Podcast Summary: Ecodefense – Dave Foreman and Earth First!’s Deep Ecology
Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Ecodefense: Dave Foreman and Earth First!’s Deep Ecology
Release Date: September 25, 2025
Host: Gordon Katic
Key Guests: Keith Makoto Woodhouse (environmental historian, Northwestern University), archival audio from Dave Foreman, Edward Abbey, Judy Bari, Daryl Czerny
Theme: The ideological battles, rise, peak, and fallout of radical biocentric environmentalism through Dave Foreman and Earth First!
Overview: Main Theme and Purpose
This episode, part of the "Green Dreams" series, explores the life, influence, and controversies of Dave Foreman, the founder of the radical environmental group Earth First!. It interrogates the philosophical and tactical shift from mainstream, anthropocentric environmentalism to a biocentric, uncompromising approach rooted in “deep ecology.” The show traces Foreman’s journey from conservative beginnings to radical activism, the rise and fractures within Earth First!, their most notorious tactics, profound ideological debates with leftist environmentalists like Murray Bookchin, and the eventual splintering of the movement. Central is a long-standing debate: Should the focus be on saving nature for human benefit, or for nature’s inherent worth—even at the expense of human interests?
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Personal and Philosophical Background of Dave Foreman
- Foreman’s early life: A conservative, “redneck” from New Mexico, military family, supported Goldwater and the Vietnam War, marine enlistment interrupted due to a breakdown.
[09:56 – 10:16] - Discovery of nature and shift to conservation: Backpacking, exposure to environmental philosophy at a Zuni reservation.
[10:16 – 10:43] - Role in Wilderness Society: Field rep, advocating for legal wilderness protection, then promoted to D.C. lobbying role. Clashed with the incrementalism and compromises of mainstream conservation.
[11:20 – 13:39]
2. Systemic Disillusionment and the Roots of Radicalism
- Major catalyst: The RARE survey (Roadless Area Review and Evaluation) process, disappointment with government’s paltry wilderness protections, and intra-movement conflicts over legal strategies.
“…the environmental movement was steadily losing its passion and its soul.” — Dave Foreman [17:42] - Foreman’s view: Mainstream groups became careerist, less passionate, more focused on political access than ecological integrity.
[17:42 – 18:18]
3. Emergence of Deep Ecology
- Introduction to “deep ecology” inspired by Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess: Nature isn’t to be protected merely for human enjoyment, but for its own sake.
“You don’t have to justify the preservation of grizzly bears or rainforests for people...they have a right to exist for their own sake.” — Dave Foreman [20:51]
- Deep ecology contrasted with “shallow” (anthropocentric) ecology; pushes to value ecosystems and evolution itself, not just scenic or recreational benefits.
[20:02 – 21:56] - Emotional attachment to wilderness: Foreman describes an “emotional identification with wilderness” and compassion for those without this connection.
“I feel sorry for people who don’t have that identification with nature because they’re living half a life.” — Foreman (interview with Derrick Jensen) [21:31]
4. Biocentrism, Misanthropy, and the Tension with Humanism
- Foreman’s philosophy veers into bleak territory: Sees humanity as an ecological cancer, some people as “antibodies.”
“Look at the human race not as the consciousness of the earth, but rather as the cancer of the earth...maybe nature has evolved some of us as antibodies.” — Dave Foreman [23:16]
- Foreman predicts ecological collapse, sees civilization as unsalvageable.
“I think we’re in a car going 90 miles an hour down a dead end street...I don’t think there are any [brakes].” — Dave Foreman [22:36]
5. Rise of Earth First! and Direct Action Tactics
- Earth First! founded in 1980 as a reaction to the perceived failures of moderate conservation—radical, uncompromising, anti-lobbying.
“Earth First is the only activist green group around. The others are debating societies.” — Dave Foreman [25:09]
- First “action”: The 1981 Glen Canyon Dam stunt—draped a black plastic “crack” to symbolize resistance; garnered major attention.
[27:17 – 27:53] - “Monkey-wrenching”—sabotage tactics inspired by Ed Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, codified in Foreman’s Ecodefense manual.
“Where do people learn how to spike trees, damage logging roads, pull down power lines? In a book co-authored by Dave Foreman called Ecodefense...” — Ed Bradley, 60 Minutes [28:43]
6. Controversies: Tree Spiking and Escalating Misanthropy
- Tree spiking: Driving nails into trees to prevent logging, detailed in Foreman’s playbook; caused at least one serious mill accident.
[31:03 – 32:45] - Earth First! denied responsibility for injuries but prioritized forests over human workers:
“He was still more concerned with old growth forests, spotted owls, wolverines, and salmon, than those cutting down trees.” — On Foreman’s response [32:21]
- Earth First! song by Daryl Czerny:
“I realized ‘twas the loggers killed Jesus and it’s time we got them back good. So spike a tree for Jesus...” — Daryl Czerny (folk song) [32:56]
7. Radicalizing the Movement: Population, Immigration, and Anti-Human Rhetoric
- Foreman and Earth First! journal espoused population control, expressed anti-immigrant and anti-aid views; some editorials celebrated AIDS as “an answer to an environmentalist’s prayer.”
“The worst thing we could do in Ethiopia was to give aid. The best thing would be to just let nature seek its own balance, to let people there just starve.” — Quoting Foreman [36:03] “If radical environmentalists were to invent a disease to bring human population back to ecological sanity, it would probably be something like AIDS.” — Earth First! Journal, “Ms. Anthropi” [37:06]
8. Backlash and Philosophical Rebuttals: Murray Bookchin and the Social Ecology Critique
- Critique from leftist thinker Murray Bookchin, who labeled Foreman and Earth First! as eco-brutalists, even “fascists.”
“Bookchin wrote that deep ecology was a black hole of half-digested, ill-formed and half-baked ideas, an ideological toxic dump.” [38:53]
- Bookchin’s philosophy of “social ecology”: Insists that environmental and social justice are intertwined; ecological problems are rooted in human hierarchies and social domination.
“We needed to stop dominating our planet and we needed to stop dominating each other.” — Bookchin’s green dream [42:10]
9. Internal Division and Reform: Judy Bari’s Intervention
- Judy Bari, Earth First! leader in Northern California, pushed to ally with labor and shift away from divisive tactics like tree spiking:
“She believed that organizing was the way...that you needed to have environmentalists and loggers working together.” — Keith Makoto Woodhouse [43:16]
- Bari’s approach: Saw capitalism—not people, not workers—as the problem, emphasizing civil disobedience over sabotage.
“Capitalism exists by extracting profits not just from the workers, but from the earth by taking from the earth more than it gives back.” — Judy Bari [43:56-44:04]
- Her faction eventually prevailed, shifting Earth First! towards intersectional and less misanthropic politics, prompting Foreman’s resignation in 1990.
10. Downfall and Legacy
- FBI crackdown: Foreman arrested in 1989, targeted more as an example than a real criminal threat; plea bargain required him to stop promoting sabotage.
“This is just the guy we need to pop to send a message.” — FBI agent, caught on tape [48:21]
- Bari targeted in a car bombing in 1990, further fracturing the group.
[49:01] - Earth First! splintered, most radicals left for Earth Liberation Front.
- Foreman in later years: Moderate mellowing, started Wildlands Project, focused on land preservation but retained anti-immigration, population concerns.
“In 2015, he wrote a book called Man: How Overpopulation is Killing the World. The book calls humanity a swarm of locusts...never mentions capitalism.” [51:32]
11. Assessment of Earth First!’s Impact
- Keith Makoto Woodhouse: Earth First! exposed the dark side of conservation—its history of nationalism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and misanthropy—but also shifted the conversation towards “no-logging” as a mainstream position and valorized direct action in environmental movements.
“They shifted the Overton window... Direct action as a tactic is part of its political philosophy—something that has inspired a lot of other environmental organizations.” — Keith Makoto Woodhouse [53:23]
- The group’s legacy is influential but deeply ambivalent.
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
-
On FBI arrest:
“When you wake up looking into .357 magnums like that, you begin to think that what's going to happen to you is what's happened to AIM or the Black Panthers. It's just going to be summary execution.”
— Dave Foreman [08:44] -
On mainstream environmental decline:
“People working for environmental groups who had started out as volunteers, impassioned amateurs, were becoming professionals and...more concerned with careers, with salaries, with status, with access to high places, for the intrinsic value of access to high places places. And while that was going on, we were asking for less.”
— Dave Foreman [17:42] -
On deep ecology’s core:
“There is no moral hierarchy between people and non-human nature.”
— Keith Makoto Woodhouse [20:33] -
On sentimental value of wilderness:
“I feel sorry for people who don’t have that identification with nature because they’re living half a life.”
— Dave Foreman [21:31] -
On tactics and radicalism:
“Action, action of any kind. And let our action set the finer points of our philosophy.”
— Dave Foreman [25:23] -
On tree spiking and violence:
“So spike a tree for Jesus, spike a tree for Jesus, and Jesus will love you, you know.”
— Daryl Czerny (folk song) [32:56] -
On human/nature dichotomy:
“If you look at the human race…as the cancer of the earth...maybe nature has evolved some of us as antibodies.”
— Dave Foreman [23:16] -
On eco-fascism warning:
“Bookchin wrote that deep ecology was a black hole of half-digested, ill-formed and half-baked ideas, an ideological toxic dump.”
— Narrator [38:53]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Dave Foreman’s radical awakening: [09:00 – 15:58]
- Deep ecology explained: [19:15 – 21:56]
- Earth First! founding and direct action: [23:53 – 28:20]
- Tree spiking controversy: [31:03 – 33:32]
- Population control and anti-human views: [35:04 – 37:31]
- Bookchin’s “social ecology” critique: [37:49 – 42:10]
- Judy Bari’s reform and split: [42:55 – 46:52]
- FBI crackdown and aftermath: [47:36 – 51:00]
- Assessment and legacy: [53:23 – 54:59]
Tone and Language
The episode blends rigorous academic analysis with personal reflection and dramatic storytelling. Archival clips, songs, and interviews mix irreverence and seriousness. Quotes reflect speakers’ distinct voices—Foreman’s blunt radicalism, Bari’s worker-solidarity, Bookchin’s caustic critique, Woodhouse’s analytic perspective. The host, Gordon Katic, maintains an intellectual but accessible and sometimes self-deprecating tone, especially in framing his personal distance from “nature-loving” environmentalism.
Conclusion: For Listeners
This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in environmental history, activist tactics, and the deep philosophical rifts about why and how to save the natural world. It offers a nuanced portrait of Earth First!’s complicated legacy—both its inspiring commitment and its troubling flirtations with misanthropy—and unpacks how those debates echo in today’s climate movements.
Further Reading & Resources:
- Keith Makoto Woodhouse, A History of Radical Environmentalism
- John Haltgren, Border Walls Gone Nature and Anti Immigrant Politics in America
- Judy Bari, Biodiversity and the Dominant Paradigm (1993 documentary)
- Dave Foreman, Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkey Wrenching and Man: How Overpopulation is Killing the World
- The Earth First! Journal (online archives)
For more about the podcast and the “Green Dreams” series, visit citedpodcast.com.