This evening, Mainers from the southern Midcoast region will gather at Waterfront Park in Bath to express solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota.

“Basically, it’s a three-pronged gathering,” said Beth Little, a Bath resident and organizer of the event. “First of all, it’s a gathering to share our thanksgiving that we live in an area that has fresh water — and that’s why we thought it appropriate to meet at the river. The second prong obviously is standing in solidarity with Standing Rock — the water protectors in North Dakota. Water is sacred, water is life, and we need to stop that pipeline. And the third prong is allowing time for people to share whatever is laying on their heart at this particular time.”

The controversy began over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline would transport oil more than 1,000 miles from oil-rich North Dakota to a port in Illinois. While the project has been approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has protested the construction of the pipeline, citing concerns that the pipeline would disturb sacred burial grounds and put the tribe’s water supply at risk. Joined by members of other tribes and protests around the country, the tribe has attempted to put a stop to construction in a part of North Dakota.

Advocates of the pipeline argue that consultation on sacred burial sites was dealt with in the planning process. They also argue that the group’s environmental concerns are overblown — the risk of an oil spill is minimal they say, and the pipeline is a more environmentally friendly way to transport oil that by rail or trucking.

Currently, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Army Corps of Engineers have taken the fight to federal court to decide whether the Corps properly consulted the tribe over the locations of burials sites and sacred places prior to approval. While a judge rejected calls for an injunction on construction of the pipeline while the issue is fought in court, the Department of Justice has called on the construction company to voluntarily halt construction.

Little has organized a gathering of concerned individuals to express solidarity with the North Dakota tribe. A former member of the former Bonkers for Bernie group, Little has reached out to them as well as a website dedicated to solidarity with Standing Rock.

Although no Native American groups in Maine are specifically involved in the event, leaders of the Penobscot Nation participated in a solidarity rally in Bangor on Sunday.

“The idea that we need to stop pipelines anywhere, always, and keep the dirty oil in the ground is something that people need to be aware of,” she said. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had to carry water, but trust me, if you’ve had to carry water you certainly appreciate the value of water. And water is life — we can’t drink oil and we certainly can’t drink money.”

The gathering will be held in Waterfront Park in Bath from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

• THE GATHERING will be held tonight in Waterfront Park in Bath from 6:30-7:30 p.m.