Mt. St.
Helens National Volcanic Monument
When Mt. St. Helens erupted in
1980 it was the first time in recent memory that residents
of the co-terminous 48 states had experienced the ability
of nature to instantly reorder the natural environment of a
large, and formerly beautiful place. Immediately,
scientists and environmentalists looked beyond the disaster
and saw an opportunity to create a living laboratory of
natural processes restablishing ecosystems in the blast
zone.
At
the time, I was the Sierra Club's Northwest Representative.
One afternoon, I was asked by a Seattle Times reporter
about whether we favored salvage logging of all the damaged
area. Thus started my 15 minutes of fame, at least on this
issue. Mutual Radio Network called as soon as the story hit
the wire. My statement was attacked all across the nation.
My favorite was this one from the Caldwell, Idaho
Press-Telegram on June 8, 1980.
Here is a link to the website for the U.S. Forest Service managed Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.