Trail Update and Condition of Slaughterhouse Road
Submitted by Nita T, Ishcomer
The Elizabeth Debusk Babcock Memorial Trail will be opening up to the Public in the spring/Summer of 2025.
The Trail is over 4,600’ long, has dozens of turns and switchbacks.
Starting in the Pygmy Forest, the trail drops in over 500’ elevation to come out right above the Albion River.
3 documentary film makers have been on the trail so far.
In 2021-22 the Mendocino Redwood Company logged on both sides of Ravens’ Call, in Slaughterhouse Gulch and Deadmans’ Gulch.
MRC logged heavily and left slash piles and fallen trees all over the forest.
Due to the logging, more wind corridors have increased, leading to more trees being blown down, on MRC property and ours.
Before this Timber Harvest Plan took place, Slaughterhouse Road was the darkest logging road on the Mendocino Coast.
Now, it is opened up, due to the decimation of the forest canopy above the road.
INJUSTICE WAS SERVED- 2019-2022 by Zia Cattalini
FOEM’s search for an attorney to argue against THP 1-19-0007 was unyielding.
An organization or association cannot file a legal challenge in court without a representing attorney, but individuals can*,
so the complaint was filed under my name.
On the eve of our TRO hearing 10-10-19, an attorney I sought representation from earlier offered to help for a limited time.
Ukiah Superior Court Judge Nadel ruled the Mendocino Redwood Company’s logging would not cause irreparable harm to FOEM’s nature sanctuaries and denied our motion for Temporary Restraining Order.
The evidential photos of a 2018 massive mudslide caused by MRC’s deferred road maintenance, a biologist’s expert declaration and a revered, local botanical consultant’s declaration did not crackle Judge Nadel’s alliance with the timber industry.
In 2018, tons of wet earth collapsed, approximately 400-450 cubic yards slid hundreds of feet below and smothered over a quarter acre of wetland sanctuary at Half Moon Trestle.
Scroll below to see 2018 video clip.
A week after the dismal TRO ruling, I contacted North Coast Regional Water Quality Board, (Water Boards) concerning the imminent
threat logging above Enchanted Meadow would cause: Impending sediment discharge would negatively impact the tidal, wetland channels
that provide habitat for aquatic life and link to the Albion River; and the gaping holes where logged trees once stood would permanently
impact the esthetic values of this listed California Wild and Scenic River. Water Boards agreed to meet
with MRC and Cal Fire, sans FOEM’s presence on site to review our concerns.
A preliminary injunction hearing was argued on October 25, and Judge Nadel again ruled in favor of MRC to continue logging.
In December, our attorney’ representation ended and I had the choice to substitute in as my own attorney or have our attorney dismiss the lawsuit.
I was very ill the previous two weeks, still partially bed ridden and in no condition to continue the case alone, so I asked our attorney
to dismiss our complaint. Soon after we learned MRC’s counsel also filed a motion to dismiss.
In mid-May FOEM received a Water Boards report stating they, MRC and CAL FIRE into the area of our concern above Enchanted Meadow in November, 2019. We found the report inaccurate and misleading. Diameters of trees MRC planned to remove were far larger than Water Boards claimed and impacts from unmarked trees doomed for cut to accommodate cable logging corridors were not addressed. Our volunteers inventoried, measured and photo documented the trees within the area of concern and apprised Water Boards of our findings. Water Boards responded by revisiting the area of concern a second time with MRC and CAL FIRE. Consequently, MRC’s plans to log a 1500’ swath from east to west on slopes above Enchanted Meadow were scrapped! Those empowered to deem a forest’s life or death made a wise decision to pack up their chainsaws and leave. This is a H U G E victory! Thanks to our on-the-field volunteers Rex, Alison, Coyote and canine companions, Sierra and Duke, who endured blackberry thorns, poison oak and stinging wasps to scout out the true data. Thank you to everyone who helped with our litigation, N. Ishcomer, K. Obermeyer, A. Garner, E. Athens, E. Yates, A. Packard, F. Marks and D. Gurney.
2019 Autumn - Winter 2020 onward into 2021...
We have current litigation challenging Mendocino Redwood Company's (MRC) approved
timber harvest plan (THP) 1-19-00070 Men. This THP does not fully disclose the existence of
Enchanted Meadow Wetlands Sanctuary (EMWS). It is only referred to as a seasonal wet meadow- when
in fact it is a year round wetlands and was approved without a botanical survey.
Trees on Left are part of THP
- T. Wodetzki Photo, Nov. 2019
This THP denies it's close proximity to a California listed Wild and Scenic River, the Albion, and claims
timber operations probably won't negatively impact the river, which is and has been red flagged as a
303.d impaired waterway due to excessive sedimentation caused by previous logging.
Logging above EMWS begins on the east side of Pleasant Valley Gulch outward along the the Albion
River's south side and easterly into Duck Pond Gulch, over a mile in length of this THP shares a
contiguous boundary with the EMWS!
In 2020 MRC plans to log 296 acres of forest in Deadman's Gulch, one river bend west of Railroad
and Pleasant Valley Gulch, on the Albion River's north side. This cut will negatively impact all three
of our sanctuaries. Ravens' Call is adjacent to Deadman's Gulch, the Albert Cattalini Conservancy is
the lower elevation portion of Deadman's Gulch and river bottom riparian corridor for Deadman's Creek
which flows into the Albion River at Half Moon Trestle, an enclave of the larger EMWS. Half Moon
Trestle was degraded by MRC's massive mudslide due to their mismanaged haul road in 2018. The clean
up ordered by the Regional Water Quality board is still pending.
EMWS Trees within THP#1-19-00070 were scheduled to be logged
however they were preserved through volunteer actions
2021, MRC plans to re enter Slaughterhouse Gulch (SHG) and further decimate it with a 235 acre
cut. Today if one was to hike up inside SHG from the river bottom you'd find a tangled array of
dead, fallen trees, as if a giant had plucked them up and played pick-up-sticks. You'd discover a “hack
and squirt” ossuary. Poisoned, dead, fallen and standing eucalyptus trees, bone white, the perfect wildfire
tender in waiting to threaten the safety of nearby residents and property on RD 16, RD 18 and Sundew
Lane. Often found in this vicinity are small, dead mammals, tree shrews and moles.
MRC is planning to return to Duck Pond Gulch on the south side of the Albion River in 2021 and
cut an additional 331 acres. EMWS ecosystem is under threat of further degradation by MRC's
logging practices. All our sanctuaries are under threat; wildlife and plant life habitat, water quality and
visual resources will be compromised, irreparably harmed.
Such a forecast is formidable. 860 acres of forest adjacent to our sanctuary lands are slated to be
logged. The collateral damage will be ecologically devastating if we don't defend the vulnerable
wild life, forest and wetland habitat. This is menacing problem that cannot be ignored and a battle that
must be fought.
Ridgetop trees removed to put in logging road
We are a charitable non profit organization which is funded by the public's generosity.
Please help us by donating to our legal fund now through PayPal on this website or mail checks to
FOEM, P.O. Box 271, Little River, CA 95456.
If you're interested in volunteering your help to our numerous projects: benefits, fundraising, on site
projects, paralegal and THP analysis, offer professional services or join in our Enchanted Meadow hikes
please contact us at info@friendsofenchantedmeadow.org. Thank You.
2018
Enchanted Hikes
Sunday June 24
Up river to Enchanted Meadow Wetlands Sanctuary
Easy hiking, level land on historic logging roads.
Sunday August 26
Hiking through Ravens Call forest to EMWS
Easy downslope to river, difficult upslope return.
2018 VOLUNTEER STEWARDSHIP
CAMP OUT EARTHDAY WEEKEND
Saturday April 21
Sunday April 22
PLEASE DONATE $15 per Ticket we will email you back a Thank You
with your ticket numbers
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
or at ICONS in Mendocino on Albion St.
A quarter of a century ago,
Locked in litigative combat
with Louisiana Pacific Timber Corporation.
What's Afoot Gallery in Caspar hosted,
A Poetry Fundraiser and Bake Sale to help us save the forest.
Today this forest stands, saved from clear cutting; natural habitat areas are permanently protected and stewarded by the activists who rallied against LP's liquidation logging.
The Poets who helped fund our war chest twenty five years ago-
Bill Bradd, James Patrick Donahue, Cynthia Frank
Lydia Rand, Joe Smith, ruth weiss
Devreaux Baker, Gordon Black, Leonard Cirino,
Karin Faulkner, Gerry Grace, Dobby Sommer
Theresa Whitehill.
2016 - February – U P D A T E !
THANKS to everyone who chipped in and bought raffle tickets, every exchange was valued and appreciated.
The combined generosity of community folks, businesses and volunteers made our Winter 2016 Firewood Fundraiser a success. The raffle provided revenues to cover the property insurance
and District Fire Taxes into mid and late 2017.
With this expense no longer an issue we will focus on completing Elizabeth's Trail. This trail will allow for hiking from the Albion River bottom land to upslope conifer forest linking to the pygmy habitat in Ravens' Call, which is the highest of elevation
in the sanctuaries.
Winning Ticket #'s
626- Ed O'Brien, Mendocino Fire Chief won the firewood, he's donated it to the Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino and chosen a Kayaking Day for 4 up Big River, from Catch a Canoe.
142- Liz Helenchild, Dinner for 2 at the Ledford House
149- Liz Helenchild, $100 gift card from Wildfish
465- Gary Johnson, 3 hrs of handyman work from Karl Schoen
205- Don Speer, Ceramic art from Christopher Cisper
610- Penny Alves, 1 hr. Garden consultation by Ellen Athens
529- Derek, 1 hr. Garden consultation by Ellen Athens
490- Larry Johnson, River cruise for 4 from Union Pacific College
470- Cheryl Blume, Victorian Era Bracelet from Button Jewels
104- R. Karch, "Electric Tattooing for Men" by Madame Chinchilla
415- Betty Partridge, $25 gift card by "Edibles by Jacquelyn"
372- Joy Korstjens, Gift cert. for 2 meals at Queenie's in Elk
418- Timber, "Electric Tattooing for Women" by Madame Chinchilla
570- Shirley Frericks, $25 gift cert. from Albion Grocery
132- Danny Barca, $25 gift cert. from Albion Grocery
503- Karen Rakofsky, $25 gift card from Moody's Organic Coffee Bar
518- A. Thompson, Tshirt from World Famous Triangle Tattoo & .......Museum
349- Ginny Stearns, $15 gift cert. from Tote Fete
606- Keri Bourne, "Enchanted Biscotti" locally baked by Zia.
360- Moonlight, "Enchanted Biscotti" locally baked by Zia
Thanks to the businesses and individuals who made this raffle possible by donating outstanding prizes.
Thanks to Edgar and Joshua who donated one summer morning and worked furiously hard and fast to retrieve the last of remaining the windfall fir.
Thanks to ticket sellers, The Cancer resource Center of Mendocino County and the Redwood Coast Seniors of Fort Bragg & FOEM volunteers: Allen, Cloud, Coyote, Daphne, Ellen, Judy, Kathy, Karl, Maria & Zia.
To see our Timeline of activities from the present
to 1989
- CLICK HERE
Currently Greenpath is 3380' in length, zig zags with twenty five switchbacks and forty plus turns. A small work camp was created on the remote site by Nita Ishcomer, a task Hannibalistic in nature. All tools for trail making, necessities for camping and non essentials were packed in by foot. The camp, called Bri Valley was used throughout summer 2017 by our volunteer crew and when unoccupied, was twice ransacked and
destroyed by bears. A vintage attache' case once filled with imported chocolate and teas had one side bashed out and the other grazed with claw marks. The bears deftly removed the tiny tops of small hot sauce bottles and left them empty, unscathed. In contrast the tin cans were ravaged, and ripped open in gnarly, jagged tears and stripped of all paper labels. They ate everything, left a mess, hid tools and didn't bother to sort the garbage, what nerve! Who do they think they are? Possibly the landlords... they collected their rent and we their temporary tenants humbly took out the trash. Work on Greenpath will be ongoing through winter and spring 2018.
Many thanks to our local trail volunteers Rex Whipple, Trevor Roycroft, Chris Goodwin and visiting volunteers Rob Cattalini and Mark Babcock who arrived armed with gifts of a metal tine rake and tamper.
Many Thanks to the following people in our community who generously
donated to our annual property insurance renewal through our online
fundraising campaign, mid July, 2017.
Names are in order of receipt of donations:
Rixanne Wehren, Morgan Matthews, Anna Marie Stenberg, Tom Wodetski,
Donna Fiener, Pattie De Matteo, Linda Jupiter, James Heid,
Devora Rossman, Steven Wolfe, Joshua Lowell, Christine Berchen,
Ginny Stearns, Carrie Durkee, Norman de Vall, Liz Helenchild,
Anne Marie Wiebel, Ruth and Joe Sparks, J.J. Anonymous, Lynda Aubrey,
Fort Bragg Garden Club, James Stavely, D.W. Anonymous, and
Helen Jacobs.
Hemitomes congestum – Photo Nita T. Ishcomer
There's less barking in Ravens' Call and trail work on Greenpath is no longer interrupted by bouncing dogs who want to fetch sticks or nestle in the aromatic earth freshly shoveled.
Maggie and Violet, Enchanted Meadow sanctuary dogs passed in 2016. Maggie was buried in Ravens' Call in January. Several months later, near her grave an unusual plant poked it's pink petals through a mantle of decaying tan oak leaves. It was identified as Hemitomes congestum. Violet was buried alongside her beloved companion in November.
In 2017 this plant reappeared, multiplied tenfold, seemingly in floral tribute to both dogs who loved and understood this wilderness community on a frequency we humans are slow to comprehend.
Hemitomes congestum, a dicot, is a perennial herb (mycoparasitic) native to California and found outside California but confined to western North America. Commonly called a Gnome plant, it seems apropos that Gnome plants would appear near Maggie's and Violet's graves for gnomes are dwarfish beings that guard buried treasure.
~ Zia Cattalini
Winter 2015/16 Firewood Fundraiser
Last February's behemoth storm uprooted firs in Ravens' Call, a sanctuary forest of multi-aged mixed conifer and tan oak. One cord of this community defended resource, GMO free and sans chemical poisons is up for raffle.
You need not be a burner of firewood to support this fundraiser. Maybe you're toasty warm with propane heat, pellets, or have 2 cords of dry madrone in your woodshed... The Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County and the Redwood Coast Senior Center are poised to accept your winnings and give to a deserving client.
Tickets are $5 each or six for $25 and may be purchased at the Cancer Resource Center in Mendocino at 45040 Calpella St., 937-3833 and at the Senior Center in Fort Bragg at 490 N Harold St., 964-0443. Many thanks to the Cancer Resource Center and the Redwood Coast Senior Center for their enthusiastic support.
We are a CA 501 (c3), and your appreciated contributions are tax deductible and will be applied to 2016 operating costs of three nature areas; Ravens' Call, the Albert Cattalini Conservancy and the Enchanted Meadow Wetlands Sanctuary. Raffle drawing is February 20, prize list is available on request at info@friendsofenchantedmeadow.org, Thank you.
Recent Actions 2015 by Zia Cattalini
This February we had a tremendous storm that slammed Ravens' Call forest sanctuary. Windfall damage could be seen through out the Call. Broken branches obscured the GREENPATH, impaled in the earth were branches standing upright.
We are dealing with the storm damage as we work various portions of the trail. Happy to report that the trail itself weathered the storm well, with no wash outs. Our goal this year is to complete GREENPATH. Thus far we are true to our intent of using only hand tools on this project.
A massive conjoined fir in Ravens' Call fell south about 30' in from an elevated embankment onto our road in the ACC. This cleanup will involve chainsaws and we hope to use the salvaged wood for fundraising.
Nita inspects the windfall blocking
the Albert Cattalini Conservancy's road.
Remnant train trestle at Railroad Gulch looking north.
2014
Last October we acquired by gift the Enchanted Meadow Wetlands Sanctuary from the Coastal Land Trust and we are so appreciative of their work as stewards of the wetlands. We are becoming familiar with the area at Railroad Gulch on the south side of the river. It is about 2x larger than Half Moon Trestle and more remote. The entire biology of this fascinating ecosytem is at risk due to Mendocino Redwood Company's plans to log immediately to the south; THP 1-14-080 a whopping spread of 758 acres! This logging will increase sedimentation into streams feeding the river through the wetlands, affecting the salmon habitat.
Thanks to the community input & opposition to this Timber Harvest Plan, a decision to approve or not has been delayed by Calfire and the public comment period has been reopened until 4-23-15.
The Albion community is at risk. Many Homes are near by and there is no secondary egress route for evacuation if a wildfire engulfs Albion Ridge. The wildfire risk is accelerated due to drought conditions. The wildlife habitat is also at risk. There's only one road to enter or exit.
More info is found at www.calfire.ca.gov and please send your public comments to:
