Hundreds Gather To Support Treesitter Julia Butterfly
3/25/98
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Hundreds Gather To Support Treesitter Julia Butterfly
Source: Bay Area Action.
http://www.HeadwatersForest.org
Status: Distribute freely with proper credit to source
Date: 3/25/98
Byline: Mark Bult
Stafford, CA -- Several hundred people gathered in the small community of
Stafford last Friday, March 20, to show support for tree-perched forest
activist Julia Butterfly, whose 100+ day treesit in an ancient redwood has
garnered media and public attention all winter.
Julia was presented with the first Leonard Peltier Protector Of The
Woods Award, which included a painting by the jailed activist, as well as a
medal and donation from the Veterans for Peace. Over 140 made the hike to
the top of the ridge above Stafford for the award ceremony at the base of
Luna, The Stafford Giant, in which Julia sits 180 feet above the ground.
Luna's gnarled trunk grows on the now mostly bare slopes above
Stafford, the town ravaged last January 1, 1997, when the rain-saturated
hillside collapsed and a massive landslide destroyed seven homes below.
Somehow no lives were lost, although residents recounted their frantic
nighttime flight from their homes, yelling to their families and neighbors
to get out.
Stafford residents are currently suing Maxxam/Pacific Lumber Co.,
which had clearcut the hillside several years ago. The lawsuit contends
that Pacific Lumber did not comply with certain logging California
practices, leading to the unsafe condition of the steep grade and creating
a virtual channel that pointed straight at the tiny community of homes
below. When the North Coast's yearly heavy rains began, it was only a
matter of time before the hill would collapse.
Julia Reed, who has taken the name Butterfly, has now been sitting on
a platform attached to Luna for over 100 days, and the treesit itself,
designed to thwart a PL logging plan that would have eliminated the ancient
tree and others around it, has successfully defended the area for almost
200 days.
Julia's action first came to public light when the San Francisco
Examiner published her story on its front page in January. Since then the
treesit has garnered international attention, and hundreds of letters of
support have been received by North Coast Earth First!, which supplies
Julia and erected the platform in Luna last fall.
Julia celebrated her 24th birthday in Luna on February 18, and
celebrated her 100th day from her perch with 142 new and old friends below
her last Friday. She is reportedly keeping busy with, among other things,
writing poetry on the backs of used cereal boxes, sent up the resupply line
to her perch.
Julia's story, in her own words, goes like this...
Butterfly's story
On August 18th, 1996, my head collided with a steering wheel, lodging
my skull, damaging my brain and body, and changing the course of my life
forever. Two weeks after I was released from my last doctor.
Almost a year later, I headed west following my spirt to an unknown
destination. At that time I thought my journey was going to lead me out of
the country. When I entered the great majestic cathedral of the redwood
forest for the first time, though, my spirit knew it had found what it was
searching for, I dropped to my knees and began to cry because I was so
overwhelmed by the wisdom, energy, and spirituality housed in these holiest
of temples.
My wanderings then led me to the incredible Lost Coast of Northern
California. I spent a little over a month there hiking and absorbing the
beauty. During one of my trips into Garberville, CA, to re-up on supplies,
I met a volunteer for EPIC who told me about the plight of Headwaters
Forest. I was blessed with a job at Reggae On The River that exposed me to
even more information about the destruction that was and is occurring to
these forests.
After praying on the Lost Coast one night about the direction my life
was meant to take, I felt complete peace in my decision to do what I could
to save these awe-inspiring forests. I went back to Fayetteville, Arkansas,
where I had my wreck, settled my lawsuit, sold everything that I owned,
said my goodbyes to the closest friends I've ever had, and came back out
West determined to do whatever I could to be of help.
On reaching Arcata, I called the number I had for Base Camp to get
specific directions. After 2 hours of calling, I finally got through to
someone only to find out that "Action Camp is closing, we don't need you."
I was given the media office number -- only to have the same words
repeated. I told the voice on the other end that I felt compelled to be
here doing anything at all in the fight. He told me that there was a pepper
spray rally in Eureka and gave me directions on how to get there.
Approximately 45 minutes later, my worn body, feet, and backpack were
a part of the growing crowd. I marched, chanted, and cried for the fallen
ancient trees. During the course of the day, several people stopped to ask
where I was from, and what my plans were. Every one of them answered almost
exactly the same, "Yeah, action camp is closing; they really can't use you."
A beautiful, kind brother by the name of Shakespeare overheard one of
my conversations and took it upon himself to make sure that I made it to
basecamp anyway. He told me that even though it was closing, if I was going
to get "plugged in" to what was happening, that was the best place for me
to start. I spent the next three days wandering around the camp trying to
figure out who the right people were to talk to and basically being led in
circles or else completely shunned under the guise of "need to know."
One day, a man named Almond was enlisting people to sit in the tree,
Luna. I volunteered my services, excited to at last be doing something. Two
days later, I hiked to the top of the Stafford Ridge and learned to climb
on the gigantic 1000+ year-old tree. I spent the next six days in her
branches learning the life of tree sitting. I went back to "civilization"
for a day to clean my body and my clothes and promptly hiked back up the
mountain for another stay with Luna.
I became extremely ill and spent the next two and a half weeks on the
ground going to doctors and recovering. When Luna came under attack in
early December, Almond and I both decided to come to the treesit for a
while and "hold down the fort." Two weeks turned into three and after three
I thought, "I'm so close to a month I might as well stay."
As I sit here writing this by candlelight, I am on my 79th day of
"living and loving" on Luna. Luna and I have become one in a way I never
would've thought possible. We have stood together and survived loggers and
the desperate sadness of watching giant elders smash into the ground; PL's
deputized climber, "Climber Dan," cutting our lines to other trees; being
placed under siege by PL security to try and starve me down; and some of
the worst storms in California history -- some of the worst storms in my
life anyway. With the love, unity and support of some incredible
individuals (many of whom I've never even seen), our occupation of this
hillside is now closing in on two hundred days of open defiance.
Luna and I, with the amazing efforts of a wonderful support team,
stand together in defiance of the destructive practices of corporate greed
and paid-off politicians. Luna is our beacon of hope and truth. In all her
majestic glory, she has become our platform to the world. From her branches
we are making people aware that the destruction of the environment is a
direct reflection to the destruction of our lives!
- Julia Butterfly
North Coast EF! is accepting letters for Julia. Donations to Project
Luna (made payable to North Coast Earth First!) and letters of support for
Butterfly can be sent to:
P.O. Box 28
Arcata CA 95518
Call 707-445-5105 for information.
S E N T B Y Bay Area Action.
Repost in entirety at will; please include all contact info.
| info: