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Hellbender Journal Summer/Fall 2001 Heartwood Forest Council a Success! By Rachel Martin On Memorial Day Weekend in May, scores of forest activists joined together in Grand Valley, Pennsylvania for the 11th Annual Heartwood Forest Council, hosted by the Allegheny Defense Project. Heartwood's Forest Council is an annual event that seeks to bring together forest activists from throughout the eastern United States to share skills, learn about forest issues, and to support local forest protection efforts. And that we did!
Friday night's feature was a keynote speech by George D. Heron, the former two-term president of the Seneca Nation of Indians during the Kinzua Dam controversy. He spoke of the Senecas' battle to keep the dam from being built. The Kinzua Dam, despite a promise by John F. Kennedy that if elected president the dam would never be built, was indeed built in 1964. The reservoir created by the dam flooded 1/3 of the Seneca reservation just over the New York border from the National Forest, displacing hundreds of Seneca families. Saturday featured "In the Woods" workshops, where participants had a chance to view the effects of Forest Service management in the Allegheny. Saturday night found the crowd grooving to the tunes of the Wolf Creek Wailers from Slippery Rock, PA. More workshops were given Sunday, including an ad hoc sustainable forestry tour of local forester Troy Firth's land. The weekend culminated with "Music from the Heartwood Circle". (Heartwood is known for their wealth of musical talent.) The weekend was a great opportunity for folks from throughout the east--from Mississippi to Michigan to the Carolinas--to learn about the Allegheny, sharpen our activism skills, and renew our commitment to these wonderful central hardwood forests. Many thanks to all who helped make this event a success, especially Mia and Shane for sharing their amazing cooking skills! |
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