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 G0THEN3ERG • HAMBURG • LEWES— UK. • LUXEMBOURG • MADRID • MONTREAL • NEW YORK CITY • OSLO • PALMA DE MALLORCA 

 PARIS • ROME • SAN FRANCISCO • SAN JOSE-COSTA RICA • SEATTLE • STOCKHOLM • SYDNEY • TORONTO • VANCOUVER • VIENNA 

 ^^^^ WASHINGTON • ZURICH 



Greenpeace 



Greenpeace • 1436 U Street NW • Washington DC 20009 • Tel (202) 462-1 177 

 Tlx 89-2359 • Fax (202) 462-4507 



Chairman Charles Rose 



Specialty Crops and Natural Resources Subcommittee 



Agriculture Committee 



House of Representatives 



Mr. Chairman, 



Greenpeace, on behalf of its 1.4 million members, is in full 

 support of H.R. 2866, The Headwaters Forest Act introduced by 

 Representative Dan Hamburg. This bill, which would protect the 

 largest privately owned stand of coastal Redwoods in the country, is 

 essential to ensuring future generations the opportunity to 

 appreciate one of America's greatest natural heritages. Along with 

 Rep. Hamburg, Greenpeace would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman for 

 acting quickly on this legislation. 



The importance of the California Redwoods cannot be 

 understated. As an incredibly diverse ecosystem, the remaining 

 coastal redwoods harbor many threatened and endangered species 

 whose ranges have been limited due to the overharvesting of these 

 great forests. Along with trees, owls and murrelets this legislation 

 will protect riparian areas and their aquatic life, soil, certainly not a 

 renewable resource, and the intricate web of life we all depend on. 



All too often we have waited until the crisis point to protect 

 forest ecosystems. Representative Hamburg has shown both foresight 

 and dedication to our ecological needs by taking a proactive approach 

 to ecosystem protection. 



Greenpeace has long advocated a move away from the 

 emphasis on "emergency room" care for the protection of species. A 

 greater focus on ecosystem/habitat protection is one way we can 

 avert the tragic losses, both economic and biological, associated with 

 overharvesting and habitat loss. Hopefully this bill and its step 

 towards preventative care will serve as an example for other forest 

 lands. The passage of this bill will show that the hard lessons learned 

 in other regions have brought us to a new level of forest 

 management. 



