A two-day peace camp and action in honor of Gandhi's birthday (October 2) concluded Sunday, October 1, with the arrest of two people at the U.S. Navy's Project ELF transmitter, located near Clam Lake, Wisconsin. Rodney Moose and Bonnie Urfer were charged with trespass. Moose was ticketed and released, but sheriff's deputies took the recidivist resister Urfer back into custody for several hours, releasing her later in Ashland. Both were ordered to appear in court October 17. Project ELF is a critical communications trigger for the Trident nuclear submarines.

SILENCE TRIDENT UPDATE

In a precedent-setting move, Ashland County District Attorney Michael Gableman chose not to prosecute peace activists who downed wooden poles supporting the antenna lines for Project ELF. In a letter dated August 28, 2000, Gableman informed Ashland County Circuit Court Judge Robert Eaton that he will not pursue the charge of intentional damage to property originally brought against Bonnie Urfer and Michael Sprong, both of Luck, Wisconsin.

Judge Eaton read into the record an August 28 letter from the U.S. Attorney's office in Madison, Wisconsin that said in part, "barring something unforeseen, we intend to initiate federal prosecution in this matter."

Urfer, who was awaiting trial in prison since the June 24 action and serving three consecutive 60-day sentences in lieu of fines for serial trespass at Project ELF, opted to pay the remaining fines and leave prison August 28 while waiting for the federal government to take action. So far, she and Sprong have yet to hear from federal authorities about the promised prosecution.

OTHER PROJECT ELF UPDATES

Annike Spalde, arrested at Project ELF on June 25 while delivering the same indictment carried by the "Silence Trident" pair the day before, was convicted of trespass August 1 and fined $212.

Sara Arndt and Gail Vaughn, arrested at Project ELF July 4, were also convicted August 1 of trespass, and sentenced to pay $212 fine or serve 60 days in jail.

For more information, contact Silence Trident, c/o Trident Resistance Network-Midwest, P.O. Box 373, or Nukewatch, P.O. Box 649, both in Luck, WI 54853; (715)472-4185 email: nukewtch@win.bright.net web: www.nukewatch.com.