This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
For generations, summer in Montana has meant long days outdoors. Children spent afternoons riding bicycles through quiet neighborhoods, swimming in lakes and rivers, hiking forest trails, and playing baseball past sunset. Families planned camping trips months in advance, double-checking that they had all the fishing, paddling, and tenting gear they needed to sleep in cool mountain air under clear skies.
Today, many parents instead check the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index before deciding whether their children can play outside at all.
As wildfire season becomes longer and more severe across the American West, smoky skies have become an increasingly familiar part of summer. In Montana, where wildfire has always been part of the landscape, summer now includes days or even weeks when children are advised to stay indoors because the air outside is unhealthy.
Scientists have documented the growing health risks of wildfire smoke, particularly for children whose lungs are still developing.
