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64 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, June 22, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 18, 2004 Greenpeace activists ordered to leave By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Citing the illegal blockade of a road to a timber sale Tuesday morning by Greenpeace activists, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management yanked its authorization allowing the environmental group to temporarily continue occupying its "forest rescue station" west of Galice. As of Thursday morning, the group had 48 hours to vacate the site it has occupied since June 1, said Joan Resnick, acting manager of the BLM’s Glendale Resource Area. "They had a temporary authorization to be there based on a good-faith effort while we were looking at a special recreation permit application," she said, later adding, "They violated that trust." She was referring to the Tuesday protest in which Greenpeace used a three-ton steel shipping container to block loggers from the 236-acre Soukow timber sale some five miles west of Glendale. Three activists were arrested. Greenpeace activists, who insist they didn’t violate the agreement, say they haven’t yet decided what to do about the station. But they will continue their campaign to stop old-growth logging on public land, they say. Advertisement The forest rescue station, which the BLM describes as an "education encampment," is located about 20 miles west of Galice on the edge of the Kelsey Whiskey timber sales. Greenpeace says the station, which activists tout as the first of its kind in the nation, is designed to launch a summer of action to protect old-growth timber on public lands. Greenpeace has called for a moratorium on commercial logging of old-growth timber on federal lands. The BLM’s temporary authorization would have allowed up to 30 people to stay at the site. About 15 people are currently at the mobile station, which includes two geodesic domes, a fire truck powered by bio-diesel fuel, a solar-powered communications center, a field kitchen and several small sleeping tents. Under the BLM’s Medford District rules, people cannot camp for more than 14 days during a 90-day period in the district. For Greenpeace, the legal deadline was Tuesday without the extension. The two-week extension, granted Monday, was a discretionary decision on her part, Resnick said. Greenpeace still has an opportunity to apply for a special use permit, she said. The previous application is no longer being processed because of what the BLM perceived as a violation of the temporary extension agreement. "If they choose to resubmit their permit, they would have to provide a whole lot of disclosure," Resnick said. Resnick believes the activists will leave the site. She would not speculate what would happen if they don’t. "We’ll take that one day at a time," she said. Greenpeace spokeswoman Ginger Cassady said the group did not violate the agreement, noting it pertained only to the forest rescue station. "We have complied with all the issues," she said. "We’re leaving our options open. We haven’t decided yet (about vacating the site)." But there is no question the international environmental group plans to continue its presence in the region, she said. "We came here to stop the assault on public lands — we’re committed to that," she said. "As long as the BLM continues to cut down our last remaining ancient forests, we will be here." The group is working with local residents and environmental groups in its campaign, she said. "Greenpeace is here to stay," Cassady reiterated. "The campaign will continue. Until we see these sales end, we’re not going to stop." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times