Zoar Valley Coalition plan demonstration Saturday to stop logging

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

GOWANDA — Zoar Valley activists plan to demonstrate Saturday near where the state plans to log hundreds of acres of trees — including old growth trees — next to the Zoar Valley Unique Area in the town of Otto.

The Zoar Valley Coalition plans to hold a peaceful public protest to stop the logging of Zoar Valley by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the CT/NY Chapter of the National Audubon Society.

“The DEC has marked trees and scheduled timber sales of hundreds of acres of public land in Zoar Valley,” Terry Belke, one of the members helping to organize the protest, wrote in an email Frdiay. 

“In 2006, the DEC issued a preservation plan for Zoar Valley after overwhelming public support was expressed for Zoar Valley to be a protected wilderness. For the DEC to now reverse the plan for Zoar Valley to a logging plan is a grievous breach of the public trust,” Belke said.

“Audubon wants to cut down mature forests in Zoar Valley to make non-forested areas for birds. Audubon also wants to build a 10-foot high wall of dead tree material surrounding 92 deforested acres in order to keep deer out,” Belke said. “This experimental dead tree berm will create a fire hazard, an eyesore, and a barrier for all wildlife.”

Belke said Saturday’s protest is the first two protests planned by the Zoar Valley Coalition where members will be available to discuss these unpopular and unsustainable ideas and how the public can join the effort to stop the logging of Zoar Valley.

More than 30 Zoar Valley area residents and others concerned about state plans to log up to 800 acres of state forest including old growth trees right up to the Zoar Valley Unique Area met earlier this week at the Gowanda American Legion to discuss how to stop it.

More public forums are planned by the coalition, including one Sept. 24 at Daemen University in Amherst and Oct. 1 at Crane Library in Buffalo. For more information email info@zoarvalley.org.