This event is open to everyone. We'll provide light snacks and refreshments, door prizes, free stickers, and information about the Roadless Rule. You provide your voice and support for the Roadless Rule. See you tonight, Juneau.

#StandTallfortheTongass

Guest speakers:

President Mike Jones, Organized Village of Kasaan

Atagan Hood, Vice President, Alaska Youth for Environmental Action

Jamalea Martelle, Artemis National Wildlife Federation

Nicole Weston, Owner of NW Photography

Juneau – TONIGHT is the night to stand tall for the Tongass and protect the Roadless Rule that protects all of us.

"It's time that we realize that there is value in what we know and what we learn and what we share, and if this project or any other project is accepted, then how in the world can we share what we know, not only to our children, but to the world?"

Emcee Marian Call: "Because in the end we cannot eat gold."

"Roughly .5% of current mines collected in taxes." Compare to sales tax of 5%. "That is not a good situation." How do we push back?

Griffin brings up taxation of mining in Alaska — "the balance of the money, not only are we not getting something from these mines, they (the State of Alaska) are giving things away..."

Griffin Plush: "This is for a mine..." Dunleavy has said "Alaska is America's warehouse... that's what he sees our community as. He doesn't care if the taking of those resources is unacceptable."

"A body is not gold. A body is not oil. A body is my grandfather..." Shaagunastaa "The body should remain with lineal descendents."

"This is their last sacred site."

Strong words from Lyle James to decision makers on this project. Let's make sure they hear them.

Lyle James in the audience: "These kinds of decisions, we don't take lightly." Calls out the decisions being made without Tribal consultation. "We have seen generations of relatives who have witnessed all of our food be taken away from us. We have seen the decimation of our way of life."

Margaret: '92% of people said this is not something our communities need or want' and "there's no social license to operate.'

Stacy brings up Grande Portage Resources and speculative junior mining. If you haven't, look up junior mining. Stacy likens it to Ponzi scheme.

What will corporations respond to? Stacy: "Money. Corporations care a lot about money."

Question from audience about whether there's a way to apply pressure within Goldbelt. Audience member says: There are shareholders here. People should talk to shareholders and hold Goldbelt accountable.

Guy Archibald lists of history of mines that have contaminated environment. Asks for show of hands from panel about risk from proposed mine — it's unanimous.

Stacy points out changes were made after STIP. "There were a lot of missteps, procedurally."

Tyler points out that NEPA isn't just to look at impacts but also alternatives, and DOT has presupposed outcome.

You can start asking questions in the live chat now!

Lois Epstein estimates cost of project at about $120 million, but that doesn't include all related projects. Rich suggests mine traffic will add costs, including widening bridges.

"I don't think this project ever had any intent not to go forward," Rich says. Dunleavy said go and it's going. Administration has misled AMHOB about costs, road inventory. Not giving public, legislature, AMHOB information they need to understand lifetime costs.

Stacy points out groundbreaking for project has been moved from summer to fall this year.

We have SEACC's mining campaigner Stacy Unzicker and policy analyst Tyler Breen, SEALT's Margaret Custer, naturalist Richard Carstensen and civil engineer Rich Moniak.

We're bringing up additional panelists for updates and then we'll open up for questions.

"We have not seen any study, any reports, any justification for pushing this project forward."

"There will be a crisis coming... and those who are here, you have a voice and you will use it..."

"You must start now to fulfill your obligations."

"The name Chilkat Connector — to me to use that name... is offensive" as a Tribal member of Chilkat Indian Village, Klukwan.

"The Lynn Canal is an interconnected ecological and cultural system..." that this project fails to recognize. "Everything is important. No matter how big. No matter how small."