In The News

Tracking Eco-terrorists
A new group has recently formed with the goal of tracking eco-terrorists. The organization is called "Stop Eco- Violence" (SEV) and their efforts will be focused on exposing terrorists and their funding sources. SEV has hired as its full-time Executive Director, Kelly Stoners, formerly the spokeswoman for Louisiana Pacific. "There’s a great deal of public apathy on this issue," said Stoner to the Oregonians. "We believe that turning that apathy into unified outrage will give the level of support needed for our public officials and law enforcement to fight this very serious problem." Stoner says that Stop Eco-Violence! was formed to find real solutions to this persistent and inexcusable behavior. "Countering eco-terrorism is not simply a matter of law enforcement. Public participation is critical if we are going to raise the degree of risk to those who perpetrate these crimes," says Stoner. "SEV fills a tremendous void in the fight against eco-terrorism. To date, there has been no organization to speak out on behalf of victims and no unifying force to build a definitive opposition against it. Perhaps more importantly, there has been no pro-active effort to monitor, investigate and expose these special interest terrorists and their links to radical environmental groups."

NAWLA Accosted by Protesters
On June 9, the North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA) found themselves with four unwanted protesters who forced their way into a board meeting. They claimed affiliation with the Oregon-based "Cascadia Forest Defenders.” The Forest Resource Association reported that "the NAWLA took the prank in good nature and sent out a flyer to its members advising them that the same group — apparently in collaboration with ForestEthics and the Rainforest Action Network — has mailed out a bogus NAWLA Bulletin to NAWLA members (presumably with ironic or scurrilous content.)” The NAWLA also told their members that they shouldn’t be surprised if there are further stunts by these groups.

Logging May Fund Land Costs
The Washington Lands Commissioner, Doug Sutherland, has a novel idea to pay for everything from trail improvements to the cleanup of meth labs and abandoned cars found in the woods — logging. Sutherland’s proposal is to develop a land trust base of 50,000 to 100,000 acres purchased from private sellers and to keep the lands on the tax rolls so local governments don’t lose tax revenues. Sutherland says that the general fund money coming from the state legislature is not adequate to keep up with the projects facing the DNR. And the proceeds from harvests coming from forestland for other trust beneficiaries, including public school, universities and counties can’t be used for maintaining public access. The idea didn’t sound too bad to some. "I applaud him for coming up with a creative idea," said State Sen. Tim Sheldon. "It’s worth considering."

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