Headwaters

Re “Protection of ‘Hole in Headwaters’ Urged,” June 28: The significance of the 1,000-acre “hole in Headwaters” in the Elk River watershed of Humboldt County, which was transferred from another company to Pacific Lumber under the Headwaters deal, is best explained in terms of endangered native species. The noise of log-hauling helicopters mentioned in the article may interfere with nesting success for the marbled murrelet in the nearby main Headwaters stand, while in 100 to 150 years this “hole” could be “recruitment habitat” for murrelet nesting.

It doesn’t take a fisheries biologist or forest ecologist to conclude that logging most of a steep hillside will result in erosion and siltation of the South Fork Elk River below, which will endanger one of the few best Coho salmon streams in California and threaten other native fish, salamanders and tailed frogs.

BRUCE CAMPBELL

Los Angeles