The following articles feature Northern California women forest activists. At personal risk and expense, they have done battle in courts, offices and the forests to stave off the final destruction of our now fragile ecosystem by huge timber corporations. Others not featured in these pages have been as important as those we have included--all sharing in the recognition that the forests are not just a resource, but a part of an interconnected living system. Herein are the personal stories revealing how these women developed the courage, conviction and tenacity to advocate for and protect nature's balance. In the interest of preserving all life, their deeds are no less than heroic.

 

• Anna Marie Stenberg
  
  
• Julia Butterfly:
  The Heart of a Matter
  
  
• Zia Cattalini & Albion's Enchanted Meadow

How many more of us must believe 
that we alone possess the fatal error 
(hips too small, uterus tipped awry, 
low pain threshold, not enough stamina) 
how many more must believe that we can birth our babies 
only through the benevolent graces 
of the "active management" of labor with 
metal, knives, drugs, lights . . . and numbing ourselves. 

How long must we believe that the earth can live 
only with assistance, that the earth will continue 
her great abundance only through the benevolent use 
of "selectively managing" her through clearcutting, 
damming her rivers, spraying poisons on her greens 
and fruits, culling herds . . . and numbing ourselves. 

REACH! 
The mystery is within. Reach through the veils. Our sisters 
await us, lined up like ancient redwoods, their long 
thick roots intertwined in an embrace that spans eons. 

Reach into the rising mist of awareness grasping for our 
wisdom in the dark like a pillow in the night, fallen beyond 
our awareness. Settle yourselves into that warm, wet, rich 
knowing. 

Bodies have moved with birth as long as the ancient trees 
have sunk their trunks into the loamy forest floor. 

No forceps or chainsaws can stop us counting the rings 
of our connections with grandmothers who had not yet 
been stripped of their naked, powerful beauty. 

They stand with us now, long thin fingers 
stretching across time to wrap around 
our swollen bellies and whisper hidden wisdom. 

ENOUGH, they say. 
We have come to guide you home.