March 18, 2003, The Sacramento Bee, 2 Humboldt tree-sitters removed, by Dorothy Korber

March 18, 2003, The Sacramento Bee, 2 Humboldt tree-sitters removed, by Dorothy Korber -- Bee Staff Writer,

Clambering amid the foliage a hundred feet above the ground, lumber company climbers on Monday snapped a harness around a defiant anti-logging protester, cut through the metal sleeve binding her to the redwood's trunk, and lowered her to the forest floor.

The 28-year-old protester, who calls herself Remedy, had lived in the Humboldt County tree -- which she nicknamed Jerry -- since March 21 of last year. She was arrested for trespassing and jailed. A second tree-sitter, known as "Wren," was removed later.

A similar fate awaits tree-sitters in 16 other redwoods in the Freshwater Creek area, said Jim Branham of the Pacific Lumber Co., which owns the grove about 10 miles east of Eureka.

"Once all the tree-sitters are removed, we'll proceed with our logging operation," Branham said. "Obviously, when you have people in trees, it makes it very difficult to operate. Our inability to operate -- using timber harvest plans approved by the state of California -- has an impact on our business. This is private land that we own. This is our business."

Before her arrest, Remedy told reporters that the protest against old-growth logging would continue regardless of what happened to her. "As long as they're cutting ancient trees, people are going to protest," she said.

The activists claim aggressive logging has filled riverbeds with silt, damaging the watershed and endangering local residents.

The sitters are occupying the trees in defiance of a court order issued last week that called on them to leave their perches "immediately and permanently."

An ambulance was on the scene Monday, said Brenda Gainey of the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department. The situation was perilous for the tree-sitters and the climbers sent to bring them down, Gainey noted.

"There's a lot of passion on both sides," she said. "When the protester saw that the climbers were coming up, she climbed higher and locked herself onto the tree. The safest resolution for everyone involved would be for the sitters to give up."

Rod Coronado of Earth First, an organizer of the protest, blamed Pacific Lumber for endangering the tree-sitters.

"We've been talking to Remedy by radio -- she's pretty calm," he said. "She's committed nonviolently to passive resistance. Any injuries will be the fault of Pacific Lumber."

As the climbers prepared to mount her tree Monday afternoon, Remedy sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" from aloft. A couple of hours later, she was locked in a sling and dropped into the waiting arms of the deputies.

Earlier Monday, three demonstrators on the ground -- two women in their 50s and a 25-year-old man -- were arrested and booked into the Humboldt County jail, according to Gainey.

Branham said the other tree-sitters will be removed over the next few days. Pacific Lumber has previously used professional tree climbers to remove perching protesters, he added.

"We've done it about half a dozen times," he said. "Our folks are trained in high-angle rescue and experienced -- safety is their top priority. But we'd be thrilled if we didn't have to use them."

Branham defended his company's environmental record. "In terms of environmental issues," he said, "this company's protections are the most stringent of any in the state."

Karen Pickett of Earth First rejected that assessment.

"The watershed there is in a state of meltdown," she said. "Pacific Lumber doesn't need to endanger people's lives -- they need to listen to the scientists and to their neighbors and do what's right."


About the Writer
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The Bee's Dorothy Korber can be reached at (916) 321-1061 ordkorber@sacbee.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.