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.

[timydnuc]

Studying the pictures so graciously, and professionally provided by our fellow FReeper I see the buckets hanging from the platform, the I see a gallon milk jug half filled with a yellow liquid. I must assume that the yellow liquid is, well, urine. That leads me to believe that the buckets are full of......I can't go there yet, I haven't had breakfast!

Rationalizing: I quess I'm a "tree sitter" of a type. I set in my house, built of wood, in my loft in that house, typing on my computer. My "buckets" are 2 finely equipted bathrooms both upstairs and down. They carry the yellow liquids and brown deposits away from my "platform" and make life wonderful, and convenient. Maybe the "tree sitters" should try this. There's also showers and bath tubs in my "platform", they make me clean and fresh, so that my fellow "tree sitters" can stand to be around me. There are also telephones in my "platform" so I can call 911 if I fall from my loft, and roads to get EMS to my broken body. Thereby, making my chances of surviving a fall from my "platform" much, much better.

One would have to look at this practice of "tree sitting" as camping, for the mentally challanged! Or, maybe they didn't have a tree house when they were kids. These people need to get a life, they are on sale at Walmart for $39.95.

[kcvl]

[JimRed]

Any guesses on what the tox screen will show when they do the autopsy?.....

Lotsa' THC, no doubt. How many poor marijuana plants had to die for that?

[WhiteyAppleseed]

I wonder how they make the climb? I live in an area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Only recently, archery hunters have been educated about the damage done to trees with screw-in tree spikes. Every year, one or several of the larger land-owners in the area (GP,LP,IP)place adds in the local papers asking archery hunters not to use spikes.

[kcvl]

[JimRed]

...but was badly hurt immediately after when the snowblower landed on his head..

And what do we learn from this? Straight from "high work 101": safety lines; one for yourself, one for your gear.

[oldvike]

I hope the tree she was sqatting in is the first to get cut down. That would be a wonderful way to memorialize her.

[Sam Cree]

I think all these protesters grew up in the city and are only out here hoping someone will notice them. They want to get attention and feel important. I doubt very much that they really care about trees or even understand nature and the outdoors.

Beyond that, and aside from their motives of attention getting, they all seem to be part of the Left. To Leftist environmentalists (which is most of them) the main value in an issue is not to "save the trees," but to use the issue to push our way of life further to the left.

[SW6906]

OK, where are you getting all of these pictures? You''ve infiltrated their ranks, haven't you?

[Free_at_last_-2001]

one word - Drugs!

[gitmo]

We have a genurine tree-access crisis here, folks. I propose the Federal Guvmint be required to supply elevators for all trees. In addition, we need a safety-net. Just like the welfare system, it would help those who are down and out.

[CWRWinger]

I should have included, "willfully ignorant", also.

[Frankss]

Plastic tarps-plastic buckets-nylon or synthetic rope and webbing - cell phones w battery packs- steel for hooks & anchors & spikes- ( I don't suppose they flew up there )-food from the grocery store- With all that, it seems an unsafe design. If that were a job site, OSHA would shut it down in a minute! It is funny how they fail to think ahead,accidents, first aid, sickness. When the poop hits the fan, then they call the MAN. You know the MAN, he designs and builds roads so a gasoline powered ambulance can take to a hospital, where a doctor can X-ray your sorry rear end.What a group of dumb losers

[Helix]

And I'm sure they hiked out there from the condo (oops! urban sprawl)

Their parents' condo, no doubt.

[Issaquahking]

What a bunch of goofballs in the picture. Last year at the headgates in Klamath Falls we had about 5 of these goofs show up over the entire season. Real "activists" know the truth through hard work on the issue(s) and when the truth is known, 99 out of a 100 times they will come to our side because the facts lead them here.

These are freaks from the nearby city of Portland, which, unfortunately has more than it's fair share of goofballs. Again, no loss at the death of a useful idiot.

[Teacher317]

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

Worth repeating. Exceptional line.

[Teacher317]

My girlfriend just had a similar line of thinking that would look great as an Onion piece. There should be a Liberal group that is to the extreme left of these greenies, protesting their use of plastic (killing the environment, only decomposing after hundreds of years!), plywood (tree-killer!!), and the undue weight that is burdening those poor trees because of those uncaring activists. They can walk around having a hard time carrying each other on their backs to demonstrate what a weight-load a human being can be. ;^)

[Teacher317]

We have a genurine tree-access crisis here, folks. I propose the Federal Guvmint be required to supply elevators for all trees.

Don't forget, wheel-chair accessible elevators!!
Of course, there should be full-size trees that are buried up to 90% of their height for the acrophobes to sit in, as well.

[Teacher317]

I still can't figure this one out.