Snarl, Cascadia Forest Defenders
Fall Creek Tree Village is still alive after 3 years, 7 months, and the situation is roughly as follows:
Red Cloud Thunder tree-sitters are still occupying trees in the Clark Timber sale. Resistance has remained strong and the activists are demanding complete cancellation of the sale and are declaring a replacement volume deal will not be accepted. A variety of tactics were and are used at Clark to defend the forest, among them tree-sits at the 200ft level. In 1999 a federal judge ruled the U.S. Forest Service was required to do surveys for endangered, threatened, and listed species as required under the Northwest Forest Plan. One of the species they were required to survey for was the Oregon Red Tree Vole, an arboreal rodent that lives its entire life in the canopy of old-growth Douglas fir trees. Activists long suspected the presence of this species at Fall Creek, and after the Forest Service did their own fairly lame surveys, the activists set out to take advantage of the federal ruling and find a lot more evidence that the voles(which are adorable mouse-like creatures)existed at Clark. Over a year-and-a-half, they collected far more samples of the vole nests, recording them carefully and forwarding the data to biologists, who in turn would come back and verify the nests' locations. Each nest find results in a 10 acre buffer. It's a little more complicated than that but the crux of it is that the activists found a lot more data than the goverment.
The result was the U.S. Forest service came out with a "draft" plan recently which indicated all the data collected by both themselves, and the activists data was being taken into account and "wildlife buffers" were being set aside for the Red Tree Voles' habitat. Cascadia Forest Defenders/Red Cloud Thunder then launched a new push to find more nests and get buffer zones established over the 43 acres (out of the 96 original acres) remaining in the sale under the "draft" plan. They worked tirelessly climbing huge old-growth trees(technical and dangerous)until they had found new nest data in virtually every corner of the sale. Biologists have just this week verified the new information and a new, final plan is forthcoming. Activists occupy the trees while awaiting the new plan and they are demanding COMPLETE CANCELLATION. Stay tuned............ T
he North Winberry treesit is still up after three years in the trees. If you have not visited Winberry yet, do so soon and see some of the biggest Douglas Fir and Western Red cedar trees in the Cascadia Bioregion. Maps are available in the Forest Defenders office at 454 Willamette.
The "Slap" treesit was built in unit 21 of the Slap Timber sale this summer.The treehouse was constructed with several women on the building crew, a few men helping when asked, and this resulted in an exceptionally solid perch. An effort to search out the Red Tree Vole took place in all areas of the sale with lots of data collected, which will create buffers over a large part. Stay tuned-hopefully the sale will be cancelled soon.
Another tree-sit was installed in unit 14 of the East Devil timber sale near Salt Creek Falls. The sale ranges from 3,200ft to 5,800ft in elevation and is near Diamond Peak roadless area. Lots of wildlife and native cultural sites are within the area. The effort to locate the Red Tree Vole was strong here too and several nests were located in two different areas of the sale. Data was turned into Biologists and buffers will be created as soon as they can process the information we loaded them down with this summer.
It was a busy spring, summer, and is a busy winter in Cascadia, activists are busy winterizing tree-sits and preparing for the cold weather and rain up in the trees. As you sit in your well heated box this winter, remember the people living in the trees, and what it would be like to actually exist within the realms of mother natures winter storms. If you care enough to help, contact the U of O Forest Action Group located at the Survival Center in the EMU or go to a Cascadia Forest Defenders general meeting (Monday nights at The Growers Market building 454 Willamette 6:00pm) and plug in. May the resistance be strong, and may the resistance be long.....
Contact: C.F.D. 454 Willamette 541-684-8977... but don't bother if you're sexist, homophobic, or violent.