Thursday, August 25, 2005

The Seattle Times: Local News: Forest Service admits "serious" mistake in logging reserve

Looks like my friends who were arrested trying to stop the logging in "The Biscuit" of southern Oregon were right. Today's Seattle Times reveals that the loggers completely disregarded public policy and invaded a rare tree reserve. Let the forest defenders back into Siskiyou! Siskiyou Project counted 290 stumps inside the botanical area, including one that measured three feet in diameter that was 234 years old, said Ullian.

The Babyfoot Lake Botanical Area was established by the Forest Service in 1963 to protect Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana), a rare, ancient conifer tree that have existed in the area since before the last Ice Age. Brewer's spruce are among the rarest conifers in North America, and were the last to be discovered and described by western science on the continent. The Babyfoot Lake Botanical Area was also created to protect other sensitive endemic plants such as the Tracy's desert parsley (Lupinus tracyi) and Purdy's Lewisia (Lewisia cotyledon ssp. purdyi). Botanists come from around the world to visit the Botanical Area.

Lots more info at the Siskiyou Project's Website.

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