After a stunning loss of green mass which has taken place almost exclusively in the last 50 years of human existence, today less than one-quarter of the world's ancient forests remain standing. While there are plenty of other forests in need of protection, Headwaters has emerged as the crown jewel of the forest protection movement in the West. The story begins back in the 1930s, when the Pacific Lumber Company curtailed its logging dramatically, and then ceased clearcutting almost entirely, operating under a forestry plan that seemed somewhat compatible with the venerable nature of its property. It was as close to a sustainable harvest as anything the state had seen. Habitat Conflagration Environmentalists have never actually supported the Feinstein-Clinton plan to purchase just 7,500 acres of Headwaters, yet Garamendi and others who helped author the proposal seem surprised and dismayed by current resistance.
Environmental groups see the deal differently.
Opposition to the Headwaters HCP begins at the root of federal HCPs themselves, which environmentalists see as diluting the provisions of the Endangered Species Act to suit the desires of developers and land owners. The Headwaters HCP may well become the most famous HCP of all, and environmentalists fear its low standards will become a model for other logging operations. This HCP is basically an experiment with extinction. Bundy and other enviros believe rigorous enforcement of the current Endangered Species Act would protect forests like Headwaters better than HCPs. That's utter and total bullshit.