enviro-musings and army money

Last night I didn’t put in any extra time after the eight o’clock knock off time. It had been a slow day, sometimes physically painful to stay awake. And I’d accomplished my mission for the evening:
I’d called Washington D.C. and got a DoDAAC – which is what the Army uses to charge items against. In the Navy we call it a line of accounting. LtCol V. was sort of surprised all this could be accomplished over the phone without me ever having to prove who I was. I had them create both an agency UIC and DoDAAC just because I asked politely.
Afterwards I walked out to the pool where MWR chick Andy was showing Monty Python’s Search For the Holy Grail. A funny, funny movie even if it is British humor. My favorite line is where they guy says the witch turned him into a Newt, “I got better”. I watched it for and hour but have seen it many, many times so walked back to my hooch.
Back at the hooch I sat outside talking with the guy next door. Chris came in and wanted to show me his new gun. I went in his trailer and he handed me an Iraqi made version of a Berreta 9mm. Pretty cool weapon but the only thing “different” about it was the Arabic writing engraved on the barrel. He said he knows of one legal way to get it back to the states and he’s going to try that before he resorts to illegal methods.
Over in the corner were 14 boxes of books. I looked thru them…all title about free speech in Australia and how to evade the tax codes in Canada – donations from some organization. I did find one called It Takes A Hero – the Grassroots battle against Environmental Oppression. I could tell by the title I wouldn’t agree with much of it but I took it anyway. I always like grassroots movements…I’m a Populist like that.
The first story was about a guy in Idaho who fought for the right to ride his motorcycle on public land. No problem. I agree we should have designated areas for off road vehicles…they are lots of fun. Of course as much as I love the ying ying ying ying ying of a two-stroke engine they are loud. Motor vehicles of all kinds should be kept out of hiking and horseback riding areas. We can’t all play together…I refuse to. Give me a gun and I’ll shoot the sign that tells me I have to.
The next story was about logging in the Shawnee National Forest. The loggers claimed the forest needed the maples and hickories cleared out because the oak trees needed full sun and this would make for better wildlife habitat. Well, I think anyone interested in trees in the southeast and Midwest knows the climax community is the oak hickory forest. I really think forestry is the only science people know the answers to before they do the research – the prologging camp says health is in the clearcut and the environmentalists say leave it alone…lets create a fire hazard.
I am actually sympathetic with the loggers these days in most circumstances. We have lots of protected forest land. We need wood…save our old growth (or at least second growth) in the protected areas…responsibly cut the rest. Of course in Washington the sick little farmed out trees (last harvest 1985) and clear cut scars across the land drives home the point that there is a better way.
A few years ago in February I was between ships so I drove down to northern California to camp in the redwoods. I love it down there. But the rain started on the second day so I found stuff to do inside. In a brewpub in Eureka I watched vintage NASCAR racing, cr 1974 and got to talking to a logger named Jess. He said he was probably the youngest old growth logger I’d ever meet…he was in his early thirties, solidly built, big guy.
He lamented the loss of logging in NORCAL, the death of the little mill towns. He blamed it on people from outside coming in and telling them how to run their communities. He claimed Redwood National Park was the least visited park in the country and though I disagree I will say that on rainy days in February I’ve never seen many people there. But apart from the natural bitterness that comes when your livelihood is taken away he also expressed an appreciation for the life he was able to live, out in the woods. I asked if he was familiar with that girl who sat up in that tree called Luna for two years.
Yeah, I know ol’ Julia he said with a grin. You know she claimed to have stayed in that tree for two years but my buddy saw her several times in bars in Fontana during that same time.
I heard she got pregnant in that tree?
Yeah, that’s what they say. He smile, not saying the rest.
Jess also told me about the guy who was killed a few years ago during a tree sit.
I know the guy that felled the log that killed him and he felt really bad about it. He never meant to hurt anybody.
I suppose not but it takes a hero no matter what side you’re on. One thing is for sure – in the U.S. we have more natural beauty in our land that any other country on earth could ever dream of. How we use it is our legacy to the world. Jess needs a job and college students with time on their hands need a cause.
Later that same night I was a place in Arcata talking to this girl who was a photographer. I came here to be an activist she said.
Why?
Because these people here don’t know what they’ve got…they need us here to show them.
Jess, I fell your pain ol’ buddy.