>
>
>
>Hi - I spoke with Vicki Campbell (NMFS) this morning. For whatever it's
worth
>she thought the Sacto hearing was "effective" in getting across the passion
>and committment which those in attendance bring to the issue. The appearance
>of children struck an emotional cord with both Spear and Hogarth.
>
>If only Spear and Hogarth would take it to heart and keep it there! -KB
>
>
>article forwarded from Jeff Shellito
>
>
> Plan to log near old redwoods opposed
>
> By Patrick Hoge
> Bee Staff Writer
> (Published Oct. 30, 1998)
>
> Charging that salmon and seabirds would be badly
hurt,
>environmentalists on Thursday assailed
> the Pacific Lumber Co.'s plan to log around ancient
>Humboldt County redwood trees that state
> and federal officials plan to buy for nearly $500
million.
>
> An array of environmental advocates at a Sacramento
>hearing called the plans a bad deal for
> taxpayers.
>
> "As far as I'm concerned, HCP stands for the Headwaters
>Clear-cut Plan," said Michael Passoff
> of Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters. He was one of
more
>than 80 people who commented on
> Pacific Lumber's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) at the
>Sacramento Convention Center.
>
> Hearings on the plan will continue next Thursday in
>Oakland and Nov. 11 in Eureka; another was
> held Tuesday in Culver City. Written comments will be
>taken until Nov. 16.
>
> Pacific Lumber President John Campbell said from his
>office in Scotia he was not surprised by
> the criticism.
>
> "We anticipated there'd be a crescendo at the end," he
>said. "They do not want the confrontation
> to be over."
>
> Pacific Lumber's plan must be approved by March 1 so
that
>federal authorization won't expire for
> $250 million allocated to buy the 7,500-acre Headwaters
>grove -- about half of which is a virgin
> stand of redwood trees as much as 2,000 years old.
>
> Gov. Pete Wilson last month signed a bill that
>appropriated $245 million in state money to
> purchase Headwaters as well as the 904-acre Owl Creek
>grove.
>
> Environmentalists say neither the timber purchase nor
>Pacific Lumber's harvest plan would benefit
> wildlife enough to justify giving the company a
permit to
>kill protected species.
>
> Both the imperiled marbled murrelet and coho salmon
depend
>on old growth forests, and Pacific
> Lumber has the largest remaining scattered stands of
old
>growth redwood trees on private land.
>
> Critics also say the company should not get a permit
>because it has often violated forest practice
> laws. It almost lost its license last year, and has
since
>received even more citations from the state.
>
> In addition to the forests the public may buy, Pacific
>Lumber's harvest plan calls for setting aside
> 8,500 more acres for 50 years for murrelets. In return,
>the company would get the right to log
> 500 acres of its virgin old-growth forest, and about
8,000
>acres of previously logged land that
> has stands of old-growth trees.
>
> The plan was developed jointly by officials from the
Fish
>and Wildlife Service and the National
> Marine Fisheries Service, but neither agency has yet
>approved it.
>
> Phil Detrich, a biologist for the Fish and Wildlife
>Service, said it is a good plan for the murrelets.
>
> "Our goal in this whole negotiation was to preserve the
>best habitat," Detrich said. "I am pretty
> much satisfied with the way this plan has been
developed
>so far."
>
> Vicki Campbell, the chief negotiator for the National
>Marine Fisheries Service, said her agency
> will soon issue a biological opinion on the harvest
plan's
>adequacy.
>
> But Campbell she wants to see stricter erosion controls
>and more monitoring of stream
> conditions. "The deal isn't done yet," she said.
>
> Environmentalists charge that the no-cut, 100-foot
buffer
>zones along streams won't be wide
> enough, and steep areas would be left unstable by
>clear-cutting.
>
> Some at the hearing called the process window dressing,
>and they don't expect the plan to be
> significantly changed.
>
> About 15 members of the Earth First movement stood with
>their backs to the panel taking
> testimony. Most wore white T-shirts saying "No Deal"
and
>"No HCP."
>
>
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