Dozens of environmental protesters are preventing logging on Oregon state forestland near Reedsport. As Rob Manning reports, trucks were turned away Monday.
Loggers with Roseburg-based Scott Timber couldn’t reach a timber sale on the Elliott State Forest because an overturned vehicle and at least 30 protesters blocked their way.
The group responsible, Cascadia Rising Tide, says it is seeking to block logging to protect threatened birds and fish, and to help fight climate change.
Spokeswoman Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky says the barricade isn’t coming down any time soon.
Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky: “We have about 100 people out here, and we hope to sustain this blockade until the end of the logging season.”
The group has placed demonstrators atop platforms that are in turn, attached to the entry gates. That means any forced entry could put protesters’ lives at risk.
Moving the overturned car could do the same thing.
An Oregon forestry spokesman says the agency is consulting with other state officials on how to respond safely.
