Comment / By Anonymous / May 21, 2009, 5:15 p.m.

These are a few comments or corrections that were not adequately addressed within the article.

EF Humboldt! posted the letter to Green Diamond’s Neal Ewald on Dec. 3, the day after hanging the banner (see EFhumboldt.org).

There are scattered residual old-growth and Spotted Owls within the McKay 09 logging plan that the activists are defending.

The report that states the Ryan Creek watershed has “significantly improved,” but does not state the historical conditions. Look at the pictures, any improvement from the way things were is a “significant improvement.”

Green Diamond does have two Habitat Conservation Plans which are supposed to protect and provide for the recovery of the spotted owl and coho salmon and yet even according to Green Diamond’s own biologists these species are continuing to decline on their lands. Their HCP does not protect these species.

Why would Green Diamond want to jeopardize their ability to harvest redwoods in the future? —FOR PROFIT.

Green Diamond is expecting all of the wildlife species to exist within the water course protection zones, regardless as to whether or not they are riparian creatures.

This is a business as usual approach from Green Diamond. They say they are “in the timber business, not the development business.” That may be the case unless there is the opportunity for them to make a profit converting timber lands into houses.

Comment / By anonymous2 / May 21, 2009, 6:40 p.m.

there are a lot of misleading statements in this article…

Comment / By michael / May 22, 2009, 8:52 a.m.

do not even pretend to say you care about salmon you are anti business of any kind (earth first are not very far above terrorist anyway) first you have always got fishermen to believe timber people are evil then guess what soon as you get what you need from yhem then you turn on the evil fisherman who are destroying the planet

Comment / By J.A. Schwartz / May 22, 2009, 1:02 p.m.

Humbodt County has something unique, grand, enduring (if developers go away). Ms. Walters’ article shows how compromise upon compromise leaves nothing worth saving for future generations. Get a life, Humboldt Count, save the best of what God gave you. JAS

Comment / By Derrick / May 22, 2009, 6:05 p.m.

It is very important to preserve the McKay Forest, as it is vital contiguous forest to the Headwaters Forest Reserve (14,000 acres combined), preserving wildlife migration routes and habitat for numerous endangered, threatened, and native species.

The McKay Forest could be a “jewel in Humboldt’s Crown,” a valued parkland, a greatly needed carbon offset forest, a vital wildlife reserve, a productive community forest, regional land trust forest, state or national parkland, and an extension of the Headwaters Forest Reserve. Preserving this uniquely important forest, with immense potential for growing the largest trees in the world, will simultaneously create a significant carbon offset forest, while preserving a bioregion of great significance.

Half of the world’s old growth redwoods are in Humboldt County. The McKay/Headwaters Forest is possibly the largest and is most vital contiguous forest surrounding the entire Humboldt Bay Area. It has undeveloped redwood forestland with the highest possible level of biological diversity, from endangered and threatened species such as Northern Spotted Owl and Peregrine Falcon; to native animals and plants such as bear, deer, salamander, fox, mountain lion, flying squirrel and tiger lily. The region is known to have one of the highest bear populations in northern Humboldt County. It also includes the largest and most important Coho Salmon spawning run in the Humboldt Bay Area, which is biologically intertwined with the life, and preservation of the forest and its incredible biodiversity.

Saving the bioregion of the McKay Forest has important global significance. PBS.org states that “Much is made of the rain forest of the Amazon Basin, but a measurement of the bio-mass/acre showed old growth redwood forest hold (habitat) 9 times that of the Amazon. It is for this incredible profusion of life that Prairie Creek State Park has been classified by the United Nations as a World Heritage site and an International Biosphere Reserve.” Saving the McKay Forest will preserve an important bioregion (the northwest is one of only seven temperature rainforests in the world) and protect enormous habitat for important endangered, threatened, and native species of vast numbers.

Comment / By unanonymous / May 22, 2009, 10:13 p.m.

here we go again, except this time, its second growth.

Comment / By Teddy / May 26, 2009, 11:23 a.m.

We never stopped.

For those who are carrying on the struggle to defend our forests, it’s not about one type of forest. It’s about the big picture. Green Diamond is rampantly clear-cutting and converting wide swaths of north coast forest into “even aged” tree plantations nearly devoid of wildlife.

In the old forest of the McKay you constantly hear birds and see signs of animals foraging, in the young growth the forest understory is more like an empty thicket full of dead branches, a tinderbox ready to burn at the first lightning strike.

Way over half of the McKay Tract is covered with tree farms under 20 years old. I can substantiate that with a map from GD themselves that I think I’ll put up on the EF! Humboldt website. As the first anonymous stated, Green Diamond expects species that live in the old forests to survive in the little strips of trees they leave along some creeks.

This is what it’s like across GD’s holdings. The logging in the McKay is just an example of what this company is doing across 450,000 acres of northern Humboldt and Del Norte county.

Green Diamond claims they want to talk yet refuses to talk with tree-sitters whenever they come out to the woods. If they want us to come down from the trees they need to credibly guarantee that they won’t be cutting that forest.

Comment / By Eurekan / May 27, 2009, 8:49 a.m.

Interesting article, but I noticed one part that didn’t make any sense. Heidi said that there were plans to connect Harris Avenue with Campton Heights Road. There is no Harris Avenue in Eureka. There is a Harris Street and a Harrison Avenue, both in the area surrounding the McKay Tract. There is also not a Campton Heights Road, but there is a Campton Road (Campton Heights Road is in Fortuna). How about providing a better map with the article to show the proposed road connection.

Comment / By Heidi Walters / May 27, 2009, 9:54 a.m.

Sorry about that Eurekan and thanks for your correction: Harris Street and Campton Road. I’ll fix it.

Comment / By CJ / May 29, 2009, 1:33 p.m.

“Whenever we encroach on the natural world, we crop the boundaries of our own existence, cut off our fields of solace and sensation. Vistas, textures, odors and sound fade and then disappear. In destroying wilderness, we deny ourselves the full extent of what it means to be alive.” - Edgar Wayburn, conservationist of more wilderness than any other person alive.

Encroaching upon the McKay wilderness must not happen. An urban boundary line needs to be drawn, not urban sprawl.

The Mckay: Save it! Don’t Pave it !

Comment / By ashely ward / Dec. 16, 2009, 4:16 p.m.

Although Humboldt County needs more homes, McKay is not the place to build. Paving through the McKay would cause harm to animals like salmon and steelhead, spotted owls, hawks and osprey, flying squirrels, bears, deer and lions. Where would those animals go? If residential areas were to be built up the animals that stay through the destruction process would be harmed and worse the animals that chose to stay and try to live in their homes would affect the new community and put people in harm. Lions cannot be sharing the same backyard as humans. The spotted owls are endangered creatures and need to be preserved and respected. One cannot kick-out an animal from its home. The project is an example of unsustainable forestry. The McKay Tract is one of the most bountiful places to grow redwood trees. In fact it not only is one of the best grow areas for redwood trees but also one of the best places for coho salmon. The sewer structure is inadequate for a residential area. Destroying all of the McKay Tract in order to improve infrastructure would ruin the forest, which is appreciated by so many plants and animals like you and me. The construction would take much longer than expected resulting in increased funds and labor. McKay has become a comfortable place for local citizens to stroll through and enjoy the fresh nature air. If it was destroyed than people and animals would no longer have that forest to enjoy. Residential units would cover the forest grounds and tamper with the fresh nature air. I sit with the tree-sitters and agree that this project should not go forward!

Comment / By lost it / Dec. 16, 2009, 6 p.m.

the mckay tract is already a home. it would be wrong to chase the wildlife from their homes because we as humans are horny bastards and can’t control our numbers.