Meet Julia Butterfly Hill: The 23-year-old climbed a 1,000-year-old tree and stayed there for 738 days before it was chopped down | World News
At age 23, Julia Butterfly Hill climbed nearly 180 feet into the canopy of a towering 1,000-year-old redwood tree in northern California, intending to stay there only for a few days as part of an environmental protest. Instead, the ancient tree named Luna became her home for the next 738 days. Living on two small wooden platforms suspended high above the forest floor, she endured fierce storms, frigid temperatures, isolation and constant pressure from loggers, determined to prevent the centuries-old giant from being logged. Her extraordinary act of courage became one of the longest and most famous tree protests in history, helping save Luna and inspiring environmental activists around the world.
How Julia Butterfly spent her 738 days tree protest start
Julia Butterfly Hill was born on February 18, 1974, in Mount Vernon, Missouri, but spent much of her childhood traveling across the United States as her father was an itinerant evangelical minister. Her unusual middle name came from a childhood hike when a butterfly landed on her finger and stayed there until the end of the hike. Years after surviving a serious car accident caused by a drunk driver in 1996, Hill began to question the direction of his life. During her recovery, she traveled to Northern California, where she joined environmental activists working to protect the region’s ancient redwood forests from logging.
A protest that was supposed to last only a few days
When Hill volunteered to climb Luna Peak on December 10, 1997, she expected to stay in the trees for only a few days as part of a rotating protest. But after spending time among the towering branches of the ancient redwoods, she realized she couldn’t leave while it was still threatened. What began as a brief act of civil disobedience grew into a 738-day mission that attracted global media attention and made Luna an international symbol of forest conservation.
What life is like nearly 180 feet above the ground
For more than two years, Luna became Hill’s entire world. She lives on two small wooden platforms about six by eight feet, protected only by a tarp from rain, wind and snow. Volunteers on the ground used ropes to carry food, drinking water, books, batteries and supplies. Solar panels power her communications equipment, allowing her to conduct interviews with reporters from around the world without leaving the tree.She celebrated birthdays, Christmas, and countless mundane days in the canopy while sharing the forest with birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. While the isolation was overwhelming, she later described developing a profound connection with the ancient redwoods and their surrounding ecosystem.
Storms, helicopters and constant pressure
Luna’s life was anything but peaceful. During the powerful El Niño storms of 1997 and 1998, the redwoods swayed violently in winds approaching 70 mph. Hill lives nearly 180 feet above the ground, enduring freezing rain, relentless humidity and fierce wind gusts.She also faces continued pressure from Pacific Lumber, which owns the land. Helicopters flew close to the tree and security officers monitored the protest and made various attempts to persuade her to abandon the occupation, The Hill and Current reported. Despite the physical and mental challenges, she refused to come down.
The deal that ultimately saved Luna
After more than two years of negotiations, Hill and Pacific Lumber reached an agreement in December 1999. The company agreed to permanently protect Luna and the nearly three-acre buffer zone surrounding the tree. In return, Hill ended his protest and descended from the redwoods on December 18, 1999, after spending 738 consecutive days in the grove.This peaceful settlement transformed Luna into a globally recognized symbol of the environmental movement and demonstrated how one determined individual can impact the future of an ancient forest.
After protests, Luna survives another attack
The story doesn’t end when Hill climbs down. In 2000, an unknown vandal used a chainsaw to carve a deep gash into Luna’s torso. Arborists carefully treated the damage and installed supports to help stabilize the ancient tree. Despite the attack, Luna survived and is still standing today under the care and monitoring of conservation groups.In the aftermath of her historic protest, Hill wrote the best-selling memoir “Luna’s Legacy,” founded the Circle of Life Foundation and became an internationally recognized speaker on environmental protection, sustainability and social justice. Her story continues to inspire people around the world to believe that committed individuals can create lasting change.More than 25 years after she first climbed Luna’s branch, the ancient redwood still stands in California’s coastal forests. To most visitors, it’s just a majestic tree. For Julia Butterfly Hill, it became a home, a symbol of hope and proof that extraordinary change can begin when one person refuses to give up.
