David Nathan "Gypsy" Chain (June 17, 1974 – September 17, 1998) was an environmental activist. He was killed by a falling tree in suspicious circumstances during a protest in California Redwood Forests against the Pacific Lumber Company. Background Chain was a member of the Earth First! environmental advocacy group and was engaged in a campaign of tree sitting in order to stop what they considered was illegal logging, in breach of California Forest Practices Act, in the Headwaters Forest, 350 miles north of San Francisco, near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park. Headwaters was the largest private holding of old-growth forest in the world. Following a hostile takeover of Pacific Lumber Co., the Murphy family (the largest minority stock holders at the time) and countless previous stockholders, mostly company employees, were relieved of their stock by Charles Hurwitz and his Maxxam, Inc. corporation of Texas. Between a desire to turn a higher profit and the need to start paying off the debt incurred from acquiring the company, Hurwitz's Maxxam replaced the sustainable growth policy of the previous owner-managers with one of clearcutting. The new practices led to the so-called Redwood Summer campaign by environmentalists, and ultimately forced the 140-year-old company to declare bankruptcy. Many residents of the area made their living through logging. On the one hand, some members of the community in the nearby mill town of Fortuna strongly resented the presence of activists from other areas, as these were not aware of the potential economic impacts of logging stoppages. On the other hand, environmental activists like Chain believed that clearcutting was not sustainable and highlighted that the choice of jobs or the environment was a fallacy. Circumstances of his death According to Humboldt County Sheriff Department, Chain was struck by a falling tree while trying to stop logging. He was killed instantly and died of massive head trauma. In response to his death, a Pacific Lumber Co. spokesperson said their logging crew did not see anybody in the area and were unaware of Chain's presence. Earth First! said that the loggers had been deliberately felling huge trees, in a perpendicular manner rather than downhill, in the protesters' direction. One of the protesters also noted that the tree fellers were fully aware that they were there, as the activists had been "yelling at them, walking towards them, telling them 'Don't fall this tree'". On a videotape supplied by Earth First!,