Down To Earth - Brief Article

American Forests, Spring, 2000

She brings new meaning to the phrase "back on your feet."

Julia "Butterfly" Hill, 25, who lived for two years in a Northern California redwood she dubbed "Luna," descended from the tree Dec. 18 after successful negotiations with Pacific Lumber, the tree's owner. The company agreed to sell Luna and a 200-foot buffer zone to Hill and the land trust Sanctuary Forest for $50,000. The money will go to Humboldt State University for forestry research programs.

"We have reached this preservation agreement in order to end this controversy and focus positive public attention on Pacific Lumber's very real commitment to the environment, the community, and job preservation," John Campbell, Pacific Lumber president and chief executive, said in a statement.

Hill climbed the tree Dec. 10, 1997, to protest logging practices in the area. She lived on a 6-by-8 foot platform, reading, writing, and communicating with journalists via cell phone. In an official statement, Hill applauded the timber company for taking an "unprecedented, courageous step toward ending the timber wars" and promised not to embark on other tree-sits on Pacific Lumber property. After climbing down Luna, she reflected on her experience.

"Before anyone should ever be allowed to cut down trees like this, they should be mandated to live in it for two years," Hill told Reuters.