Family speaks about ‘traumatic loss’ of fruit and traditions in groundbreaking climate case

Ruby and Lilian Doyle are among 16 youth challengers alleging Montana violated right to a ‘clean and healthful environment’

Every year, Shane Doyle looks forward to picking chokecherries. The tiny fruits with shiny, dark skin and astringent flesh are abundant near his family’s Bozeman, Montana home. His daughters Ruby, 15, and Lilian, 12, take the lead on crushing the berries into sticky, sweet syrup, which they pour onto pancakes and other foods all year.

Usually, the chokecherries are ready to pick in late summer, just before school begins. But in recent years, the fruits haven’t ripened on that schedule, Doyle testified on behalf of Ruby and Lilian at a seminal climate trial on Wednesday.