What happened in 2024? Here’s our Year in Review
Written by Adil Darvesh, December 16, 2024
Every year, as I reflect on all that we’ve worked on, I’m always blown away by what the CPAWS team does. This year is no different. Here’s our recap of what happened in 2024.
Tu Łidlini / Ross River
In the middle of winter in early 2024, we were continuing some important work with Ross River Dena Council (RRDC). In December of 2023, our team travelled to Ross River with Josh and Kodi, two Land Guardians with RRDC, to learn more about the land and water through their eyes. It was an important opportunity to hear more about the cultural and emotional importance of Tu Łidlini, and the drastic impact that projects like Faro Mine can have on it.
We had some meaningful conversations with the Land Guardians and RRDC, which planted the seed for a canoe trip.
After months of planning from our team, we hosted our youth on-the-land trip with RRDC along the Pelly River. We travelled over 350km over 10 days from Ross River to Pelly Crossing in July, teaching skills and overcoming challenges along the way. For the trip participants, it was their first time doing a multi-day canoe trip and seeing their confidence grow was amazing.
These kinds of on-the-land trips can be so impactful, not only to the participants, but for the entire community. Ross River recently signed an agreement with the Yukon government and Parks Canada to undergo a feasibility study for an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) in their traditional territory. This exciting news will help ensure that the lands and waters can effectively continue to have the stewardship they deserve, from the people who rely on it the most. By having youth participate in these trips, they not only gain the tangible skills of being on the land, but also the opportunity to connect to landscapes which they will hopefully continue to steward for years to come.
Stay tuned in 2025 for a film from our 10-day adventure down the Pelly River!
Chasàn Chùa/McIntyre Creek
It was another huge year for Chasàn Chùa. This year, we launched the beginning of Care for the Creek, a continuation of our campaign to protect this important wildlife corridor through the heart of Whitehorse.
Care for the Creek is an effort to help repair the damage done to Chasàn Chùa by people and invasive plants. For our first event, we teamed up with the Yukon Fish and Game Management Board to host a week-long cleanup effort at Dàmäwtän (The Point).
With the help of Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, and the Yukon Youth Conservation Corps, we removed 17,000 pounds of tires and 13,000 pounds of scrap metal and shipped it off to the Whitehorse dump.
Throughout the same week, we also hosted public events to help educate people about the history and the potential future for this area. We had an eagle nest viewing with Yukon Wildlife Viewing, a habitat refresh with the Yukon Invasive Species Council, botanical drawing workshop with Misha Donohoe, and our community BBQ & Family Fun Day at Eagle Bay Park Lookout.
There is currently a Chasàn Chùa Steering Committee working to help establish a permanent protected area. You can read our submission to this committee here.
Your support throughout the summer for Care for the Creek helped make this inaugural event a resounding success. Stay tuned in 2025 for more opportunities to come and connect with Chasàn Chùa!
Protect the Peel
Back in 2022, the Yukon Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment Board (YESAB) recommended that a silver exploration project, the Michelle Creek project, not proceed within the Peel Watershed. YESAB’s recommendation reflected the high environmental standard set out by the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan that we all worked so hard to achieve.
The Yukon government has disappointingly taken YESAB to court for a judicial review of their recommendation, stating that YESAB did not have the authority to recommend against this project. In fact, the Yukon government has argued in court that YESAB should “stay in its lane”.
We’re very disappointed in this decision by the Yukon government. YESAB very clearly used the Peel Plan to help inform this decision and we feel that if a project doesn’t meet the high standards that we fought for, then it shouldn’t proceed. We’re not alone in that either, as The First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, and the Government of Canada are going to court as intervenors, arguing that YESAB’s recommendation was fair and correct.
Instead of going to court, the Yukon government should have chosen a different path – one that promoted consultations and respectful collaboration with affected First Nations. Instead, they have chosen to challenge the validity of the land use planning process, which Yukoners have fought for years to be upheld.
Thank you to the hundreds of you came out to rally in Whitehorse, Mayo, Dawson City, Fort McPherson, and Tsiigehtchic in support of this recommendation, and in support of the Peel Plan.
We’re expecting a ruling by the judge in early 2025, and we will keep you updated as we get more information.
Northern Tutchone Region/Beaver River Watershed
We got some more positive news from the Northern Tutchone region when the Yukon Supreme Court had sided with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND) over the Yukon government’s approval of a project by Metallic Minerals. The judge ruled that the Yukon government failed to properly consult the First Nation and did not adhere to their treaty obligations.
This important ruling should set a strong precedent going forward about constitutes appropriate consultations between the Yukon government and First Nations. This will hopefully play a large role in how projects are approved going forward in the territory.
It also gave us at CPAWS Yukon an opportunity to celebrate with the community of Mayo. We joined the community in June for a canoe skills workshop during their Indigenous People’s Day celebrations. This full day event helped us strengthen our connections and give back by teaching some skills and playing some games on the water.
Promptly after this skills day, Joti Overduin, our Outreach Manager, and Malkolm Boothroyd, our Campaigns Coordinator, set off on a week-long canoe trip on the Stewart River.
In collaboration with FNNND, Joti and Malkolm took this opportunity to collect water samples from creeks and streams along the river, report species at risk sighting, and take photos and videos to help us highlight the beauty of Tsé Tagé (Beaver River in Northern Tutchone).
Reform Mining / Eagle Mine disaster
Image of Minto Mine, near Mayo.
The heap leach failure at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine this year could go down as one of the largest mining disasters we’ve faced.
In late June, we heard news of a major landslide at Eagle Mine, just north of Mayo. Over the next few weeks, as we listened to the technical briefings it became clear that the subsequent heap leach failure also meant that untreated toxic chemicals were being released into the environment – most notably cyanide. Unfortunately, this was not the first failure from this mine.
It was frustrating to see the lack of urgency and transparency from Victoria Gold as this disaster unfolded and we were glad to see the Yukon government get approved by the Ontario Supreme Court to put the mine into receivership.
Instances like this further highlight the need for meaningful reform of our outdated and defective mining legislation. How many more “unprecedented” disasters do we need before we set a higher precedent for the land, water, and wildlife?
As the work to clean up Eagle Mine continues, our thoughts are with FNNND and members of the community who will have to deal with the impacts of this for years to come.
We’ve joined the calls for the Yukon government to hold a public inquiry into this disaster, which you can sign on to here.
Arctic Refuge / Porcupine Caribou Herd
Our Campaigns Coordinator, Laurence Fox, joined members from the Arctic Defense Coalition and Gwich’in Steering Committee in Washington, D.C in January 2024, where they held a conference to layout the future of the campaign. In those meetings, Laurence had the opportunity to meet and connect with others across the border who have been working diligently for protection of the Porcupine Caribou Herd.
This year, however, a new Trump administration was voted in, and the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released, allowing for the implementation of the second, legally required lease sale currently scheduled for Jan 9.
Of all the outcomes possible, however, there is some good news in that the current U.S. government has chosen the most industry-restrictive path towards lease sales in the Arctic Refuge. Nevertheless, CPAWS maintains that there should be NO lease sales and NO development in the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. We will continue to work with our environmental allies, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, and the Gwich’in Steering Committee to safeguard “the sacred place where life begins”.
Events
We’re so grateful for all of you who showed up and participated in our numerous events this year. In total, we hosted or helped organize over 12 events throughout 2024. From beading, art exhibits, movie premieres, rallies, and guided walks, you showed up and supported our conservation work rain or shine. Here are some of the major events we had:
- 2 beading events hosted by Anne Mease
- People of Chasan Chua Art Exhibit by our Conservation Intern Yataya van Kampen
- Peel Lunch and Learn hosted by Joti Overduin
- Medicinal Pland Walk and Talk hosted by Anne Mease
- Trails and Tales of the Copper Belt with Tim Green
- Voices from the Wind River
- Life of the Boreal walks in Chasan Chua
- 5 Care for the Creek public walks and talks, including a community BBQ
It’s always such a pleasure getting to meet so many of you and learning a little bit more about why you care about wild spaces so much.
As we look forward to 2025, I can’t wait to continue building on all the efforts from this year. Until then, however, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!