Transcript:
Steve Held of Broadus, Montana, comes from a long line of ranchers going back to the late 1800s.
Held: “We do love the lifestyle. People who do it for a living have to love it, but it’s not because it’s easy or beautiful.”
He says ranching is tough. And the warming climate is making it even harder.
As temperatures rise, winter snowpack is shrinking – which reduces water supplies in the spring and summer.
Held recalls that when he was growing up …
Held: “We would get a snow around Christmas that would last until the end of March. The snow would melt off … come running down the creeks and the hills and fill up all of our ponds, and that’s what we relied on for water. It doesn’t happen anymore.”
And more intense storms, floods, and wildfires have put his cattle in danger and caused expensive damage to the ranch.
Held says it’s no mystery what’s happening. Scientists have been warning about climate change for decades, so he says it should not be a partisan issue.
Held: “And it’s absolutely shameful that politics have turned this into a kicking ball. And the people who are suffering are the people on the land.”
So Held wants people from all walks of life to come together, acknowledge the danger of climate change, and take action.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
