California: Tree-Sitter Teaches Company and World Perseverance Lesson
12/21/99
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Title: In saving a redwood named Luna, a tree sitter teaches a
company, and fans around the world, lessons in perseverance
Source: San Francisco Examiner editorial
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: December 21, 1999
THIS demonstration didn't involve potentialy lethal tree spikes,
lying down in front of heavy machinery or daubing pepper spray in
protesters' eyes.
But it didn't end with a whimper either.
When Julia "Butterfly" Hill on Saturday climbed down from the 200-
foot-tall ancient redwood in which she had made her home for two
years, something valuable had been gained: a reprieve for the tree
she called "Luna."
Even Pacific Lumber Co. and its parent Maxxam Corp. came out of the
episode looking reasonable, if not exactly heroic. Until the end, the
corporate tree farmers had insisted Hill stay mum about her
experiences in the forest. They finally relented, allowing her the
right of free speech.
The company was similarly regarded as a pariah in the fight to save
the nearby Headwaters Forest. At the conclusion, however, most of the
forest's ancient redwoods were spared, and the company received a
fair price for surrendering its land to the state and federal
governments.
Now, the denouement of the fight to save "Luna" looks like another
win-win situation. All of this suggests two things: That the devil
theory of history is largely bunk, and that a simple person's
commitment and perseverance do count.
There was something endearing about the saga of "Butterfly." Three
years ago, the Arkansas native suffered a brain injury in a car crash
that spurred her to go on a spiritual quest. For 738 days, she held
court high on a platform amid Luna's branches near Stafford in
southern Humboldt County. Aloft, she said such things as, "The only
way to survive is to become one with the tree."
To some she was a kook. To Pacific Lumber she was a profound
nuisance. But she also became a celebrity. Interviews with her,
mostly conducted by cell phone, were printed and broadcast around the
world.
Thoreau didn't have such immediate impact when he retreated to Walden
Pond.
She lived on two 6x6 foot platforms. It was damp and cold most of the
time. Winds howled. She had squirrels for companions and also
sometimes notables such as Joan Baez and Woody Harrelson. Food, fuel,
mail and cell phone batteries were hauled up in a bucket.
In the end, she achieved her objective: Saving not only Luna but the
giant's neighboring trees. In exchange, she gave Pacific Lumber
$50,000 raised from contributions, and the company in turn donated
the money to Humboldt State University for research. She's allowed to
visit her tree.
Now that Butterfly has returned to earth, what can we expect? The
first press conference was held almost as soon as her feet hit the
ground. Talk shows and a book will inevitably follow. But nothing
will be more exciting, or more inspiring, than her days and nights in
the branches of Luna.