If 25% of the registered voters in the City of Bozeman sign their petition, and the total number signing is 7,128 or more, the vote to modify Bozeman Municipal Code (BMC), Chapter 16 (Environment and Health) will appear on the November 2024 ballot. If a majority of voters vote for this initiative at that election, it will become law here in Bozeman, that the distribution of polystyrene foam food-ware and packing materials, and single-use plastic carryout bags at retail sales establishments will be prohibited. Terry is one of the organizers who are collecting signatures, hoping for at least 8,000 signatures by the July 15th deadline. We wanted to learn more about this, so we invited Terry Quatrarro and her colleague, June Safford, to tell us more about it. We spoke with them on June 17, 2024 in the Beyond the Deep End Studios.

You can find out more by going to: https://www.mtplasticfree.com

You can read the petition and the Initiative here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/661e9f488497e644e735f54f/t/6650ec36aaf57d7fcc1d9840/1716579383341/52224+PETITION.pdf

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This edition is a follow-up to our Ecotones, recorded on May 1st, featuring Keldon Joyner, chief organizer of the 2024 Bozeman Pride Celebration, which had required an addendum with Sheriffs Department Precinct Captain, Joe Swanson, after the bombs threats directed at Bozeman LGBTQ individuals and businesses on May 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Nonetheless, the week long Pride Celebrations began on Monday, May 27th, and ended on Sunday, June 2nd. A full day of celebration on Saturday June 1st began with a rally on the Bozeman Public Library. KGVM was there, recording the speeches, and then at the Emerson, where the lawn was ringed with resources and community organizations.

Because of security concerns, we first spoke once again with Captain Joe Swanson and Bozeman Police Chief, Jim Veltkamp, about how they had prepared for possible problems.

The rally was MC’d by Alotta Shadow, and featured A Land Acknowledgement by Mo; Bozeman Deputy Mayor, Joey Morrison; Bozeman City Liaison, Sara Rosenberg; this year’s Pride Celebration Key Organizer, Keldon Joyner/Anita Shadow; and Missoula State Representative Zoë Zephyr.

After the stirring speeches, we headed over to the Emerson to check out the scene there. What follows is a pastiche of some of the folks who had set up booths. We asked them 3 simple questions: Who are you? What is your organization, and why are you here at Bozeman Pride 2024.

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From Monday, May 27th to Sunday, June 2nd, Bozeman Pride will have their 2024 Bozeman Pride Celebration events in downtown Bozeman. We spoke with Bozeman Pride organizer, Keldon Joyner on May 1st to ask him about what’s planned.

But then, on May 3rd, 4th and 5th, there were bomb threats targeting LGBTQ individuals and associated businesses, closing down parts of E. Main St and Kagy Boulevard. So, we spoke with Keldon Joyner again on May 17th for an update.

Finally, we asked Bozeman Police Department Captain Joe Swanson about the incidents and on-going investigations, as well as preparations for ensuring citizen safety.

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Danielle Thomsen is founder and Enchantment Director of Random Acts of Silliness, an arts organization inspiring laughter and play in the Gallatin Valley. They build community by sparking whimsy and creativity in the young–and young at heart–through original and engaging art installations, theater productions and random acts of silliness.

As you will hear in this interview with Danielle, Random Acts of Silliness was the brainchild, or rather heart-child, of a group of friends in the early, grim days of the Covid 19 Pandemic, in the spring of 2020. While so many aspects of community were disrupted and disconnected, they put into effect their beliefs that:

Everyone should have ACCESS to arts experiences.
Art that creates a feeling of AWE – through surprise, magic, or delight – feeds the human spirit.
Whimsical art, experienced together, creates a healthier, happier, more connected COMMUNITY.
Laughter and PLAY are essential for people of all-ages. Art doesn’t need to be serious.

We spoke with Danielle Thomsen in the Beyond the Deep End studios on January 31, 2024.

You can find out more here: https://www.randomactsofsilliness.com/

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Way back In 1985, New York jazz recording artist, Anne Phillips, was asked to compose a jazz Nativity.

Bending Towards the Light: A Jazz Nativity has been performed each December ever since in Manhattan, as well as more and more cities around the United States. Now, Bozeman’s own performance art mover and shaker, Beth Ann Kennedy, who has directed the New York production since 1995, is bringing The Jazz Nativity to Bozeman. On the evening of Thursday November 30 Anne’s work, Bending Towards the Light: A Jazz Nativity, will have its Montana premiere at Hope Lutheran Church, with an afternoon performance there the following Sunday, Dec. 3rd.

Charles Kuralt’s words from many years ago when he served as host continue to open and close the show at every performance.
AND SO WE CELEBRATE THE VICTORY  
OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS 
WE WHO ARE BOUND TOGETHER 
THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF LOVE 
AND WHEN WE GO OUT INTO THE WORLD 
WE BECOME THE DOORS AND WINDOWS 
THROUGH WHICH THE PRESENCE OF THIS LOVE IS REVEALED 
LIKE A RADIANT LIGHT 
 IT SHINES FROM OUR EYES –  OUR WORDS –  OUR ACTS  

Then the entire cast sings
AND THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS 
AND THE DARKNESS HAS NEVER PUT IT OUT 
YOU ARE LIKE A LIGHT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD 
 LET YOUR LIGHT …   SHINE 

 

You can find out more here: https://www.jazznativity.org/

You can hear our 2019 interview with Anne Phillips here: https://forthright.media/2019/06/25/anne-phillips-born-to-be-blue/

You can hear our 2020 interview with Beth Ann Kennedy here: https://forthright.media/2020/08/28/beth-ann-kennedy-bozeman-film-celebration-bzn-international-film-festival/

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Theresa Nichols Schuster, whose first novel, We Are the Warriors, was named a 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book Award Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, Western Region, grew up exploring the rivers, hills and mountains outside Billings, Montana.

She shares her passion about the many facets of nature through her writing, where she also expresses her belief in the power of each person to learn and adapt, as well as the significance of each ones’ unique story, and that history comes alive with the accounts of real people—their joys, griefs, loves, losses and triumphs. After three decades of family life and work in Wolf Point on the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Reservation in northeast Montana, she moved to Bozeman, where she continues to enjoy the gifts of the outdoors, family, friends and a little clay-work on the side.

Her latest book, Brittle Silver, was featured in a review in the Montana Quarterly. It’s a time travel adventure set in contemporary Phillipsburg and the historic mining town of 1893 Granite, Montana, high in the Flint Creek Mountains. We spoke with Theresa Nichols Schuster at the Beyond the Deep End studio on July 18, 2023.

You can find her books at Barnes and Noble here in Bozeman, Wheatgrass Books in Livingston, and The House of Books in Billings, or Amazon and Barnes and Noble on-line. You can find out more or contact Theresa Nichols Schuster at her website, tnschuster.com.

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Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired

.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Dr. Mark Jacobson, director of the Atmosphere/Energy program at Stanford University. He is the co-founder of The Solutions Projection. He described the technological and economical feasibility to transition Montana off of fossil fuels by 2050 and supply its energy needs via water, wind, and solar (WWS). The primary barrier, he stated, was the lack of government direction to move energy policy towards WWS, as well as current government policies that continue to favor a fossil-fuel based energy system.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

Unfortunately, the first 8 minutes or so of the Zoom feed were very problematic. The inaudible portion(s) have been removed.

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Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Youth Plaintiff, Olivia Vesovich, who is now 20 years old, but was 16 when the case was filed. She lives in Missoula, MT. She shared some of her artwork incorporating climate change as a major theme, including a piece called “Gaia” about the despair climate change makes her feel.

She also described what it was like experiencing asthma and severe allergies during the smoky summer months when she often doesn’t go outside due to debilitating symptoms like swelling and redness. “The state of Montana has an obligation to uphold our right to a clean and healthful environment,” she said. “I know they have the power to do this. I know it.”

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

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Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist and expert on how the climate crisis affects the physical and mental health of youth. She described how children are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to unique characteristics like their dependency on adults, their brains and bodies still not being fully developed, and an increased exposure and cumulative toll of trauma.

“The kids have told you this week very compellingly how their world is different,” she said. “They are very aware of something called inter-generational injustices. Their world is spinning out of their control and they have first-hand experience.”

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

 

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Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Youth Plaintiff, Lander Busse.  He is 18 now, but he was 15 when the case was first filed. He recounted some of his earliest memories of going hunting and fishing with his father in the Montana Badger-Two Medicine Wilderness, a family tradition for generations. “It just really cemented for me what I know as home and what I love and value so much,” he said.

Lander testified how wildfires and smoke affect his family. “All of this, particularly the smoke, is just a really weird post-apocalyptic experience for me,” he said. “My family spends so much of our time outside, and it ends up taking a pretty big toll on our happiness and comfort.”

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Youth Plaintiff, Kian Tanner, from Big Fork, MT. He is 18 and was 14 when the case was filed (although he turned 15 the next day).  He testified that Montana’s increasingly hot summers and more frequent wildfires are interfering with where he feels “most at home” — the soccer pitch. He described being depressed by the multiple practices and games cancelled or cut short due to dangerous smoke. The extreme heat prevents him from competing to the best of his ability.
During the summer of 2022, the Elmo Fire scorched 21,349 acres of land to the southwest of Flathead Lake, for days the Big Fork area was dense with smoke. He described July, August and September as the fire months in Montana. He described the smoke as “a limiting factor for my childhood.”
He spoke of the impact to his family’s property with the many dead & dying trees from beetle infestations, that are no longer killed by winter cold, one of which fell on his house causing significant damage.

He said he joined the suit to try to make change for the better.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Anne Hedges, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC), where she has worked for 3 decades. She testified to the history of environmental policies, research and laws, documenting the State’s was well aware of the growing need to protect Montana’s environment and the dangers of climate change and fossil fuels since 1968. She testified to the specific changes to laws such as Senate Bill 233’s 2011 Amendments to the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), as well as House Bill 971 by the 2023 Montana Legislature, which the Plaintiff’s referred to as the MEPA Climate Change Limitation. She spoke of the 2011 Amendments to State Energy Policy in Senate Bill 305, The Energy Policy Act, as well as specific patterns & practices of permitting Fossil Fuel Projects.

She asserted that the Legislature is hostile to a clean energy transition, and that the only way that the State will implement the Constitutional protections guaranteed to the Youth Plaintiffs is if the Court requires them to do so.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Youth Plaintiff, Claire Vlases, from Bozeman, MT. She is 20 but was 17 when the case was filed. She is famous for having accomplished as a 7th grader the funding and installation of solar panels at her school, Sacajawea Middle School, as well as 2 other schools in Bozeman. She was the youngest person appointed by the mayor to the Bozeman Climate Team on the Buildings Committee planning to 2050.

She talked about her experience testifying at the Montana Legislature in favor of placing solar panels at other schools in Montana, to no avail.

She spoke of how climate change has effected her ability to get dependable work as a ski instructor. She was captain of Bozeman High School’s Cross Country team, and that the smoke interfered with her training and the races that were cancelled, as well as recreational hiking in Glacier National Park. She remarked on Dr. Shane Doyle’s testifying that he doesn’t remember smoke in the summer when he was growing up. Claire said doesn’t remember a summer when it hasn’t been smokey.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Peter Erickson, called by the Plaintiff Attorneys as an expert to quantify Montana’s fossil fuel greenhouse gas emissions. He testified that Montana’s total emissions are 166 million tons of CO2/per year, which he compared to the total emissions of Argentina (pop. 47 million), The Netherlands (pop. 18 million), or Pakistan (pop. 248 million).

He testified that Montana is 6th among the states in per-capita energy-related CO2 Emissions in 2019.

He presented a “pre-rebuttal” to anticipated testimony by Defense witness, Drs. Curry and Anderson. However, the Defense Attorneys announced without explanation on June 16th that they would not call Dr. Curry to the stand.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Dr. Shane Doyle, speaking on behalf of his two plaintiff daughters, Lillian and Ruby.

Dr. Doyle is a Bozeman, Montana-based scholar, teacher, and community advocate, whose work focuses on the history and heritage of Native American tribes of the Northern Great Plains. He is an enrolled member of the Apsáalooke Nation (Crow Tribe) for whom he is a tribal historian. He grew up in Crow Agency, and he has built his career around making Native American history a cultural mainstay in everything from Montana’s educational system to governmental land management decisions. He and his wife, Megkian, have five children, the second and third of whom are Ruby and Lillian, youth plaintiffs in Held v State of Montana.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Michael Durglo, Jr. An enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), he lives in St. Ignatiius, MT, and is the founder of the EAGLES Program (Environmental Advocates for Global and Local Ecological Sustainability), former co-chair of the National Tribal Science Council, and former chair of the EPA Region 8 Tribal Operations committee.

He spoke about how climate changes threatens the traditions, culture and spiritual values  of the CSKT, particularly of the tribal youth, and that it is already damaging Tribal subsistence practices. He shared his efforts to create plans for Climate Resiliency.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

or Download

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of youth plaintiff, Sariel Sandoval. She is now 21 years old, and she was 17 when the case was first submitted in 2020. She grew up in Ronan, MT, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), but she now lives in Berkeley, CA and attends the University of California there.

Sariel spoke of the importance of her cultural traditions, including language and relationship with the land, and the impacts climate change is already having on her people’s sustenance, and the passing on of those cultural traditions from Tribal Elders to youth, which depend on snow at the proper times.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

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