Something extraordinary happened in northern California in 1997. A 24-year old woman made a statement against the logging of California's old-growth redwoods by taking up residence on a tiny platform 180 feet up the trunk of an ancient redwood marked for logging. She stayed in the tree she named Luna for 738 days, until the loggers relented and agreed to spare Luna and other trees around it.
This CD—which combines the evocative music of Jean-Pascal Beintus with moving text by Ian Leonard, an American-born writer living in England—is a direct result of that remarkable act of civil disobedience.
Relayed in narration and song, The Butterfly Tree recounts the riveting tale of Julia Butterfly Hill's two-year vigil from the point of view of Luna, the tree she lived in and saved from the loggers' chain saws. Luna's story is narrated by Julia. We hear the sounds of the forest "being itself," its inhabitants working together, making music; experience a musical rendition of the environmental destruction caused by irresponsible logging; and witness the arrival of men with blue ribbons who tag Luna for destruction.
One night humans arrive and build a platform high in Luna's branches by the light of the moon. A "small, excited, but scared female of the species" stays, and we hear her thoughts expressed in song by legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez. At first, Luna is bemused at the brash young woman who has made her home in her branches. But as the days grow into weeks and weeks into months, Luna gains respect for her visitor. One night a fearsome storm descends on the forest, and Luna teaches Julia how to survive. "You won't break if you bend," counsels Luna. "Move with me, bend with me, stay with me."
Hoping to dislodge Julia from her perch, the lumber company hires round-the-clock guards to keep her friends from bringing supplies. They blow horns and shine bright lights on her to keep her from sleeping. But Julia's friends finally manage to distract the guards and get her supplies, and eventually the loggers give in and agree to spare Luna. The CD ends with Joan Baez summing up the lessons Julia has learned in song.