When Julia Butterfly Hill clambered up an ancient redwood in Humboldt County, few might have guessed how long she would stay. In the end, after two years, she reached agreement with the Pacific Lumber Co. to save the tree and a buffer strip around it from the chain saws. Along they way, she became the darling of the media, was visited by celebrities, and now has a released a book on the experience. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that people in Nevada County announced they were planning their own civil disobedience protest over logging.
Folks here love trees and the environment as much as Humboldt County residents do.
One could envision an army of protesters climbing trees, standing in front of bulldozers and the like. In this case, the main players were Yuba Nation, a group camped out at the Tahoe National Forest, where it was planning to halt logging efforts along the South Yuba River. Thrust into the role of corporate heavy was Sierra Pacific Industries. Another environmental group played a more low-key role. While Yuba Nation prepared to confront SPI, the logging company and the South Yuba River Citizens League were quietly negotiating a settlement that might make everyone happy.