WHEN Julia Hill, nicknamed “Butterfly”, climbed an endangered redwood tree named Luna in northern California in 1997, the 23-year-old environmentalist vowed she wouldn’t come down until its preservation was guaranteed.
She ended up living 55m above the ground for more than two years. From atop the 1,000-year-old tree, Hill endured hunger pangs, helicopter intrusions and violent storms. But when she finally climbed down, she had managed to save not only the tree, but also the surrounding hillside.
