Descent Letter
(written by Julia Butterfly Hill upon her descent from Luna, spring 2000)
Greetings Friends In the Love and Light of All Creation,
Photos courtesy of Eric Slomanson,
Doug Thron, Julia Butterfly Hill,
Kim Komenich, Dale Hill.
With the towering spirit of Luna in my heart, and my feet firmly planted on the Earth, I want to reach out to all of you who have supported our efforts to protect this magnificent 1,000 year old redwood tree. I send my deepest gratitude to you for caring about the health of our forests and futures.
I climbed into Luna's branches knowing only that it was horribly wrong to turn beautiful forests into clearcuts and mudslides. Seeing this devastation from a treetop perspective raised my awareness and inspired me to act on behalf of all life. In my 738-day vigil I withstood 90 mph winds during two powerful winters, harassment from a helicopter which nearly tore me out of my perch 180 feet high in the tree, and the tremendous sorrow of witnessing the trees surrounding Luna crash to the ground. These were some of the hardest experiences of my life emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Yet I was determined not to let my feet touch the ground until I had done everything in my power to protect Luna and make the world aware of the plight of our ancient forests.
The commitment of people from all walks of life to ensure that Luna be permanently protected wore away at the stone hearts of Pacific Lumber/Maxxam Corporation figureheads. Conversations eventually led to negotiations. After a long and often overwhelming process, we reached an agreement that permanently protects Luna and a 2.9 acre grove around her. Luna now stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration to the world.
My hope and goal is to transform this two-year treesit into a lifetime of activism on the ground. To this end, I have founded the Circle of Life Foundation. Our mission is to develop a sustainable culture of life on Earth rooted deeply in love and respect for the interconnectedness of all beings, by inspiring, supporting, and networking individuals, organizations and communities around the world to create social and environmental solutions. We are working to bring together diverse interests - environmental, youth, labor, religious, social justice and indigenous rights - and to unite our efforts to create a better world. We are also building bridges with other conservation-oriented individuals and organizations by speaking at events to share my experience and to endorse the work of other groups, as well as helping to direct funding to those efforts when possible.
In the short time that I've been down, I've testified at the California Board of Forestry in support of a ban on old-growth logging, presented at a national conference on civil disobedience, and joined Dineh elders at Big Mountain in their resistance against being relocated from their ancestral lands. I've also met with natural resources administrators in Sacramento and Senator Dianne Feinstein's office in Washington DC. The media that was generated by these actions filtered into the living rooms of citizens who can also have a voice and a vote to protect the environment and the quality of our lives.
The Circle of Life Foundation and other organizations are continuing to call upon our legislative leaders to enact laws that will provide for the true sustainability of life for all species and restore the areas that have been seriously damaged by the continuous and blatantly destructive logging practices here on the North Coast of California. Protecting Luna was a milestone, yet we need to continue to work to protect the remaining old-growth trees and watersheds in Headwaters Forest and beyond. We need your support to continue doing this proactive work on behalf of all life. Contributions would be greatly appreciated. Please help us keep the circle wide and full of life and diversity.
With blessings, gratitude, and love,
Julia Butterfly Hill
Spring 2000