Mont. teen fights for environmental care
Eva Lighthiser knows the beauty of a river, growing up in Livingston, Montana, where the picturesque Yellowstone River straddles the east side of a Big Sky city.
She also knows a river’s power, having been separated from her own home when a flooded Shields River, a tributary of the Yellowstone, took out an access bridge on the family property.
And she knows a river’s potential for destruction, having spent time hauling sand bags to protect her community when unprecedented rainfall in Montana swelled the Yellowstone in 2022. Highways leading to Yellowstone National Park were torn apart by landslides and floodwaters.
Lighthiser also believes in a fundamental right to a world where disasters like the 2022 floods do not have to become commonplace. That ethic of environmental care connected her with 16 other young people in her state about four years years ago, through an Oregon-based organization called Our Children’s Trust. They started a journey that reached a historic waypoint in 2023 when the Held v. Montana lawsuit, often referred to as the youth climate trial, unfolded in a Helena, Montana, courtroom. The judge ruled in favor of the young people who argued that Montana’s Environmental Policy Act must ask state agencies to consider climate impacts when conducting environmental reviews, in consideration of how environmental change affects future generations.
“From a young age, I cared a lot about my natural environment,” said Lighthiser, now 17.
Each of the 16 teens who joined the case – named for lead plaintiff Rikki Held, the only youth over 18 years old when the trial began – had a different reason for doing so. Lighthiser said she was inspired, and at times heartbroken, by testimony each gave during the court proceedings. She expresses gratitude for being involved, with a verdict in hand but with appeals having been filed by the state of Montana, and is using the Held case as a stepping stone to continue to inspire and advocate. Lighthiser spoke at a first-ever youth climate summit in her hometown, sharing her message with peers.
She plans on pursuing writing after wrapping up her homeschool studies this spring, and she’ll continue to embrace the hiking, skiing, rafting and more that she enjoys.
“I learned the value of my voice, and about what it could do,” Lighthiser said. “It’s important to connect with young people and have knowledge of what we all can do to move forward and affect positive change.”
Lighthiser is the USA TODAY Woman of the Year for Montana.
Question: Who paved the way for you?
Answer: Long before Held v. Montana was filed in March of 2020, the Juliana v. United States case had been working toward trial (with constant opposition from the federal government) for years. Without the 21 plaintiffs fighting at the federal level in Juliana, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
What is your proudest moment?
On the first day of trial, all of us plaintiffs walked up the front path of the courthouse and were met with supporters lining each side, cheering us on, and holding up signs and posters. In that moment, everything felt so real and alive.
What is your definition of courage?
Stepping out and being vulnerable in order to chase your dreams and fight your fight, even if your words are not heard at first and it feels nearly impossible.
Is there a guiding principle or mantra you tell yourself ?
Not really, but I do always try and remember this: Allow the words of the people supporting you to speak louder than the ones who don’t.
Who do you look up to?
I look up to all the dreamers who fight endlessly for a safer and happier world.