Posted on 10/06/2001 12:58:07 PM PDT by Jolly Rodgers
Tree Sitter Badly Injured After Fall
October 6, 2001, 11:15 AM
By KGW Staff
An anti-logging activist was badly injured Saturday morning when he fell 60 feet from the tree he was staying in.
The protester, known as 'Ridge,' may have suffered brain damage, according to the Cascadia Forest Alliance. He also broke his hip, collapsed a lung and had a concussion. He was taken to Legacy Emanual Hospital.
Police had tried to remove Ridge from his tree-top perch on Friday, but gave up after finding no safe way to bring him down. Ridge had been in the tree for 36 hours when he fell.
As a rescuer approached him Friday, Ridge had jumped to another tree to get away. Authorities cut down adjacent trees to isolate him.
The activists are protesting a 124-acre timber sale in the Tillamook State Forest called the Acey Line Thin. They condemned the Department of Forestry for allowing cutting to start before a public comment period ended.
The timber sale has drawn criticism because it encompasses some of the Coast Range's oldest forests.
A months-long conflict has escalated between anti-logging activists, forestry officials and police. On Thursday, deputies took three tree-sitters into custody -- the first arrests in state forests for interfering with logging.
Forestry officials said thinning trees improves the health of the forest by exposing younger trees to more sun. The cutting continued Friday a quarter of a mile from the tree-sitter.
Tests will likely show that the brain damage pre-existed the fall from the tree.
Oh so sweet the news of revenge!
You beat me to it.
I know the taxpayers being stuck for tens of thousands of extensive care is off subject of the article but these people P**s me off for a lot of reasons.
For those who've just GOT to know!
P.S. Doesn't OSHA require tree sitter protestors to wear helments and safety belts! Call Ted Kennedy!
Here is the problem. The authorities have handled these trespassers with kid gloves which has only emboldened them to get more and more aggressive with their protests. They've come to think their antics are immune from accountability. I sincerely hope that time has passed and they will be arrested and prosecuted with all possible vigor.
This fails to mention that police/whatever cut down a tree he was in, forcing him to this one. Then proceeded to arrest people attempting to document police/logging activity. Seems they wanted to make sure any "falls" were perceived as "accidental" with no evidence otherwise. except for what the police say of course. SOP for those who like sh*t on liberty.
Don't be getting high if you're going to be sitting high.
Man, when it rains it pours on this guy.
Well, when "hobbb" (formerly known as ferret) fell out of a tree at Nike, he bilked the Oregon Health Plan (welfare system) for a considerable sum. Not only that, I'm sure they will initiate a massive lawsuit in an attempt to make the rest of us pay for their own criminal activity.
They claim they use 5 gallon buckets and then lower them to the ground for the ground crew to go bury. Of course, that assumes that the ground crew hasn't been arrested, like they were this week. hehehe
Damn, you beat me to it!!!
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