Timeline

Feel free to contact us with more dates and events, and help to document the history of our movement!


  1. 1977 - EPIC founded over herbicide issues

  2. 1983 - EPIC files first of two victorious suits to protect Sall Bell Grove in the Sinkyone

  3. 1983-84 - EF! organizing presence in Mendocino & Humboldt Counties around Sinkyone Wilderness/Sally Bell grove battle; dozens arrested

  4. 1985 - October-November - Maxxam Corporation takes over Pacific Lumber Co.

  5. 1986 - March - Greg King & Darryl Cherney meet illegally planting trees in Sinkyone;

  6. 1986 - June - First EF! meetings on Annyvn, Sacred Land of the Church of All Worlds in hills outside Ukiah (Greenfield Ranch)

  7. 1986 - June - 6 Humboldt Co. residents go to EF! Rendezvous in Idaho, get inspired.

  8. 1986 - September - National day for rainforest action focuses on PL

  9. 1986 - October - EF! California Rendezvous held near Santa Cruz, CA

  10. 1986 - October-December - First three actions, in San Francisco, Arcata, & Scotia, CA. EF! announces a boycott of all redwood products.

  11. 1987 - March - First shareholders meetin & Board of Forestry actions. PBS 30-minute documentary, "Takeover," airs nationally.

  12. 1987 - May - George Alexander injured by a tree spike in Cloverdale, CA, just before the first nationwide day of actions for Headwaters. 150 assemble at Fisher Gate. Headwaters Forest mapped, named, and announced. EPIC files first Headwaters lawsuit. PL sues 15 EF!ers and gets injunction. Mendocino Environmental Center established in Ukiah by EF!ers. Congressman John Dingell holds hearings on PL takeover.

  13. 1987 - August - Mill-in action at the California Department of Forestry (CDF), flood agency with paperwork & citizen participation; CDF responds by locking doors, closing bathrooms permanently, and later raising price of obtaining copies of timber harvest plans from $1 each to 25 cents per page (some totaling over $75).

  14. 1987 - September-October - First two successful tree-sits, "Tarzan & Jane." EPIC wins first suit; CDF called "rubber stamp" by judge. State Senator Barry Keene holds hearings to develop new legislation. "Tarzan & Jane" sued.

  15. 1988 - January - Greg King creates first Headwaters slide show with his own photos. PL takes out full page ads denouncing Greg King and Headwaters Forest proposal. EPIC files more lawsuits and Sierra Club joins in. Many local activists visit southern Oregon base camp and actions. Judi Bari joins in and brings worker outreach principles and practices. IWW union organizing, plus campaings involving Louisiana Pacific and Georgia Pacific lumber companies in Mendocino County. More tree-sits and EF! actions. Workers and Department of Labor both sue for pension fund. Congressman Pete Starks introduces bill to take over 200,000 acres; counter demonstrations by loggers and truckers begin. Cecelia Lanman arrested on Pacific Lumber land while catching them violating their injunction. Media coverage steadily building: Outside, Reader's Digest, New York Times, NBC, CBS.

  16. 1988 - November - Serious disruption of EF! begins with informant letter.

  17. 1988 - November - United Savings Association of Texas collapses, run by Charles Hurwitz, costs American taxpayers $1.6 billion; 5th largest failed S & L in history. Maxxam opens up new co-generation plant in Scotia, CA.

  18. 1988 - December - Day of the Living Dead Hurwitzs and counter-demonstration.

  19. 1989 - More EPIC suits. First NorCal EF! Roadshow.

  20. 1989 - May 31st - Arizona 5 busted by FBI sting involving takedown of power lines.

  21. 1989 - June - More tree-sits; first real violence towards activists begins: Greg King punched, Mem Hill nose broken, Judi Bari and 6 others rear-ended by logging truck.

  22. 1989 - July - PL sues tree-sitters.

  23. 1989 - August - First mass organizing and base camp; nationwide tree-sit. Judi Bari represents millworkers and loggers in lawsuits and worker complaints as IWW representative. Underground paper at Pacific Lumber founded. Forest Forever Initiative born. Save the Redwoods opposes Headwaters acquisition, changes mind after EF! protests are planned.

  24. 1990 - EF! protests "Shady" Headwaters Deal by stopping a logging truck on Highway 36; "Death Road" discovered on routine hike. Green Rage, first book on EF!, released by major publisher. Redwood Summer 1990 announced;

  25. 1990 - April/May - Judi Bari and others receive three dozen death threats.

  26. 1990 - April 22nd- 3 Santa Cruz power lines taken down.

  27. 1990 - April 24th - Failed attempt to hang banner from Golden Gate Bridge, S.F., CA--FBI and Oakland police search and seize 2 EF! cars. Seeds of Peace & IWW co-sponsor Redwood Summer. Strong non-violence code adopted in response to death threats.

  28. 1990 - May 24th, Judi Bari & Darryl Cherney car-bombed on Redwood Summer Roadshow; FBI blames them for carrying the bomb.

  29. 1990 - May - Mass support for Judi Bari, EF! organizers flock in to help. Greg King, co-founder of the Headwaters Forest Campaign, ends affiliation with EF! AIM, NOW, mainstream environmentalists and 50 others sign a letter of support for Judi Bari and EF!

  30. 1990 - June-August - Redwood Summer continues with four largest EF! actions ever, plus many more actions. Many EF!ers beaten and harassed. "Heads and dreads" shaved at Humboldt Co. jail, $100,000 lawsuit filed.

  31. 1990 - July - Media announces Redwood Summer over 1&1/2 months early and 3-year press black-out begins. Spotted Owl listed as threatened.

  32. 1990 - September - "Corporate Fall" campaign; Judi Bari rejoins EF! strategy meetings.

  33. 1990 - November - Republican Frank Riggs elected to Congress.

  34. 1991 - More EPIC/Sierra Club lawsuits

  35. 1991 - May - Judi Bari sues FBI & Oakland Police Department.

  36. 1991 - July - Redwood Summer Two, 2 weeks of actions w/base camp; lockboxes used for the first time. Judi Bari does first blockade since bombing. Barry Munitz, VP of Maxxam Corp. and head of the failed Savings & Loan, becomes Chancellor of the CSU (California State University system), roadshow & protests follow.

  37. 1991 - Trees Foundation founded.

  38. 1992 - April-June - Albion Nation Uprising - Daily actions, 10 tree-sits, 15 sitters. Louisiana-Pacific in Mendocino shut down from logging around Enchanted Meadow.

  39. 1992- June- Pacific Lumber logs Owl Creek, still under court order, after saying they had checked for marbled murrelets; California Department of Forestry (CDF) shuts them down. Sierra Club resists continuing Owl Creek suit, turns state suit over to EPIC and Mark Harris. More EPIC suits. Louisiana Pacific sues 70+ people over Albion Nation Uprising.

  40. 1992 - November - Democrat Dan Hamburg defeats Frank Riggs.

  41. 1993 - January - Hamburg meets EF! at EPIC office. EF! takes lead in creating outline for new bill. "Debt-for-Nature" suggested as means to pay for acquisition. Pre-cursor to the HFCC is founded. EPIC first federal lawsuit ever for Owl Creek. Pacific Lumber acquires Northcoast Railroad logging rights along tracks from RR bankruptcy proceedings. Freshwater residents outraged over Pacific Lumber(PL) logging and 2 more PL campaigns begin.

  42. 1993 - July - Sierra Club once again comes out again with press releases and letters against saving Headwaters because it's too steep and expensive. EF! protests their 75th anniversary held in Founders Grove.

  43. 1993 - August - Week of Outrage against MAXXAM with base camp; first "Logger Tree-Sit." "Jail Hurwitz" banner hung from Scotia Bluffs and media begin to associate Saving & Loan crash with Pacific Lumber takeover. Another Highway 36 log truck takeover.

  44. 1993 - November - Rallies at FDIC in Washington & NYC to sue Hurwitz; AP runs big story. Rose Foundation of Oakland sees article and offers help. "Debt-for-Nature" campaign begins in earnest with high-profile letter writing campaign.

  45. 1994 - Hamburg Bill passes the full House of Representatives; Barbara Boxer refuses to introduce Headwaters Bill into Senate, and multiple demostrations target her. Boxer reluctantly introduces bill and does not push it through committee. HFCC Headwaters Bill dies due to lack of vote.

  46. 1994 - November - Dennis Lewis elected as Humboldt County Sheriff; Frank Riggs beats Dan Hamburg for Congressional seat; Republicans sweep House and Senate.

  47. 1994 - December - "Jail Hurwitz" roadshow in Texas hits FDIC office and many Maxxam board members.

  48. 1995 - FDIC sues Hurwitz as individual for $250 million.

  49. 1995 - March 28th - Emergency mass rally at Fisher Gate for Headwaters as logging could begin in old growth; 400 show up through Judi Bari, Alicia Littletree, and others' organizing. Tide turns.

  50. 1995 - March 29th - 10-day base camp opens at Swimmer's Delight.

  51. 1995 - May - HFCC groups include EPIC, Trees Foundation, BACH, MEC, Bay Area EF!, NCEF!, RAT, Greenpeace, Rose Foundation, etc. OTS (Office of Thrift Supervision) sues Hurwitz, MAXXAM, board members, and conglomerate for possibly over $1 billion.

  52. 1995 - July - Law enforcement has a major shift for the worse; 1 week base camp followed by arrest actions.

  53. 1995 - September 15th - 2000 people show up for Highway 36, 264 arrested at Fisher Gate, 2 months of base camp follow with 70 arrests defending northern Headwaters Forest; organizers stay at camp.

  54. 1996 - Organizers plan 3 more camps for the year.

  55. 1996 - May - HFCC members with stock do first presence at MAXXAM shareholder meeting since 1987. Coho salmon listed as "threatened" in California.

  56. 1996 - July, August, & September - Bill Bertain's shareholders' suit from 1988 settles for $65 million. Pension fund lawsuit scores victory. Where We Stand statement created, 60,000-acre proposal created, Sierra Club signs on. Base camps for training and recon only, good turn-out.

  57. 1996 - September 15th - 6,000 people show up to Highway 36; 1,033 arrested at Fisher Gate. 2 months of base camp and mass rallies ensues.

  58. 1996 - September 29th - 1,500 rally in San Francisco and march to Dianne Feinstein's office; Feinstein announces "Headwaters Agreement" with Charles Hurwitz shortly thereafter. One good side of the deal is that it protects area to the north of the Headwaters, only made an issue by EF! 1,500 rally in Arcata against the deal.

  59. 1996 - October - EF! dumps dung and feathers at democratic party Headquarters; Rose Foundation drops out of HFCC. 1,000 rally again in Arcata, CA. Salvage logging in ancient groves begin. Actions defending Owl Creek, All-Species and northern Headwaters groves continue with base camps at Swimmer's Delight, Grizzly Creek State Park, and Williams Grove.

  60. 1996 - October - Board of Forestry nearly passes vote to declare EF! an emergency and shut down logging of virgin redwood logging.

  61. 1996 - November 1st - Judi Bari announces she has terminal breast cancer.

  62. 1996 - November - Nearly 350 arrests statewide, most in Humboldt. Forest Aid with Bonnie Raitt; Woody Harrelson and activists scale Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, spur controversy. Taxpayers for Headwaters forms and watershed residents begin organizing.

  63. 1997 - Government scoping hearings for Headwaters Agreement take place in four cities in CA. Rainforest Action Network and others start Old Growth Redwood boycott campaign.

  64. 1997 - March 2nd - Judi Bari passes away, movement stunned. 1,000+ attend wake.

  65. 1997 - May - Huge rally in Houston and 20+ activists meet and talk to Hurwitz at annual shareholders' meeting. Bill Bertain re-opens class action suit for Public Trust against Pacific Lumber.

  66. 1997 - September-December - Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) begin hearings against Maxxam for failed Savings & Loan, hearings to resume mid-June 1998.

  67. 1997 - September 14th - Summer actions defend other ancient forest in McCoy Creek and Dillon Creek, largest rally ever for Headwaters in Stafford, CA, but mass civil disobedience cancelled.

  68. 1997 - September-November - Base camp at Stafford, 3 longest tree-sits ever begin. Many lockdowns and actions in Bear Creek, Bell Creek, and Stafford. Pepper spray incidents put Headwaters and EF! back in national spotlight. Federal civil suit filed. Over 160 arrested. Stafford and Elk River residents sue Pacific Lumber over slides, silt, and floods.

  69. 1997 - November - Clinton signs Headwaters Appropriation.

  70. 1997 - December 10th - Julia "Butterfly" Hill begins tree-sit in the Stafford Giant, "Luna."

  71. 1998 - 10 groups sign letter offering stipulations for them to back HWF bond act, but bond act is not a certainty. Byron Sher introduces appropriations funding as bill to California legislature. EPIC sues for Coho Salmon.

  72. 1998 - February - Negotiated HCP due from USFW any day. HFCC to reform, perhaps in light of home stretch. "March Against Maxxam" and 2-week action camp, Bell Creek actions, blockades and 6-month tree-sit begin.

  73. 1998 - May - Maxxam shareholders meeting, Houston, TX

  74. 1998 - June - OTS suit to resume in Houston

  75. 1998 - August - OTS suit to end, ruling on Maxxam debt to follow soon. Mattole actions start, combining EF! and local Mattole River watershed residents, defending old growth Douglas Fir. Pepper spray civil suit ends in hung jury in San Francisco, appeal readied. CA state legislature approves $245 million for Headwaters Deal.

  76. 1998 - September 2nd - 2 week action camp begins.

  77. 1998 - September 17th - Activist David "Gypsy" Chain killed when Pacific Lumber logger intentionally falls trees towards EF! activists in Grizzly Creek/Van Duzen River watershed, movement outraged. Beginning of Gypsy Mountain Free State, blockades and tree-sits.

  78. 1998 - September - HCP hearings, over 20,000 pieces of public comment.

  79. 1998 - October - Humboldt Co. District Attorney refuses to prosecute logger or Pacific Lumber for death of Gypsy.

  80. 1998 - October - David "Gypsy" Chain's family files wrongful death civil suit against Maxxam Corp. and Pacific Lumber Co.

  81. 1998 - December 10th - Julia Butterfly Hill's 1-year anniversary of sitting in Luna.

  82. 1998 - December 12th - Luna rally in Stafford, CA, 1,000 attend rally, mass trespass.

  83. 1999 - March 1st - Federal funding for Headwaters Deal expires if Headwaters Forest is not protected.

  84. 1999 - October - Adorni Center in Eureka free trade protest - banner-hanging arrests.

  85. 1999 - November - N30 Seattle WTO protests, EF! successfully blockades one entrance, among arrested and in-jail support.

  86. 2000 - March - Sacramento CDF Board takeover and arrests over forest practices.

  87. 2000 - April - Week of Action, basecamp at Myers Flat, Jordan Creek blockade; Columbia Helicopter crew truck lockdowns. Lockdown at Northwest Forest and Marine (herbicide sprayers for Maxxam/PL). Washington, D.C., protests of World Bank/IMF in great jail solidarity with tactics which get all released.

  88. 2000 - June - "Hole in the Headwaters" blockade on North Fork of the Elk River, basecamp at supporter's housel; THP put on hold.

  89. 2000 - August - L.A. Democratic Convention protests and marches.

  90. 2000 - October - Redway tree-sit and community-supported blockade of gate; THP put on hold. Mattole Free State campaign already going, heats up.

  91. 2001 - October - David "Gypsy" Chain wrongful death civil suit settles out-of-court, in favor of Chain family.

  92. 2002 - June 11th - Judi Bari family wins civil suit against FBI and Oakland P.D., $4.4 million.

  93. 2005 - April 28th - Pepper Spray plaintiffs win civil suit against Humboldt Co. Sheriff's Dept.
  94. 2007 - January 18th - Maxxam Corp. files bankruptcy on Pacific Lumber Co. and subsidiaries
  95. 2008 - June - Bankruptcy Judge Richard Schmidt approves Mendocino Redwood plan for PL
  96. 2008 - July 30th -- Mendocino begins rebuilding PL as Humboldt Redwood Co.

 

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