Environmentalists' protests not finished

One year after the Brown's Woods tree-sit came to an abrupt end, environmental activists in Monroe County have begun their efforts again. Michael Englert, the last tree sitter to come down, filed a lawsuit against Monroe County and several of its sheriffs on July 7.\n"I had been meaning to file it for a while," Englert said. "One year later seemed like the perfect time."\nEnglert filed his suit in the Monroe County Small Claims Court, though he said he is still looking into the possibility of a jury trial. He named the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, several of its officers, and Jeff Ellington, a Monroe County Council member, all of whom were present at the raid last year.\n"I got the names from the police report," Englert said.\nEnglert is claiming $2,841 in losses, including such items as a portable composting toilet, a fire extinguisher, a scanner, and communications equipment. He claims that $5,000 to $6,000 worth of material was lost or destroyed by the sheriffs in the raid.\nMonroe County Sheriff Steve Sharp is skeptical of Englert's claims. \n"I doubt if he had $3,000 of anything up there," Sharp said. "I don't recall seeing anything worth anything near that value."\nSharp specifically refuted Englert's claims about the loss of electronic equipment. He only remembers seeing camping and climbing equipment, and some food in small bags be destroyed. \n"Anything we saw of value, electronic equipment, was returned," Sharp said, and added that he was present when these materials were returned.\nDave Schilling, an attorney in the Monroe County Legal Department, which will be handling the defense of everyone named in the suit, shares Sharp's skepticism.\n"We'll talk to the sheriff and see if there's any truth to the claims," he said. "We have no idea where this equipment allegedly was."\nPat Haley, the clerk of the circuit court in Monroe County, explained the proceedings of a small claims suit. No attorney is needed, and the maximum that can be claimed is $3,000. The cases are handled by a weekly rotation of six circuit judges. Judge E. Michael Hoff will preside over Englert's case, which is set for Aug. 13 at 11 a.m.\n"(The case) should be decided then," Haley said. "Unless they bring in a lot of witnesses and evidence, and then the judge will set a contested suit hearing."\nWhile Englert will be carrying on his protest in the small claims court, there is a new protest about to begin. Joshua Martin of the Indiana Forest Alliance said that there are three upcoming timber sales in the Monroe County area that environmentalists plan to protest. \nTwo of the timber sales are in Morgan-Monroe State Forest, and one is in Yellowwood State Forest. Martin said that environmentalists hosted a public hike to one of the Morgan-Monroe sites Saturday.\n"We're trying to end commercial logging in state forests in Indiana," Martin said.\nMartin said there is no public input process about the commercial logging even though it is being done on public lands. He says that all three sites are used by the public for recreation.\n"This is an extension of the tree-sit in Yellowwood last summer, but through legal channels," Martin said.\nThe Indiana Forest Alliance has announced a press conference for Monday, saying that further details will be announced then.