Discovering the River Magic
By Deb Fassnacht | Missoula Current
It was the second week of January 2021, a sunny day with a winter temperature hovering at 29 degrees. One of those crisp, cold winter days expected in January here in Missoula. No new snow. I pondered the fate of our rivers next summer if weather patterns continue with this unseasonably dry and warm January.
Living Climate Change on Our Urban Farms
By Genevieve Jessop Marsh | Missoula Current
It was 2017 when I saw the picture of Tracy Potter-Fins, owner of County Rail Farm in Huson, Montana, donning her respirator while she farmed, fields stretching out behind her. Seeing that picture was a milestone for me. This is what it means to farm in climate change.
Where Climate Justice Meets Disability Justice
The air—its color, its hollow stillness—spoke of an approaching front. And my body, with its low buzz of fatigue from autoimmune disease, was a mirror to that pressure drop. I’d seen the forecast earlier, but now I was enveloped in it—the looming cobalt horizon, the elk clustered on Jumbo’s crest, the cells of my immune system, also on edge.
Tainted Milk
Alarmingly and infuriatingly, breast milk has, quite literally, been tainted - toxins from oil, gas, and plastics (including BPA, phthalates, PFAS, benzene, and rocket fuel chemicals, among others) have been detected in human milk. This makes me feel violated not just physically, but on a deep emotional level as well, since breastfeeding is a major cornerstone of my relationship with my daughter and goes well beyond physical nourishment.
Witness to the Climate Crisis: It is Time to ‘Draw the Line’
By Rosalyn LaPier | Red Road to DC
Those of us who traveled thousands of miles across numerous states and Indigenous territories, experienced an unprecedented summer of climate events.
Endless Summer - of Fire
We used to love summer and its deep, clear blue skies, long, luxurious days and lingering dusks at our northern latitude, and the freedom and ability to explore Montana’s natural heritage -- the small creeks and big rivers, nearby mountainsides, and the coulees and ravines that divide the rolling plains of the eastern part of our state like a math problem.
But let’s face it -- summer’s over.
Why Does Environmental Change Feel So Difficult?
The sacrifices we chose to make for the betterment of our planet can offer us more reward than we ever imagined losing in the process, but it can take time to identify where your values and actions best align.
Heat, Drought, Fire, Smoke
Almost anywhere in the state this summer, Montanans can look out their windows to see where things are going if we fail to take effective action to address this crisis: more heat, more drought, more fire, more smoke.