Feature Archives

In the Klamath River Basin these days environmental news is dominated by talk about dam removal and, occasionally, new restrictions on fishing. But now another issue is poised to compete for the headlines.

Old-growth forest near Siskiyou County’s wild and scenic Salmon River is headed for the auction block - and the chopping block - after losing a years-long battle in the court of appeals. The Knob Timber Sale is part of a large scale logging plan that included the Glassups Timber Sale which was cut in 2003, and the Meteor Timber Sale which is still winding through the courts.

The District Attorney who won fame and beat an attempted recall for filing a lawsuit against timber giant Pacific Lumber in 2003 won re-election June 6, 2006. After a bitter race between Gallegos and his police-supported challenger, Worth Dikeman, Gallegos walked home with nearly 53% of the vote.

The relationship between the DA’s office and law enforcement was a central issue during the campaign. Gallegos, who did not seek endorsement by law enforcement, cited rules by the American Bar Association that state “prosecutors should take care to avoid any relationships with the police that might cast doubt on the independence and integrity of the office of the prosecutor.”

Dikeman’s close relationship with law enforcement failed to capture voter support. Dikeman’s campaign manager, Dave Parris, is an investigator for the Eureka Police Department.

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Eureka, CA - A ballot initiative was approved that will prohibit large out-of-county corporations from making political contributions in Humboldt County elections. The initiative was inspired by two separate corporate-funded campaigns in Humboldt County where hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent to push corporate interests.

The Oxygen Collective has been at the forefront of both public education and popular protest of the so-called “salvage logging” that followed the massive “Biscuit fire” which burned 499,965 in 2002. The Oxygen Collective will be offering a free multi-media presentation reviewing the Biscuit saga and highlighting how the latest logging proposals will create detrimental national precedents. The high energy show will be in Arcata on June 4th at The Milk Barn, 2950 Janes Rd @ 6 pm, and will feature music, video, speakers, slides of direct action for the Biscuit, and the films Keep Towing That Line, and Portland IMC's Truth & Lies of the Biscuit Fire.

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SEE INDYBAY'S PAST COVERAGE OF THE STRUGGLE FOR THE BISCUIT: Largest Forest Service Logging Project In Modern History I Old Growth Logging Begins - 11 arrests I Fiddler Timber Sale Blockade I Video of Arrests I Sister’s Of The Siskiyou’s Sound Off Over Lawless Logging I US Forest Service, Loggers Recklessly Endanger Lives of Nonviolent Protesters

Following a nearly year-long reprieve in the Freshwater Creek and Elk River areas of Humboldt County, Maxxam/Pacific Lumber will soon resume logging operations in the two fragile areas just east of Eureka. The logging will mark the first time the controversial logging outfit has been allowed to cut trees in these neighboring watersheds since June 16, 2005. Logging stopped when Maxxam/PL stalled the process for creating special waste discharge permits which would address the high levels of dirt and mud deposited in these watercourses from excessive recent and historical logging.

Forest activists are concerned that Maxxam/PL will “cherry-pick” the old-growth trees based on the new restrictions that disallow any additional sediment to be delivered into Freshwater Creek and Elk River by the logging operations.

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Hundreds of people - made up of children and parents, Hispanics and Caucasians, students and workers - gathered on the steps of the Humboldt County Courthouse, marched and expressed support for the rights of immigrants and workers. The rally and march was marked by a peaceful display of flags, signs and a celebratory mood.

A separate march from Arcata to Eureka along the Highway 101 corridor resulted in three arrests and a scuffle between police and a photographer of a local daily newspaper. The May Day march marks the second time a physical altercation broke out between police and activists on the 101 corridor in the last six months.

Activists crowded into the office of Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos to demand the release of the three arrestees and to air concerns of what many perceive as escalating heavy-handed tactics by police. The amount of force used by police is a hot topic in Humboldt since the April 14, 2006 killing of a mentally distressed Eureka woman who was shot nine times by a SWAT team after a two-hour stand-off with police.

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