Headwaters Headlines

Hollywood Heavies Hail Headwaters
US - The political deal to "save" California's Headwaters Forest from the sawmills of Texas billionaire Charles Hurwitz continues to draw criticism. Hurwitz's Maxxam-owned Pacific Lumber (PL) company (convicted of more than 250 violations of environmental law) has written its own "habitat conservation plan" (HCP) to cover future logging. Not surprisingly, this HCP allows PL to continue cutting trees and killing endangered species. Maxxam estimates its 210,000 acres of forest are worth $320 million. The Headwaters deal, brokered by US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) would give Hurwitz "$380 million for just 3,500 acres of old-growth and 4,000 acres of logged land. Last August, 19 celebrities signed an open letter opposing the deal. "In our opinion," the letter read, "this amounts to taxpayers like ourselves granting Hurwitz a giant subsidy for protecting that which should already be protected if the Endangered Species Act were enforced." The letter was signed by Drew Barrymore, James L. Brooks, Glenn Close, Robert De Niro, Jena Elfman, Harrison Ford, Merle Haggard, Woody Harrelson, Ron Howard, Elton John, Rickie Lee Jones, Courtney Love, Madonna, Willie Nelson, Edward Norton, Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Shue, Michael Stipe and Bob Weir.

Logger Barons Slapped, Workers Suffer
On November 10, the California Department of Forestry (DoF) revoked the logging license of Pacific Lumber Co. for the remainder of the year, and the company immediately laid off 180 employees. PL was already on probation after the DoF suspended its logging rights in 1997. (Over the last three years PL racked up nearly 200 violations of the Forest Practices Act.) DoF's belated second crack-down came only after PL had committed 16 additional violations, acquired two criminal citations and been implicated in the death of David Chain, an anti-logging activist who was crushed by a falling tree in October. "We are human beings and we do make mistakes," explained PL spokesperson Mary Bullwinkel. PL, which is owned by Houston-based Maxxam Inc., controls the world's largest privately owned stand of redwoods - 200,000 acres in northern California including the ancient redwoods of the Headwaters Forest. The DoF ruling will not prevent PL from hiring outside loggers to continue felling trees. PL will be free to challenge the suspension and can apply for a new one-year logging permit in January.

Burning Indignation
A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit by nonviolent activists who had pepper spray swabbed directly into their eyes in a controversial "pain compliance" maneuver by the Humboldt County Police Department. The judge ruled that the assault did not constitute torture since the pain did not last. "Fire in the Eyes," a 32-minute video from the Headwaters Action Video Collective [HAVC, PO Box 2198, Redway, CA 95560, (707) 459-5490, ex. 582] investigates the controversy in interviews with the protesters, police and recently defeated Congressman Frank Riggs. The video also tells the story of the death of Earth First! activist David "Gypsy" Chain, who was killed by a tree toppled by a logger who had threatened him just hours before.