Stuff They Don't Want You To Know Interview: Rip Current, with Toby Ball
Jan 23, 2026
Toby Ball, investigative reporter and creator of Rip Current, explores the 1990 pipe bomb attack on activist Judi Bari and the tangled California Timber Wars. He digs into corporate takeovers, direct action tactics like tree spiking, media-driven eco-terrorism narratives, FBI surveillance and COINTELPRO links. The conversation traces local tensions, lost evidence, and why the bombing remains unresolved.
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Bombing As Focal Point Of The Timber Wars
- The 1990 pipe-bombing of Judi Bari became the focal point of the Timber Wars and exposed tensions between activists and industry.
- The blast nearly killed Bari and left her permanently injured, shaping both her legacy and the investigation's stakes.
Finance Drove Aggressive Clear‑Cutting
- Pacific Lumber's 1985 takeover by Charles Hurwitz used junk bonds and pushed aggressive clear-cutting to service debt.
- That financial pressure turned sustainable timber management into rapid extraction and ignited local conflict.
Direct Action And The Tree‑Spiking Debate
- Earth First used direct action tactics like blockades and equipment sabotage to slow logging.
- Tree spiking was the most controversial tactic because it risked injuring mill workers despite aiming to deter cutting.
