Snowman Protest aims to spread awareness about Montana's warm winter

A crowd of people — joined by handmade, cardboard snowmen — gathered at Soroptomist Park in Downtown Bozeman on Saturday for a protest. Organizers used the playful winter icons to spotlight Montana’s unusually warm winter and the concerns it raises for the region’s water access and outdoor economy.

The protest — organized by the MSU chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) — aimed to raise awareness about the local impacts of climate change and encourage community members to collaborate to find long-term solutions, according to the CCL website.

“[We’re] trying not to fearmonger,” said CCL member and MSU sophomore Paige Frumkes. “We want to make it fun with the arts and crafts.”

CCL is a national nonpartisan climate advocacy program that trains volunteers to build relationships with the media, according to its website.

To spread their message, participants built cardboard snowmen that held signs saying things like ‘Make Montana Snowy Again’ and ‘Help! More Snow!’

"It's just a great opportunity to say, ‘What would a snowman say?’ They'd be like, ‘We are bummed,’” said Co-leader of the Bozeman CCL chapter Kristen Walser.

Posters displayed fun facts about the environment and a whiteboard was set up for community members to write their favorite thing about Montana winters.

CCL member and protest organizer Hannah Hader said the lack of snow could affect the local water supply.

“I am really sad to see that there is no snow. I'm from Montana, and I stayed here because I love snow and the winter so much,” Hader said. “I'm also really worried, because this snowpack will affect our everyday lives. This is our drinking water. This is going to be in our lakes and reservoirs.”

Walser echoed this sentiment, saying that the low snowpack will have a continuing effect through the summer.

“Runoff is pretty important for summer water and for the fisheries and cold water fisheries, for crops, for cattle,” she said. “If it's warm now, you better believe we're going to be melting in the summer. It's going to be hot.”

Walser said the warming winter isn’t just an environmental concern but an economic one.

For example, according to an NBC Montana article published on Feb. 18, the National Collegiate Athletics Association alpine skiing National Championship was moved from Bridger Bowl to Park City, UT due to the lack of snow.

The relocation of the championship resulted in sunk preparation costs and revenue losses for Bridger, according to the article.

According to Hader, the lack of snowpack will impact agriculture, drinking water supplies and the summer activities many Montanans rely on.

“Our snowpacks have a direct correlation to crop growth, to our drinking water, to our recreational water. That's our fishing and tubing,” Hader said. “And without this water, we don't get those things. We're going to be on severe drought restrictions.”

"We're just trying to raise awareness. We're trying to make people feel like they have control over what's happening,” Frumkes said.

To learn more about CCL, visit https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ or follow its MSU chapter’s Instagram @ccl_montana_state_university.