Singers rock around tree top
STAFFORD, Calif. (AP) - Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt were hoisted up a
180-foot redwood to honor an environmental activist who has lived atop the
tree for more than a year. The two singers climbed a steep, two-mile
mountain April 22 - Earth Day - and reached Julia "Butterfly" Hill's
plywood perch with the help of a pulley system. The singers serenaded Hill,
and she responded by reading a poem she wrote about snow. They chatted for
about 30 minutes as a filmmaker preserved the meeting on video. "To
experience Julia's commitment and love for these forests in person was a
life-changing event," Raitt said. Baez added, "Visiting Julia Butterfly was
one of the most remarkable experiences of my life." Hill has lived atop the
ancient tree for nearly 1-1/2 years without touching the ground to protest
logging of ancient redwood trees 250 miles north of San Francisco. ###
