A Fusion of Music, Art, and Environmental Activism Gather in Missoula, MT
MISSOULA, MT — September 16, 2024 — Imagine a single seed that grows into a 315-yearold tree, now transformed into a guitar with the power to help save its ancient forest home.
This September, Missoula will host the Black Ram Guitar Fest at The Wilma—a unique event combining the talents of some of the most celebrated artists, writers, poets, and performers to champion the cause of the Black Ram forest in the Yaak Valley.
Presented by The Montana Project, in collaboration with the Maclean Literary Festival and Whitefish Review, this festival isn’t just another event—it’s a movement. This groundbreaking evening will spotlight the “All in This Together” Black Ram guitar, a stunning creation by Breedlove, made in partnership with actor and dedicated Montanan Jeff Bridges. The guitar symbolizes the fight to protect the Black Ram forest from a proposed clearcut and aims to ignite a wave of support for this vital cause.
“Missoula’s creative spirit and environmental passion are unparalleled,” says Rick Bass, renowned writer and activist who is spearheading the event. “The Black Ram Guitar Fest is more than a concert—it’s a celebration of Montana’s powerful voice in the global climate conversation. With the Jeff Bridges and Breedlove guitar, we’re not just showcasing music; we’re uniting art and activism to defend our irreplaceable wilderness.”
The evening will begin with the resonant voices of Indigenous performers, followed by an extraordinary lineup of musicians including James McMurtry, Jeffrey Foucault, Pico Alt, Caroline Keys, Nate Biehl, Gibson Hartwell, and Siri Saeteren. Environmental advocate Bill McKibben will serve as emcee, with poet Beth Ann Fennelly and writer Rick Bass adding their compelling words to the cause. Montana’s own Lander and Badge Busse will also contribute their unique artistry, complemented by the visionary light installations of Animal Land.
The Black Ram Guitar Fest is more than a performance—it’s a call to action. Old-growth forests like Black Ram play a critical role in absorbing 12 percent of the world’s annual carbon emissions. Proceeds from the fest will fuel efforts to designate the Black Ram forest as the nation’s first Climate Refuge, a landmark initiative in environmental preservation. Learn more at Stopblackram.com.
The First Proposed Climate Refuge
We aim to designate the Black Ram forest as a Climate Refuge (www.yaakvalley.org), making it the first such place of rare biological diversity and critical carbon storage in a Curtain of Green that will encircle the northern latitudes of the world like a necklace: a living, breathing necklace that can absorb 12 percent of the world’s annual carbon emissions. But first, we must stop this clearcut!
A Forest Worth Protecting
Nestled within the remote reaches of the Kootenai National Forest, the Yaak Valley stands as a sanctuary of untamed beauty and ecological richness in the farthest northwest corner of Montana. Here, ancient old-growth forests—adorned with towering larch, spruce, cedar, and hemlock trees—thrive in a landscape untouched by time. These majestic groves— home to endangered grizzly bears and myriad other wildlife—serve as vital refuges of biodiversity and carbon sequestration. However, the tranquility of this unique ecosystem is threatened by the proposed Black Ram timber sale, which would impact more than 95,000 acres, including nearly 4,000 acres of forest earmarked for clearcutting and other logging. If implemented, some 60 million board feet of timber would be removed from the forest. Led by the U.S. Forest Service, this project imperils the very heart of the Yaak Valley, jeopardizing centuries-old trees and critical habitat for wildlife such as the most endangered population of grizzly bears in North America. In the face of this looming threat, it is imperative that we act to protect the ancient forests of the Yaak Valley, preserving their ecological integrity and safeguarding their irreplaceable natural heritage for generations to come. Sign the Petition and learn more at: stopblackram.com
About the Black Ram Guitar
With the knowledge that art can change the world, we took one wind-felled tree from the Black Ram forest, a 315-year-old spruce, and from that one tree Jeff Bridges and Breedlove Guitars have crafted an exquisite guitar that has become the voice of the Black Ram forest and will advocate for the protection of all old and mature forests.
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