Gallatin Valley Earth Day continues its annual event series preceding the spring festival with a pair of presentations this month. First up is “Healing the Earth by Growing Food as Medicine” on Tuesday, March 11th, at Museum of the Rockies. Bob Quinn, Montana organic farmer and businessman, will present at 7pm.
Since WWII, our national ag goal has been plentiful, low-cost food. Now we have the most abundant, cheap food in the world. However, this cheap food has come at a very high cost. Let’s start with rural America – what percentage of the farms from our grandparents’ era still exist? – hardy half. Look down Main Street of most small towns. What percentage of the businesses are boarded up? Again, about half.
Look at the pollution due to ag chemicals throughout our country and throughout the world. What percentage of your family and friends have at least one chronic disease? The national average is now 60%. All these problems can be mediated by growing food as medicine. We start by healing our land, then our communities and finally our people. Quinn will use his personal experiences and observations over the past 70 years to suggest a few solutions that can involve everyone in a very positive way.
Following on Thursday, March 27th, Bozeman Public Library hosts “An Indigenous Perspective on Living with the Land” at 6pm. Steven Davis, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe member and descendant of the Blackfeet Nation, presents.
We can’t have an Earth Day theme of “living with the land” without acknowledging the Native land on which we all live. The Gallatin Valley was known as the “Valley of the Flowers” by the Niitsitapi (Real Original People) who shared this land as a common hunting ground.
Join Davis, KiiNock”KooMii (First Thunder), an enrolled member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and descendant of the Blackfeet nation, as he shares his perspective of the Great Plains tribes living in balanced relationships with the peoples, places and processes that have shaped this continent since time immemorial.
Quinn and Davis’ talks will also be presented virtually for those who cannot attend. Find a registration link and additional event information at www.gallatinvalleyearthday.org. Details about other upcoming talks will be available through the website leading up to the April 19th festival.
Gallatin Valley Earth Day encourages local citizen action to help protect our planet from right here in the Gallatin Valley. The group came together in creation of a Bozeman festival that celebrates this vital work. Learn more by visiting the aforementioned website. •
