I just went on a week-long backpacking trip with a few of my friends in the Marble mountian wilderness in Klamath national forest, and it was one of the most profound adventures I've been on in my life... it's such a divinely healthy, energetic forest (one of the few left in the u.s.)... but despite how important this forest is to the bio-diversity of the planet... the logging industry is relentless...
I just got this email from epic;

Dear EPIC Supporters and Friends of the Forests,

This alert contains a message from our Executive Director on the passing of leading environmentalist, Tim McKay, as well as links to two action alerts posted on the EPIC website and a notice about our upcoming hike into the Klamath National Forest on August 20th to visit a forest of old growth that is scheduled for sale by the Forest Service.

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Pioneering environmental activist Tim McKay, Executive Director of the Northcoast Environmental Center (NEC) for 35 years, passed away on Sunday, July 30, 2006. He was 59 years old. Tim was birding at Stone Lagoon when he was struck down by a massive heart attack. He is survived by his 25-year-old daughter, Laurel; his 21-year-old son, Forrest; his brother, Gerry and his partner Michelle Marta; along with many relatives and friends.

Tim was a major advocate for a healthy environment on the North Coast since the inception of the modern environmental movement in the 1970’s. His longevity on the front lines is astounding in light of the the mental and spiritual fortitude required to stave off the constant threat of ecological disaster resulting from industrial development. In addition to the monthly ECONEWS paper and the weekly ECONEWS Report radio show he produced, Tim and the NEC helped lead the campaign to expand Redwood National Park by 48,000 acres, battled the fish-killing Klamath River dams, and stood up for the plants and critters of our region—both great and small—that keep the entire miraculous community of life humming along. Tim inspired, motivated and empowered countless activists, including me, to defend our home on the planet.

Tim will be greatly missed as a keystone member of the community. The Board and staff of EPIC and our volunteers were greatly saddened to learn of his death. We will miss his calm, determined presence at the many public meetings he attended, his mellow but impassioned voice on the radio, and his unwavering guardianship of the natural world. We are all diminished by his loss.

Larry Evans, Executive Director
EPIC

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After five and a half years in office, the direction of the Bush administration federal forest policy is clear: protections for roadless and old-growth forests are being weakened or erased; the logging program has seen a 43% increase in fundintg since FY 2000 while the US Forest Service struggles to keep campgrounds open and roads and trails maintained; oil and gas drilling is being proposed for important wildlife and recreation areas; and community fire protection efforts are lagging due to the lack of funding for projects on private lands where fuels treaatments are most needed and effective.

Two actions you can take to help fight these harmful initiatives are available on the EPIC website:
1. The Senate is considering a House bill misleadingly entitled, “The Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act,” HR4200 (aka the Walden bill, which you may remember from past action alerts. Please notify your Senators to oppose this destructive bill which flies in the face of respected scientific research.
www.wildcalifornia.org/cgi-pr...ions.pl

2. Tell your Senators to oppose the logging of the Salmon River Watershed in the Klamath National Forest. The Knob Timber Sale is going forward unless we can pump up the volume of our opposition. This plan includes almost 600 acres of ancient and mature forests adjacent to the Salmon River. The area connects two designated old-growth reserves and is part of a proposed expansion to the Trinity Alps and Marbled Mountain Wilderness areas. This logging sale would remove approximately 1,500 truckloads of trees, creating a giant break in this wildlife corridor and threatening Northern spotted owls, coho salmon, wild orchids, and world-class whitewater recreation opportunities.
Go to our website to take action:
www.wildcalifornia.org/actions/number-57

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August 20: Hike Salmon River Old-Growth
Join EPIC and KSWild to hike through the at-risk old-growth forests and swim in the Salmon River. Emerging from the Marble Mountain, Russian and Trinity Wildernesses, the Salmon River is an ecological legacy in northwest California. This major tributary of the Klamath River is one of the last undammed and undiverted rivers in the entire Klamath Basin. All legal appeals have been exhausted in our attempts to save over 500 acres of old growth, including Northern spotted owl critical habitat, on the Salmon River in the Klamath National Forest. These spectacular old-groiwth forests may not be standing for much longer as the Knob timber sale may be auctioned off this summer. Please join us for a hike on August 20th to visit these forests before they are gone.

Always come prepared for hiking! Bring good shoes, clothing layers, food and water.

Carpools will leave from three sites. To RSVP or for more information:
Ashland, Oregon--Contact lesley@kswild.org or call 541-488-5789
Arcata, California--Contact scott@wildcalifornia.org or call 707-476-8340
Orleans, California—Contact southsiskiyou@riseup.net or klam_watch@yahoo.com

Thanks for your support, from the forests and watersheds of the North Coast,
Scott Greacen and Jan Bramlett
The Environmental Protection Information Center
PO Box 397
Garberville, CA 95542
www.wildcalifornia.org
707-923-2931
707-923-4210 (fax)

PO Box 147, Eureka, CA 95502
707-476-8340
707-476-8383 (fax)


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