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Cascadia Summer kicks off By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Environmental activists from throughout the Northwest will spend Memorial Day weekend planning a wave of protests and other actions this summer against timber sales and other projects they deem harmful. As part of the Earth First! Northwest Regional Rendezvous from May 23-27, activists will converge in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area west of Grants Pass on the edge of the Biscuit Fire area where nearly 500,000 acres burned last year. Many environmentalists oppose proposals to salvage log public lands burned by the wildfire. Their opposition also extends to Bush administration and House of Representatives attempts to limit environmental reviews and appeals to speed forest thinning projects. "In a time when policy makers - especially in Washington, D.C. - are attempting to maximize extraction from forests, communities will be standing up in resistance in a more coordinated way than they ever have before," said Joe Flaherty, media spokesperson for Ashland-based Mazama Forest Defense. The group, which opened an office in Ashland this spring, relies more on protests than other more established environmental groups in town. The weekend event kicks off Cascadia Summer, an effort by various grass-roots groups to use education and protests to fight timber sales and other projects in the Pacific Northwest. "The kind of activities people will see are probably not a lot different than the activities that we've been seeing," Flaherty said. "The biggest difference is that groups, organizations and campaigns from British Columbia to Northern California and out to the Blue Mountains are working in a more coordinated way than they have before. They have not always been in complete communication with each other." Flaherty said he expects a good turn-out at the regional event because the national Earth First! Rendezvous - held in Washington state in 2002 - is being held in Minnesota this year. Participants will come from as far away as Idaho, he said. The anticipated increase in protests this summer is not welcomed by all. "Their focus and strategy for civil disobedience is not going to be productive from my point of view," said Dave Hill, executive vice president for the Southern Oregon Timber Industries Association. "It would be more productive to show how they propose to reduce fuels and improve forest health than to oppose government projects that have gone through lengthy planning and public review and will show results across the landscape." Hill said activists should propose projects to improve fisheries and wildlife habitat rather than acting as a negative force. In addition to discussing protests, event participants will hike the Biscuit Fire to view areas that burned at differing intensities and attend workshops on topics that include non-violence, coalition building, corporate campaigning, legal issues and support for arrested activists, Siskiyou geology and biology, climbing and ropes, natural medicine and birth control, global justice and emergency medical treatment. The cost ranges from $20 to $100, and participants should bring camping gear, food, water, climbing gear and clothing appropriate for varying weather conditions. For detailed directions to the remote event site and additional information, visit www.mazamaforestdefense.org . LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -