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Posts published by “Will Parrish”

Shutting It Down: A Timeline

Since late-May, opponents of CalTrans' Willits Bypass have conducted four occupations of the wetlands area where Big Orange's construction contractors are installing 80-foot drainage tubes, or "wick drains." The initial three of these non-violent direct…

Once A Lawyer, Now A Tree Sitter

Tanya Ridino ran the Mendocino County Courthouse Self-Help Center for five years. Last week, she scaled a valley oak that CalTrans intends to cut to build the Willits Bypass

How CalTrans Sold The Willits Bypass

A few weeks ago, Julia French released a concise, well-crafted video called “How CalTrans Sold the Willits Bypass” that focuses on the ways in which the project is based from top to bottom on misinformation.

Dispatch From 70 Feet Up A Valley Oak

On May 14th, I ascended roughly 70 feet into a 100-foot tall valley oak that stands in the path of the California Department of Transportation's proposed six-mile freeway (“The Willits Bypass”) through Little Lake Valley.…

The Bypass ‘Mitigation’ Charade

In Little Lake Valley, aka the Willits Valley, CalTrans is preparing to destroy the largest area of wetlands as part of any Northern California construction project since at least 1977. That was the year the…

What’s Next For Caltrans & The Willits Bypass?

On May 7th, Caltrans goes hat-in-hand to the California Transportation Commission (CTC), which allocates funding for California transportation infrastructure projects, to request $30.986 million for the wetlands and riparian areas “mitigation” plans that I describe…

Inside The Willits Bypass Protests

On April 2nd, the California Highway Patrol rolled into Willits with enough force to overrun roughly a third of United Nations member states. Roughly 25 CHP squad cars deployed underneath The Warbler's pine tree south…

Big Orange On The Rampage

Since Thursday, CalTrans' destruction along the southern portion of the proposed Willits Bypass route has been unrelenting. The roughly 1.5-mile long and 200 foot wide swath where Big Orange's contractors' have been sawing, excavating, and…

Bypass Blockades Continue

In the past three weeks, construction crews employed by CalTrans on five occasions have rolled out big machines with the intention of installing construction fencing, cutting trees, and clearing brush along the route of Big…

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