In 1998, there was no mass rally in mid-September. Instead, Earth First! conducted an Action Training Camp to help people prepare to defend old-growth groves. Other organizations focused on the Headwaters acquisition "Deal". It was crunch time, the California State Legislature having approved the state's share of funding on August 31. This left opposition to Maxxam's Habitat Conservation Plan as the last hope for stopping the "Deal".
David "Gypsy" Chain was killed on September 17, and everything changed. Gypsy's affinity group had come together at the Action Training Camp, and was trying to stop PL/Maxxam logging which was illegally encroaching on a murrelet study area.
On November 1, several hundred people participated in a spirited rally in Arcata, focusing on the "Deal", the killing of Gypsy Chain, and police use of pepper spray. A march led by giant Art and Revolution puppets made its way from Arcata Plaza to the office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where street theater was performed. This U.S.F.W.S. office was a right-on destination, since it was the collection point for the 18,000 public comments submitted on the "Deal", most of them critical.
Following are updates on several components of the Headwaters Campaign as they have evolved over the past few months.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1999
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