This Day in ’92: Henley in Walden Woods

27 years ago today, Don Henley demonstrated his love for Henry David Thoreau by doing his part to save Walden Woods from destruction.

After discovering that publisher-developer Mortimer Zuckerman was planning to take an 18.5-acre parcel of land and put up an office building, Henley stepped up and started the Walden Tree Project, a charitable endeavor which sold red maple and saplings grown from seeds taken from Walden Woods in order to raise money to purchase the land. In addition, he set up a 10-kilometer fund-raising walk through Walden Woods.

Oh, and if you think Henley did this without the help of some celebrity friends, you’re very wrong: he managed to pull in Ed Begley, Jr., Kirstie Alley, Harry Hamlin, Paul Tsongas, and Massachusetts Secretary of State Mike Connolly.

“What's important to remember is that Walden Woods is the birthplace or cradle of the modern conservation movement,” Henley said at the time. He was right, of course. And he saved the day, too. Hooray for Henley!