By Bella Butler COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT EDITOR
BIG SKY—Gallatin
County communities will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day
on April 22, in a virtual fashion. While this Earth Day will look slightly
different, some are finding ways to embrace the pandemic’s presence as a way to
pay homage to the national day’s establishment.
In 1969,
Sen. Gaylord Nelson witnessed a devastating oil spill in Santa Barbara,
California. Around the same time, an anti-war movement had erupted across the
United States, fueled by students protesting the Vietnam War.
Sen.
Nelson sought to harness the energy stoking the movement and apply it to action
against water and air pollution, issues recently illuminated at the time by
texts like Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking “Silent Spring.”
Sen.
Nelson recruited Rep. Pete McCloskey, a republican, to join him as co-chair and
hired over 85 employees to promote the day and his purpose. On April 22, 1970,
millions of people across the country turned out to demonstrate on behalf of
environmental issues.
Prior to
the first Earth Day and the years leading up to it, the effects of pollution to
the environment as well as human health were little known and hardly discussed.
“This planet is threatened with destruction, and we who live in it—with death,”
said professor Barry Commoner in his Earth Day keynote address.
The CBS
program that ran to recap the day, titled “Earth Day: A question of survival”
was hosted by Walter Cronkite, who described the inaugural event as “a day
dedicated to enlisting all the citizens of a bountiful country in a common
cause of saving life from the deadly biproducts of that bounty.”
“I think everyone
is concentrated on health issues right now,” said Anne Ready, chairperson of
the Gallatin Valley Earth Day Festival. “Earth day was founded 50 years ago. .
.because so many people were concerned about the impacts of environmental
degradation on our health.” In addition to bringing awareness to environmental
issues, Ready believes this 50-year celebration has the opportunity to bring
the focus and intent of Earth Day full circle in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Below are
a few ways the Big Sky and Bozeman communities are celebrating the 50th
anniversary of Earth Day:
Music
for the Earth, April 24
Having
adjusted an original plan for a live, in-person performance, the organization Gallatin
Valley Earth Day
shifted their Music for the Earth concert to a virtual performance, where a
series of local artists will fill homes with music via the recently launched Bozeman
Arts-Live!
platform. Music will begin at 7:30 p.m. and last approximately 30 minutes. The
line-up includes Dan Smith, Doug Wales and Jake Fleming with the Montana~Havana
Bridge Project,
Kate Bryan and Megan Makeever.
Films
for the Earth, April 23
Also
presented by Gallatin Valley Earth Day, Films for the Earth will feature two
short films live streamed, also via Bozeman
Arts-Live!
followed by a discussion with earth activists lasting from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. The lineup will include “A Letter to Congress,” a film about Wallace
Stegner’s letter to Congress promoting wilderness and public lands and “A Place
in the Garden,” which is the story of two couples and a federally certified
hummingbird bander educating the public on pollinators and how to create a
landscape to support them. The Montana State Director of the Wilderness Society
will speak after the first film and Paulette Epple of the Sacajawea Audubon
Society will follow the second film.
Earth
Day with Visit Big Sky, April 22
In an
effort to encourage visitors to the Big Sky area to make environmentally conscious
choices during their trips, Visit Big Sky will post messaging and Earth Day
themed images on their Facebook and Instagram for eight hours to celebrate
community sustainability efforts.
Runoff
Cleanoff, April 24-26
While not
directly associated with Earth Day, the Runoff Cleanoff, hosted by the Big Sky Community
Organization and the Gallatin River Task Force, certainly fits in with the
other environmentally themed events of the week. The dog waste clean-up, which
begins at 3 p.m. on April 24 and lasts until 3 p.m. on April 26, aims to
encourage watershed stewardship and responsible pet ownership in the community.
Participants
are asked to maintain social distancing but can interact by posting photos of
their clean-up on social media and using the hashtags #doodiecalls and
#runoffcleanoff. Prizes will be given to scoopers who collect the most dog
waste. Supplies will be provided at the BSCO shed at the Big Sky Community
Park.
Big Sky
S.N.O. posting contest, April 22
The Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization will also
celebrate Earth Day on social media channels. Those in the Big Sky community
are encouraged to post their favorite memories in the outdoors with the hashtag
#earthday and #bigskysno. Each post will be awarded a reusable bag and water bottle
from the day’s sponsor, Roxy’s Market, and a 1st place winner will
be selected to receive a $250 Roxy’s gift card.
