Forest Defenders Scale Loading Crane to Halt Shipment of Cut Logs in Tazmania, 6 arrested

Six conservationists were arrested today at Hobart wharf, after halting loading of logging ship bound for Malaysia for 8 hours. The ship was loaded with veneer sourced from high conservation value forests in Tasmania,” said Jenny Weber, Huon Valley Environment Centre.

“2 protestors who had scaled a loading crane on the ship were dramatically arrested after Tasmanian Police were forced to bring in their own crane to remove them,” said Ms Weber

“Today’s blockade by forest defenders was to highlight Ta Ann’s poor environment record here in Tasmania and in its home state of Sarawak,” said Ms Weber.

Cross Posted from Moratorium Now

See a series of beautiful photos from past actions to save Tasmanian forests here.

Earth First! means a world without borders

By an editor of the EF! Journal

Jaguar photographed in arizona

Solidarity with immigrants against borders is one of the most practical and relevant places for the biocentrist—deep ecologist, eco-anarchist, Earth First!er.. or whatever you may call yourself—to present our vision of the world beyond civilization. The border is not just a line between two places. Its a scar on the earth, and in our lives, where empire and ecocide have met. Millions of people in North America feels this environmental and social tragedy in a deep and direct way.

The reality of this has been close to home for us here at the Earth First! Journal/Newswire, from life in Arizona in the midst of the SB 1070 law and the militarized border lands, to our new office in the south, which is now embroiled in the battles surrounding anti-immigrant legislation. Georgia became the first state following the footsteps of Arizona’s “Papers Please” law—HB 87, they are only awaiting the Governor to sign it into law—and, despite mass opposition, Florida is not far behind, with SB 2040.

"We will not comply," blockade at Sheriff Arpaio's Maricopa County Jail in Arizona after SB1070 goes into effect, July 2010

Arbitrary borders divided by walls and high-tech surveillance are becoming one of the most drastic symbols of literal human division and disconnect from the wild world around them. The same principles of rewilding that apply to keeping healthy, biodiverse habitats also apply to the re-wilding the free spirit of our species. What borders walls do to the endangered Jaguar, immigration laws due to our own wild spirits.

The past two issues of the EF! Journal have run excellent articles on borders, immigration, biocentrism and ecological resistance. Check ‘em out below.. May they assist in fueling the flames of immigrant solidarity and rebellion.   For freedom of movement to all species!

The Capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida is occupied by immigrants, predominantly from indigenous campesino communities in Central America.

Razing Arizona: the ecological battle against borders (an overview of pro-immigrant, anti-border articles from the past 10 years of the EF! Journal. In Spanish and English.)

Borders & Bodies (a personal reflection from an EF! Journal editor of borders, colonization and empire from the Arizona border to the coasts of Florida.)

(Also, don’t miss the coming issue of the EF! Journal, this June, for a fresh new article on the Center for Biological Diversity’s effort to defend Jaguars from extinction in the US by the racist border wall.)

Check out news and video from the growing resistance in Florida.

Simultaneous protests for immigrant farmworker solidarity take also place this week. Here, at a grand opening of Grocery chain Public in Lake Worth, FL, new home to the Earth First! Journal.

Action, suspense, tree-sitting an ancient forest, and an 80 ft free fall

Click here to read the article in pdf.

Action, suspense, tree-sitting an ancient forest, and an 80 ft free fall with a happy ending, featuring super eco-hero and former political prisoner Tre Arrow.  Give it a read!

fromVolume II of the 30th Anniversary edition of the Earth First! Journal.

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Against the Airport and the World it Represents

FOR A FIGHTING FARM, LET’S SQUAT THE LAND!

May 7, 2011, Notre-Dame-des-Landes (France)

“We invite you to a moment of collective action on the 7th of May, a gathering, and a festival. we propose that you stay for the following days to help set up the project. This initiative is the fruit of the connections between Reclaim the Fields, network of European farmers and landless peasants, and squatters… It is a call to all those who fight for the future of agriculture, those who have been giving life to the local resistance for so long, and who will not give in to resignation and all those who today want to join this struggle.”

The demo-action of the 7th may aims to set up a collective agricultural project in abandoned fields to defend these lands… The initiative of the 7th May is a step in the construction of a wider movement to liberate land. Come with your clearing tools ! To know more about this action,  download the flyer announcing this action

CONTACT: reclaimthezad [at] riseup.net

More Information: www.reclaimthefields.org 

Background: For forty years, those who decide and those who tarmac have been salivating over a new airport near to Nantes to feed their voracious dreams of a metropolis and of economic expansion. This project would cover 1,650 of agricultural land and rural hamlets: the ZAD (Zone of Recorded Planning, in French administrative language, in other words, the “Zone About to be Destroyed”).

The Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport project, which could have been shelved as a inopportune anachronism, has been adapted over time, becoming a flagrant symbol of the con and the ideological arrogance of Green Capitalism. The struggle has reached a critical stage with the signing, this January, of the construction and exploitation contract with the Vinci group, world leader in planning territories. The colossal propaganda offensive is being reinforced to justify the project, as it’s promoters must feel they are walking a tightrope. Although they aim to start work in the coming years, we know we can still win this fight and we are prepared to ensure that any attempt to tarmac these lands will cost them dear.

The examples of victories won in this region in the past, including the defeat of the nuclear projects in Plogoff, Carnet or Pellerin, show that even the most megalomaniac companies can be paralyzed with enough determination and the right tools. As well as the many actions in support of the farmers and residents resisting around the affected area, over the past two years, more and more people have begun to reclaim, bit by bit, the houses and lands that have been bought up by the promoters of the airport.

A living base is being constructed in the so called “ZAD”: tree houses and cabins, vegetable gardens, restored farmhouses, meeting spaces and workshops, a bakers, a library, a graphics workshop. There are currently more than sixty new inhabitants in the ZAD spread over more than fifteen sites. … Now, as preparations for the works intensify, the challenge is to give new energy to the struggle. That could involve directly opposing the geological and land surveys, public consultations, and possible evictions, or upping the pressure against the promoters of the project and the companies involved, or it could mean building moments of collective mass action. The squatting of the ZAD is an important foundation on which to build the fight against the airport.

Squatting the affected area enables us to unite our creativity and construction with our resistance. It connects our experiences of life and production with an offensive dynamic that aims to stop any construction work before it begins. THE AIRPORT SHALL NOT PASS ! WE WILL NOT BE PART OF THEIR PLAN !

Southeast’s Rivers are the Extinction Capital of North America, US Fish and Wildlife Gets Sued

Few places in the continental United States rival the Southeast when it comes to biodiversity in peril. That’s why the Center for Biological Diversity and allies filed a notice of intent to sue the feds last week for ignoring the plight of 403 freshwater animals and plants in the Southeast that face the dismal prospect of extinction.

From the hellbender salamander to the Florida sandhill crane, these very different species all have one thing in common: Their survival depends on the health of the Southeast’s waterways, fast declining due to dams, pollution, growing demand for water and climate change. But the Obama administration still hasn’t responded to the Center’s 2010 petition to protect these 403 species under the Endangered Species Act. –

-From the Center for Biological Diversity–

Environmental groups, led by the Center For Biological Diversity, have notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service they intend to sue the agency claiming it failed to act on a petition asking that 403 species in Southeastern streams and rivers be listed as threatened or endangered species.

The environmental groups petitioned FWS last April, asking that the species be considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act due to their declining numbers. Among the fish, crayfish, mussels, birds and other animals included in the petition are the Florida sandhill crane, hellbender and Black Warrior waterdog salamanders, Alabama map turtle and burrowing bog crayfish.

“Unfortunately, the Southeast’s rivers are the extinction capital of North America,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the center. “Dams, pollution, growing demand for water and global climate change mean these 403 species need Endangered Species Act protection to have any chance at survival.”

Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta, said the agency has been stretched thin because of diminished budgets and the Gulf oil spill.

But FWS staff still processes petitions for species protection. “We are working on it and I imagine we will be in contact with those groups,” he said.

Deadly Tornadoes: 210 Killed Across South, Including 131 in Alabama

picture taken from TuscaloosaNews Twitter

Deadly tornados and thunderstorms tore through the South early today, pushing the death toll to at least 210 people in five states and giving neighboring states a possible taste of what’s to come today, authorities said.

So far 164 tornados have been reported from Mississippi to New York, the worst tornado outbreak since 1974 when a super tornado outbreak killed more than 300 people.

The extreme weather has been blamed for 210 deaths over the past several days. The majority of the deaths have been reported in Alabama with 131 people killed, including 32 in the city of Tuscaloosa alone. Early estimates indicate that the tornado in Tuscaloosa could have been on the ground for 176 miles with winds between 167 and 200 mph.

About 2,000 National guard soldiers have been activiated to help with search and rescue in Alabama and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said officials plan to tour the hardest hit areas today.

“There is some massive devastation out there; massive destruction of property”  Bently said.

Bentley said officials expect the death toll to rise as they assess the damage but said they are in a search-and-rescue mode for now.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/tornadoes-210-killed-south-including-131-alabama/story?id=13474955

Do You Want To Tree-sit?

Earth First! Humboldt is seeking people to help protect the ancient redwood forests this spring and summer.

This could be you prepping to save some of the last oldest forests on the West Coast!

Are you interested in tree-sitting for a week or more?

The McKay forest is a refuge for rare and endangered wildlife including Northern Spotted Owls. The grove, and other threatened forest stands nearby would likely have been cut down two years ago if not for our non-violent direct action. A deal is in the works between Green Diamond timber company and non-profit groups to turn the area including this grove into a community forest. Please contact them to help keep these tree standing.

You might also consider sending them a donation.

email: contactefhum[at]gmail.com

phone- 707.845.1325

Papuans Confront Barrick Gold In Canada On Human Rights Abuses

Indigenous representatives from Porgera, Papua New Guinea traveled to Canada this week to speak at Barrick Gold’s annual general meeting (AGM). This year marks the fourth year that the Porgerans have visited Barrick Gold’s AGM, each time raising serious human rights and food security issues.

“We are attacked continuously and we are attacked often by a very noisy and very articulate opposition,” Peter Munk, Barrick Annual General Meeting, 2010

Jethro Tulin, Akali Tange Association a member of the Porgera Alliance said, “Since 2008 we have stood here at Barrick shareholder meetings and told them about the abuses our people suffer at the hands of Barrick’s security forces – beatings, shootings, rapes and gang rapes.”

“At past AGM meetings, the board has assured the shareholders that our words were not true. But now, the world knows that there are serious abuses occurring at your Porgera Mine in PNG.”

In 2011, due to pressure from an investigation by Human Rights Watch, Barrick finally allowed for an investigation of their security regarding the allegations of gang rapes. Five Barrick employees were fired, while eight former employees were implicated in the abuse.

Barrick founder and Chairman, Peter Munk, was later quoted in the Globe and Mail saying “gang rape is a cultural habit” in the countries like Papua New Guinea, angering the Porgeran community and prompting the country’s Mining Minister, John Pundari, to demand a public apology.

Instead of an apology, Barrick Gold’s Australia-Pacific President, Gary Halverson stated that Munk’s comments were taken out of context, lamenting that “only a small portion of this conversation was included” in the Globe and Mail article. The Porgera Alliance has since called for accountability in addition to backing the Mining Minister’s call for an apology.

Similarly, a Amnesty International report released in 2010 showed evidence of at least 130 structures adjacent to Barrick’s Porgera mine were burned down, many of which were houses, while villagers were beaten, harassed, and detained.

Read the rest of the article at Intercontinental Cry

Activists protest shale panel meeting after 30,000 gallon fracking fluid leak

April 23, 2010, photo, workers move a section of well casing into place at a Chesapeake Energy natural gas well in Bradford County. Before the 30,000-gallon fracking fluid spill last week, Gov. Tom Corbett had asked Chesapeake Energy’s representative to step down from the Marcellus Shale Commission. (AP file photo)

HARRISBURG, PA — Anti-drilling groups lack an official spot on the state’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, but at Wednesday’s meeting, they found plenty of ways to make their presence known.

As the panel focused its second full session on environmental effects from natural gas drilling, protesters rallied outside and repeatedly interrupted presentations to voice their concerns.

With dozens signed up for the afternoon public comment period, the commission extended its meeting by more than an hour to accommodate the speakers.

Many of the remarks were tinged with anger toward what they saw as a panel stacked with drilling executives, who they felt would protect businesses over public safety.

“This is all about how do we make this better for the industry?” said Dana Dolney, of the Pittsburgh-based Marcellus Protest. “What about us? What about the people who are relying on you?”

Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, who leads the commission, listened and occasionally responded to the often-combative commenters. He later questioned whether “science and fact” back up some of the assertions, but said the panel was “sensitive” to the need to hear all sides.

The commission, created by Gov. Tom Corbett in March, is in the process of gathering information on oversight and effects of shale drilling. The group of government, industry and environmental officials is tasked with recommending policy changes to the governor by late July.

Some regulatory changes have been put in place as the panel continues its review. The Department of Environmental Protection called on drillers last week to voluntarily stop sending briny wastewater to sewage treatment plants.

Several state environmental groups commended that action, which DEP Secretary Michael Krancer said Wednesday drew “compliance within 28 hours instead of 28 months.” But as the panel heard about a method for treating wastewater on-site, many of the protesters and commenters outside criticized the DEP for its softer approach. They argued that companies should have been told, not asked, how to handle the fluid used in hydraulic fracturing.

“It’s not water — it’s toxic fluid that flows back!” shouted Conrad Volz, a professor from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, during the noon rally outside the commission’s meeting.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11118/1142495-503.stm#ixzz1KouexgiV

Activists Protest Nuclear Plant Construction In Brazil

Cross posted from digtriad.com

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil- Some are seeing red over a proposed nuclear power plant in Brazil. A dramatic protest included orangish red smoke and activists in hazmat suits.

Environmental activists protest outside the headquarters of Brazil’s development bank to call on authorities to halt the construction of nuclear power plants in the South American country.

Greenpeace activists protested against nuclear energy today outside Brazil’s state-run development bank, days after it announced it would finance the construction of a third nuclear plant in the country.

Demonstrators wearing gas masks released orange smoke outside the BNDES bank’s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro to call for an end to Brazil’s nuclear plans.

A series of similar protests have been held across the globe since Japan’s March 11 quake and tsunami triggered the world’s worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl.

Brazil’s Congress last month voted to move ahead with the construction of its third nuclear reactor and BNDES announced a 3.9 billion U.S. dollar loan for the works. The Angra 3 nuclear plant would be built in the coastal resort area of Angra dos Reis between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo and be completed by 2013.

Greenpeace’s energy director, Ricardo Baitelo, said they want the government to gradually close the country’s nuclear power plants and cancel its plans of expanding the program.

Officials said the Angra 3 approval could usher in a wider nuclear plan, which calls for between four and eight modern 1,000 MW reactors, to be built by 2030.