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EPIC's Action Alerts
After 23 long years of fighting Maxxam's destructive policies in Humboldt, we can finally wave goodbye to Charles Hurwitz. Please take a minute to read the press release below, that we sent out to media earlier today. Deadline for scoping comments on the Richardson State Park Highway 101 "Improvement Project" is June 10th, 2008. We need comments to Caltrans, Congressman Thompson, and Governor Schwarzenegger today. The Northern Spotted Owl and its Forest Habitat Need Your Help! Please take a moment to send in comments to the California Board of Forestry! New rules could weaken, not strengthen Californi's Forest Practice Rules. Pacific Lumber Timber Plan Threatens State Park Pacific Lumber proposes clearcutting right next to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. URGENT ! Board of Supes Hearing Nov. 6 - Public Testimony Needed! (UPDATED) Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to Consider Extension to Interim Ordinance Restricting Residential Development in TPZ Zones Partly in Response to Maxxam Pacific Lumber Bankruptcy Proposal to Develop and Sell 22,000 acres of its timberlands. Implementation of pacific Lumber Proposal Could Cause jeopardy to the endangered species marbled murrelet and a pandora's box of de facto conversions a... New Pacific Lumber Proposal Could Wipe Out Over 21,000 Acres of its Forestlands for Development! Update on Pacific Lumber bankruptcy case: PL's outlandish proposal would sell forestlands (many of which harbor the endangered marbled murrelet) as high-end "ranchettes". Public Meeting with CalTrans on Richardson Grove CalTrans public meeting on Richardson Grove Route 101 Improvement Project at Benbow Valley RV Resort Help Us Defend the Siskiyou Mountains Salamander and the Scott Bar Salamander! The Scott Bar Salamander (Plethodon asupak) has been probably been living in talus slopes beneath old forest canopy in the mountains around the lower Scott River, a tributary of the Klamath, for millions of years. But it was only in 2005 that scientists showed how different these small, skin-breathing amphibians are from their cousins, the Siskiyou Mountains salamander (P. stormi), which are fo... North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWB) has rescheduled the evidentiary hearings to consider the Watershed Wide Waste Discharge Requirements (WWWDRs) for April 24th & 25th at an as-yet-to-be-announced location. These hearings had previously been scheduled for September of 2005, when Maxxam/Pacific Lumber (PL) filed a desperate, last-hour lawsuit that yielded an unlikely temporar... Proposal Threatens the Future of Rare Marbled Murrelet Urge the Bush Administration to protect critical habitat and coastal old-growth forests. Take action now! Protect the Smith River Watershed From Extreme ORV Use Please write a quick letter today on behalf of the Smith River National Recreation Area! Klamath Tributaries Need Your Help Please take a moment to write a letter advocating that the Klamath National Forest protect water quality and old-growth forests when planning the Thom-Seider timber sale. Comments are due March 7! Old-Growth Logging on the Rise News about the Bush Administation's ongoing efforts to sell off our national forests include the Klamath National Forest's approval of the Knob Timber Sale in the Salmon River region. Senate May Consider Harmful Logging Bill House Walden Bill HR 4200 is going to the Senate. It could cause serious harm to our national forests. Stand Up for Salmon and Wildlands--Support Road Removal on the Six Rivers National Forest Destructive use of off-road vehicles in national parks can be limited by road removal projects. Support Forest Service plans to decommission roads in Six Rivers National Forest. Upper Mad River Forests Need Your Help--Please Send Another Letter to the Forest Service! Please take a moment today to let the Forest Service know that you value the forests, water and wildlife of the Upper Mad River Watershed. Initial (scoping) comments on the Little Doe- Low Gulch logging proposal are due by June 16th. Walden Logging Bill (HR 4200) Passes the House--We Need Phone Calls to the Senate! The Walden Logging Bill, HR 4200, passed the House on May 18th. It is an attempt to sweep away fundamental environmental protections on national forests across the country. We must stop a similar bill about to go to the Senate. Water Board Decision Meeting in Santa Rosa for the WWWDRs The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board plans to make a decision regarding the new watershed-wide waste discharge requirements which will govern permitting of various activities on industrial timberlands. Little Doe/Low Gulch Timber Sale--Upper Mad River Forests Need Your Help! Little Doe/Low Gulch Timber Sale on the Six Rivers National Forest targets 923 acres between Ruth Lake and the Yolla Bolly Wilderness, including key habitat for imperiled species. Comments due by 5/30/06. Encourage Sierra Pacific Industries to Protect Underwood Roadless Area Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) owns a square of land above Underwood Creek, just east of the South Fork Trinity River, that's completely surrounded by the Underwood Roadless Area in Six Rivers National Forest. They are planning to cut most of the old-growth and mature forest on its parcel. Stop the Auction of Our National Forest Lands--New Comment Deadline May 1! After six years of undermining protections for public lands and forests, President Bush's FY 2007 budget proposes to sell more than a quarter of a million acres of public lands. Let the Forest Service know that you oppose selling public lands to fund educational shortfalls. Attend Water Board Hearings--Show Support for Watershed-Wide Waste Discharge Requirements The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has scheduled two hearing dates for review of the new Watershed-Wide Waste Discharge Requirements (WWWDRs), on April 24th in Eureka and on May 8th in Santa Rosa. Bush's Proposal for Public Lands Sell-Off The Bush Administration has proposed in the 2007 federal budget to sell off more than 300,000 acres of national forests managed by the Forest Service, and another 500,000 acres of federal public lands that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The $800 million raised by the sales would provide short-term funding for a federal payments program that is a legacy of the now-abandoned practi... Good News and Bad News--Pombo's Mining Proposal Fails, Walden Bill Gets Support from the Senate Side Salvage Logging Bill Moving, But Slowly: The controversial and very dangerous post-disturbance logging bill proposed by Reps Walden (R-OR) and Baird (D-WA) has been slowed by stiff opposition, but continues to move through the House, and is now expected to hit the floor early in the new year. We need to continue to let key members of Congress and Senators know the proposal would be a disaster ... Proposed Wilderness, Wild & Scenic River Threatened The Six Rivers National Forest, based in Eureka, has proposed to allow Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) to build most of a mile of logging road which would fragment the Underwood Roadless Area and threaten key fish and wildlife habitat values above the Wild and Scenic South Fork Trinity River. Help Protect Coastal Ecosystems from Outlaw Off-Road Vehicles Precious Resources at Tolowa Dunes State Park Are Being Destroyed by Illegal Use Cast Your Vote for the Humboldt Environmental Technology Center Pro-development forces and a corporate franchise hotel project currently threaten one of Eureka's last remaining waterfront parcels. The three-acre parcel is immediately south of the Wharfinger Building on Waterfront Drive. On December 6th, the Eureka City Council will grant the Exclusive Right to Negotiate the development of this parcel to one of the project proponents. City Cou... New Logging Bill Threatens Wildlife, Water, and Public Participation Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) thinks "forest recovery" means clear-cutting our national forests after natural disasters. Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM) has a REAL plan for recovery. Call and Email your U.S. representative today! Celebrate 28 years of EPIC's environmental work. JOE CRAVEN'S FIVE PIECE BAND DJANGO LATINO will provide the party rhythms from 9pm til whenever. Pombo Keeps 'Em Coming A hallmark of Congressman Pombo's (R-CA) environmental proposals are structural changes that make it more difficult for the public to have input on decisions that affect our health and our environment. There are three proposals that we need you contact your U.S. Representative and/or Senator about as soon as possible. CALL NOW! STOP POMBO'S PLAN TO GUT ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT It is critical that Members of Congress stand up for our natural heritage and the Endangered Species Act. Please call your Member of Congress and urge them to oppose Representative Pombo's Extinction bill! IMPORTANT HEARING REGARDING HEADWATERS FOREST EPIC v. Pacific Lumber Hearing in the Court of Appeals Friday, September 16th, 2005 9:00-11:00 a.m. in San Francisco 350 McAllister Street HEARING ON WATERSHED-WIDE WASTE DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS On September 14th and 15th, 2005, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will conduct a two-day evidentiary hearing on Pacific Lumber Company's watershed-wide waste discharge requirements for Freshwater Creek and Elk River. Public comment time is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14th. Humboldt Bay Dredging Project A proposal by the Humboldt Bay Harbor District and the city of Eureka to dump dredge "spoils" on the beach on the Samoa Peninsula has caused a stir among surfers, beach-goers, and even the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The project, designed to remove sediment from nearly 13 sites in Humboldt Bay, would dump the equivalent of 20,000 dump-truck loads next to a popular surf spot named "Po... Humboldt County has gotten dangerously off track by sidelining a proposed compromise management plan for Clam Beach that would have limited the danger to the public and wildlife from out-of-control drivers on the beach. Eighty-five percent of the more than 200 personal letters received from County residents during the public comment period on the Department of Public Works' Draft Management Pla... Public Comment Needed--Write to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Known as waste discharge requirements (WDRs), the proposed WDRs are designed to address cumulative watershed impacts from timber harvesting activities in the two watersheds with regard to sediment delivery and nuisance flooding. Downstream residents of Pacific Lumber have complained of severe flooding damage to property over the last several years, and these impacts have occurred in watersheds ... ENDANGERED HABITAT ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK Charles Hurwitz's Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Company is at it again--this time trying to liquidate as much old-growth forest as it can in anticipation of filing for bankruptcy, which it has been threatening for months. Recently prevented by the State Water Quality Control Board from logging his desired volume of trees in the Elk River and Freshwater Creek watersheds, Hurwitz continues to turn to the... PUBLIC MEETINGS, EMAIL YOUR SUPPORT Meeting of The State Water Board, Sacramento (Attend or send a letter) Humboldt County General Plan Update, Eureka Endangered Species Act is In Danger--Write to Congress Today! There is a major push in Congress to weaken the Endangered Species Act. The ESA is an important tool to protect species and their habitat from practices that degrade and destroy water quality, forests, and remaining wild places. STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD HEARING EPIC joins the Humboldt Watershed Council in appealing last month's decision of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to allow Pacific Lumber to log in the severely impaired watersheds of Freshwater Creek and Elk River. The State Water Board will conduct a hearing on Tuesday, 4/5/05, at 1:30 pm in Sacramento, to decide whether to issue a stay on Maxxam/Pacific Lumber's THPs. Change of Venue--Water Quality Control Board Meeting North Coast Water Quality Control Board Meeting in Santa Rosa March 16, 2005 Pacific Lumber seeks approval of Elk River and Freshwater Creek logging permits and we say NO. Attend the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Meeting The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will hold a public hearing in Santa Rosa to consider demands by Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Co. for authorization to conduct extensive logging in two of its severely fractured watersheds, Elk River and Freshwater Creek. These watersheds, listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act, are impacted by landslides, sedimentation and widespread damage re... Comments Needed on Elk Thin Project The Happy Camp Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest is proposing the 358-acre Elk Thin timber sale. The Elk Creek watershed is already fragmented from past logging and roadbuilding activities, and it is designated a "key watershed" for salmon recovery. Bill for Redwood Protection Passes CA Legislature! We are very close to removing the threat of industrial logging in Jackson State Forest, but there remains one last hurdle before SB 1648 becomes law: Governor Schwarzenegger signing it! Key Vote This Week for Heritage Tree Preservation Act!! The fate of SB 754 is being decided this month, and with it, the fate of heritage trees across California. The Heritage Tree Preservation Act will forever protect ancient trees on nonfederal forestlands. Ancient Forests Slated for Destruction in Mendocino NF The Mendocino National Forest is proposing to log a staggering volume of old growth trees in a "Tier 1," key salmon watershed. Help EPIC keep this ancient forest standing! Schwarzenegger Aims to Axe Forest Protections The Schwarzenegger Administration is trying to fast-track a bill to strip fish and wildlife protections from forests across the state. Take action to protect California's forests! LNG Proposal Goes to Critical Vote The proposal to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility heads to a critical vote this Tuesday, March 16th before the Eureka City Council, when it will consider giving Calpine Corporation the option of buying public land on Humboldt Bay for this controversial plan. Forest Service Plows Ahead with Deceptive Logging Plan in Shasta-Trinity 2,000 acre logging sale targets remnant old growth trees in the South Fork Trinity River watershed, threatening spotted owls, Pacific fishers, coho salmon, and other species that rely on healthy forest ecosystems. Timber Sale Targets Majestic Salmon River The Klamath National Forest Service is proposing to log 744 acres in the Salmon River watershed, threatening ancient forests, Riparian Reserves, and Wild and Scenic River corridors. Join EPIC and others in protecting this spectacular watershed. Unhealthy Forests Bill Heads to a Vote! Calls Urgently Needed! Please call California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to help defeat Bush's "Repackaged" "Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003." We need to keep the pressure on our Senators so that they oppose Bush's HR 1904. Comments Needed to Protect Port Orford Cedar The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service are inviting public comments on management of Port Orford Cedar, but are exluding its range in California in the Six Rivers, Shasta-Trinity, and Klamath National Forests. Comments are needed to urge the protection of this beautiful tree throughout its entire range. Comments Needed to Protect Rare Pacific Fisher The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has invited public comments on its preliminary finding that the Pacific fisher may require protection under the Endangered Species Act in California, Oregon, and Washington. This beautiful, mink-like mammal needs ancient forests to survive, and letters are needed by September 8 to ensure the fisher receives the full protection it needs and deserves! Salvage Hoax Threatens Rare Wildlife Habitat The Klamath National Forest is proposing to log an unspecified number of acres from four areas near Mt. Shasta and Medicine Lake, threatening rare northern goshawk nesting territorities, important corridors for the northern spotted owl, and sacred cultural sites. Help us cancel this plan and protect the Southern Cascades! Support Needed for Critical Water Quality Bill An important bill introduced by Senator Burton needs your support. Senate Bill 810 would eliminate the disturbing practice by the California Department of Forestry (CDF) of authorizing logging operations over the objection of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards. Please call or write today to support this important water quality legislation! Massive Grazing Threatens Wild and Scenic South Fork Trinity The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is proposing to issue grazing permits on a staggering 250,000 acres within the Wild and Scenic South Fork Trinity River watershed. Comments are needed to urge the Forest Service to adopt Alternative #1, the no grazing alternative within the South Fork Trinity River, and instead work towards restoration of this river. Help Stop Bush From Gutting Salmon Protection in Pacific Northwest! The Bush Administration is proposing to turn back the clock on forest protection and gut salmon and water quality protection on public lands of the Cascade and Coastal Mountains in Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. Please help show public support for salmon, forests and clean water! Timber Sale Targets Forests by Marble Mountain Wilderness The Klamath National Forest is proposing to log 1,026 acres adjacent to the Marble Mountain Wilderness and within the Wild and Scenic Scott River corridor, as part of the Westpoint Heli Timber Sale. Comments are needed to urge the Forest Service to drop the sale because it will degrade Wild and Scenic River values, Wilderness values, and ancient forest habitat, and increase the risk of catastr... Déjà vu? New road building proposal threatens Underwood Roadless Area, again. Back in April of 2006 EPIC posted an action alert asking supporters to get involved in stopping a permanent logging road which would fragment the Underwood Roadless area. Take a minute and call the Forest Service. This project has progressed now so that we must act again, now! The Six Rivers National Forest wants to allow Sierra Pacific Industry to build nearly a mile of logging road, whi...
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