| Protests |
| Protests |
An extinction crisis facing fish and forests in the Umpqua River watershed of Southwest Oregon inspired the first large-scale pro-forest rally and civil disobedience action in the history of the Roseburg area. The January 18 event saw 150 demonstrators gather at the U.S. Forest Service's North Umpqua Ranger Station about 17 miles outside of Roseburg.
Demonstrators bused in from throughout Oregon at the request of Umpqua watershed activists. At the climax, around 25 protesters were arrested as they blocked the station's door.
They included Western Ancient Forest Campaign Executive Director Jim Jontz. The former U.S. Congressman returned to Oregon for his second environmental CD action. Also arrested was Charlie Ogle, the Sierra Club's Oregon representative on federal forest issues. Leading protesters as they climbed the ranger district's doorstep were several wearing a 15-foot salmon costume bearing the message, "Repeal the Rider."
No logging taking place under the Salvage Logging Rider better exemplifies everything wrong with the rider than a >series of timber sales in the Umpqua. Green-tree sales in ancient forest which had been suspended due to their devastating impacts on some of the last and best salmon and steelhead runs on the Umpqua, they reveal the real forest health crisis is deforestation and the logging rider is a malevolent fraud. The demonstration was part of a growing mass movement calling for complete repeal of the rider.
The demonstration and action drew the connection between the logging rider and the extinction threat to Northwest wild salmon and steelhead runs. To underscore that point the Northwest director of the largest organization of West Coast commercial fishermen spoke at the rally. Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Commercial Fishermen's Associations noted that the Northwest fishing industry has lost 72,000 family-wage jobs in recent years, much of that due to logging. That amounts to brother versus brother, Spain said. "The loggers are not our enemy. Our common enemy is greedy multinational corporations."
Jontz, speaking to the crowd of hardy protesters braving a windy, rainy day, recalled Martin Luther King's "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." Repealing the rider and saving salmon and ancient forests is a matter of justice that calls us to bear witness in much the same way as MLK, he said. "The only thing that is possibly fair is to save the five percent of ancient forests that remain."
- Patrick Mazza
January 18 was a historic day for Roseburg. We saw our first public demonstration against the logging rider's impacts to Douglas County, specifically, the scientifically documented devastating effects to fish in the Umpqua River. County residents have seen their fish population go from tens of thousands in the 70's, down to less than 100 in 1995. Concerned citizens invited workers from the fishing industry and fish and forest supporters from around Oregon to a rally in support of our dwindling fish populations.The rally was held near the confluence of historically famous salmon rivers of Little River and the North Umpqua River, at the North Umpqua Ranger Station. Over 150 people attended. The building was closed off to demonstrators. About 20 people expressed their outrage at the federal government and the 104th Congress by crossing over the line and sitting down on the porch of the closed federal building. These 20 people were arrested, cited and ordered to appear in federal court in Eugene. The first subject to try to be arrested was a 12 foot long salmon spirit.
Out of town rally participants were directed to go first to a Roseburg mall parking lot to receive a map to the rally site. The first public demonstration of outrage against unsustainable forestry practices in Roseburg did not go unnoticed by the timber industry. They held a counter rally on the other side of the mall parking lot. It looked like a crowd of about 25-30 people were gathered around a speakers platform. Our side of the parking lot had only 2-3 people, as supporters just picked up a map and left for the rally site.
One person from our side meandered over to the other side to listen to industry speeches. While she was there a car pulled up honking, interrupting industry's excuses about how they don't really kill the fish (seals do). The woman in the honking car leaned out and shouted loud and clear to the timber industry crowd "You trouble making environmentalists - get a job! You make me sick". The crowd shouted unintelligibly after her as she drove off, but she must have figured it out because soon after she came over to us and shouted the same thing.
The local news coverage of the rally showed shouting environmentalists at the Ranger Station for a minute or two, then three or four minutes were given to industry leaders detailing their side.
The Oregonian report of the first ever mass pro-forest protest and CD near Roseburg was buried in news briefs and not even accurately covered. It said environmentalists and timber industry counter-demonstrators faced each other across a parking lot. Maybe they were talking about the honking and driving around looking for the right crowd to shout to. There was no other interaction.
The Oregonian sent a reporter and photographer down to the parking lot. One of them let it slip that they were TOLD not to go up to the rally site at North Umpqua Ranger Station. They drove over an hour from Eugene, and then stopped 18 miles short. What is going on here?
- Francis
(Umpqua Watersheds as an organization, does not advocate or plan civil disobedience, however our members and board members as individuals are free to express their 1st amendment rights as they see fit.)