By Wayne Burleson | 2023 Billings Climate Week

“All health begins in the soil” - Wayne Burleson, of Billings, MT explains how feeding our soils can heal us and help us better adapt to changing weather conditions. Wayne Burleson is a native Montanian, Master Gardener and avid volunteer. Wayne volunteers with the Montana Rescue Mission and Farmer-to-Farmer where he travels around the world teaching with his wife, Connie.

By Laura Garber - This recording is live from our Cultivating Community Resilience Through Storytelling Event

“The most important moment for a seed, is now. You are holding the seed now and you have the opportunity to let the future happen or let it die in your hands…”

By Justin Angle - This recording is live from our Cultivating Community Resilience Through Storytelling Event

“I started getting interested in stories and I learned that in this community there were some amazing stories - such a rich diversity of stories in this community. That lead me to launch an interview program (A New Angle) that allowed me to hear story after story. I learned so much about people, how they have approached life, how they’ve moved through their own experiences, and found ways to be resilient.”

Interview with Wayde McCoy | CSKT Earth Day Celebration

Wayne McCoy, Kootenai Elder, tells the story of growing up without modern accommodations of running water, electricity, and central heating. Born at home in a teepee, Wayne recounts a very different world than we see today, less than a decade ago. In his lifetime, he watched man-made climate impact the clear rivers he fished and… In Salish he tells man to “stop, look, and listen” to see the larger picture of what life is all about. He recounts some hard truths about how society is changing.

Interview with Kelly McDonald | CSKT Earth Day Celebration

Kelly shares how Indigenous knowledge and values have inspired her over the years. The Indigenous concept of thinking about our actions impacting the next seven generation has inspired Kelly. She is also inspired to take climate action by watching her dad care of pollinators like monarch butterflies by planting local plants.

By Priya Subberwal - This recording is live from our Cultivating Community Resilience Through Storytelling Event

“…The seeds of a Lodgepole Pine are fire activated, meaning that their cones are closed tightly with a resin that melts when exposed to the flame. Meaning, they must burn in order to become. Meaning, that coded in their bodies is the anticipation of destruction - the understanding that something must end for new life to grow…”

By Laura Garber | Live at the 2023 Bitterroot Climate Story event

“Nature is in it 100 percent right now. The plants just really want to succeed, so that's what they do…nature is doing everything it can, to try every way to be successful, every way to reproduce, every way to find abundance and beauty and harmony right now.”

Interview with Susan Evans | CSKT Earth Day Celebration

Susan, a longtime social justice activist, explains her outrage and frustration about the political landscape in Montana, especially during the 2023 legislative session and lack of public input on fast moving bills. She’s stepped back into activism as a “gray-haired lady” with the Montana Sierra Club to speak up against the actions of Montana legislators. Despite her anger, she knows there are ways to be heard and stand up and encourages others to do so.