Forest Defenders: Fishers/Gap, Important Facts!
12/2/98
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Fishers/Gap: Important Facts!
Source: Rainforest Action Network
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 2, 1998
Forest Defenders,
Following is a transcript of an interview that will answer many of
your own questions, as well as the questions that you will get from
the media and the public at large about the relationship between the
Fishers, Gap, Inc., and the Mendocino Redwood Company, what the
Fisher's are currently doing to the Mendocino Coast Redwood forest,
and what they plan to do with it (as usual, many thanks to RCWA
President, Mary Pjerrou, THP analyst Linda Perkins--and L-P's own
*Sustained Yield Plan!*--for providing the statistics!):
1.A) KZSC: [...chanced upon the protest in Santa Cruz...ending with
intro: ] I have Mary Bull, San Francisco Coordinator of the Save the
Redwoods/Boycott the Gap Campaign, on the line to tell us what it's
all about. Mary?
Me: Hi David. The protest in Santa Cruz was one of over 40 protests
that occurred across the country last Friday. That day of protests
launched a national boycott of Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy
stores. We're picketing these stores and spreading the boycott
message until the Fisher family--who are the major shareholders in
these stores and also the major investors in the Mendocino Redwood
Company--stops their damaging logging practices in Mendocino County.
1.B) KZSC: Can you give us a little more background--how much land is
involved? When did the Fishers acquire it? And what damaging logging
practices are they engaged in?
Me: The Fisher family, who are the founders and executives of the Gap
clothing store chain, purchased 230,000 acres of redwood timberland
(about 1/4 of Mendocino County) from Louisiana Pacific Corporation on
July 1st of this year. Since the land sale, they have proceeded with
L-P's liquidation logging practices, which include clearcutting,
felling the last of the old growth and the big trees, engaging in
winter operations (which compounds the amount of dirt choking the
streams and killing the fish), and spraying the herbicide garlon--a
close relative of agent orange. GARLON IS KNOWN TO HAVE SERIOUS
IMPACTS ON COHO SALMON, AN EXTREMELY ENDANGERED SPECIES, AND ITS LONG
TERM IMPACTS ON HUMANS AND ANIMALS ARE UNKNOWN. Remember, for many
decades we didn't know the harmful effects of DDT.
2. KZSC: What is the Fisher's reaction to the boycott?
Me: Predictably, the Fishers have been trying to distance the Gap
from Mendocino Redwood Company, as much as possible. But the
relationship is clear: the Fishers are the major shareholders in Gap,
Inc. and they are also the major investors in Mendocino Redwood
Company. They have carefully worded their press releases and a letter
to their customers to state that Gap scion Don Fisher and Gap COO Bob
Fisher have no *operational involvement* in the Mendocino Redwood
Company. Note that they don't deny that Don and Bob have invested in
MRC--I'm sure they realize that if they were caught in THAT lie,
they'd lose ALL credibility with the American consumer. There is
absolutely no doubt that the *bottomline*--that is, the Fisher's
desire for profits--is what's driving the clearcutting of these
lands.
(By the way, stock analysts downgraded Gap, Inc. yesterday.)
Another pat line we hear from the Fishers is *Give us time. In time
we*ll show you what great stewards of the land we*ll be.* But this
Redwood forest ecosystem does not have time. It's already been raked
over by L-P. There is almost no old growth left. The Coho salmon are
near extinction. The Fishers are inflicting further damage, with
clearcutting, taking the last big trees and other bad forest
practices. They have to stop these practices now. These forests
can't take this sort of logging any more.
3.A) KZSC: What damage has been done so far?
Me: This redwood ecosystem was already hammered by L-P when the
Fishers bought it. When L-P sold out, Richard Wilson, director of the
CA Dept. of Forestry, said, publicly, *Everybody knew L-P was cutting
itself out of business.* Only 3% of these former L-P forestlands (now
belonging to the Fishers) contain trees greater than 21 inches in
diameter (the size of tree that provides adequate wildlife habitat).
The COHO salmon--a once abundant fish on the Mendocino coast--has
gone extinct in more than three-quarters of the streams. And yet,
the Fisher family is clearcutting in almost every watershed. They
are using garlon--an obvious risk to Coho salmon. They are targeting
the watersheds that contain the few big trees left on the coast, such
as the Albion River, where they currently have eight logging plans,
all with winter operations.
Let me give you some figures on this, because it's very important.
The Fishers says that they are going to log 40 million board feet per
year in their overall ownership--that's what they need, to make a
profit [note that many environmentalists and foresters believe that
this land can effectively yield only 8 million board feet per year].
Of that 40 million board feet, they say they are going to take 10
million board feet per year from the Albion River forests. The
Albion River forests comprise only 6% of the Fisher's overall
ownership. So, in other words, they are take 25% of their annual cut
off of 6% of the land. Why? Because the Albion has the highest
percentage of old growth and the highest percentage of big trees of
that meager 3% of big trees overall. [[Albion has 15% in 24 inch
diameter and larger - half the 28 watersheds have zero - the rest
have 4% up to 10%.]]
This is called "high-grading"--taking all the big trees. It is NOT
good stewardship. It is mere profiteering--at the expense of these
watersheds!
The Fishers are currently clearcutting in at least 8 watersheds.
They have approved clearcutting plans in almost all of their 28
watersheds. And they are adding winter operations--which are
especially damaging to Coho salmon (from muddy roads and landslides)-
-to almost all their plans. They are in a big hurry to do this
logging.
3.B) KZSC: Given the battered state of the ecosystem--is it worth
saving? Absolutely. The Coast Redwood is a very robust species. Many
experts think that if we immediately cease these damaging logging
practices, begin a program of restoration and recovery, and only
harvest sustainably- the redwood ecosystem will revive and
proliferate. However, if we extinguish the last vestiges of real
forest and its diversity--which appears to be the Fisher agenda--we
may lose the ecosystem forever. From a broader perspective: the
prognosis on global warming looks bleak. UK climatologists from the
Hadley Centre for Climate Change warn that the role of forests is
critical in reducing the greenhouse effect. Forests absorb CO2--one
of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. if we don't
change our ways, including preserving and restoring our forests,
we're going to be very hot, hungry, and thirsty in 2040!
4.) KZSC: What damage are we looking at in the future?
Me: We are looking at the FINAL LIQUIDATION of the coast redwood
forest. That is what the Fishers are doing. They are going to make
it impossible for this forest to recover. They are removing the last
critical wildlife habitat--the big trees. They are ADDING sediment
to the watercourses--rivers that are ALREADY listed by the EPA as
*sediment impaired* [almost all north coast rivers are so listed]--
with clearcutting and extensive road construction in steep and
unstable areas. They are poisoning the few remaining Coho salmon with
garlon spraying. They are clearcutting whole ridgesides. They are
doing this right now--and will be doing this all winter. That is why
this campaign is so urgent. The damage is being done right now.
5.) KZSC: Are the talks going on with Fisher and other people on his
staff, or just his staff and a slew of middle men?
Me: A group of 40 Mendocino County environmentalists met with John
Fisher and his logging partner, Sandy Dean, on September 28. We
thought that perhaps the Fishers did not realize how depleted these
lands are. So we gave them 6 hours of expert testimony on the state
of the forest, the perils of garlon, and so on. This testimony fell
on deaf ears. At the end of the meeting, when we asked John Fisher if
he would agree to a conservation easement for one small stand of old
growth forest in the Albion--about 200 acres--he asked, "Who's going
to pay for it?" As a condition for further talks, we stipulated that
the Fishers must cease clearcutting, cutting old growth, spraying
herbicides, and winter operations as a good faith gesture. They have
not stopped these damages practices, so we have not sat down at the
negotiating table since the Sept. 28 meeting.
6.) KZSC: What can be done?
Me: OK. Start looking for a pencil....
The Fishers are worth a reported 11 billion dollars. Like their
predecessors in the timber industry, they seem to have no regard for
the Forest Practices Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other
environmental laws that are in place to protect our forests from
overlogging. Unfortunately, the government agencies that are supposed
to enforce these laws are either bought or intimidated. That leaves
only one recourse: You and me!
I urge you, plead with you, beg you to Boycott the Gap, Banana
Republic, and Old Navy. Better still, picket these stores! You can
download a Gap Picket Packet from our website or call me and I'll
send you one. Tell people what's going on, hand out our flyers, and
get people to sign our petition to Save the Mendocino Coast Redwood
Forest. Time is of the essence: Get on the phone or the Internet,
tell everyone you know, get them to picket Gap stores in their
neighborhoods, get them to start movements in their high schools,
universities, clubs (we have a movement going in the SF niteclub
scene!)!
Got those pencils? For more information: call me at 415-731-9062 or
visit our web site at www.elksoft.com/gwa.
Thank you for your commitment to the forest!!!
KZSC: [Wrap up]