Saving the Northeastern Woodlands

The Feeling of History

Hattie introduced herself to me in the courtroom pew. “I’m from Athol,” she said. “Nothing ever happens here.” Then Lawyer Luke gave his opening statement and I thought, “Whoa, this feels history-making!”

A cameraman from the local Channel 22 News (WWLP) was set up in the Orange District Court on February 4, 2020, livestreaming the event for defendants who conducted nonviolent civil disobedience to protect a biodynamically significant section of the Wendell State Forest (Massachusetts).

For the journalistic account by David McLellan, see Wendell Forest protesters in court for summertime arrests. The following is more of an ethnographic account, to provide a broad sense of the overall context.

The Necessity Defense

To present a necessity defense, one has to show that there is a clear and present danger, that the actions taken have had an effect, and that the individuals engaging in those actions exercised all legal options prior to engaging in the behaviors which have landed them in court.

Mary Thomas provided the essential fact: “The media focuses almost entirely on tropical forests…people are not aware of the rate here [emphasis added]…their attention is drawn away…” She is talking about the rate of deforestation, which is higher in the United States than in Brazil (i.e., the Amazon) and is twice as much as in the Philippines.