On Dec. 10, 1997, a 23-year-old woman named Julia "Butterfly" Hill climbed into a 55-meter (180 foot) tall California Coast Redwood tree. Her aim was to prevent the destruction of the tree and of the forest where it had lived for a millennium. Her action epitomized the tradition of Mahatma Ghandi. She put her own life on the line to save the life of a forest that was under immediate threat of destruction.

She came down December 18, 1999. During the two years she spent in Luna, she attracted world-wide attention for her non-violent action in defense of the forest. She went up the tree an unknown campaigner. She came down an international symbol, the inspiration for thousands of people around the world. Her actions, both during her time in the tree and since then, in her continuing efforts to heal the rift between humans and the natural environment, entitle her to be the youngest person thus far inducted into the Ecology Hall of Fame.