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http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/12/21/ ED20262.DTL SF Chronicle Tuesday, December 21, 1999 A Protester Returns to Earth JULIA "BUTTERFLY" HILL has finally ended one of the stranger demonstrations in recent memory. "Butterfly" became something of a cult hero among the radical environmental set by perching herself in the upper reaches of an ancient redwood tree in Humboldt County for 738 days. Her protest drew news reporters from around the world, and helped draw attention to the plight of the redwood groves owned by the Pacific Lumber Co. Hill did not leave the redwood without a firm commitment that the tree she calls Luna would not be sliced into decking and 4-by-4 posts. For her part, Hill agreed not to trespass on Pacific Lumber property, and said she and her supporters would pay $50,000 to the lumber company, which will donate the money to Humboldt State University for scientific research. Many of the Butterfly stories focused on the oddity of a woman living on 6-by-6 platforms more than 150 feet high. It was illegal, to be sure, but it was nonviolent and actually added a touch of levity and wit to the long- running timber wars of the Redwood Empire. Charles Hurwitz, president of the parent company Maxaam Corp. and a notoriously hardball negotiator, ultimately blinked. Score one for Butterfly.
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