Alaska News

Two Events to Support Taashuyee-Chookan.aani/Mendenhall Wetlands

Two events are coming up in the Juneau area with information on supporting or learning more about Taashuyee-Chookan.aani, or Mendenhall Wetlands.
Wetlands complex in with mountains, cloudly skies, and wayside signs

Located in the in ak'w 廎掣獺an Territory on the ancestral lands of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples, a roughly 5,000-acre wetlands complex and public refuge supports an abundance of species. Taashuyee-Chookan.aani/Mendenhall Wetlands is a , a , and a stop along the . However, the wetlands have long been under threat by the heavily debated Juneau Douglas North Crossinga major development project that would cut through the wetlands.

Here are two events coming up in the Juneau area with information on supporting or learning more about Taashuyee-Chookan.aani.

Public Lands Pint Night

When: 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4
Where: Forbidden Peak Brewery, 11798 Glacier Highway, Juneau

Hosted by the Alaska chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and nationally presented by onX Hunt, the  will celebrate Southeast Alaska Land Trust's (SEALT) landmark work to map Juneaus tidelands with the release of the Public Lands Pale Ale. SEALT has been updating the 1979 maps created for the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge and used in its 1990 Management Plan. These new maps will provide an up-to-date understanding of habitat types, vegetation communities, and the effects of post-glacial uplift on the Refuge and the surrounding wetlands complex. 

And since its Public Lands Month, attendees can try the newly released Forbidden Peak's BHA brewPublic Lands Pale Ale! Sip and swap stories with fellow hunters, anglers, and conservationists.

Second Crossing Public Forum

When: 6 p.m. on Monday, September 23
Where: Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, 320 W. Willoughby Avenue, Juneau

This is the big one. Territorial Sportsmen is hosting a community-wide public forum on the Juneau Douglas North Crossing in downtown Juneau where folks can Learn about the impacts of a second crossing across the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge to hunting, fishing, recreation, wildlife and fish habitat, migratory birds and scenic open space beloved by residents and visitors. Participating agencies and organizations will include Alaska Department of Fish & Game, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southeast Alaska Land Trust, 勛圖窪蹋 Alaska, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. Agencies and affinity groups will be allowed time to speak. DOWL, the engineering consultant company that has been overseeing the , has again delayed the release of the final Level 2 screening, and therefore the public comment period is also delayed. 

To learn more about Taashuyee-Chookan.aani and Juneau Douglas North Crossing and PEL study, read or explore SEALT and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services .