Dozen Cities Mail in Scrap Wood to Pres

[The.Greenbase@gb.greenpeace.org]

ACTIVISTS IN ONE DOZEN CITIES MAIL SCRAP WOOD TO PRESIDENT;


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                   GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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ACTIVISTS IN ONE DOZEN CITIES MAIL SCRAP WOOD TO PRESIDENT;
BATTLE FOR FORESTS CONTINUES, EVEN WITH VETO ON THE HORIZON

     18 May 95 (GP) --  President Clinton's pledge to finally
use his veto power to protect public forest lands was not
enough to stop thousands of "wooden ballots" from being
shipped to the White House today.

     The "Wood-In," organized by Greenpeace and V.O.T.E.
(Voice of the Environment), distributed 200,000 labels to 40
national and grasroots groups to be stuck on pieces of scrap
wood and mailed to the White House. The labels bear the
message "VETO SALVAGE LOGGING. PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT."  The
White House has already received tens of thousands of faxes,
letters and pieces of wood demanding a veto of salvage
logging.

     On Wednesday, Congress approved the Rescissions Bill
which President Clinton has stated he will veto.  Attached to
the Rescissions Bill, the salvage logging proposal would
triple the timber cut from 1994 levels and deny citizens the
ability to challenge logging plans in court. The wood mail-in
reinforced national opposition to salvage logging, both the
Rescissions rider and other pending proposals.

    Rallies against salvage logging were held in Amherst,
Austin, Boulder, Ft. Lauderdale, Madison, New York, Portland,
Rochester, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Seattle.

     "Our goal has always been to defeat the forest health
crisis hoax. While defeating the salvage rider was our first
target, Congress and the Forest Service continue to invent
scams to convert our forest heritage into timber industry
profits," said Kelly Quirke, forest protection campaigner for
Greenpeace.  "The effort to make the government serve the
interests of the people, not the timber industry, will
continue."

     While a Presidential veto would grant a temporary
reprieve for national forests, legislation  (S.391) has
already been proposed by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) to make
"salvage" logging law.  This bill is currently in Senate
Committee.

CONTACT: Kelly Quirke, Greenpeace Forest Campaign 415/512 9025