Astoundingly, the tree caught her. The ancient redwood that Madsen has named Mariah caught her rope on a four-inch nub. "When I came up here I thought it was about people saving trees. Now I know it's about trees saving people," Madsen said.
Born in Torrence, CA, Madsen, 28, moved to Humboldt County in 1991 to attend Humboldt State. On May 18th he will graduate with a B.S. in Physical Science. He won't be able to attend the ceremony, however, unless MAXXAM/Pacific Lumber offers Mariah and the grove around her clemency. "I climbed this tree in an effort to protect the last of the ancient redwoods in Freshwater Creek," said Madsen, who is on leave from his job as a brewer for Mad River Brewing. Ironically, he is represented by the International Woodworkers Union. Freshwater Creek is situated just outside Eureka, CA.
Although a small portion of PL's ancient trees were protected in last year's Headwaters deal, Madsen says, "Protecting the Headwaters Grove was insufficient because thousands of acres of other ancient redwoods are slated for logging as a result. The loopholes the Headwaters deal under the accompanying Habitat Conservation Plan renders current environmental regulations useless. It allows the taking of endangered species which is unacceptable."
Madsen says he is trying to turn people on to the bigger picture. "We need to have a symbiotic relationship instead of a parasitic relationship with our planet," he said. "We need to learn the lessons they tried to teach us in kindergarten- to clean up the mess we've made." Unlike Julia Butterfly Hill, Madsen has taken occasional breaks, usually a few days every month, from his tree-sit, with others filling in. After last week's near tragedy, however, Madsen says , "From now on, I'm not coming down. Not even for graduation."
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2000
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited