But last week, bunny backers flooded the department with calls and letters. On Wednesday, a dozen protesters marched in front of the Fish & Wildlife headquarters in downtown Portland. Hopping around in a bunny costume and holding a fake shotgun, Matt Rossell, Northwest Coordinator of In Defense of Animals, called the state- sponsored event "outrageous."
"The [ODFW] is charged with regulating hunting and protecting the wildlife," Rossell said. "They are not charged with teaching children to go out and kill bunnies." JON JONES
THE SLIPPERY HIPPIEThe man known as Tre Arrow may be MIA, but his Portland friends are busy preparing for his return. Known for his dramatic logging protests, Tre disappeared last summer just before a federal grand jury indicted him for a 2001 fire-bombing of logging trucks at Eagle Creek and gravel trucks at Ross Island. Anticipating steep lawyer bills for Tre's eventual defense, pal Kyr Westwind has organized the "Speaking Truth to Power" Legal Defense Fund to help cover costs. Their debut event, held last week at the Southeast Friends Meeting House, was a vegan buffet dinner, replete with Tre-friendly desserts and didgeridoo accompaniment.
"Before he left," says Westwind, "I told him, 'Tre, everyone has an agenda for you here, including me--you should go to another forest and figure out what you want.'" Despite rumors connecting Tre to eco-terrorist activity in Philadelphia, Westwind says no one has heard from him. But she also says she wouldn't be surprised if he's oblivious to the charges and may just wander back into Portland. "It isn't uncommon for him to disappear for months. He doesn't watch TV or read the papers." Currently Tre appears on the FBI's most wanted fugitives website with a $25,000 bounty for information leading to his arrest. ANNA SIMON
