Montana Rivers in Ruin
And No One Seems To Care
When man continues to destroy nature, he saws the very branch on which he sits since the rational protection of nature is at the same time the protection of mankind
— Gerald Durrell
We watch life flow in abundance in the rivers of Montana. Trophy trout dart back and forth as the sun sets behind the mountain tops. Before the last flicker of golden red rays upon the waters, life leaps from below the surface. In unison, the fish catch their evening meal as they await a new day.
remote river beds
no humans disrupt her sleep
corporations kill— wiv, senryu
But under the glass like river lies an aquatic fate. Oxygen leaches into the sky as algae brings death. Emerald green fibers fill the once clear river beds. Life no longer swims, it floats under the summer’s heat. The smell of rotted flesh saturates the air. Nutrients from farm fertilizer, industrial waste, improperly treated sewage, pet waste and other toxins pollute her shores.
Montana rivers
politics flow with the times
the habitat dies
— wiv, senryu
Lawsuits become the swords of justice. Toxins fill one third of the state’s river. Tourism declines, the scene from “A River Runs Through It” becomes a distant memory. Where families once gathered with children ready to swim in the waters of Yellowstone, and where fishermen prepared for the first catch of the season, erased.
history repeats
Indians wiped off the map
goodbye Montana
— wiv, senryu
In a blink of an eye, the EPA puts Montana on a crash course back into the dark ages.
References
NA. 2022. “Conservation Groups Petition the State of Montana to Protect Gallatin River - Upper Missouri Waterkeeper®.” March 31, 2022. https://www.uppermissouriwaterkeeper.org/conservation-groups-petition-the-state-of-montana-to-protect-gallatin-river/.
AP. 2022. “EPA Fails to Protect Montana Rivers from Pollution.” Minotdailynews.Com (blog). March 26, 2022. https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/national-news-apwire/2022/03/epa-fails-to-protect-montana-rivers-from-pollution/.