By Andy Mead
amead@herald-leader.com
From: http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/249268.html
A group of about 15 people, mostly students, sat on the floor of University of Kentucky President Lee Todd's office Tuesday, saying they wanted answers about the controversial plan to log part of Robinson Forest.
Todd wasn't there. Douglas Boyd, his chief of staff, said Todd was on his way to the airport.
Garrett Graddy, a geography graduate student who is spokesman for the group, said they would wait until they got answers to a list of questions they presented to Boyd.
The questions included why the research logging project includes some trees that will be sold commercially, and what happened to the $37 million generated from mining and logging outlying areas of the forest several years ago.
Graddy also gave Boyd a list of signatures on a petition and what she said was a list of concerns that some scientists have about the logging.
Boyd told the group that the office usually closes at 6 p.m., and he was concerned about leaving them in the office overnight. About 2:15, the students sat on the floor and in chairs, and Boyd went into his office and closed the door.
The college of agriculture wants to cut trees on nearly 1,000 acres of the forest to research ways to protect streams from commercial logging.
The UK Board approved the plan in 2004, but it has recently renewed protests. The board is scheduled to consider the matter again next Tuesday, and a protest is planned before that meeting.
Graddy said the group had requested an opportunity to meet with the board, but board chairman Mira Ball told the group to go through the president's office. Graddy said Todd turned the request.
"We're here on the basis that we've been denied two meetings," Graddy said. "We want our voices to be heard about Robinson Forest."
One Lexington television station followed the protesters into Todd's office, then left after a few minutes. The students sat around, talking about mountaintop mining, water quality and other environmental issues.
About 45 minutes into the sit-in, another Lexington TV station arrived, and the students started chanting: "Save Robinson Forest! Save Robinson Forest!" After seven minutes of chanting, Linda Machan, the office secretary, asked them to be quiet so she could hear people who called on the telephone. They stopped chanting.
For more on this story, see Wednesday's Herald-Leader.
