By Gregg Stevens – North Coast News, September 6, 1990
At a unique protest held Aug. 18 in Elk, a logging crew was confronted not by vehicles or people chained to trees, but by several tables full of pancakes, eggs and coffee.
“We’re not Earth First!, we’re Breakfast First!,” said Gary Moran, one of the 25 residents and business people on hand to serve the loggers breakfast. The group, concerned about possible damage to the town water supply, was trying to delay a Louisiana-Pacific harvest plan.
The loggers, from L.D. Giacomini Enterprises of Point Arena, good-naturedly declined the invitation, but talked with the group while waiting for L-P representatives to arrive. Pete Ancellotti, the foreman for the fallers, said he could understand the group’s concern, but since it was going to be cut, it was “better to let us do it, because we’ll do a good job. This crew is one of the best.”
When L-P arrived, the townspeople lost no time in expressing their concern that this cut, on steep and unstable slopes, could cause considerable silt to enter the town well about a half mile downstream from the site.
“In the case of a town water system, there needs to be absolute guaranties of safety,” said Mary Pjerrou, spokeswoman for the group.
L-P forester Lee Susan vigorously defended the cut, saying it had been extensively reviewed by all appropriate agencies and found to meet all requirements.
He said L-P was aware of the location of the well and was doing everything it could to minimize any damage, such as reducing the amount of trees cut close to the creek and hauling all logs out by way of a skyline cable yarder that lifts the logs off the ground, limiting soil erosion.
But the townspeople were unconvinced, and the following Monday, 13 of them were arrested rather than voluntarily moving out of the way. Those arrested included Linda Aubrey, a teacher at the Greenwood School; Gary Moran, coach of the town’s Little League team; local attorney Polly Girvin; Ron Bloomquist, columnist for the Mendocino Beacon; and Isabelle Petty, owner of an inn, store and restaurant in Elk.
“This is an issue that could affect business in Elk,” Petty said before her arrest.
Also arrested was 17-year-old Tatanka Russell, an avid fisherman who was concerned that the salmon are rarely to be seen in Greenwood Creek anymore.
The 13 were cited and released a few hours later. The falling crew went into the site and continued their work.
The next morning, four more residents were arrested, including local logger Michael Ramone. These four were taken to Ukiah and released later in the day.
At issue is a 205-acre shelterwood removal filed and approved ill 1985. Since then, erosion has moved the creek to within 20 feet of the town well. The Elk Water District and Mendocino County have expressed concern that the cut could pose a health hazard to the town water supply because of increased sedimentation, which increases treatment costs to clear the water and makes it more difficult to kill bacteria in the water.
When two more THPs were approved this year farther upstream, several Elk residents formed the Greenwood Watershed Association to review these plans and contest those they felt were damaging.
A lawsuit was filed against the California Department of Forestry by the association; the Elk Water District and residents, including Mendocino County Supervisor Norman de Vall, who joined the suit as a private citizen.
“This isn’t a timber issue,” de Vall said.
“It’s a water issue.”
The suit claims CDF had approved the plans without a full evaluation of their effect on the creek.
While a preliminary injunction was issued on the two newer plans, the restraining order on the 1985 plan was lifted.
On Aug. 17, about the time Ancellotti’s crew began falling trees on this site, the association realized they still had one more chance to delay this cut. That was to call an emergency meeting of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The arrests were the result of their attempt to stop the logging until the Board could meet.
A few hours after the four residents were arrested Tuesday, inspectors for the Water Quality Control Board along with CDF and LP personnel inspected the site. Many Elk residents were displeased that the county hydrologist, Dennis Jackson, was not allowed to participate and that representatives of the Elk Water District also were excluded.
While emotions were running high at the protest, there were never any hostilities or angry confrontations. In fact, there was a lot of friendly communication between the resident and Giacomini’s loggers. Even the arrests went fairly smoothly, which many people present credited to Sgt Miller and his team of sheriff’s deputies and the mediation efforts of deVall, who in turn credited the protesters for their cooperation.