UPDATE: 9:00PM – Sheriffs Have Left the Scene – Everything Calm as Cool Breeze Blows Through the Trees
UPDATE: 6:00PM – Alert: Multiple Sheriffs Have Arrived On Four-Wheelers
Sheriff has informed all the sitters that he doen’t plan on arresting anyone tonight, but if sitters stay up in the trees he will arrest them at some point.
UPDATE: 5:30PM – Construction Has Stopped for the Day
UPDATE: 4:30PM – Bulldozer Plowing a Driveway Toward the Tree Blockade
A bulldozer and a skidder are rapidly building a road down the 110 foot wide clear-cut scar toward the timber scaffolding. TransCanada intends to hastily plow a road toward our friends with the hopes of extracting them from the trees. “The bulldozer is tearing up stumps and scraping the forest floor down to sand in a matter of minutes. We can feel the rumble all the way up on the scaffolding,” said one of the nine blockaders on the scaffolding.
UPDATE: 3:45PM – Heavy Machinery 60 Feet From Timber Scaffolding
TransCanada’s heavy machinery operating a mere 60 feet from timber scaffolding as nine brave blockaders remain in their tree blockade for the fifth straight day. The excavator machines are so close that they are kicking up plumes of dust through the scaffolding.
UPDATE: 3:00PM – TransCanada Has Built a Dirt Road Up to the Tree Blockade – Trucks Arriving
TransCanada has clear-cut enough land and leveled it to allow vehicles without treads to pull directly up to the tree blockade. Contract workers with TransCanada have pulled up in a pickup truck to watch the clear-cutting operation. Wood County Sheriff still on the scene.
UPDATE: 2:00PM – Sheriff and Two Police Roaming Through Tree Village
UPDATE: 1:30PM – Heavy Machinery and Police Approaching Tree Blockade – Blockaders Try to Stop Them
Heavy machinery approaching tree village as peaceful blockaders try to delay them. TransCanada’s private security guards are moving in on our blockaders.
UPDATE: 9AM – Helicopters Circling Low Over Tree Village – Chainsaws Buzzing Nearby
____
TransCanada’s destruction is at our doorstep. We have successfully held the tree blockade for 5 days but with mixed emotions. While we are proud to say that our friends are holding strong in the trees, we are deeply saddened by the mass devastation that has finally arrived at our doorstep. Our hearts go out to thousands of landowners that have to see this happen to their homes.
Keystone XL is slated to cut a 110-foot wide scar 1,700 miles through America’s heartland. Millions of homes and trees are being plowed to make way for this toxic pipeline. These pictures speak for themselves.
See more photos on our flickr stream.
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Jerry Hightower
September 28, 2012 at 10:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I was given the opportunity to tour this stretch of forrest before the destruction began and where this picture was taken was a beautiful stretch of white oak trees. This particular breed of oaks is rare to find in our north east Texas woods anymore and this stretch was a literal grove of these beautiful trees.
rc
September 28, 2012 at 10:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
the mixture of unutterable horror and sorrow these pics evoke is at least mitigated by the breath allowed upon hearing these precious protectors are still safe… Which is to say, thanks for the update….peace
Heavy Machinery, Police Approaching Tree Blockade (Day 5) | OccuWorld
September 28, 2012 at 10:39 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
[...] Source RELATED NEWSVIDEO: TransCanada Worker Attempts to Drop Tree on Peaceful Blockader (Day 4)Nine [...]
Clear-Cutting Crews Near Tree Blockade — Sheriff Assisting TransCanada (Day 6) » Tar Sands Blockade
September 29, 2012 at 5:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
[...] « Heavy Machinery, Police Approaching Tree Blockade (Day 5) [...]
Clear-Cutting Crews Near Tree Blockade — Sheriff Assisting TransCanada (Day 6) | OccuWorld
September 29, 2012 at 7:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
[...] Yesterday was another high intensity day with clear-cutting crews operating dangerously close to the timber scaffolding. Wood County Sheriffs Department drove around with 4 wheelers to accompany the clear-cutting crews. [...]
Tree Blockade Weathers an Intense Week (Day 8) » Tar Sands Blockade
October 1, 2012 at 3:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
[...] Day 5: Heavy Machinery and Police Cut Close to Tree Blockade [...]
Tree Blockade Sustains an Entire Month of Resistance! » Tar Sands Blockade
October 24, 2012 at 2:47 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
[...] Day 5 – Friday, Sept. 28: Helicopters circle the blockade as sheriffs and private security walk around the site. TransCanada operates heavy machinery 60 feet away from the tree blockade. Bulldozers begin plowing a driveway up to the tree blockade, creating vibrations that shake all the blockaders in the trees. Multiple sheriffs arrive on four-wheelers for security lockdown. [...]