Lila Seidman reports for the Los Angeles Times today from near Fort Bragg, California, in Mendocino County. The headline is, "A war to halt logging in Northern California reignites. Will it end differently this time?," and an excerpt follows:
The Jan. 23 gathering was the latest rallying cry in a decades-long war over Jackson [Demonstration State Forest]’s trees, a battle that has pitted environmental activists against state and timber industry leaders. At the heart of the dispute are differing opinions about the best use of public land and who should steward the precious resource.
Those who oppose logging call it a greed-fueled operation that runs contrary to climate goals. Supporters see it as pragmatic management of a renewable resource.
Now, Native American tribes indigenous to the area [in particular the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians] have joined the fray, demanding a say in the fate of their ancestral homeland. And state officials are listening.
The renewed debate playing out behind the so-called redwood curtain could deliver the first agreement with Indigenous tribes to co-manage a state demonstration forest, according to officials at the California Natural Resources Agency.
It’s a historic path supported by stakeholders on both sides. But there’s a wrench in the works: State and tribal leaders don’t see eye to eye on important aspects of Jackson’s future. It’s not yet clear how the chasm between their visions will be reconciled.
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