Environmental Life Force (ELF), also known as the Original ELF, was the first radical environmental group in 1977 to use explosive and

incendiary device Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...

s to advance their agenda.

History

The original ELF was founded by John Clark Hanna. who was the only member of the group to be arrested and convicted for the use of explosives on federal property. The ELF conducted armed actions in northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and disbanded in 1978 following Hanna's arrest. The group claimed that warfare designed pesticides were being used on domestic crops, specifically a chemical banned after its extensive use in Vietnam. A communique to ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' later provided the group with a frontpage story. They also called for above-ground organizations to initiate a boycott of sprayed food and for the public to criticize the process, with the following claim that. There was also an article published in ''Open Road'' in August 1977 featuring the bombing at a paper publishing company in

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

. The target was a company who the ELF claimed were responsible for using a dangerous chemical called

Tordon Picloram is a systemic herbicide used for general woody plant control. It also controls a wide range of broad-leaved weeds, but most grasses are resistant.

for aerial spraying, used as part of a program in Vietnam and responsible for causing cancer and birth defects.ELF Guerrillas Fight Ecoside, ''Open Road'', vol #4, August 1977, Vancouver, B.C.

References

External links

Q&A with Original ELF founder, John Hanna

Environmental Life Force
{{DEFAULTSORT:Environmental Life Force Environmental organizations based in the United States Radical environmentalism Eco-terrorism