October 1, 2000
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Madsen descended. Both Pacific Lumber (PL) and the California
Department of Forestry (CDF) signed off on the timber harvest plan,
which means protection for Mariah for the moment. PL can still file
another plan, but for now, Mariah seems safe. Nate wrote the
following at the end of his tree-sit:
The big news is the i's have been dotted, the t's crossed, and Timber
Harvest Plan 1-97-514 is officially closed! Huzza! In real terms, this plan
closing means limited, temporary protection at best, but the
immediate threat is gone: inspiration to move forward with diligence
and perseverance. Much remains to do in Freshwater, the Mattole, Elk,
all over the North Coast and the Sierras.
In the last decade, for example, 50 percent of the Freshwater Creek
watershed has been cut, filling the waterway with silt and
dramatically increasing flooding. Most of the fish have been killed.
People have been denied access to their property due to the flooding,
and many have had to raise their homes. These homes were previously
out of the flood plain, but all that changed when MAXXAM took over
Pacific Lumber (PL) and began cutting at an accelerated pace,
jeopardizing jobs and residents alike. The fish continued to vanish,
the residents continued to pay the full price for MAXXAM/PL's rampant
extraction, and reputable scientists and state agencies began to come
on board. Under mounting pressure, a moratorium on the approval of
new timber harvest plans was placed on the Freshwater and Elk River
watersheds in January 1999. (This did not stop MAXXAM/PL from
exploiting the exemption process and conducting multiple powerline
cuts, along with other political and environmental travesties.)
To carry the weight of the old growth is a heavy burden indeed, but
to let them fall is a burden without description. It may be
discouraging to struggle up this clogged stream, but imagine the
reward when we get to the end and find Headwaters Grove intact and
clear water for us to spawn in. Mariah means more to me than I can
describe, but the real work that must be accomplished is in our
hearts and minds. (Starting with mine, if Mariah has been successful
in her endeavor.)
I give my eternal gratitude to all who made this effort possible.
Mariah stands today to the credit of a list of people too long to
include. Every contribution, especially the small ones, was
essential. This coming together I have been blessed to watch has
given me hope. I have seen people filled by a deep caring. I have
hollered down "Thank you" a million times, it seems. But that does
not scratch the surface of the gratitude I feel and wish I could
convey. Mariah stands to your credit. Come see her. Maybe she has a
way to express a gratitude to you that these words lack. Be well, be
ever present, and most of all, go.
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TOC for Forest & River News, Fall 2000