Dear friends of Last Stands,

With the beginning of a new year, we are reflecting with gratitude on the massive upswelling of advocacy for the Tongass National Forest in 2019. Thank you to everyone who has worked to protect this lush northern rainforest. The Tongass will continue to be one of the key public lands fights of this new decade, and it feels like we can win it.

We are especially grateful to everyone who has supported the Last Stands project in 2019. We believe deeply that story-telling, art, and bearing witness are irreplaceable components of any conservation movement, and we’ve endeavored to do this work with integrity and heart. Our team is committed to the ancient rites of pilgrimage and the essential act of bearing witness to our changing world. Last Stands is a volunteer effort, and we also invest in our ideas monetarily by covering at least some of our expenses: travel, art supplies, gear, and the many coffees we buy to gain access to the internet. But beyond our passion and commitment, this work happens because of love and support from our communities. This support comes through words of encouragement, donated skills, financial contributions, lodging, meals, and good advice. It can sometimes be challenging to stay motivated with passion projects like Last Stands; but we have asked for help over and over and so many folks have come through for us. These friendships keep us going.

Reflection and celebration are in order, so we have taken some time to list some of the accomplishments and collaborations we’ve been proud of in 2019. We’ve also brainstormed a lengthy list of people and organizations who have supported our efforts—and made our hearts sing with their generosity and kindness!

Expedition ship Murrelet on anchor near Mckenzie Inlet, Prince of Wales Island. Photo: Colin Arisman

SUCCESSFUL CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF PRINCE OF WALES

In May our ground-truthing team (Natalie, Mara, & Elsa) explored and documented roadless areas on Prince of Wales from Elsa’s sailboat the Murrelet. Read more about this journey here.

Artwork: This summer, artist Mara Menahan spent a full month on the Murrelet documenting the Tongass with paintbrush and paper. She continued her work in Tenakee through a 3-week artist residency provided by Kathleen Dean Moore and supported by the community of Tenakee Springs. Mara continues to work on this ambitious project which celebrates the cultural and natural history of the Tongass National Forest, while also illustrating what we may lose through destructive logging practices. We’re looking forward to seeing her work in a gallery soon! Follow Mara’s work here and here.

We were joined on this trip by two filmmakers: Colin Arisman of Wild Confluence and Gleb Mikhalev. Much of our expedition was dedicated to supporting their efforts to capture the present realities of the Tongass through photography and film. These two worked incredibly hard to capture images of wild places, wildlife, clearcuts, and logging infrastructure. We’ve been using these visuals to advocate for the Tongass and we’ve also shared them with nonprofits. In 2020, the Last Stands expedition will be featured in a Wild Confluence film that will tell the story of the decades of advocacy to protect the Tongass.

MEDIA & OUTREACH

One of the goals of Last Stands is to use storytelling to reach unique audiences who may not be aware of the Tongass National Forest. Here are a few ways we worked to accomplish this in 2019.

For the Wild Podcast: This year we were thrilled to share some of our story with the For the Wild podcast. Ayana Young and the team at For the Wild put a ton of heart into producing this podcast, and followed up with hard work to promote the comment period for the Roadless Rule. We encourage you to listen to Ayana’s interview with Elsa, and subscribe to the For the Wild podcast.

Social Media: We worked hard to share images and stories from the Tongass on Instagram during the Roadless Rule comment period. Check us out on Instagram. We’re especially proud of the work we pulled off with a little help from our friends, including a Salmon Sisters blog post and a Peak Design blog post. These partners have more followers and social media chops then we can lay claim to and we’re grateful to their work to elevate our message. We’re also glad for the work that Last Stands adventurer, Natalie Dawson, is doing with the National Audubon Society, including blog posts like this.

Seattle Times Letter to the Editor: Our friend Marina Anderson who hosted our expedition crew in Kasaan back in May, co-wrote a Seattle Times LTE with Elsa Sebastian. Colin Arisman provided photos.

Natalie Dawson wrote a letter to the Juneau Empire. As did Elsa Sebastian.

Webinar hosted with Audubon Alaska, For the Wild, and Marina Anderson: In an effort to strengthen relationships with the many people who are compelled to fight for wild places in the Tongass - but live outside of communities with advocacy hubs -we helped organize a webinar during the Roadless Rule comment period. Natalie Dawson (Audubon Alaska the Last Stands) hosted, along with co-hosts Elsa Sebastian (Last Stands), Marina Anderson (Organized Village of Kasaan), Ayana Young (For the Wild), and Malena Marvin (School House Fish). Around 160 people engaged with this webinar, and we were encouraged by their insightful questions and engagement.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2020

In 2020 we will continue to work with Wild Confluence to release a 30-minute film about the Tongass and the generations of advocates who work to protect this place. The Last Stands team - Elsa, Mara, and Natalie - will join the film tour and work to make sure that the release of the film can support timely advocacy goals.

If funding is secured, the Last Stands team will develop a Tongass action kit featuring Mara's artwork; this will include a post-card campaign with botanical art to encourage the public to share their love of the Tongass with elected officials.

If you’d like to support the costs of printing and film tour outreach, please consider donating here.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING MAKE LAST STANDS HAPPEN

Thanks to our many hosts: We have so much gratitude for folks who hosted us, shared meals, and introduced us to new friends in Prince of Wales communities. We’re especially grateful for our Craig hosts Scott Ownsby & Mike McKimens, Kasaan hosts Marina Anderson & Michael Chilton, Point Baker hosts Joe & Joan Sebastian & Don Hernandez, and Petersburg hosts Malena Marvin & Eric Grundberg.

Thanks to Susan Abbott, for painting us a gorgeous “Murrelet” flag to hoist high on our expedition vessel! Richard Carstensen, continues to generously share ground-truthing expertise and the tools of the trade. Peter Bradley has been an inspiration for this project since the beginning, and he continues to offer honest editing advice and is always down to do weird tasks like track round-log export ships.

Thanks to our friends who supported our crowdfunding campaign: Christine Lundstedt, Jim Brennan, Tyler Hess, Roxie Hunt, Valencia Mejia, Niel Wagner, Nene Wolfe, Eveyln Castro, Susan & James Arisman, Louise Brady, Robert Claus, Ali Mitchell, Annette Kautzer, Rebecca Knight, Larry Edwards & David Beebe.

Sitka Salmon Shares & Kelly Harrell and School House Fish Company both provided generous support to help us cover some of our expedition costs. We’re so thankful for the support of salmon businesses. Thanks to the Salmon Sisters (Emma, Claire and their team) for standing in salmon solidarity with Southeast Alaskan fishermen by elevating the Tongass on the Salmon Sisters blog and social media.

Many people have provided a space for Mara Menahan to continue work on her art: thanks to Kathleen Dean Moore for sharing her Tenakee cabin, Natalie Dawson in Anchorage, Rick Potts for use of his home in Missoula, Montana and Terri Graham and David Rowe on Bainbridge Island.

Colin Arisman continues to put so much heart into sharing the story of the Tongass through film and photography, it’s an honor to work with somebody so talented and committed to environmental issues. Gleb Mikhalev, was an amazing adventure buddy, we’re so grateful for his energy and creativity with visuals and for helping to sail the Murrelet. Thanks to Ray Troll, Don Hernandez, Joe and Joan Sebastian, Joel Jackson, Gordon Chew, Marina Anderson & Michael Chilton for sharing their stories and homes in support of the film project. Thanks to Jim Mackjovak for sharing your Tongass archives with the film project.

A fisherman in Point Baker gave us this amazing fish; bycatch for them, days of good eating for us. We were so grateful to eat this ancient fish, and grateful for the culture of sharing in Southeast Alaska. Photo: Colin Arisman

Alyssa Wallace, is a goddess of communicating what matters, we’re so thankful for her work to help share what is beautiful about the Tongass. For the Wild & Ayana Young: Ayana and her team produced a beautiful podcast about the Tongass through Elsa’s story of connection with Prince of Wales Island. Thanks to this passionate team for their advocacy and for the community they’re nurturing.

Audubon Alaska, has supported this project in so many ways, we’re grateful for their commitment to the coastal temperate rainforest, and their willingness to share resources and capacity. Alaska Whale Foundation & Andy Szabo: Thank you for donating a retired research zodiac to our expedition! Heather Bauscher, Bethany Goodrich, and Katie Riley at Sitka Conservation Society, thank you for inspiration and friendship. Thanks to Southeast Alaska Conservation Council & Dan Canon & Buck Lindekugel for resources and expertise.

Thanks for Supporting Last Stands in 2019