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Welcome
to Stable Slopes Forever! -
Redway 2002
Just off Highway 101, two miles
northwest of Garberville and across the
South Fork of the Eel River from the little town of Redway lies
Pacific Lumber Company's (now defunct!) timber harvest plan
THP1-00-044.  This
THP
is on land adjacent to California Humboldt Redwood State Parks
Whittemore
Grove and consists of 581 acres of recovering mixed evergreen,
residual old growth redwood forest, small grassy meadows and
oak woodland.
The
property has been the subject of much activity and concern for
many years to a group of citizens known collectively as Stable
Slopes Forever! partly because it is historically prone to landslides.
Most recently, in 1981, a torrent of mud and debris slid into
the river, damming
it's flow, causing damage and loss of residents' property,
and
leaving a mass wasting area that is still bleeding silt into
the river to
this day. This was the legacy of road building and logging
from the timber
extraction done by PL in 1978.
Understandably,
the prospect of another timber cut on Redway Ridge has
triggered serious concern among local residents, landowners, and
all that live or do business in the area. In January 2001,
a lawsuit was
filed against the current timber harvest plan (THP-044) and
was settled out of court. One of the conditions of the
settlement was that Pacific
Lumber Company would agree to meet with a community liaison
group
to find solutions to community concerns. This led to the
creation of the Redway Forestry Council. The council
includes representatives of
five community organizations and one independent registered
professional forester. The Council's charge is to try
to work out the best possible solutions to the environmental
concerns of the community in a non-adversarial
relationship in the field, instead of the courtroom.
After
much public discussion a clear community mandate for the acquisition
of Redway Ridge for public use and ownership emerged.
It
was evident that the many concerns for safety and protection
of the environment from the effects of commercial logging could
best be served by purchase of the land from Pacific Lumber
Company.
SSF!
was able to raise more than $25,000 locally to initiate the
process.
Although direct negotiations between SSF! and PL failed
to result
in an option to purchase contract, the subsequent involvement
of California
State Parks and Recreation Department and of Save the
Redwoods
League did present hopeful indications of a possible future
resolution
of this issue.
Two
events in the spring of 2002 changed the whole complexion of
the campaign
to save Redway Ridge. First was the passage of Proposition
40,
which made available funding for acquisition of additional parklands.
Second
was the announcement by Robert Manne, the CEO of Pacific Lumber,that
the company was a willing seller of the property.
 Armed
with this, the many determined grass roots activists and
organizers
associated with this project have a definite goal and a means
to
reach it. The purchase of the 581 acres of THP 1-00-44
for inclusion in
the adjacent Whittemore Grove State Park is a palpable possibility.
Such
an outcome would resolve local concerns, would safeguard the
existing
park property and add resources for users of the California
State
Parks and Recreation facilities. It would protect water
supplies, anadromous
fish habitat, and resolve environmental concerns for many
threatened
species of plants and animals. It would insure that the
South
Fork of the Eel River would be protected from increased turbidity
and
other cumulative impacts of commercial logging. It would also
give PL
a solution to the problems of managing this particular property,
which
is far from its other holdings.
When
the Parks Department acquires Redway Ridge the biggest winners will
be the people of the State of California. The acquisition
will preserve
a valuable property for the use of future generations and will
contribute to the protection of the South Fork Eel, which has
historically been a precious resource for the state as well
as for Humboldt
County.
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