... it sure shines bright to me...

Great improvements today - progress on the article differs daily like the peaks and valleys of the Dawson Range.

Yesterday was a series of valleys punctuated by too few highs. Today, however... today was a veritable Everest.

Chief paid a visit to my cabin at 10am this morning (the same one who couldn't made our meeting yesterday), and stayed to talk for over two hours. This got the day off to an exciting start as our conversation grew more and more comfortable and I began to understand the plight and the values of this place. The environment came up about as frequently as the lack of financial resources available to protect both it and the community residents living in and with it. "Money will come and go," he says, "but the environment will always be there, no matter what condition you leave it in." And though the 'leave something for the next generation' mentality seems cliche now, it is only because it's been espoused without act or intent to act by so many so often. In this community, however, you can really see how they try to care for it. Bringing their own plates and utensils to community dinners so paper and plastic won't have to be used, and hard-lined environmental standpoints being taken in mining negotiations are only a few of the ways this community prioritizes its surroundings. Hunting and fishing are mainstays here where industry and other city characteristics are in constant flux with the boom and bust that city dwellers hardly notice.

Also, more of the little money this community has is being put towards cultural development and activities like dances and dinners, to "put people more at ease," the Chief explains. And, judging by how wound-up and hopeless I felt yesterday, a dance and a dinner really does seem to do the trick.

The interview was great; I just listened and learned so much. I wish I'd remembered to take his picture.

Then I was taken to the Band Office where I was flooded with the resources unavailable on the internet, reports and emails and press releases, vital to the completion of an impactful article.

I've got a lot to read before I leave, and that departure date could be moving forward as well, with a tentative meeting scheduled in Whitehorse with the community's main consultant. And now that the option to leave early is there, I really am reluctant to take it, preferring to stay in my little cottage, brushing my teeth out of a cup and taking reflective walks on the Yukon River between mountains of reading. I find out tomorrow if I'll be leaving that same day, and I've got to get packed and ready to go, rearrange the room for a leisurely stay rather than a desk in the middle of the room covered in papers and a television in the corner on the floor. I was asked today how it worked and realized I hadn't even turned the damn thing on. The wireless internet is great though! Some rustic cabin, equipped with wireless (and thank god too).

Took a break from writing, looked up at the stars and realized there were some. Ho! As my eyes adjusted to the dark they became more numerous and bright, and I gained an appreciation for the darkness as a foundation and origin for the light.

I realized today that there is hope in this small community, and that they're fighting to keep every scrap of it. I only hope I can do them justice and that my article will help rather than harm their chances of getting funding.