Earth First vs. Headwaters essays

Earth First vs. Headwaters essays Earth First! is characterized as a radical environmental group by its enemies and as a necessary and militant group seeking to protect the environment from illegal use and predatory actions by big business by its supporters. The group has raised objections to one project in particular, the Headwaters project in Humboldt County in Northern California, bringing it into conflict not only with the Maxxam Corporation that is pushing this project and with various employees or potential employees of that company but also with the FBI, lading to several court cases either directed at Earth First! or undertaken by Earth First! in order to challenge the actions of Maxxam. A number of legal issues are raised in these court actions by both sides in the dispute. Headwaters Forest was acquired by Maxxam Corporation in 1986 in a leveraged buyout. Maxxam Corporation is headed by Texas financier Charles Hurwitz, and he greatly increased logging of ancient redwoods to reduce his takeover debt, which started a ten-year battle with Earth First! over what would happen to the forest. The forest in question includes six ancient groves of old-growth coastal redwoods covering approximately 6,000 acres. Also included is another 12,000 acres of old-growth trees. These have been selectively logged but are surrounded by a mixture of young forest, stream zones, and cut-over lands targeted by environmentalists for restoration. Groups like Earth First! became interested because there are good reasons The old-growth redwoods of Headwaters provide critical habitat for the endangered marbled murrelet, coho salmon, and other species. Only 150 years ago the redwood forests of Oregon and California covered two million acres; now less than four percent remain. The Clinton administration and the State of California have agreed to purchase two of ...