Radical Evolution: Earth First! Journal Celebrates 20 Years, Looks To Move On, Orna Izakson, Eugene Weekly
In 1993, the outspoken Earth First! journal relocated from Tucson to Eugene, Oregon, drawn by the college town's active environmentalist community and creative culture. Orna Izakson tells the story of the radical journal in Eugene Weekly, and explores both how geography inspires a movement and vice versa. The journal is now 20, and, after more than seven years in the southern Willamette Valley, the Earth First! journal will be heading back to Tucson, Arizona, where it was first conceived. When the Journal first came to Eugene, the town drew activists in like a magnet, and Eugene's picturesque location near recreation wilderness (things Earth First! set out to defend) didn't hurt. 'The Journal provided a center,' explains Izakson, 'a meeting point, a crash pad and a place to plug in to local campaigns and keep abreast of news from other bioregions.' This influx helped boost Eugene's activist. So, what will happen when the journal moves on? While some see the loss of a focal point for political action, others see it as an opportunity for Eugene activists to start new projects and perhaps forge a new identity.
--Amanda Luker
Go there>>