Less than 2 hours ago tree-sitters were discovered on Green Diamond Resource Company land by what appears to be a company Forester surveying the area. The Forester made communication with the multiple sitters by saying “hello” as he appeared to be placing ribbons and/or a marker on the occupied tree.
Activists have been active on this land for the past few months. Multiple old-growth trees have been located and documented; Endangered Spotted Owls have been seen in numbers living directly inside the groves marked to be cut by Green Diamond. Activists have encountered Spotted Owls in the actual trees they have been defending.
The old-growth Redwood, known as Millenia, towering well over 200 ft, is one the trees that sitters are currently defending and will continue to do so until Green Diamond declares this area off-limits for destruction.
The McKay Tract is comprised of 80 - 100 year-old Redwoods, perhaps the oldest second-growth in Humboldt County, last logged a few years into the 1900’s. Green Diamond is proposing to rezone the entire 2000 acres from Timber Production Zone (TPZ), to a residential area — potentially establishing 7000 new homes at the expense of Northern Spotted Owl habitat and old-growth trees. Insane. The McKay Tract also “includes 16 miles of fish bearing stream in the Ryan Creek watershed. Ryan Creek is the best coho producing stream in the Humboldt Bay area” says Jen Kalt of Humboldt Baykeeper and California Native Plant Society in a recent interview on KMUD Radio.