Tree Sitter Dies In Platform Fall

AP via Newsday ^ | April 13,2002 | Andrew Kramer

[John W]

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A tree sitter in the Mount Hood National Forest died after falling 150 feet from a tree she was trying to protect from logging.

In a sad twist, the sale of timber the woman was protesting had been canceled three days before her death on Friday.

Local rescue crews struggled up snow-clogged dirt roads to reach the tree sitters' camp in the Eagle Creek wilderness area, east of Portland, after a fellow activist called 9-1-1 on a cell phone at about 7 p.m., Clackamas County Sheriff's spokeswoman Angela Blanchard said.

[William Terrell]

I respect and honor the 'tree sitter' who died while following her conscience. It is easy to carp, but it takes character to put yourself on the line.

Then you respect and honor those that flew the planes into the WTC. (Don't give me the argument that that resulted in death of innocent people. The tree sitter intended to stop tree use, condeming the families of loggers to destruction and even death to individual members, including their children, and is no different in intention than tree spikers the have killed innocent people sawing logs.)

[ValerieUSA]

Good news for these winged tree-sitters

[ken5050]

Just in case you missed this.......(G)

[kcvl]

I think they're celebrating because they won. They got the trucks to turn around and leave after they sat in the highway to keep them from "destroying" the trees. They are acting like a bunch of kindergarten children after having pitched a fit and gotten their way.

[ken5050]

Naw...she got up in the middle of the night..and reached for the "wrong" bucket...

[mc5cents]

I respect and honor the 'tree sitter' who died while following her conscience. It is easy to carp, but it takes character to put yourself on the line.

O.K. But, um, don't you think it wise to pick a better cause for which to, as you put it, "put yourself on the line" for? I mean climbing up a tree to save trees is not my idea of a cause worth dying for. After all, trees are a renewable resource and in fact there are more of them now than when this country was discovered.

Now my idea of a cause worth dying for is something like Freedom, which we seem to have less and less of these days.

[rabidralph]

The dog is thoroughly disgusted by their behavior, and is leaving the scene.

[hellinahandcart]

2 1/2 hours from the 911 call to the arrival of rescue workers.

Think any of them are reconsidering their support for the idea of "roadless" wilderness areas?

[Tijeras_Slim]

I get it, human tank traps. Good grasp of reality.

[ken5050]

Three years ago, we had a very heavy winter storm....next town up, this guy was very concerned about all the snow on his roof..so he got a ladder, ( it was a three story house..climbed up, got a rope, and pulled his snowblower up on the roof...he's busy clearing the roof..hits an icy patch..slides off....he's fine..survived OK..he landed in about 5 feet of snow....but was badly hurt immediately after when the snowblower landed on his head..

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I respect and honor the 'tree sitter' who died while following her LACK of conscience

[JimVT]

Local rescue crews struggled up snow-clogged dirt roads to reach the tree sitters' camp in the Eagle Creek wilderness area, east of Portland, after a fellow activist called 9-1-1 on a cell phone at about 7 p.m.

Send her fellow treehugger-ACTIVISTS the bill for the rescue crews.

[WhiteyAppleseed]

It's unfortunate that the Tree of Liberty doesn't get the same devoted attention.

The chief danger today is that, once an aim of government is accepted as legitimate, it is then assumed that even means contrary to the principles of freedom may be legitimately employed. (Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty</>, p260)

It is possible that a fanatical religious group will impose upon the rest restrictions which its members will be pleased to observe but which will be obstacles for others in the pursuit of important aims. (Hayek, The Constitution of Liberty, p155)

[JZoback]

I respect and honor the 'tree sitter' who died while following her conscience

Very dangerous way to think.

Lots of people have died for allowing other people to follow their conscience.

[Huck]

It's clear what we need are tough Federal standards for tree-sitting platforms. If I were a GOP Congressman, I would use this incident to publicize new legislation which would create Federal safety regulations for tree-sitting. And I would pile so much crap into the bill that the cost of tree-sitting would quadruple. That'd be a real hoot.

[tom paine 2]

Those people that complain about F-ing up the environment are consuming oxygen and exhaling dangerous carbon dioxide gas, which is a known greenhouse gas that is causing global warming. They should hang themselves over a pit of lime using biodegradable rope to ensure the continuation of planet earth.

[JimVT]

P.S. Keep an eye on this one, JW, and see if the autopsy turns up substance abuse.

[JZoback]

Wow, there's a candidate for the Darwin award, if there ever was one.

[kcvl]

Are you SURE you're NOT a politician? lol!

[WhiteyAppleseed]

Thank you for stating the obvious.