🚀 go-pugleaf

Here are a few suggestions and tips I have on getting bad THP's
stopped.

First, define as best you can, your best terms.

For example:  what is a "conservation area?"  How will the THP go
against the intent of the law?

How is this area "pristine?"  Define in more detail its "precious
untouched environment."   Has it ever been logged?  Are there any
roads?  What makes it special?  Put all this in a letter and send
it to every enviro club, media outlet and elected official you can
afford to ASAP, and while you're at it, post it around.  If your
name is on it, be careful that your language doesn't inspire some
forest products worker to consider you a threat to humanity.

Next, public opinion.  Hit the bricks.  Type up a reasonable
facsimile of the following and run a couple dozen copiess and take
it to a couple of food stores in the area of the mountain and
buttonhole the people coming out.  Just follow them out into the
parking lot and start asking:

1.  Do you know about the planned logging of Cobb Mountain?    Yes
No

2.  Do you think it would have any impact on your watershed?  Yes
No

3.  Do you feel that the total effect of the Cobb Mt. logging,
including impacts on property values and other interests such as
tourism and fishing, would be positive?  Yes   No

4.  (Etc.)

Be sure you ask all types.  Ask the very next person after you are
ready.  If you ask just the longhairs and not the guys in the
baseball caps, your survey will be biased.

You can change the questions as you ask them.  After a few answers
you will see a pattern of response that will show the interest of
the respondents.  Focus on those questions.  Then you will begin
to see the awareness and the inclination of the people.  In about
an hour you will know if you have a hot enough topic to kick a
county supe out of his seat.  If you do, the courthouse grunts
will make a show of going after CDF.  Now here is where you watch
out, because the counties and CDF have a dance they use.

On a contested THP, CDF keeps planning meetings until the county
rep. fails to show;  then CDF OKs the THP.  So watch the meetings!
If the county rep. is a no show, demand that the THP not be
reviewed.  Planning and imagination here will probably help.

That was on the macro county scale.  Now on the micro scale, look
at the watershed affected by the cutting all the way down to the
first big dam.  At the dam, see if the people making money from
the fishing feel the silt will be a problem and if they want to
help stop it.  The big timber says that net effect of cutting is
about a 10% percent increase in gauged runoff.  The argument is
that the 10% is transpired out of the watershed by the big trees.


Another likely possibility is that it is held on the hill long
enough to percolate down into the ground water, feeding area
springs and wells.  Raise this question and start bugging
watershed groups, ask the Mendocino Environmental Center for some
names.  Remember that research by CDF is highly suspect, and
research by Cal State Schools is also suspect because of their
ties with Georgia Pacific.  I am not an expert, but I believe that
the conventional wisdom is that if you cut the trees you will
lower the water table.  Those people who will have to pay to have
their wells drilled deeper will be your best allies.

Next try to con a GOOD lawyer into filing for an injunction.
Convince the guy you have an army of activists just waiting for
the chance to supply information and do research and all he has to
do is put on his suit and go to court and take the credit.  I've
seen it done; try to get a younger guy who is looking to make a
name.  Don't take an incompetent just because he/she will do it
for free, he/she can get you in a lot of trouble and still file
for services.  I have also seen that happen.

Finally, awareness:  be sure everyone in the county knows enough
to make an informed decision.  I would just ask strangers in the
grocery checkout line if they heard about the Cobb Mt. logging.
If you get press, it doesn't take long for people to know the
details.

If you can't get your message out, such as you can't get air time
or the newspaper won't run your stuff, then demonstrate.  Demos
always get press.  Be sure your people have good data that reads
well to the local population "Poor planning will reduce property
values" reads better to most locals than "Greed is destroying our
mother".  Be sure you do a press release to all the media in the
area.  If you want to maximize your coverage, you can do a little
civil disobedience--the  clinic blocking style seems to be in
vogue.  Just remember:  if you block them on a public road, that
is blocking a public roadway and will probably be about $250.00.
If you block them on private property, that is trespassing and is
about $25.00, or at least that seems to be the case.

Good luck.  Write.  Let me see your data.

Bob Serina