On Tuesday, June 27, five forest protectors locked themselves together inside the rotunda of the WA State Department of Natural Resources to protest the clearcut logging of public legacy forests. They remained there until they were able to speak with DNR’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer Lenny Young and members of the press.
Lorax Coalition members were willing to risk arrest because the DNR, and its governing body, the Board of Natural Resources (BNR), and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz are ignoring the public who overwhelmingly oppose sale of older legacy forests across Washington.
zephyr elise, founding member of the Lorax Coalition, says, “We have followed all legal recourse and administrative procedures for our concerns to be heard. However, there comes a point when a community must act courageously and non-violently to protect and defend itself on the ground and in the forest when all other channels have failed us.”