Power Substation, this is in between 5th and Legion on Cherry Street, almost kitty corner to the site of the future Olympia City Hall.

Razor wire protects military hummer vehicles (humvees) from intruders.

Solidarity with Women's Resistance to War!

26 participants in a nonviolent blockade of military cargo between Port of Olympia and Fort Lewis are being charged by the Thurston County Office of the Prosecutor. The first of those being charged will be arraigned tomorrow. Of the 26, 25 are women. The 26 are part of an action that is commonly referred to as the Women's Blockade, or Women's Action.

43 people in all were arrested in the November 13th, 2007 Women's Blockade. 39 of those who were arrested are female.

Last Friday, supporters of the Oly 26 vigiled at Percival Landing. Turn-out was good. About 40 people showed up.

The first arraignment of members of the Oly 26 is scheduled for tomorrow morning at the Thurston County Courthouse, up on the hill above Capitol Lake. Proceeding's are scheduled to start at 9:30 AM.

see more on the flipside: photos from Capitol Forest, more from the vigil, Percival Landing, and an Olympia Alley in Autumn

Capitol Forest

The Black Hills of Washington State Capitol Forest are dotted with clear cuts, which leave massive scars across the landscape - even despite the use of recently initiated kinder and gentler clear-cutting policies and practices. For example, modern clear cuts, on state lands, require buffers - patches of a certain amount of uncut forest - near streams or sensitive areas. It's still apparent that cutting has massive impacts on the land - including members of the various and diverse flora and fauna, which make theirs home there.

Litter

I found a lot of places where shotgun shells and other debris were littered about. Although there are signs posted "No Shooting", I heard at least one person discharging multiple rounds in rapid semi-automatic succession.

Hillside Clearcut

Clear Cut

There must be alternatives to clear-cutting. For the sake of sustainability and out of respect for the land, our health, and the lives of all those creatures who call the forest home - not to mention the trees. Instead of clear-cutting Imagine an inverse of the current practice. To illustrate: instead of leaving only a few trees scattered sporadically (for buffer zones,) it would make sense to see the majority of trees left in place - the ecosystem thereby relatively intact and relatively undisturbed. Instead of taking so many trees (nearly all in current practice) - take only a relatively few trees - leaving the forest old growth status intact and protecting bio-diversity for generations far into the future...

How can this be accomplished? Well that topic is certainly worthy of discussion. For starters, How about decreasing demand and necessary supply via implementing increasingly efficient uses, conservation measures, and a variety of other reasonable methods.

Choose Peace - Create Nonviolent Solutions (Glen and Me)

Percival Landing

Olympia Alley

Fall is well underway, in fact about half of the season has passed. Many of the deciduous trees have lost all, or nearly all of their leaves. Most of the others are well on their way toward losing their foliage as the season progresses toward Winter.

Foggy Forest

Foggy Forest