Mattole Wildlands Defense

Mattole Wildlands Defenders carry the torch of over 7 years of non-violent direct action in defense of the Oldgrowth Forests in the headwaters of the NF Mattole River. The Maxxam corporation has bankrupted Pacific Lumber and the future of this land is uncertain. Around 2,000 acres of the oldgrowth forest remains here. To get involved or help call- 707-834-3100. or write: P.O. Box 4803 Arcata, Ca 95521

Sunday, March 18, 2007

From the Skillshare

"I spent last week at the Mattole Wildlands Defense Skillshare at the Mattole Beach. I thought it went quite well."

"One of the most popular wokshops was the Coyuntura, which is Spanish for conjunction. It taught us a new way of analysis and finding solutions to problems. Other worshops were: pocket pouch survival kit, plant identification, rebel media, foraging, yoga, and history of Mattole forest defense. As a blogger and photographer, I was particularly interested in the rebel media workshop."
-Forest Defender Blog

"This weekend wraps up a skillshare in the Mattole where eco-defenders discussed non-violent strategy at resisting corporate attacks on the bioregion's forests."

"The weather was great, sunny and windy while people realized the value of living biomass as live willow trees provided us with shelter from the winds and dead dried branches provided heat for small cooking fires. The workshops featured a EZLN method called Coyuntura (pronounced Co-yen Too-Rah) that disscussed different forms of strategy in effective organizing. Coyuntura originates in Chiapas Mexico and is similar in using a concensus based decision making process as in the Caracoles (sea snail shell) council.."

"We also discussed the effects of free trade agreements on both the people and ecosystems of Mexico and the US. The regional effects of corporate logging's ecological devastation are also a result of free trade policy supressing local sovereignty in sustainable forestry planning (even in the case of SPI, another 'local' outfit). The bankrupty of Pacific Lumber and the resulting lay-offs is NOT a result of eco-activists and forest defenders (try as they may, there's only so many tree-sits while Maxxam/PL currently bankrolls 25+ poorly trained 'extracters' to remove treesitters by using physical force), though is the direct result of the 3X rate of harvests introduced after the '85 corporate takeover by Maxxam Corporation, headquarters based in Houston, TX.."

"The lives and homes of the logging workers are in NorCalifornia, though Maxxam's CEO and principal shareholder C. Hurwitz is attempting to hold PL's bankruptcy hearings in Corpus Christi, Texas, a far too expensive flight for a recently unemployed logger who had both their forests and their future stolen by Maxxam's corporate greed.."
-skillshare attendee

2 Comments:

Blogger Forest Defender said...

I thought the skillshare went really well. I'm so glad there was no rain that week.

5:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

there is now also an action camp at with new people begin trained how to climb,, backwoods tactics etc.. and action planning. Wooohooo! :) - SunFox, self proclaimed Eco-Avenger

Shunka's Comment:
We will continue to resist, and continue to help build this world-wide resistance to corporate fascism

......is this to mean that you support the attacks??
( are you involved in the planning? did you contribute financial aid? )


Is earth first returniong to it's violent ways of the past?

3:36 AM  

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