Eastern Forest Justice League

2003 Eastern Forest Defense Camp



Dear Friend of the Forests,




Greetings from the Eastern Forest Justice League. We are a collective of forest defense organizers who hail from bioregions across the Eastern United States. From the Northeast and the Great Lakes down through the Midwest, the Central Appalachians, Southern Appalachia, the Piedmont, and all the way down to the Deep South, we've come together to train existing and aspiring activists from across the East to defend their forests at home through non-violent direct action tactics.It is no longer news that the Bush regime has declared open war on

America's forests and our rights as citizens to ensure their

protection through conventional forms of civic participation. From the

gutting of the Clinton Roadless Areas Conservation Rule to the opening of

Sequoia National Monument to timber cutting; from the

acceleration of energy industry mining and drilling on federal lands to

the evisceration of our rights as citizens to appeal project

decisions made by federal forest managers, the forces occupying the White

House have relentlessly sought to deliver the spoils of our nation to the

wealthiest of the power elite while draining the blood from America's

participatory democracy. A constant barrage of

administration proposals to increase timber harvest, energy

development, and transportation projects on federal lands continues to

rain down on us as the environmental community scrambles to hold back

this ever-growing tide of industrial tyranny over public lands.



Meanwhile, the private forests of the East face grave and escalating

threats of their own. The same timber barons that finished

deforesting the entire Eastern United States around the turn of the

century have run out of large supplies of readily available timber in the

Pacific Northwest. Having cut themselves out of a job in the Redwoods,

their sights have returned to the Southeast, where our

forests have grown back and are increasingly attracting the cut & run

bandits like a growing swarm of flies. The Southeastern United

States has become the pulp capital of the world, and the region's pace of

clearcut deforestation, chip mill construction and native forest

conversion to pine plantations shows no signs of abating. To top it all

off, mountaintop removal-style coal mining continues to decapitate

mountains and bury streams and human communities

throughout Appalachia while exploitation of vast oil and gas reserves

throughout the East continues to become more lucrative as new federal

policies encourage domestic production of fossil fuels.



Last summer, the Eastern Forest Justice League (EFJL) put on a

week-long Action Camp in Southern Indiana to train Eastern forest

activists to confront some of these problems head-on through direct

action. Due in large part to the help of many of you, the camp was a

huge success. Over 150 attendees participated in instruction on

tree-sits, road blockades, banner drops, and other useful direct

action skills. As a result, new networks and alliances were formed that

have resulted in a larger and stronger community of forest

defenders throughout the East.

This year, EFJL is planning an Eastern Forest Defense Camp in

Southeast Ohio for the week of June 16-23. Our aims are similar to last

year's, but this year we are focused on encouraging camp

attendees to use their new skills by organizing specific, effective

Eastern forest defense actions at home. We are offering the camp for

folks from the Northwoods (Great Lakes and New England), Central

Appalachia, Southern Appalachia (Katuah!), the Great Coastal Swamps, the

Piedmont, the Pine Barrens, the Allegheny Plateau, the Ozarks and the

Midwest. The workshops we are offering this year include:

tree-sits/tree climbing; structural climbing; blockades 101 and 102

(including tripods and bipods); field kitchens; field survival;

communications; banner making; geurrilla silkscreening; campaign

strategy; media messaging; what to do with police at an action;

security culture/when an agent knocks; stealthiness in the woods;

guerrilla media; and local flora, fauna, and lore.



We need you to contribute to the Eastern Forests Defense Camp. First and

foremost, we need cash to rent the venue in Southeast Ohio where we plan

to hold the event. A contribution of $20, $50, or $100 would be a great

help, and will go entirely to the Camp itself. If you can't donate

money, our non-monetary needs are also significant. We need: climbing

equipment (often donated by sympathetic outdoor

stores and recreation centers-just ask them); hollow-core doors with no

windows; food; coffee; tarps; welding equipment; trainers;

entertainment; and attendees from around the East!



Please give of your resources, skills, and connections for this

effort. Tax-deductible contributions (check made out to Kentucky

Heartwood - please specify "Action Camp" on the check) can be sent to

Perrin de Jong at P.O. Box 555, Lexington, KY 40588. Perrin can also be

reached at (859)335-9488 or kyheartwood@alltel.net . Kentucky

Heartwood is a nonprofit, 501©(3) organization.



Help us spread the word about the camp, and direct questions or word that

you can help to Susan Heitker at the Buckeye Forest Council,

(740)797-7200phone /(740)797-8900fax, susan@buckeyeforestcouncil.org .



On behalf of the forests, thank you.



Perrin de Jong

Eastern Forest Justice League


CAMP NO!: Eastern Forest Defense Camp 2003



Announcing: The Eastern Forest Justice League's 2003 Eastern Forest

Defense Camp,

June 16-23, in Southeast Ohio.



Hosted by: Eastern Forest Justice League, Buckeye Forest Council, Katuah

Earth First!, Kentucky Heartwood, Southern Appalachian

Biodiversity Project, and Indiana Forest Alliance.



Calling all activists, forest dwellers, concerned citizens, and

others ready to act on behalf of our great Eastern forests! In this

training camp, we will focus on our evolving arsenal of non-violent

direct action tactics. We are looking for folks from the Northwoods

(Great Lakes and New England), Central Appalachia, Southern

Appalachia (Katuah!), the Great Coastal Swamps, the Piedmont, the Pine

Barrens, the Allegheny Plateau, the Ozarks and the Midwest to join us in

Southeast Ohio as we share skills, techniques and ideas for defending our

forests at home.



At this camp, we will be participating in workshops on:

tree-sits/tree climbing; blockades 101 and 102 (including

tripods/bipods); field kitchens; field survival; communications;

banner making; campaign strategy; media messaging; what to do with police

at an action; security culture/when an agent knocks;

stealthiness in the woods; guerrilla media 101; and local flora,

fauna, and lore.



Also, we are looking for more workshop ideas, so tell us on your

registration form what other workshops you would like to see or help lead.



Please Note: YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND! Registration deadline is June

1. The registration form is attached to this email.



For more information contact:




    Northwoods:

Diano Circo

P.O. Box 311

Damariscotta, ME 04543

(207)677-2673



Midwest:

Nate Ebert

Buckeye Forest Coucil

PO Box 99

Athens, OH 45701

740.797.7200



Central Appalachia:

Perrin de Jong

Kentucky Heartwood

P.O. Box 555

Lexington, KY 40588

(859)335-9488

kyheartwood@alltel.net



Southern Appalachia:

john johnson

c/o Katuah Earth First!

P.O. Box 281

Chattanooga, TN 37401

423-949-5922

johnjEF@bledsoe.net



Deep South:

Inez

P.O. Box 2794

Gainesville, FL 32602

Wendycantdrive@hotmail.com


Eastern Forest Justice League Action Camp Registration Form for 2003



Greetings, fellow travelers! We're glad to know of your interest in

Direct Action Forest Defense and the Eastern Forest Justice League. We'd

like to learn a little about you and where you're coming from, so we can

put together a camp that will serve your needs and meet you where you're

at as a forest defender. At this camp, we'd like to bring together

everyone from lifelong forest defense veterans to

passionate, skill-hungry novices. Our priority in this effort is to

train Easterners and others who will use the skills they gain at this

camp in efforts to defend our beloved and magnificent forests of

Eastern North America. Feel free to not answer any question you don't

want to, and rest assured that we take security culture very

seriously and will keep all information you provide to us strictly

confidential. No snitching! Thanks for your time - we look forward to

working with you.



Name:__________________________ Email:______________________



Mailing Address (for printed pre-camp materials):



__________________________________________________ _____________



Permanent Mailing Address (optional - if you want to get mailings from us

about future events):



__________________________________________________ _____________



Phone# (needed for confirmation that you exist):________________________



Are you affiliated with an organization? Who?

___________________________________



Please indicate your diet: vegetarian___


                                                                                        vegan___


                                                                                        Can't tolerate a

vegetarian diet for a week___



Are you 18 or older? Yes____ No____



How did you hear about the Camp (no names needed, but feel free to name

names if you want)?


Describe the forest in your area and the threats to its well-being.


I am interested in:




    Nonviolence Training ___

Tree Sit/Tree Climbing ___

Structural Climbing ___

Rock Climbing (with ropes) ___

Grassroots Organizing ___

Blockade or Sit-In ___

Street Protest ___

Street Theater ___

Police Negotiation at a Direct Action ___

Field Kitchens ___

Radio Communications ___

Making Banners ___

Surprise Banner Hanging ___

Working with the Media ___

Welding ___

Silkscreening ___

Security Culture ___

Stealth & Evasion ___

Guerrilla Media ___


Would you be interested in sharing any of your skills or experiences with

others at the camp in a workshop? What skills would you be

qualified to teach about? Which workshops could you assist someone else

in leading?


What workshops would you like to see at the camp that you haven't already

seen listed?


Do you see yourself using the skills you learn at the camp when you go

home? If so, how?


Do you have any allergies, medical conditions or other dietary needs you

haven't already mentioned that we need to know about?


Please return application to Liam Mulholland (postmarked by June 1st,

2003) at: BTEF! P.O. Box 3503, Bloomington, IN 47402

Or by email at lmulholl@indiana.edu


john johnson

c/o Katuah Earth First!

P.O. Box 281

Chattanooga, TN 37401

423-949-5922

johnjEF@bledsoe.net

friends,

below is the letter of invitation and registration form for this summer's eastern forest defense camp. Please forward this info far and wide in whole or in part. If you can't make the camp this summer, please consider sending a few bucks to the folks involved so that they can better defend our life giving forests. i highly recommend attending this camp - you will learn a lot and have lots of fun