Mckay Tract Coalition [MTC] and supporters hosted another community hike in the McKay Tract on Saturday. With over 15 people attending, the movement to protect the McKay from the destructive hand of Green Diamond grows stronger and stronger by the day.

The community doesn’t want clear-cutting, nor to see more development; this isn’t some petty, inconsequential infill development, it’s serious urban sprawl at its worst! As the rezoning of the McKay Tract’s 7000 acres continues, Green Diamond, due to the increased taxes imposed by the county’s rezoning from timber to residential zone, it becomes more and more apparent that the county is equally to blame for the destruction of ancient trees, wildlife habitat, and rare land like no other.

You see, the county is acting as the mob boss, effectively squeezing Green Diamond off the land by rezoning it: this causes Green Diamond to liquidate the land (re: destroy as fast as possible), then sell it off for development. So they get the trees and the payday from the sale of the land — they win. And the county gets their malls, shopping center, 7000 homes, and more of your hard earned money in the form of taxes — they win too.

And guess who loses? The animals. The trees. The birds. The bears. The Coho Salmon. The Northern Spotted Owls. The Mountain Lions. The salamanders. The air quality. The streams. The views. And you! No longer is there an ad hoc community forest (let’s make it official!) to hike or a place to camp. No longer do you get to relax with the ferns and watch the bears scurry by, or go mushroom hunting. No longer do you ride your bike or go for a nice jog in pristine and rare forest (what’s left of it, that is…).

Will there be a forest left for our children to enjoy? How will we be affected by the increased global warming as companies continue to plunder forests? What are we doing, now, to help protect our most valuable resource, the forest? These are the questions that each one of us must deal with now, not later.

This company, “Green” Diamond, what a farce of a name! They already have taken most of the McKay Tract and now they’re coming for the last remaining stands. What’s “Green” about that? Shame.

Please stand in solidarity against this evilness. That’s the only word that now comes to mind: evil. This is an evil act to destroy such a place. It’s just not right.

PS. Thank you — those of you who are giving your hearts, time, and energy — for your support. You know who you are. True heroes!