Editor:

Michael Bowen sings the praises of a 25,000-acre acquisition of redwoods in Del Norte County (“North Coast Story,” Spring 2002). I support the protection of ancient forests, but this land isn’t old-growth, it’s second-growth, and its purchase seems rooted in a false dichotomy between ecological integrity and resource extraction.

Bowen describes a stop he made in Redwood National and State Park, where a walk in the forest refreshed his spirit. Forty miles to the south, he could also have walked among lush ferns and towering redwoods, in the hills just east of Humboldt State University. But that 1,200-acre forest is logged regularly, carefully, and selectively by the City of Arcata. Certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the City’s management benefits the entire web of life, from salamanders and spotted owls to mountain bikers, loggers, and hikers. Imagine if the 25,000 Del Norte acres were dedicated to that kind of forestry, instead of mere parkland. Deed restrictions could limit future logging to protect wildlife, salmon, and recreation.

As Bowen reports, 75 percent of Del Norte County is in public ownership, off-limits to logging. The quest for economic diversity no longer justifies the purchase of parkland there. Now, diversity in Del Norte means keeping second-growth forests in production, so the region can earn its keep from timber as well as tourists and prison inmates.

Our future on the North Coast requires us to relate to the forest more gently than corporate loggers, while engaging the terrain more concretely than birders. We belong in this ecosystem; we’re not outside of it. That’s why the acquisition Bowen describes is an outmoded North Coast story. Unlike the Sharks and the Jets, logging and environmental protection don’t have to be implacable foes. I hope that future projects by Save-the-Redwoods League and the Coastal Conservancy help demonstrate that reality.

Seth Zuckerman, Petrolia

Michael Bowen replies:
Many on the North Coast share your views. Connie Best and Richard Geinger, who have made it their lives' work to seek that delicate balance between resource use and abuse, expressed them eloquently. I encourage you to join the Conservancy-funded planning process, where real decisions affecting the future disposition of Mill Creek will be made.

PASADENA YOUTH

Editor:

In your Spring 2002 issue, the article “East L.A. Comes to Point Reyes” states that the kids are from East L.A. They are not. They are all Pasadena youth, enrolled in a Pasadena Police Department program, the Youth Accountability Board. The trip described in the article was paid for by a grant from the Pasadena Police Foundation, a nonprofit volunteer organization that sponsors several community youth programs. As these kids worked very hard for six months to graduate from this program, it would have been nice if the information was correct. The article is appreciated though, and I thank you for publishing it, as Outward Bound Adventures volunteers work very hard to educate youth and to teach them to respect their environment.

Sgt. Tracey Ibarra
Pasadena Police Department

Charles Thomas, Director of Outward Bound Adventures, replies:
It’s unfortunate that this mistake occurred. It was an oversight on my part, as I was provided the story to proofread. I apologize.