Julia Butterfly on Today Show / Reacts to Assault on Luna

[Santa Barbara Permaculture Network]

In case you haven't heard, the magnificent ancient redwood tree that
Julia Butterfly Hill lived in for two years was subjected to a savage
assault with a chainsaw. I've appended a post giving the details
after the following message.

Craig Gingold
Midpines

From: info at circleoflifefoundation.org
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 18:26:23 -0800
Organization: Circle of Life Foundation
Subject: Luna Message & Today Show
Reply-To: info at circleoflifefoundation.org


On November 30 Julia will appear on the Today Show at approximately 8:20
AM Pacific standard time to discuss her reactions to the attack on Luna


November 29, 2000

Last night an incredible team including foresters, engineers and
arborists devised a method of securing Luna so she could weather the
infamous Humboldt County winter storms.  Julia and Circle of Life
endured a sleepless night as the wind raged and we feared for Luna and the
courageous tree surgeons. We drove north to the town of Stafford not
knowing if Luna had survived the windstorm.  You can imagine the elation
we felt when we saw Luna standing tall on the ridge.  We hiked to her and
witnessed the mortal wound and the attempt to heal the tree.
  Julia says she really feels all the prayers and love that supporters have
sent.  Here is a poem that Julia wrote upon learning of the attack on Luna.

===============

I heard today . . .

Luna's  been cut.

Two-thirds and maybe more.

Someone in their rage,

in their anger,

in their frustration

struck out at Luna

wanting to hurt Her . . .

wanting to hurt me

the way they must be hurting inside.

See . . .

what we do to the Earth

we do to each other.

And how we treat the Earth

is reflected in how we treat each other.

The pain I feel right now that threatens to rip me apart

is the pain I feel every time I see an Ancient Elder cut . . .

the pain I feel every time another species goes extinct . . .

the pain I feel every time someone yells at a child . . .

the pain I feel every time another woman dies of breast cancer

caused by all the legal pollutants in her food,

her planet,

her life . . .

The pain I feel every time I think of Leonard Peltier locked inside

our prisons of disrespect and disconnect.

On and on and on

the pain in our world grows bigger and erupts.

Ricocheting bullets school yards and halls.

Chainsaws to sacred beings.

When do we begin to look at where this DIS-EASE begins?

In the disconnection from the sacred . . .

In the disconnection from the heart.

The person who ripped metal into Luna's flesh

is just as ripped apart inside as Luna now is,

as I now am,

as is the world.

May the tears that pour out from the depths of my soul

cleanse the sadness of any who would wish to react in rage.

The person who so viciously attacked Luna

has enough anger for the world.

May we love ever more

May we motivate ourselves to committed love in Action

May we motivate ourselves to live the life we wish to see in the
world.

May we be the transformation we wish to see in the world.

>From the inside out . . .

>From the roots branching upwards . . .

>From the heart

to thought

to word

to action.

Through life's trials and hardships

we can arise beautiful and free.


Julia Butterfly

Sunday, November 26, 2000

(707) 923-9522
www.circleoflifefoundation.org

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Hayduke Rocks! <hayduke at efmedia.org>
Via:  earthfirstalert list - http://www.onelist.com/group/earthfirstalert
List-Subscribe: <mailto:earthfirstalert-subscribe at onelist.com>
     For more information check out the Hayduke Rocks! web site:
     http://www.efmedia.org
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 18:46:58 -0800
Subject: [EF!] Luna murdered by chainsaw attack

http://www.CircleOfLifeFoundation.org/lunacut.htm
ANCIENT REDWOOD TREE LUNA WHERE
JULIA BUTTERFLY HILL LIVED FOR OVER TWO YEARS
HAS BEEN ILLEGALLY CUT AND ENDANGERED


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November, 27 2000

Contact: Circle of Life Foundation: (707) 923-9522, (707) 923-4619

The small hamlet of Stafford, California is the site of a landslide that
originated on PL/Maxxam land that destroyed seven families' homes.
Stafford is also home to the Stafford Giant, an ancient redwood tree now
known to the world as Luna. The tree was named Luna by forest activists
who used the light of the full moon to rig a treesitting platform 180 feet
high in the redwood in October, 1997.

On December 10, 1997 Julia Butterfly Hill climbed into the tree to protect
the magnificent redwood and to help make the world aware of the plight of
the ancient forests. From her perch she carried out a tremendous amount of
outreach to politicians, religious leaders, school children and citizens
worldwide.  After two years of risking her life, Julia, with the help of
members of the US Steelworkers of America and other forest activists,
successfully negotiated the permanent protection of Luna and a nearly
three-acre buffer zone.

The tree was protected by a Deed of Covenant, similar to a conservation
easement that is held by the land trust Sanctuary Forest. The Luna
Preservation Agreement, signed by Julia Hill and PL/Maxxam Corp., was
designed to protect Luna in perpetuity so the tree could live for another
millennium.

On Thanksgiving weekend it was discovered that a critical cut had been
made into Luna by a large chainsaw. The perpetrator made one deep and
precise cut that went through a significant portion of the tree. While the
tree is still alive and standing, Luna is extremely vulnerable to a
windstorm. Judging from the precision of the cut and the fresh sawdust,
the criminal action appears to have been committed by an experienced
treefaller within the last few days.

Julia Butterfly was devastated to learn of the injury to Luna, "Luna is
the greatest teacher and best friend I have ever had. I gave two years of
my life to ensure that she could live and die naturally.  But two years is
nothing compared to the thousand years she has lived, providing shelter,
moisture and oxygen to forest inhabitants. It kills me that the last 3% of
the ancient redwoods are being desecrated. I feel this vicious attack on
Luna as surely as if the chainsaw was going through me. Words cannot
express the deep sorrow that I am experiencing but I am as committed as
ever to do everything in my power to protect Luna and the remaining
ancient forests."

Circle of Life Foundation and Sanctuary Forest are researching what can be
done to stabilize the critically injured tree. There is a criminal
investigation at the crime site for clues as to who may have committed
this spiteful and malevolent action against this permanently protected
tree.

The forests surrounding Luna are sacrifice zones that were not protected
under the Headwaters Forest Agreement. Other sacrifice zones include the
old-growth Douglas fir forests on Rainbow Ridge in the Mattole River
watershed. Police convoys are actively trying to stop forest activists
from defending these forested steep slopes that are slated to be clearcut
during this rainy season.

Dana Stolzman
_
Brought to you by Hayduke Rocks!, an Earth First! Media and Action Network
http://www.efmedia.org - hayduke at efmedia.org

Check out our news & discussion lists by visiting the Hayduke Rocks! list
sign-up page at http://www.efmedia.org/elists.html

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
___________________________________________________
This message is from the hopedance discussion list. Mail public replies to:
hopedance at omnipost.com. Using this address will send your message to
everyone on the list. Mail private replies to the author of the message,
listed in the "From" field in the message header. This will send your
message only to one person. To unsubscribe from this list, send mail
to majordomo at omnipost.com with the command:  "unsubscribe hopedance"
(without the quotes) in the body of the message, or visit the
subscription website at: http://www.omnipost.com/subscribe.html
If you have questions regarding the usage of this list,  please send
mailto:hopedance-owner at omnipost.com
____________________________________________________

Santa Barbara
Permaculture Network
224 E. Figueroa St, #C
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805/962-2571
sbpcnet at silcom.com  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.permaculture-guilds.org/pipermail/southern-california-permaculture/attachments/20001130/5a4cabd2/attachment.html>