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Forests Forever Action Alerts

Headwaters battle advances on many fronts

Proposed "deal" would save only two of six ancient groves

Posted 8/28/97


Public pressure to protect the Headwaters Forest has mounted through numerous recent efforts, keeping the heat on Charles Hurwitz, owner of Pacific Lumber Co. (PL).

The proposed "deal" to protect Headwaters, announced Sept. 27, 1996, would save only two- Headwaters Grove and Elk Head Springs Grove- of six ancient groves in the 60,000-acre Forest.

 

 

Contributing Artist: Larry Eifert.

In exchange for the 7,500 acres encompassing the two groves, the "deal" would provide Hurwitz $380 million in cash, property and/or other assets. Of this sum, the State of California must provide $130 million, with the federal government responsible for the remaining $250 million. Congressional leaders and the Clinton administration recently announced they had agreed to set aside $250 million in cash instead of swapping oil and gas leases or public forest lands, as had been previously discussed. The money would come from the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was set up to finance acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands.

Headwaters activists are vigorously contesting Hurwitz's land management of the four ancient groves in the Forest not covered by the "deal," as well as surrounding residual old-growth and second-growth habitat. The four virgin groves are Allen Creek, Owl Creek, Shaw Creek and All Species. These parcels are home to the Marbled murrelet and Northern spotted owl, both listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), as well as the recently listed (threatened) Coho salmon.

The Clinton Administration broadened its listing of the Coho on Apr. 25. The expanded portion of the protected area extends from the Oregon / California border, south to Fort Bragg. The listing provides added reassurance that the state and federal governments will work to protect the Coho from the effects of dam building, logging, farming and over-fishing. But by stopping short of protecting imperiled Coho runs in central and northern Oregon the listing angered many environmentalists. Designation of the Coho's critical habitat, required under the ESA, can afford strong protection for these lands. Most are forested areas, such as Headwaters.

The California Public Employees' Retirement Fund (CalPERS) Board of Directors on Apr. 14 unanimously approved a shareholder resolution which requests that MAXXAM Group– parent company of PL– become a "willing seller" of its Headwaters properties. CalPERS, the nation's largest public pension fund, is the second-largest institutional investor in MAXXAM. Although the resolution was defeated at MAXXAM's May 22 shareholders meeting in Houston, the campaign heightened debate concerning Headwaters on many fronts. Said Rose Foundation President Jill Ratner, a leader in the pro-Headwaters resolution fight: "...(T)he resolution forced public employee pension funds throughout the country to begin addressing environmental issues in a new way."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the California Department of Forestry (CDF) and other government agencies jointly conducted hearings to receive public input on issues to be addressed in a combined federal and state Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the Headwaters proposal. At six public scoping hearings held throughout California this winter outraged citizens condemned the "deal" to pay Hurwitz's MAXXAM $380 million in public land and cash for only 13 percent of the Forest.

As PL continues to submit timber harvest plans to log in Headwaters, activists have urged businesses and consumers to boycott old-growth redwood products. The nation's largest home-improvement chain, Home Depot, took the Redwood Pledge to refuse to buy or sell ancient redwood. Since the campaign began in February more than 900 stores across the country have accepted the pledge.

Assemblyman Ted Lempert (D-Palo Alto) introduced in the state Assembly a bill, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Information Center, to prohibit salvage logging in ancient redwood groves. AB 1313 recognizes that the notion of "dead, diseased and dying" trees does not apply to healthy redwood forests, which are resistant to fires and disease. On May 5 Lempert placed the bill on inactive status. Environmentalists rallied the public to call Assembly members, urging them to support AB 1313. But at this writing not enough votes were mustered to prompt Lempert to reactivate the measure. Lempert's office said he will try to move the bill again in January.

PL's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for its entire 200,000 acres of forest land is scheduled to undergo review about mid-June. This HCP is required as part of the "deal." If approved by federal wildlife officials the HCP would exempt the timber company from any further environmental review of its logging operations. Hurwitz retains the option to call off the "deal" at any point if he says the government has placed too many restrictions on his logging operations under the HCP.

Resistance from both sides to recent "deal"-related developments has led to a deadline extension for the "deal" until Feb. 17, 1998, to complete the HCP and environmental review.

Please call, write, fax, or e-mail today

President Bill Clinton
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
202/456-1111 phone
202/456-2461 FAX
president@whitehouse.gov

Sen. Dianne Feinstein
U.S. Senate
Washington DC 20510
202/224-3841 phone
202/228-3954 FAX
senator@feinstein.senate.gov

Douglas Wheeler
California Secretary of Resources
1416 Ninth St. #1311
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/653-5656 phone
916/653-8102 FAX

Tell them you support Headwaters Forest preservation efforts that would:

  • save all 60,000 acres and all six ancient groves of Headwaters Forest.
  • not sacrifice other ancient forests through land trades or other measures.
  • not restrict public participation or legal challenge.
  • not exonerate Hurwitz of his $548 million responsibility to American taxpayers.
  • not include HCPs that would sacrifice endangered species
 

Forests Forever:
Their Ecology, Restoration, and Protection
by
John J. Berger

NOW AVAILABLE
from Forests Forever Foundation
and the Center for American Places