Groups critical of draft climate-change recommendations -- Great Falls Tribune
Document Actions
People of the Plains: Helen Waller
"The question is not whether we are ready for them; the question is, 'Are they ready for us?'"
The following exerpt from the 25th Anniversary Issue of Montana magazine is reprinted with permission by the author, Teresa Erickson:I met Helen Waller in 1981 at a federal coal leasing hearing in Denver, Colorado. She was to testify on behalf of the Northern Plains Resource Council before a presidential commission known for its hard-core industry bias. She intended to argue that agriculture was just as important, if not more important, than coal development.
I asked if she was ready. Her reply revealed her true spirit: "That's not the question. The question is, are they ready for us?"
Helen's motivation comes from deep within. Known as a champion for family farmers and ranchers, as well as a leading spokesperson for natural resource protection, she has a manner spirited, intense, complex, and strong. She is driven by a simple set of principles: family, friends, community, and future generations.
Waller received statewide recognition in the late 1970s when she chaired Northern Plains Resource Council. Coal companies had targeted her family farm in McCone County for strip-mining. Helen shepherded Northern Plains, a grassroots family farm and conservation organization, through several campaigns that resulted in landmark state and national legislation designed to protect land, water and air.
"When people of Helen's caliber come forward from rural communities to
help their own people, everything they do is progress of the real kind." -- Wendell BERRY
When the troubled farm economy of the 1980s brought hundreds of family farmers and ranchers to their knees, Helen fought again. "What good did it do us to save the farm from the strip mines just to lose it to the bank?" she asked. Helen led the way as Northern Plains tackled farm policy and credit reform and helped form a national coalition of family farmers. The fight for a farm policy designed for family agriculture instead of for multinational food giants was largely unsuccessful.
Waller reflected on what she learned from her experiences: "The democratic process has been so violated that it's hard to find any correlation between what's taught in civics class and what actually happens in the halls of power. Getting reelected is what politicians worry about, and they trade votes like country people trade horses. People just have to take back their government and get involved."
Her inspirational message of rural self-determination led her to address such diverse audiences as the National Congress of Native Americans, the National Caucus of Black Mayors, as well as family farm groups in Europe.
Before Helen became an activist, she spent most of her days running the tractor and raising five children. "Any good I've accomplished was made possible by my husband Gordy and the kids," Helen recalled. "The kids weren't very big when they had to pitch in with the farm and housework. Really, my best accomplishment is my kids. They're strong. No matter what life deals them, they'll survive," she said proudly.
Helen also attributes much of her courage to her faith: "Since I was a child I've been active in my church--it's gotten me through a lot of very tough times."
Helen Waller has inspired many with her work. Wendell Berry, nationally-known author, theologian, and Kentucky farmer, recently praised her: "When people of Helen's caliber come forward from rural communities to help their own people, everything they do is progress of the real kind. Ever since I met her I have felt encouraged and improved by her example."
He is not alone.
Teresa Erickson works and lives in Billings, Montana with her husband, Pat Sweeney. She has been the staff director of the Northern Plains Resource Council for the past 20 years.
LINKS:
- Download a hard-copy version of the original Montana magazine article (PDF 344K)