In the predawn hours, two vans cruised down a road with their lights off, slowing to a halt. Fifteen sleepy forest defenders piled out and scrambled up the steep embankment, disappearing into the woods. Our scouts had informed us that a police car was 100 meters from the first dozer, guarding the gate, but the site was free of security, free for the taking. In we trudged, lockboxes over our shoulders in the glow of a nearly full moon.
The activists crept down the last hill and slithered through the mud to the dozers, tingling with joy at the prospect of shutting down the day's work of preparations for a stripmine. Positioning our steel-pipe lockboxes, four brave defenders locked down only minutes before the police entered the site to patrol with a foreman. Two support folks and a peacekeeper were immediately arrested, not being attached to anything, and led off the site. They were soon released, and this interaction allowed time for the rest of the eco-warriors to scamper away, crossing the blue property lines that marked safety.
Sounds like Cascadia? Maybe Cove-Mallard or Headwaters? No, this is the Wayne National Forest in southeast Ohio. This is a ravaged land, clearcut and stripped for coal too many times to count in the past century and a half. This region is also home to the federally endangered Indiana bat, which is the spotted owl of the East, and many other flora and fauna.
The protests follow a two-year campaign to prevent this 25-acre coal stripmine, the first mine to be allowed on the Wayne in five years. Despite strict federal prohibitions against coal mining on national forests, Buckingham Coal Company was given the right to stripmine by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM). Appeals of the OSM's authorization, and the permit granted by the state, have been submitted by the Buckeye Forest Council. While those appeals are pending, along with requests for a stay of operations until the appeals can be heard, Buckingham has subcontracted with R&D Hilltop Lumber to clearcut the site in preparation for the mine. Logging has begun. The goal of the protests is to prevent as much damage as possible to the tract until relief can be granted through appeals or litigation. A ruling on the stay is expected sometime in March.
Actions began on February 9, when four activists locked their necks with kryptonite U-locks to bulldozers and a log loader, and a fifth person climbed into a 40-foot high tree platform with a "god-cam," to document police actions once non-arrest protesters were removed. The first few loggers on site, having refused our offer of fresh-brewed coffee, were quite bitter and proceeded to accost Gabe Ciani, who was locked by a krypto to the cab of the log loader. The logger backed off in the presence of peacekeepers and after assurances that none of his machines had been damaged. Luckily, this was our only physical confrontation during the first week of actions. Operations were shut down for half of day one. Three of the krypto locks were snipped by three-foot bolt cutters, one person unlocked when threatened with a cutting torch glowing next to her head, and the climber came down when the others were cut free and work resumed around him.
Despite security to prevent a repeat of day one, the loggers were dismayed to find protesters in lockboxes attached to their machinery the next morning. Unfortunately, the cops were able to cut the webbing on the wrists of those locked down. Nine people were cited those first two days with criminal trespass - for trespassing on national forest land. They were escorted off-site and released.
On Wednesday, protesters began hunger striking, and on Thursday, the merry band of pranksters packed the tiny court room in support of the first five arrestees. Everyone arrested or cited has plead not guilty. Friday morning we took our message directly to the head asshole, James Graham, owner of Buckingham Coal Company. Since Buckingham Coal Company has taken over our national forest, we decided to return the favor at its office. About 40 people demonstrated in front of the company's headquarters in Shawnee, Ohio. Three women deftly locked their necks together on the front porch as we chanted, "The Wayne is not for sale," and, "There ain't no future in mining coal, don't strip the forest of its soul." Along with the three women locked together in a daisy-chain, one man locked himself onto the porch railing. Those four were arrested with two others who put a banner in front of the coal company's office sign. The banner read, "How many jobs; how long; what then?"
On Monday, February 23, four more protesters used lockboxes to immobilize a bulldozer, skidder and log loader. In the most tense confrontation yet, three of the four activists released themselves after loggers angrily started up their equipment and began to use it with the activists still attached, endangering their lives. Two other protesters stood in front of the skidder to prevent its use while their comrade was locked to it. After a momentary pause, the skidder driver lumbered forward, pushing the blockaders backwards. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt.
Sixteen people have been arrested. Charges include criminal trespass, resisting arrest and, believe it or not, rioting. A deep howl to those who are standing in defense of the wild and special thanks to Patagonia and the Earth First! Direct Action Fund for donations of winter gear and money. A legal defense fund has been started to raise money for those arrested. Donations can be sent to the Buckeye Forest Council. To get involved, contact the Buckeye Forest Council at POB 99, Athens Ohio, 45701; (740) 594-6400. And to all of you who ran away to the charismatic megafauna and big wilderness of the West, maybe it's time to come home. There's work to be done here.