Activists add to the 'M'

On Saturday night, local environmental activists embellished Mount Sentinel's "M." A small group used tarps to spell out the number 350, referring to the parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that some scientists say the planet can safely withstand.

An organization, 350.org, coordinated over 7,000 work parties under the banner of a global effort called 10-10-10 Global Work Parties. The parties did projects to decrease carbon and heighten the awareness within political circles so that people will work to slow climate change, but they did not claim responsibility for the number on the "M."

Missoula groups held a number of events as well. Community volunteers planted hundreds of trees in Greenough Park, built bikes at Free Cycles and pulled weeds along the Clark Fork River, among other projects.

Kristine Akland spent Sunday in John J. Toole Park pulling weeds, namely cheatgrass, from the native species garden. Akland is the Missoula leader for the 350.org project but said she was still surprised when she woke up that morning to see the giant number next to the "M."

Groups have to get special permission from UM to display by the "M." UM's natural area specialist, Marilyn Marler, said she had heard that UM Climate Action Now wanted to place the number on Mount Sentinel as part of 350.org's projects, but asked them not to because of concern over the ecological impact. 

UM CAN officially decided not to place the number next to the "M," but a small group of activists with whom neither 350.org or UM CAN have claimed affiliation, carried tarps up the "M" trail anyway.

Marler said damage to the plants and soil occurs when people are hiking around off of the trails, moving rocks and putting stakes in the ground. She said many groups want to put their cause on the mountain and that can become a problem.

"It's ironic because it was supposed to be a day of environmental awareness and minimizing human impact on earth and they went and put a big graffiti on the side of a natural area," Marler said.

Akland and other project coordinators received numerous e-mails and texts wondering about the number.

"We don't know who put that up there," Akland said. "It's great that it's getting people asking, but it's definitely not good ecologically."

Patrick Rhea, President of UM CAN, said he agreed with Marler in that groups shouldn't be posting messages that might potentially harm the environment. But he said in the fall, once vegetation has finished its growing cycle, there is not much harm to trafficked areas.

"We need to ask ourselves of the overall impact of the statement itself," Rhea said. "You have to weigh your impacts here."

There are 392 parts of carbon dioxide per million in the atmosphere globally. Climate change scientists have deemed this a dangerously high level.

Akland said the Missoula 350.org group's main goal is to plant the seeds for climate action and work to show local leaders, and those in Washington, that they're worried about the changes observed globally.

Back in Toole Park there is a scar cutting through the native sage and bunch grass where frozen sewer pipes had to be dug up and replaced last winter. The earth disturbed in the process is now overrun with little else but cheatgrass, which outcompetes nearly all other types of vegetation. Akland tugged up each weed, one at a time.

 "Every little bit counts," Akland said.

hannah.ryan@umontana.edu