Thanks to the generous support of the Klamath-Salmon Media Collaborative, a local media effort from Orleans, California, we now offer this brief but informative video about the campaign to protect Richardson Grove State Park. Please share the video far and wide, to build our movement to stop Caltrans from damaging this important gateway.

From everyone here at EPIC, thanks Stormy!

While there are a total of three active Green Diamond clearcut plans within Jacoby Creek watershed, two (1-08-145 and 1-08 153) have had “start-ups” filed with the California Department of Forestry and Fire (CalFire) in the last several weeks. Green Diamond has prepared to clearcut in very young stands in this area, underscoring the problems of short rotation, clearcut based logging operations. Aside from the almost exclusive use of clearcutting, the units to be cut are surrounded by areas plagued by years of clearcut logging. As is required under the California Environmental Quality Act, the list of historic plans within the planning documents has been included, and is daunting. (See graphic below)

It may be a bit difficult to understand how much logging has occurred in this region until you examine the attached maps showing a century of clearcut logging and roadbuilding that has increased the slope instability and damaged the watershed. What’s unique about these logging plans is that they are in such close proximity to residents along Jacoby Creek, including a certified organic farm.

To find out more about these plans or other private industrial logging operations, contact Calfire in Fortuna at (707) 725-4413 or visit the Forest Practice section of their website.  Click here to see what local redwood forest defence activists are doing to save this place.

Eye on Green Diamond: Jacoby Creek Operations

by Rob DiPerna

Green Diamond is currently operating on two adjacent Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) in the its Jacoby Creek ownership.  THP 1-08-145 and THP 1-08-153 are both located along the property line with units adjacent to residences.

The stands in these plans average a paltry 50 years old.  The tree size in these stands averages less than two feet in diameter.  These largely young, homogenous stands have already been the subject of several overlapping logging entries in the last 10-12 years.  Both plans were subject to selection and commercial thinning operations under four overlapping THPs.

These THPs contain Steep Streamside Slopes as defined in Green Diamond’s Aquatic Conservation Plan (AHCP) on Class I (fish-bearing) and Class II (non-fish-bearing but support amphibians) watercourses. Green Diamond will conduct selection-logging operations within the outer zone of these steep streamside slopes. Selection logging is also proposed in the Riparian Management Zones as defined in the AHCP, with the exception of Units C and D of THP 1-08-153.  These RMZs do not contain enough overstory canopy for Green Diamond to conduct further operations, likely as a result of the previous, overlapping harvest entries.

These two plans combine for 72 acres of clearcut logging of these young, heavily impacted and homogeneous stands.  This is a ‘clear-cut’= example of multiple entries, quick rotations, and intensive even-aged forest management. According to the THPs, the last commercial thinning entry into these units was under a THP filed as recently as 2001 (1-01-346). Now, less than ten years later, Green Diamond is back again, this time to completely liquidate as much of these young stands as the Forest Practice Rules and the AHCP will allow.

Jacoby Creek watershed in the vicinity of these THPs is home to resident Cutthroat trout, and represents potentially suitable habitat for listed species such as Coho salmon.  In addition, these areas are littered with historic Osprey nesting sites.  While the area does not contain Northern Spotted Owls, this species is known to occur in the biological assessment area.  In Addition, both these THPs represent habitat for the Pacific Fisher.

Green Diamond’s future projections for logging on its Jacoby Creek ownership demonstrate that nearly 500 acres more logging is likely in the next ten years, with nearly 400 acres of this slated for clearcutting.  Green Diamond’s frequent and intensive logging entries into these young stands represent a significant threat to trout and salmon species within Jacoby Creek.  Furthermore, the proposed logging operations on Steep Streamside Slopes runs the substantial risk of creating landslides or other mass wasting events.

Green Diamond’s intensive even-aged management in Jacoby Creek reflects the company-wide preference for liquidation forestry wherever the Forest

Practice Rules and the AHCP allow.  The Forest Practice Rules require “Maximum Sustained Production of High Quality Timber Products.” It is difficult to ascertain how Green Diamond can achieve maximum production of high-quality products when its intensive management strategy necessitates fast “rotation” i.e. logging and replanting, which results in the creation of young, homogenous stands that do not have time to develop into a high= quality product.

The consequence of this intensive even-aged management strategy is to sterilize the forest and significantly retard any attempts at biological recovery as a results of such frequent entries. Green Diamond’s 45-50 year rotation policy all but prevents the forest from developing the necessary characteristics of older more mature forests that would support a wider array of threatened species.

Clearly Jacoby Creek is but one example of Green Diamond’s intensive management which necessitates frequent entries, and ultimately results in clearcutting, burning, and the use of potentially dangerous herbicides. In a watershed such as Jacoby Creek where threatened trout and salmon are struggling to survive, Green Diamond’s intensive even-aged management practices will only serve to remove overstory canopy from critical streamsides, and clearcut the hills above.  In such an environment, it is difficult to see how the creek, or the species that depend on it can adequately recover from such frequent, and intensive even-aged management entries.

A little background

Under the terms of the antiquated 1872 mining law, Wabuska Mining LLC has proposed to develop the High Bar Placer Mine in the McNeal watershed near the Salmon River in Trinity County. An Environmental Assessment has been prepared to analyze the project known as High Mar Mine Phase 2, which includes the following activities:

• Removal of approximately 1.75 acres of surface vegetation (and piling for later burning by Forest Service personnel) in preparation for excavation and milling operations,

• Excavation and stockpiling of approximately 19,000 cubic yards of topsoil and overburden soil,

• Excavation of approximately 24,500 cubic yards of ore material for on-site milling,

• Ore milling at the High Bar Placer Mine, including housing of mill personnel,

• Development of a water line for milling purposes from McNeal Creek,

• Continued use and maintenance of the existing non-system access road,

• Reclamation of the mined sites, with a Reclamation Bond to be paid to the Forest Service by the claimant/operator should claimant/operator fail to reclaim the site.

It is interesting to note that in a recent Best Management Practices Water Quality Monitoring Report, the Klamath National Forest assessed the High Bar Mine and access road and determined that the development that has occurred at this location up until this point did not include adequate measures, as layed out in the permit process, to reduce environmental impacts. Clearly outlined “erosion control measures had not been implemented, and removed vegetation had not been properly treated…”

Recently, I drove home to Ferndale from Sonoma County. Since the last time I made this 101 drive, someone had stretched a banner between two redwood trees at the southern entrance to Richardson Grove. Just before plunging into the dark woods, the words “Save Richardson Grove” flashed by. I paid close attention to what I was seeing, thanks to that sign.

Some time ago, I attended Caltrans’ elaborate presentation which was held at River Lodge in Fortuna. The layout of designs and options displayed at that meeting came to mind as I slowed down and made my way through the forest. I could visualize exactly what Caltrans is “offering” to us, and I did not like what I could imagine.

The entire journey from south entrance to north entrance through the grove is not long. What Caltrans proposes will rip the heart out of this park — a park which (as we all know) belongs to the citizens of the state of California.

Richardson Grove does not belong to Caltrans, nor to the trucking industry, nor to the various chambers of commerce in Humboldt County.

Will it be possible to stop this project in a traditional and systematic way? Will public commentaries have been persuasive? Or will it be necessary for several thousands of people to stand in silence next to the silent trees who are unable to defend themselves?

We had a Redwood Summer years ago. Another one could be arranged to save Richardson Grove, if required.

Jere Bob Bowden

A bird's eye view of the Maple Creek watershed.

Green Diamond Resource Company (GDR) has been intensively working to churn out dozen of new logging plans for 2010.  Thus far in 2010, GDR has filed 37 THPs covering thousands of acres.  Nearly all of these plans call for a vast majority of logging operations to be conducted by clearcut.

Most of these proposed new logging plans are concentrated in a few, heavily impacted watersheds.  For example, six of these new THPs are slated to conduct clearcut logging in Little River, four of which are proposed in the Headwaters region, a watershed area that has been heavily impacted by past and current clearcutting. Little River Still provides habitat for salmon and steelhead populations.

In addition, GDR is proposing 12 new clearcutting THPs within the Maple Creek watershed. Maple Creek is a refugia for salmon and steelhead, which drains to Big Lagoon.  Many of the newly proposed logging operations in Maple Creek are in the lower part of the watershed where the potential to impact salmonids and the lagoon is highest.

This large-scale intensive logging strategy will impact critical habitat for imperiled species such as salmon, steelhead, Northern Spotted Owl, Pacific Fisher as well as various amphibians.  For example, a review of these newly proposed THPs indicates that Northern Spotted Owls are present either in or adjacent to a THP in 27 of the 37 cases.  Furthermore, 15 of these newly proposed THPs indicate that Pacific Fisher are present either in or adjacent to the plans.

While GDR proposes some no-harvest within some riparian management zones and habitat retention areas, the vast majority of the logging to be carried out under these plans is clearcutting.  Some of this clearcutting is proposed in and around wet areas, areas of disturbed ground, and potentially unstable areas.  Ground based selection logging is proposed within riparian management zones in many cases.

The 2010 GDR THPs also reveal a few other trends.  For example, 21 of the 37 new plans contain clearcut units that are constrained by lack of completion and stocking in adjacent THP clearcut units.  This means that trees in adjacent units are neither old enough nor tall enough to meet Forest Practice Rules tree stocking constraints required prior to clearcutting adjacent to regenerating units.

Furthermore, 23 of the 37 newly proposed THPs contain what is considered “oversized” clearcutting units.  This means that units contain greater than 20 acres of ground based clearcutting or greater than 30 acres of cable based clearcutting.  These extra large clearcut units are constrained by the Forest Practice Rules in order to protect natural resources such as soil, water, forest health, and wildlife.  Event though Cal Fire routinely approves the execution of these oversized clearcuts, the intent of the rules is to constrain the size and scope of clearcut logging to protect critical natural resources.

On June 30, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved a resolution to provide “approval for consideration for funding” of the the recommendation that the project be funded. It is interesting to note that nowhere in the resoultion language did the words “park” or Richardson Grove” or “Old Growth redwoods” appear. Perhaps this is the reason that with so many people paying close attention to procedures related to the project, no one caught that the item appeared on the CTC’s agenda. According to the Memorandum that laid out the resolution, the “total estimated project cost is $10,053,000 for capital and support.” This is approximately one third more expensive than earlier estimates.

In related news, CalTrans has proposed another project like the one through Richardson Grove, that would allow STAA access on Highway 199 and 197. This project damage  old growth redwoods in Del Norte County and would occur in nine locations along the Wild and Scenic Smith River. Public comments on the project will be accepted by District 1 Caltrans until August 23. To read the project Environmental Impact Report, click here.

EPIC volunteers have put together activist packets that we intend on distributing to motivated individuals to spread the word and gain support to save Richardson Grove. Packets include brochures, stickers, post cards, petitions, T-Shirts and other Richardson Grove paraphernalia. Please call or email the EPIC office if you have the time and energy to reach out to your family, friends and neighbors about the campaign to save Richardson Grove.

We’d love to raise the visibility of the pending devastation of our environment and way of life to those outside our immediate area. We have had a couple of articles published in the San Francisco Chronicle. We’d like to see more letters to the editor and op-eds written to the Chronicle and other newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury News, the Santa Rose Press Democrat, the the Marin
Independent, as well as environmentally and progressively oriented magazines and campus newspapers.

Naturally, donations for the cost of the lawsuit are badly needed. Please donate what you can.

In preparation for a U.S. Secretarial finding on whether dam removal is in the best interests of the American public and the citizens of California, the Department of Interior and California Department of Fish and Game are coming to the Arcata Community Center this Wednesday, July 14 at 6 p.m. and to Orleans on Thursday to gather public input on the environmental impacts of the Klamath dams.

Your attendance and testimony will be incorporated into an environmental analysis on the dams under the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act.  Please come speak up about the negative impacts of a No Action Alternative (leaving the dams in) and the positive impacts of a Four Dam Removal Alternative.  Also, feel free to suggest that they analyze an alternative that would remove four dams in 2013.  The scoping session will provide an opportunity for people to provide the lead agency with issues that should be addressed in the environmental document.  Any information, studies or documentation you can provide about the benefits of dam removal and impacts of non removal, will be very helpful and will be incorporated into the environmental analysis of the project. It is essential that people come out and support the Klamath River by getting involved in the public process that is essential for informed people to check and balance.

Green Diamond plans to seek HCP coverage for the Northern Spotted Owl. Other possible species to be covered by this HCP include Pacific Fisher, Humboldt Marten, Red Tree Voles, and Sonoma Tree Voles. Green Diamond’s current NSO HCP is antiquated, allows incidental take of NSO, and allows intensive management around NSO activity centers. The old HCP did not anticipate, and thus did not address, the now critical situation involving impacts to NSO from Barred Owls.

The updated HCP would center on Green Diamond’s new proposals for managing Northern Spotted Owls.  These proposals include an element for Barred Owl tracking and management.  The HCP would propose to require Green Diamond to maintain 50 pairs of NSOs. Central to Green Diamond’s NSO conservation strategy is the reliance upon the creation of NSO habitat within riparian management zones (RMZs) established under the Green Diamond AHCP.  Green Diamond is contending that these RMZ areas will develop into suitable NSO habitat in the future and that the RMZs will eventually be colonized by NSO.

A potential key element is the FWS and Green Diamond proposal to allow logging of habitat areas, “set-asides” that were established under the original NSO HCP. According to Green Diamond, there are areas that were set-aside that have not and do not support NSO.  The question, of course, is why these areas were designated as set-asides in the first place when no NSO were present.

The FWS estimates that the draft EIS will be available between December and February.  During this time, Green Diamond will model out its anticipated NSO habitat across the ownership for the next 50 years in 10-year increments. Green Diamond will also continue work on its abandonment model showing anticipated NSO take, site abandonment, and anticipated NSO relocation to RMZs and habitat retention areas (HRAs).

The US Fish and Wildlife Service appears to prefer the development of HCPs as opposed to enforcing the take prohibitions of the federal Endangered Species Act.  In this climate, loss of NSO territories will continue to occur and recovery of the species will remain contingent upon Green Diamond’s theoretical models of habitat recruitment, take, site abandonment, and site colonization.



Sol Simpson descendant and current Chairman of Green Diamond Resource Company, Colin Moseley (the crown is fake).

Since the fall of the Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Company, Green Diamond Resource Company has become the king of clearcuts in Humboldt County.  The famed timber giant is proud of their aggressive ‘even-aged’ i.e. clearcutting policy. In addition, they seriously assert that redwoods are a shade intolerant tree, and thus must grow in the full sun, i.e. plantation clearcuts.

So-called even-aged management is a euphemism for intensive clearcutting, burning, and herbicide use across Green Diamond’s vast landscape.  The trees and all vegetation are stripped bare, leaving exposed soils on the hillsides.

Clearcutting increases the risk of soil and debris transmission to watercourses, and increases the risk of significant earth movements when storm conditions are at their most intense.  Intensive clearcutting and extensive rains make for a dangerous mix of overland flow, flooding, and landslide activity.

Green Diamond’s method of two-species monoculture depends on clearcutting, broadcast burning, and the use of herbicides to allow its plantation style management to take hold. Thus the natural species diversity within the forest is compromised, and the habitat once present for threatened and endangered species is demolished. The habitat remaining is restricted almost entirely to slim watercourse buffers and serve as the last vestiges of safety and biodiversity on the landscape.

Intensive clearcut logging as practiced by Green Diamond leaves little but barren moonscapes where vibrant, recovering forests once grew.  In their place, Green Diamond intends to embark on an endless tree farm.  The needs of the species living in these watersheds are relegated to secondary status in the face of Green Diamond’s idea of maximum sustained production; clearcut, burn, herbicide, repeat every 45 years.  Under this regime, forests will not recover, species will continue to disappear, and our streams will continue to suffer.

Former US Congressmen Pete McCloskey works to protect Richardson Grove.

It’s been one week since EPIC and our allies filed a lawsuit challenging the Caltrans plan to widen Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park. In addition, we established the Richardson Grove Legal Fund, and made a fundraising challenge to our supporters to match donations and raise $5000 in one week.

We have seen great success through the announcement of the lawsuit through favorable and extensive media coverage across the state of California. In addition, thanks to supporters like you, we have surpassed our kick-off goal of $5000!

Of course, a lawsuit and state wide campaign depend on continued donations. We sincerely appreciate the support and look forward to continue to provide high quality advocacy work in defense of the Humboldt County and the old growth redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park. If you haven’t already pledged your support, please take a moment and join the effort.

I also encourage you to take a look at the legal challenge that we wrote with our co-plaintiffs and incredible team of first-rate attorneys.  The well-crafted words in the complaint layout 14 points to review, the first of which lays out the issue: This is a case of Trees vs Trucks.

In addition to the legal advocacy, we have been busy reaching out in every way possible to build our public campaign. We celebrated with the local community at the Southern Humboldt Arts and Music Festival, and took the message to the Fairfax Festival, with a booth at Ecofest. These adventures returned almost 1000 signed opposition postcards to the Governor, and the material support of selling over 100 Save Richardson Grove t-shirts to supporters.

Lastly, this week we hosted an unconventional format on Tuesday, during KMUD’s Environment Show. During the show, we heard live in the studio from Joanne Rand, Bud Rogers, Jan Bramlett and Jefferson Parsons. These dedicated activists sang songs they had written specifically to support the Save Richardson Grove campaign.

During the show we made a call out to musicians, artists, poets, performers and the like, who want to join in the movement to protect this important place by contributing their important skills to the campaign. To join in this effort and make a creative contribution to the larger campaign, please write kerul @wildcalifornia.org.

Of course, this is only the beginning. If we are to succeed in providing real protection for the ancient trees in Richardson Grove State Park and the long term sustainability of Humboldt County, we must take these seeds and plant them. We are looking into the future to several large, public events, including coordinating with Tree Spirit Project photographer Jack Gescheidt in his effort to organize a photograph, host a large gathering with exciting special guest musicians, and more.

Right now, we are busy preparing activist toolkits for satellite organizers to use to garner support for the campaign across California. We plan to include postcards, colorful brochures, stickers, posters and other materials in the packets. Please write epic@wildcalifornia.org to request yours!

Ongoing funding will be needed to see this campaign through, so the trees are safely protected. If you have not already, you can still help by pledging your support. Again, thanks to all of the donations our supporters have sent in, these are the folks who made it possible to take the first step to filing this lawsuit.

Now that EPIC has sent out our press release the story has hit the headlines.  You can view and share various articles by clicking here.  Feel free to check them out and leave comments letting them know how you feel about the project.

Thanks for the amazing work everyone!

Kerul Dyer

Save Richardson Grove Campaign coordinator