

Ancient Redwoods in Park Under Threat Again

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Silence in the redwoods is a beautiful thing.   Since all permits were pulled after a well-fought 2014 court victory challenging Caltrans, the jackhammer shovels were called off excavation duty around feeder roots of the redwood giants in Richardson Grove State Park. However, Caltrans’ “Come hell or high water” attitude regarding its plans to accommodate oversized trucks on our coastal highway, and refusal to budge in the face of broad public opposition, clear threats to California’s sensitive habitats and species, federal court defeats and lack of demonstrated need calls for our vigilance. We now have evidenced reason to believe that …

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Headwaters Reserve, Redwoods in the South Bay, and more

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Comments Invited on Headwaters Forest Reserve For those of you who have been rolling with us a long time, you will remember when the campaign to save the giants in Headwaters Forest culminated in purchase by the government of 7,500 acres of redwood forest, corporate raider Charles Hurwitz driving Pacific Lumber into bankruptcy, and finally that villain of the forest leaving California for his lair in Houston, Texas. We, as Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters, participated actively in the development of a management plan for that forestland purchase, which became the Headwaters Reserve, with the largest grove (3,000 acres) of ancient …

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News from the North Coast: Gualala, Mendocino Forest Walk, Smith River

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Good News for Gualala Redwoods  On  Sept. 14, Sonoma County Superior Court issued a Preliminary Injunction to halt logging of the controversial Gualala River “Dogwood” logging plan area until a trial decision.  Friends of Gualala River and Forest Unlimited had brought the lawsuit following comments and petitions opposing the proposed floodplain redwood logging along more than five miles of the coastal river, with more than 300 acres of mature redwood stands containing trees 90 to 100 years old. In issuing the injunction, the court found that harm to ecologically sensitive species and the wetlands themselves was shown by the plaintiffs, …

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A Night for the Wild Buffalo

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A Night for the Wild Buffalo Come welcome the Buffalo Field Campaign Road Show to the Bay Area!  Friday, Sept. 30,  7 pm  Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita in Berkeley. This very special event featuresstorytelling and video straight from the field, from the land of the buffalo with Buffalo Field Campaign co-founder Mike Mease, along with Native Music from Mignon Geli and Karaj. Info at 510-548-3113 or bach@headwaterspreserve.org. The event is wheelchair accessible. Donations at the door; no one turned away for lack of funds. background: The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the field, every day, to stop the …

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Hike the Headwaters ! 

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Join us Sat., September 17 for a Headwaters Hike along the Salmon Pass Trail, in the Headwaters Forest Reserve, and relive the history of the struggle to protect Headwaters, while learning about the contemporary challenges for management, conservation, and restoration, in the reserve, and elsewhere in the redwood region.   This hike will mark the 20th anniversary of the huge rally to save the Headwaters Forest in 1996, when 1033 people were arrested in a mass civil disobedience action. It will be led by an EPIC staffer who is also a docent with the Headwaters Forest Reserve.   This is a free public hike. Meet at Newburg Parkin Fortuna September …

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HRC and MRC–It all comes down to the Fi$her Family.  also~Gualala Redwoods, Klamath NF

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Is it Timber Wars all over again or a kinder, gentler forestry? It depends whether you are prone to believe greenwash or science and ground-truthing.    Humboldt Redwood Co. (HRC) and Mendocino Redwood Co. (MRC) came to their position as major forest owners in Northern California (400,000+ acres) via different trajectories: MRC owns  227,000 acres in Mendocino County purchased from the multi-national Louisiana-Pacific when they left Calif. after reaping millions, and HRC got what was Maxxam/Pacific Lumber’s ravished land in Humboldt County, minus small but precious protected groves of old growth redwoods surrounded by a sea of clearcuts. But the buck stops for both companies at the Fisher family, or rather the …

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July 19 Protest Against Mendocino Redwood Co. for Herbicide Use

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Hack’n’Squirt Alert!    Nonviolent Protest at Mendocino Redwoods Company Mill in Ukiah Residents of Mendocino County will rally in front of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors’ Chambers on Low Gap Rd. in Ukiah at 9 am on Tuesday, July 19, prior to an (approximately) 11 am demonstration at the Ukiah mill operation of Mendocino Redwood Co. (MRC). They are protesting the continued use of herbicide in the forests, through the practice of “Hack ’n’ Squirt,” which is the direct application of toxic substances to trees, and then leaving the dead trees standing, creating a significant fire danger besides the …

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Rally in the Redwoods Saturday July 16

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Agency Green-Lights Logging Plan in the Redwoods Protest Rally July 16 on Gualala River On July 1, state regulators approved the 402-acre “Dogwood” timber harvest plan (THP) to log in the sensitive redwood forest floodplain along the lower Wild and Scenic Gualala River, to the river’s mouth.  The redwood trees there, many a century old, are in recovery, regenerating after historical heavy industrial logging. The plan was filed by Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT), responsible for clearcut logging in the watershed on its over 30,000 acres of timberland. California’s Forest Practice Rules were changed to expand protection of stream areas (known as Watercourse …

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Update on North Coast Forest Issues on Our Radar: Caltrans Threats to Forests, Wetlands and Native Culture Remain on BACH’s Agenda

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Richardson Grove  Things are quiet at the moment regarding Caltrans’ boondoggle highway expansion      plans through the old growth redwood forest as we await new environmental planning   documents from Caltrans.  Defeated in Federal Court in 2012 by the environmental groups, Caltrans ultimately withdrew the project in December, 2014, but subsequently announced they would start the process over again. The transportation agency insists on taking another whack at this costly and unnecessary project, for reasons unfathomable to most of us. Last year an additional group of Richardson Grove activists expanded the campaign by forming the Coalition for Responsible Transportation …

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Willits News Journalist Arrested at Bypass Construction Suing for False Arrest ::: Trial in San Francisco Under Way ::: Support Good Journalism on Environmental Issues!

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False Arrest Trial Underway in SF Federal Court Related to Caltrans Willits Bypass Debacle Steve Eberhard, a professional (and award-winning) photographer and journalist with The Willits News was arrested in July 2013, while attempting to document a protest against the disastrous (for the earth) Caltrans freeway bypass project.  See links below for more details and a video of his arrest. Eberhard filed a false arrest suit almost three years ago. The case is finally being heard beginning with jury selection on February 22 in San Francisco Federal Court, 450 Golden Gate Ave, Floor 19, Room 11, Judge Donato presiding.  The case is expected to take most of two …

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