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Posts by Adil Darvesh:

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First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, CPAWS Yukon, and YFNED presenting Voices from the Wind River at the Yukon Arts Centre on November 14 

October 25, 2024

Whitehorse – The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Yukon Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS Yukon) and the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate (YFNED) are thrilled to present “Voices from the Wind River” on Thursday November 14th at the Yukon Arts Centre. This is an evening of live music, storytelling, and the exclusive Whitehorse premiere of “Connections” a film from our on-the-land youth trip down the Wind River in 2023.

This film, shot and edited by Bethany Paquette, follows youth as they travel through the iconic Peel Watershed and explore the place that so many people fought to protect.

The evening will continue the theme of connection with remarks from Chief Dawna Hope from the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, a panel discussion, and musical guests Remmi Elin, and Keitha Clarke with Graham Poile.

Many community members and businesses have also donated items for us to hold a fundraising auction, with proceeds going towards CPAWS Yukon’s work for future on-the-land trips and connecting people to land, water, and heritage.

The online auction will run from November 1st until November 30th. Items can be viewed now at https://www.32auctions.com/CPAWSYukon and will also be available for viewing in person on November 14th.

Tickets and information about the event can be found at: https://purchasing.yukonartscentre.com/EventAvailability?EventId=9001 or at https://cpawsyukon.org/windriver.

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Contact

Adil Darvesh, Communications Manager
CPAWS Yukon
867-393-8080 x9 | adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

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Written by Paula Gomez Villalba, Communications Coordinator | October 16, 2024

Yataya stepped into her role as our Conservation Intern with a unique background having grown up in Whitehorse and living in Europe for many years, at one point even studying art there. During the summer, Yataya spent months drawing and interviewing people from Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council for her project. Today, you can see her exhibit, People of Chasàn Chùa, at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. This art exhibit is free to view in the foyer of the KDCC, and will be on until late October.

Having Yataya as part of our team was such a pleasure. We’ve been really grateful for how interns have infused our organization with creativity and art—from Ainslie’s colouring book in 2022 to Aiden’s wood carving project in 2023, and now Yataya’s project! At the tail end of her internship, I had the opportunity to chat with Yataya about her process and journey.

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

Yataya at the CPAWS Yukon booth at the Fireweed Market, a great place for chats about conservation and community. Photo by Anne Mease.

From the beginning, our work to highlight and protect Chasàn Chùa (McIntyre Creek) stood out to Yataya, in particular the focus on collaboration with local First Nations. However, her connection with the actual area was a bit mixed!

“Even if you’re born and raised in Whitehorse… you don’t know which areas are McIntyre Creek because it’s so spread out. Geographically I didn’t know what was the whole area of McIntyre Creek. Especially within the city, to go from one place to another, it’s quite a lot of driving. It can be confusing,” she shared, highlighting the complexities of navigating the area.

Yet, this confusion underscores the Chasàn Chùa’s importance as a wildlife corridor. The creek is accessible from the McIntyre Subdivision, Whistlebend, and near Yukon University, connecting forests and water for local species and creating nearby spaces for people to connect with the land.

Yataya embraced this while participating in events like our Life of the Boreal guided walk and the collaborative Care for the Creek Community Cleanup we organized this year. In chatting with Yataya, the importance of people in conservation came up again and again. “First Nations people have been here for thousands of years, they know this area and have stories about it. Their knowledge can also be appreciated, just like scientific knowledge,” she shared. For Chasàn Chùa, it’s not just the government that’s making this into a park, there’s a lot of people pushing for those protections.

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

Care for the Creek community events were hosted by CPAWS Yukon and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, in partnership with Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation, to connect with nature and restore Dàmäwtän (The Point). Photo by Adil Darvesh.

To celebrate these people, Yataya created watercolour portraits. She was first introduced to this type of painting in a high school course, and continued to develop her skills through self-learning. “Watercolour is a simpler medium that you can experiment with,” she explained, appreciating the flexibility it offers compared to drawing with pencil and graphite.

“I find landscapes and animals boring,” Yataya admitted with a bit of hesitation. “My school focused on learning a lot about human anatomy to draw people. You can mess up pretty bad, and it can still look like a mountain. There’s too much flexibility there. People know people. They can catch on much faster when a portrait isn’t quite right, or an eye is just a bit higher than it should be.”

Her approach to creating the portraits involved a careful process of measurement and adjustment. “First, it’s about finding a clear photo. Once I find a clear photo, I do measurements. I measure the area that I want the portrait in, and then measure where half is, where a quarter is,” she explained. What comes next is an unexpected tool: a knitting needle! “You can use it to find angles – like if someone’s ear is at the angle of their shoulder in a specific way – you can step back, hold the needle firmly, and go back and forth to see if it’s the right angle.”

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

Final sketching stage for Troy Friday and his son, Elliott Friday’s portrait (cropped). Photo by Yataya van Kampen.

Between measuring and sketching, Yataya emphasized the importance of taking breaks to step back and assess the work as a whole. “If it doesn’t look right, I just take the time to redraw,” she said, showing her commitment to honouring the individuals she painted. For instance, after hearing the stories of Troy Friday and Gary Bailie, she felt compelled to capture their likenesses next to family members. “It only felt right to do a portrait of both of them after hearing their stories of being connected to the land with their family.”

After days of sketching, Yataya shared that she adds colour working around the portrait in a circular pattern, working in layers and often leaving the background for last. “For larger portraits with one person, I really like doing flowers all around. They’re based on beading designs, some simple ones that I have used myself, but also some beading designs I have seen in the past. It’s a mix.”

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

Close-ups of flowers features in the portraits. Art by Yataya van Kampen.

Beading has been a part of Yataya’s life since she was 16, and it remains an important activity for her, especially while living abroad. “Beading reminds me of home because I’ve been gone so long. The only thing I can really do is what I can take with me. When I’m gone, I don’t see one single First Nations person for months on end. I’m really disconnected from where I’m from, and so that’s the one thing that keeps me connected.”

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

Community beading project at our booth at the Fireweed Market this year. Photo by Yataya van Kampen.

Reflecting on the different types of connections, Yataya’s project grew as the summer went on, beyond the art itself. To highlight community, Yataya interviewed subjects and reached out to the KDCC to share the stories with others. Like any project, there was a lot of learning involved as she learned about consent forms, the importance of wording, writing for the public, and more. Yataya had previously worked with Yukon’s Victims Services on an accessibility project conducting informal interviews, and later, transcribing conversations in a research role focused on immigrants in Canada. Both of these experiences helped inform her work. Through the interviews with those she painted, Yataya found comfort in familial ties and shared histories. “I had connections through family with many of them. Either I found out I was cousins with them or they know my family line,” she noted.

By blending her artistic background with culture, Yataya not only created art, but also bridged communities, shared stories, and honoured the land and its people. We highly recommend everyone check out the art exhibit!

Celebrating people and nature with Yataya

People of Chasàn Chùa art exhibit at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. Photo by Adil Darvesh.

So what’s next for Yataya? Yataya’s been working on more portraits after being commissioned by Yukon University. She hopes to continue to focus her art on people. The winter she’ll be going to a mystery country in keeping with the rhythms of her life.

McIntyreCreek2

Whitehorse Municipal Election Questionnaire 2024

October 15, 2024

Ahead of this year’s City of Whitehorse municipal election, we posed five environmental questions to all candidates. The purpose of this questionnaire is to inform voters about where they stand on a range of important environmental issues.

All candidates were given a 500 character limit to their answers but many candidates went over this limit. As a result, we have decided to include full responses, but please consider this as you notice differences in response length.

Whitehorse Election Question 1

Mayoral Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Kirk Cameron

Dino Rudiniski

Dan Bushnell

Jack Bogaard

Council Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Gary Smith

Daniel Schneider 

Andrew Robulack

Nesty Paron 

Norma Felker 

Jay Wilneff

Michelle Stimson

Marta Rogers

Jean-Sébastien Blais

Dan Boyd 

 

Whitehorse Election Question 2

Mayoral Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Kirk Cameron

Dino Rudiniski

Dan Bushnell

Jack Bogaard

Council Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Gary Smith

Daniel Schneider 

Andrew Robulack

Nesty Paron 

Norma Felker 

Michelle Stimson

Marta Rogers

Jean-Sébastien Blais

Dan Boyd 

 

Whitehorse Election Question 3

Mayoral Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Kirk Cameron

Dino Rudiniski

Dan Bushnell

Jack Bogaard

Council Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Gary Smith

Daniel Schneider 

Andrew Robulack

Nesty Paron 

Norma Felker 

Jay Wilneff

Marta Rogers

Jean-Sébastien Blais

Dan Boyd 

 

Whitehorse Election Question 4

Mayoral Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Kirk Cameron

Dino Rudiniski

Dan Bushnell

Jack Bogaard

Council Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Gary Smith

Daniel Schneider 

Andrew Robulack

Nesty Paron 

Norma Felker 

Michelle Stimson

Jay Wilneff

Marta Rogers

Jean-Sébastien Blais

Dan Boyd 

Whitehorse Election Question 5

Mayoral Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Kirk Cameron

Dino Rudiniski

Dan Bushnell

Jack Bogaard

Council Candidates

No Response Provided from:

Gary Smith

Daniel Schneider 

Andrew Robulack

Nesty Paron 

Norma Felker 

Jay Wilneff

Marta Rogers

Jean-Sébastien Blais

Dan Boyd 

 

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CPAWS Yukon deeply concerned about Victoria Gold’s heap leach failure

June 27, 2024

CPAWS YUKON DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT VICTORIA GOLD’S HEAP LEACH FAILURE

CPAWS Yukon is deeply alarmed by the recent failure of the heap leach facility at the Eagle Mine, a gold mining project owned and operated by Victoria Gold, located near Mayo on the traditional territory of the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun.

The failure, which Victoria Gold has described as “significant,” was reported the morning of Monday, June 24, and has resulted in damage to the infrastructure of the facility, triggering a landslide in which “a portion of the failure” escaped “containment” at the facility.

CPAWS Yukon stands in solidarity with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, who have shared their concerns over this “deeply serious incident,” and the “potentially significant and far-reaching environmental impacts” it could have on the waters, fish, and wildlife of their traditional territory in a recent press release.

We are heartened to hear that no one on site was injured, although the magnitude of the failure and potential it had to harm people is alarming. While at this time the extent of environmental damage and cyanide release from the heap leach failure is unknown, CPAWS Yukon is concerned about the potential near and long-term impacts the failure will have on the area’s land and water ecosystems.

That the slide appears to have run overtop and potentially damaged the pipe and pump system that collects gold-bearing cyanide solution at the toe of the heap leach pad and moves it to the processing plant is of particular concern. According to the mine’s April 2023 Technical Report, this system is sized to allow 2 million litres of gold-bearing cyanide solution to flow through it every hour. If this system is damaged, it begs the question of how much cyanide solution is being released into the environment, where it is going, and how much could be leaching into groundwater.

This is also not the first failure of the mine’s heap leach facility this year. According to a January 17, 2024 mine inspection report, “a slope failure occurred at the southeast area of the Heap Leach Facility (HLF),” sloughing off 14,000 tonnes of crushed ore. The slide was later found to have damaged the heap leach liner. CPAWS Yukon wonders if this should have been a warning sign about the flaws of the heap leach facility.

This incident is, at best, a highly troubling development which requires careful consideration around the appropriateness of heap leap facilities in the Yukon, including the facility which is included as part of the proposed Casino Mine project. At worst, this event could be a significant environmental problem with serious and long lasting consequences to both humans and wildlife, as well the economic future of hundreds of Eagle Mine employees, contractors and suppliers.


“Time and again industry and often the territorial government have minimized concerns about the risks that come with mining. We are told that engineering and planning will manage risk and there is nothing to worry about. This is obviously not true and we need to have honest conversations about the inability of companies and regulatory systems to prevent every catastrophic failure.”

Randi Newton, CPAWS Yukon Conservation Manager

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Contact

Adil Darvesh, CPAWS Yukon Communications Manager

adarvesh@cpawsyukon.org | 867-393-8080 x9

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What’s The Point? Dàmäwtän and the need for remediation

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Written by Laurence Fox, Conservation Coordinator | April 30, 2024

Dàmäwtän is Southern Tutchone for “High Bank” and known by modern settlers as “The Point.” It’s located on the lower reaches of Chasàn Chùa (McIntyre Creek) where it empties into the Yukon River. Traditionally, Dàmäwtän served as an important lookout for local First Nations, as well as a staging ground for hunting and fishing, and a meeting place. 

In 1942, the U.S. military promptly set up shop in Whitehorse to begin construction on the Alaska Highway. They quickly started using Dàmäwtän as a landfill for both the Canadian and U.S. military, displacing the First Nations people who camped and harvested in the region. After World War II ended in 1945, the U.S. military left and the dump briefly closed until the City of Whitehorse began using it for municipal purposes in the 1950s.

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Abandoned tires at Dàmäwtän (The Point). Photo by Laurence Fox.

Largely unregulated, the dump site appears to have faced little environmental oversight or monitoring for the majority of its operational life. In some places along the bank, garbage deposits were as thick as 45 meters—so deep that if you had dug down to the bottom of all this trash, you could set three city buses vertically, hood to bumper, one on top of the other, in the hole you made.

When the dump was officially decommissioned in 1975, “clean up” was rudimentary at best, consisting primarily of pushing dirt up over the berm to cover the mess, and even that appears to have been rather slapdash. Dirt was simply pushed in over the dump, leaving bits of metal, tires, household waste, and other debris poking up through the thin covering. 

What’s The Point? Dàmäwtän and the need for remediation

Satellite photo of Dàmäwtän (The Point). Photo from Google Earth.

Concerns have been growing for decades around the damage—environmental, aesthetic, cultural, or otherwise—dumping has done to Dàmäwtän. Care for the Creek builds on the many other clean-up efforts led by concerned citizens, the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, and extensive clean-up work undertaken by Ta’an Kwäch’än Council (TKC), stewardship groups, and various other government agencies. For example, TKC removed 16 tonnes of scrap metal and 16 dump truck loads of abandoned tires, then resodded and reseeded the areas with native plants to encourage healthy revegetation between 2005 and 2012.

Today, waste such as tires, metal, car parts, and plastics continues to affect the landscape, waterways, and wildlife, creating physical hazards and potentially releasing hazardous chemicals. During a clean-up in 2023 led by the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, volunteers found dried fish eggs and bird eggs that didn’t have a chance to hatch, and tracks on shore from many mammals who likely rely on the creek for water. 

In a few weeks, CPAWS Yukon and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, in collaboration with KDFN and TKC, are hosting a Care for the Creek Community Event, dedicated to caring for, celebrating, and remediating Chasàn Chùa and the Dàmäwtän area. Join us Saturday, June 1st for a free BBQ, guided walks, and guest lectures!

Care for the Creek!
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

Travelling in the Yukon?

LEARN HOW TO BE A RESPECTFUL GUEST

The Yukon is a tapestry of twisting rivers, towering mountains, tundra, and vast boreal forests. These lands and waters are also the traditional territories of 14 Yukon First Nations, the Inuvialuit, and transboundary First Nations in British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Alaska.

Guests travelling anywhere in the Yukon are visiting the traditional territories of a First Nation or the Inuvialuit. In visiting these areas, you are taking on a responsibility and duty to show respect and gratitude for its stewards, as well as the land, water, and animals.

Whether hiking, paddling, berry picking, hunting, or fishing, we must learn to be respectful guests and honour the stewardship that makes exploring these wild spaces possible.

Read Walk With Us – Respectful Travel Guidelines

Know the nations on whose lands you travel on

Treat the land, water, and animals with care and respect

Leave no trace

Give thanks to the land in your way

Share your journey and gratitude

Support First Nation on the land and stewardship initiatives

Read Walk With Us – Respectful Travel Guidelines

Generations of Indigenous stewardship have shaped the territory’s rich wild spaces — there are documented traces of humans in the Yukon from 24,000 years ago.¹ This stewardship is deeply rooted in traditional teachings that recognize the interconnectedness between the land, water, wildlife, and people.

Start by reading Walk With Us – Respectful Travel Guidelines created by the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism (YFCT) with direction from First Nations Knowledge Keepers.

“As you travel through our beautiful homelands, we invite you to Ná t’sin t’ra “hold everything up in respect” – Northern Tutchone.”

Know the nations on whose lands you travel on

Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

✓ Whose land are you visiting?

✓ Learn about its history and culture

When preparing to travel, learn the names and history of the Indigenous Nations’ homelands you will visit. Native-land.ca is a great resource for identifying whose traditional territories you’ll be on.

Take time to learn the teachings and stories connected with these lands. YFCT has a Welcome Guide which is a great resource. Check in and respect any rules, restrictions, or permit requirements that specific First Nations may have in effect.

Yukon First Nations:

Treat the land, water, and animals with care and respect

Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Waiting for the Fortymile caribou herd to move off the road. Photo by Malkolm Boothroyd.
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

Respect the natural behaviours of wildlife who rely on the land for food, safety, and to care for their young. Keep a safe distance and move away if you notice that they are reacting to your presence. Don’t feed wildlife, and especially avoid disturbing animals during the harsh winters or sensitive breeding periods when they need their energy.

Existing roads and highways connect us to different wild spaces, but they traverse through wildlife habitats, potentially exposing animals who need to access other areas. Stay alert, slow down, and watch for wildlife ahead while driving. The Yukon Conservation Officer Services has shared that high collision areas include the Southern Lakes region (including the Alaska Highway, South Klondike Highway, Carcross, Tagish and Atlin Roads), Kluane country near the base of Thechàl Dhâl (Sheep Mountain), and Watson Lake area from Lucky Lake to Big Creek (between kilometre 1021 and 1048).

Stick to designated trails and campsites if possible. Concentrate your activities on areas with durable surfaces like rock, sand, or deep snow. In remote areas, disperse your impact to avoid creating new trails or campsites.

Drones can negatively impact wildlife, Indigenous subsistence activities, and the overall experience of being out on the land. In some areas like national parks, the use of drones is prohibited, so be sure to do your research first. Show respect for others by avoiding flying over campsites and people. Follow these guidelines by Parks Canada to respect wildlife:

  • If an aircraft causes an animal to move, flee, or change their behaviour, then it is too close
  • Never circle, chase, hover over, dive towards, or pursue wildlife
  • Whenever possible, minimize the amount of time circling before landing
  • Avoid flying directly over or towards animals
  • Caribou calving grounds should be avoided whenever possible
  • Where practicable, pilots should maintain a minimum 1.1 nmi (2 km) horizontal distance from all wild sheep, mountain goats, and caribou
  • Maintain an altitude of 3500 ft (1067 m) AGL above areas with bird concentrations (colonies or moulting areas)
  • Plan routes that minimize flights over habitats likely to have birds and avoid sensitive areas such as moulting areas and raptor nesting sites

✓  Give wildlife space

✓  Minimize your impact

✓  Reduce speed when using motorized vehicles

✓  Keep wildlife attractants contained

✓  Limit drone use

Leave no trace

Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Grizzly bear tracks remind us to tread lightly. Photo by Malkolm Boothroyd.
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

Take with you what you bring, and leave the rest as you find it. Before moving on to a new area, inspect where you were for trash or food scraps, making sure to securely pack everything out. Human trash pollutes sensitive landscapes and puts wildlife at risk, altering their behaviour and threatening their health. If you see trash, pick it up and dispose of it properly.

Leave stones, natural structures, or other materials where you find them. Some may hold cultural significance and others might be an animal’s food or home. Landscapes in the Yukon are sensitive and slow-growing, everything has its role.

If you need to build a campfire, be safe and opt for a portable stove or use a fire pan to reduce your impact. Keep campfires small, far from vegetation (at least 3 metres), and never leave them unattended. In an average year, nearly one-third of fires in the Yukon are caused by human activity.² It’s very important to let the wood and embers burn down to ash, soaking the campfire with buckets of water or burying it with sandy soil until the ashes are cool to the touch. The Yukon government has a Wildfire Hub with information on current fires, bans, and potential resulting travel restrictions.

As more people explore the Yukon and climate change progresses, many invasive species are settling in the territory and pushing out native ones. Minimize their spread by brushing off all dirt and plant debris from your gear before going to a new area. If travelling by water, clean, drain, and dry all parts of your watercraft.

✓  Pack it in, pack it out

✓  Leave everything as you find it

✓  Prevent wildfire

✓  Minimize the spread of invasive species

Give thanks to the land in your way

Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
A moment of stillness on the Wind River. Photo by Bethany Paquette.
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

As you travel in the Yukon, take moments to pause and express gratitude for the privilege of experiencing their beauty. Reflect on what you learned about the specific First Nation’s history on these lands, and how their stewardship shaped your experience. Whether it’s a quiet moment by a rushing river or a peaceful pause atop a mountain peak, acknowledge the land’s generosity and resilience in allowing you to tread upon it.

✓  Express gratitude

Share your journey and gratitude

Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
Sunset in the Tombstones, Tr'ondëk H'wëch'in traditional territory. Photo by Malkolm Boothroyd.
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest

Extend your appreciation to the Indigenous Nations whose ancestral lands you visited. Engage respectfully with community members about what you experienced, learned, and felt. When you share stories or photos with friends or family, always name the nations of whose lands you travelled on and use their traditional place names if possible.

✓  Engage with the community

✓  Name the nations

✓  Use traditional place names

Support First Nation on the land and stewardship initiatives

Show your support for Indigenous initiatives by contributing to First Nations stewardship funds. These funds play a crucial role in supporting communities’ agency and efforts to conserve their traditional land for future generations. Opt for Indigenous-owned or operated tourism companies to directly support Indigenous communities and engage in authentic cultural experiences. Advocate for the recognition and support of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Land Guardian programs which are vital for preserving biodiversity, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge.

✓  Support First Nation initiatives

By embracing these principles of respect, gratitude, and community, travel in the Yukon can honour the generations of stewardship, intricate relationships within ecosystems, and the rights of Indigenous people to ensure that the territory’s wild spaces will thrive for years to come.

This webpage is a living resource that we’ll continue to update as we engage with local First Nations and develop additional resources to help you travel respectfully. If you have suggestions or feedback, feel free to reach out at info@cpawsyukon.org.

Stony Creek, More Valuable Than Gold

Stony Creek, More Valuable Than Gold

Stony Creek, More Valuable Than Gold

 CPAWS Yukon supports citizens concerned about the impact a placer mining project could have on their drinking water

Written by Laurence Fox, Conservation Coordinator | April 2, 2024

Would you want someone mucking around for gold in the water that you and your family drink? Many residents of Mendenhall have said they most certainly do not.

CPAWS Yukon stands alongside members of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Kwanlin Dün First Nation, along with other residents of Mendenhall who have recently expressed deep concern around a proposed placer mining project at Stony Creek.

Map of the proposed project location, from the YESAB Registry document #2024-0001-0040 Map Package.
Map of the proposed project location, from the YESAB Registry document #2024-0001-0040 Map Package.

Located around 11 km northeast of Mendenhall and 52 km northwest of Whitehorse, the proposed project is currently under review with the Yukon Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB). The claims fall within the traditional territories of both Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. To get at the gold thought to be below, the project would have to divert up to 1700 meters of Stony Creek which residents say is a vital source of drinking water, as well as ecologically sensitive habitat for wildlife.

“We use this water to raise our children, take care of our elders and nurture ourselves. We also collect and rely on this water for our beloved animals and organic vegetable gardens, which helps feed us throughout the long winters.”

– Public comment on the proposed Stony Creek mine

Residents expressed their opposition to the proposed project during the public comment period, worried it will negatively impact water quality and damage the community. If the project went forward, residents say they would be forced to use water from the community fill station, which some say is of poor quality, or haul water in from Whitehorse. Others have expressed concern about the proposed project’s impact on subsistence activities like hunting, fishing, and berry picking.

“The many negative effects of this project would be felt by several hundred residents, as well as precious wildlife, aquatic resources, heritage resources, vegetation and hiking trails.”

– Public comment on the proposed Stony Creek mine

Of special concern is Stony Creek’s importance as habitat for Chinook salmon fry, a species already struggling under numerous other pressures, including industrial development, climate change, and overfishing. Chinook salmon runs have been declining for decades, prompting serious conservation focus on the abysmally low numbers of returning fish among many Yukon First Nations, as well as the Department of Oceans and Fisheries and the Yukon government.

“Stony Creek is a salmon bearing creek. I have personally caught salmon fry in a bucket and immediately released them after identifying the fish as chinook salmon.”

– Public comment on the proposed Stony Creek mine
Google Earth satellite image of Stony Creek.
Google Earth satellite image of Stony Creek.

We believe potential environmental, community, and cultural impacts of mining at Stony Creek far outweigh the monetary quest for gold extraction. Residents of the impacted community and members of the First Nations on whose traditional territory this project would take place have powerfully voiced their concerns—and, in many cases, outright opposition to—this project. We hope YESAB heeds them.

“Leave Stony Creek alone. It’s more valuable than whatever is in the ground.”

– Public comment on the proposed Stony Creek mine

Listen to a moving interview with a resident who lives near the creek and worries that mining would mean the end of a lot of stories, gatherings, and life.

Stony Creek, More Valuable Than Gold

CBC News released a great article based on the interview.

The comment period for the project recently closed, which means YESAB is now preparing their recommendation based on the input provided by the proponent, First Nations, community members, and other parties.

UPDATE JUNE 5, 2024: We’re thrilled to share that YESAB recommended against the proposed placer mine on Stony Creek because its impacts cannot be mitigated. YESAB even recognized the profound effect mining here would have, with their report stating, “this [project] is likely to result in a compromised ability for youth and future generations to pursue their cultural and contemporary activities.” We’re hopeful this means the project will not go ahead.

Follow us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter for updates on the future of Stony Creek.

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Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures

Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures

Written by Randi Newton, Conservation Manager | March 27, 2024

Mining is intertwined with Whitehorse’s past, but should it be part of its future? At City Council’s March 11th public hearing on mining in Whitehorse, the large majority of people who spoke said “No.”

I was there to say the same thing on behalf of CPAWS Yukon. All the chairs were filled at City Hall, so I stood near the back wall. As the hearing went on into the evening and more voices echoed the same sentiment, I sat on the floor with tired legs.

The Gladiator Metals copper exploration project, which has claims that run from Cowley Creek through Chasàn Chùa to Crestview, has fueled concerns about the project itself, as well as broader concerns about the potential impacts of future exploration and mining in Whitehorse. This is why the McLean Lake Residents’ Association, with the support of other community associations and organizations, asked City Council to prohibit mineral exploration and mining within city limits.

Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures

Former tailings facility for the Whitehorse Copper Mine, which ceased operations in 1982. Decades later, trees and shrubs struggle to grow. Photo by Randi Newton.

Standing with my notes in hand, I reflected on the escalating risks and damages mining brings and how important it is for people to have a strong say in the future of Whitehorse, one where the well-being of residents and housing needs are prioritized. The public hearing was a chance for people to share their views and for Council to consider the options at hand:

1
Keep the status quo
(worst option)

Currently, exploration and mining are prohibited in most of Whitehorse but allowed in areas that are zoned as Quarries and considered on a case-by-case basis in areas zoned as Heavy Industrial.

This is why Gladiator Metals was able to get a development permit to drill in the Mount Sima area without any public input.

2
Decide on a case-by-case basis (slightly better but not sufficient)

Under this option, exploration and mining would no longer be automatically allowed in areas zoned for Quarries but would be considered on a case-by-case basis (this is called a conditional use under the Zoning Bylaw).

As so many people at the public healing explained though, the City needs to go further.

3
Prohibit mining anywhere in Whitehorse (best option)

This is the strongest option that’s legally available to City Council and would make exploration and mining prohibited in Whitehorse under the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw. The one confusing catch is that companies could apply to amend the Official Community Plan and the Zoning Bylaw, so it doesn’t fully take exploration and mining off the table. However, this path would involve much more scrutiny than the other options, and give residents and the municipal government a much stronger say.

CPAWS Yukon and most people who spoke at the public hearing supported the third option, prohibiting mining anywhere in Whitehorse.

Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures

Map of the Whitehorse Copperbelt area shows in red where mining is currently allowed  (IQ – Quarry zones) and where mining is considered on a case-by-case basis (IH – Industrial heavy zones) in orange. Zoning map from City of Whitehorse’s Planning Theme.

What’s next?

To see all of the heartfelt public presentations, you can watch the hearing here.

City staff are preparing a report on the input received and will present this to City Council in April. Depending on which option is chosen, the City will either have more say in whether mining continues in Whitehorse, or little say at all. Sign up for our newsletter to find out what path we’re heading down…

CPAWS Yukon Presentation to City Council

CPAWS Yukon works across the territory to protect land, water, and wildlife, and the connections people have to those values. We are among the chorus of voices asking the City to amend the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw to prohibit all mining activities in Whitehorse, with the exception of reclamation activities. 

Pit lakes dot the Whitehorse Copperbelt, signs of past mineral extraction. Most of the rock removed was not valuable and ended up piled in large waste rock piles that have buried the original landscape. Photo by Adil Darvesh.

We recognize that Class 1 mining activities produce minimal impacts when conducted in already heavily disturbed areas, similar to impacts of other heavy industrial uses that are permitted in the city. Mining exploration as a whole, however, is very different than heavy industrial work. When mining exploration is successful, it ratchets up. What starts off as an “acceptable” activity can escalate into activities with far greater impact and which fall outside of the vision residents and Council have expressed for the City.

CPAWS is concerned with the proposed conditional use approach, as we’re unsure of how much power the City would have to say no to the escalation of a project once it has been approved at the Class 1 level. Specifically, we’re worried the City would not have or not always have the authority to say no to a development permit if a project has been approved through the YESAB process and received a territorial permit, or received a Water Licence. A comprehensive legal analysis demonstrating the City would, indeed, have this ability would satisfy us on this point.

Having absolute certainty that the City can maintain the power of veto is critical, as projects can be approved through the YESAB process but not be in the best interest of a community. One example is the mining activity taking place in Dawson City, despite opposition from the municipal government. As YESAB has itself noted, quote “YESAB assessment does not and cannot address the matter of whether a project proposes an appropriate use of land.” End quote.

Among the places in Whitehorse this could flare up is the South Growth Area, which the OCP identifies as a potential future residential area. From what I could tell by eyeballing maps, part of the South Growth Area is overlain by the IQ zone, where mining is currently permitted, and by mining claims. A prohibition on mining within the City would benefit this area, given that the timelines associated with mining permits could stall the provision of acutely needed housing.

Mining is complex and risky. In the past year alone Minto Mine was abandoned with precariously full tailings ponds, Mount Nansen currently has overfull tailings facilities because of water treatment struggles, Victoria Gold was fined for not meeting water storage requirements and storing more water in its heap leach facility than allowed, and Alexco is facing charges for allegedly failing to meet water quality standards. Prohibiting mining within Whitehorse would allow the City to opt out of the demonstrated risks fully licensed projects are prone to. 

Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures

Articles from CBC News speak to the risks of licensed mining projects, links can be found in the previous paragraph. Background photo by Malkolm Boothroyd.

As noted in a previous meeting by Mr. Wright, there are also concerns that permitting lower levels of mining exploration activity to take place could increase compensation owed if the City refuses to further permit a project and is found responsible for compensation. My understanding is that court precedent in jurisdictions, like here, without mining expropriation and compensation policies, is to require compensation generally equal to what a company has put into its claims.  

This considered, what may appear to be a gift of economic development could become more akin to a high interest loan the public must repay. For clarity, I am not a lawyer and not certain  this would happen, but I am concerned  it could happen, and am looking for assurance that the City has considered this facet of allowing conditional use, and found it nothing to worry about. 

Lastly, even if prohibited under the OCP and zoning bylaws, there is still a path forward for mining within the city, as companies can apply to amend both. While this process is more involved, we believe it elevates the project review to an appropriate standard, as this is an issue people obviously care deeply about. An additional benefit of requiring an amendment is that the City can require a proponent to host a public meeting to provide information. Even for Class 1 activities a public meeting would be a great opportunity for two-way dialogue useful to both the company and the public, and help companies earn their social licence.

Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures

Looking down at the forest from a tall waste rock pile near the former Arctic Chief pit. While not visible in this photo, McIntyre Creek runs alongside the pile. This area falls within Chasàn Chùa (McIntyre Creek) but has been excluded from the future park boundaries. Photo by Randi Newton.

Additionally, while we are discussing a broader issue than the Gladiator project, I will note that their project includes many claims in zones where mining activities are currently prohibited. To me, this signals an OCP and zoning bylaw amendment, while more intensive, is something the company has potentially already contemplated, or would be capable of navigating.

For all of these reasons, CPAWS Yukon believes a prohibition is the best way to protect the City’s legacy of healthy lands and clean water for people and wildlife.

Moments from Mayo to Moosehide

Moments from Mayo to Moosehide

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Stories and photos by Malkolm Boothroyd and Adil Darvesh | March 23, 2024

Happy World Water Day! Today we’re looking back to July 2022 when First Nations youth spent 9 days paddling along the Stewart and Yukon rivers during the Mayo to Moosehide river trip.

For decades CPAWS Yukon has organized or helped organize and guide on the land trips into different areas. These kinds of trips not only give youth life-changing skills and experiences, but also the agency and confidence to speak up for the land, water, and wildlife. Read on as we spotlight special moments from the journey, which was organized by the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate (YFNED), First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun, and CPAWS Yukon.

“A few days into paddling, the Stewart River started to curve away from the Klondike Highway and we left the highway noise behind. We got to leave the stresses of everyday life behind, trading them in for downtime on the water. There’s nothing quite like it.” – Adil Darvesh

“Rivers are constantly changing. One of our landing spots on the Yukon River was a tricky backwater to catch… or at least it was the last time Jim Boyde paddled here. Jim drew us a diagram in the sand showing where to ferry, and we got back in our boats hyped for a challenge. But when we rounded the corner we found that the river had washed away the obstacles, and the weird currents were no more.” – Malkolm Boothroyd

“On our third day out from Mayo we were hit by two waves of torrential rain, the first as we paddled, the second in the evening as we were cooking dinner. The low angle sun broke through the clouds even as the rain kept hammering down, the intensity of the sun and the rain formed one of the most vibrant double rainbows I’ve ever seen, one of the bands almost touching the wet stones on the bank of the Stewart River. A few moments later the rain and the rainbow were gone.” – Malkolm Boothroyd

“We paddled along areas where First Nations fished and gathered since millennia ago. Most of us also brought our phones and extra battery packs to document and share the experience. Old traditions and new tools came together on the water. In the evenings, a computer pinged in Downtown Whitehorse, five hundred kilometers away, letting our team know we were safe.” – Adil Darvesh

“Usually when I see nighthawks it’s dusk, and they’re chasing insects high overhead. It’s rare to see one up close, but when I do I always marvel at the intricate details in their feathers and their bizarre looking heads. This bird was hanging about on a gravel bar, not far from where we camped one night. It probably had chicks nearby.” – Malkolm Boothroyd

“‘Come get some tea’ hollered Steve Buyck as he poured steaming tea into a series of mugs. Just beside him, Liz Blair shuffled some plates around to add the second of three, yes THREE, rhubarb pies that she baked for our arrival. You could tell they were so excited to welcome us, and we were so happy to see familiar faces!” – Adil Darvesh

This blog post is a social media roundup based on posts shared in 2023 covering special moments from the Mayo to Moosehide river trip. Parts of this trip were in the Dawson Region, where land use planning is currently underway. Getting youth on river trips has been of utmost importance for us at CPAWS Yukon and has more and more been a focus of our work.

Roots at Risk: A walk through Chasàn Chùa

Roots at Risk: A walk through Chasàn Chùa

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Written by Paula Gomez Villalba, Communications Coordinator | February 21, 2024

On a sunny day nestled in a week of July rain, we came together in Chasàn Chùa/McIntyre Creek to join Plants of the Boreal, a walk and talk series that connects people, place, and plants. CPAWS Yukon has been partnering with like-minded non-profits over the past two years to feature special guests for guided walks on the traditional territories of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council in Whitehorse. The forests and wetlands in Chasàn Chùa are home to an array of diverse plants, each with their own unique stories, traits, and roles in the boreal ecosystem.

At the time, Laurence Fox was the outreach manager for the Yukon Invasive Species Council (YISC), although they’re now a part of the team here at CPAWS Yukon! They welcomed us in the gravel parking lot with a pocket field guide to invasive plants of the Yukon in one hand and a friendly pup tethered to the other. I could see a set of pruners poking out from Laurence’s back pocket, and immediately knew we were in for a fun afternoon.

Right in the parking lot, pink and purple fireweed (nàkhela in Southern Tutchone) and white yarrow (ts’agyu) flowers bloomed. Down the trail we saw patches of kinnikinnick (zhǜr nlan), locoweed, and goldenrod. Each plant was different, thriving and reproducing in their own way.

Close-up of goldenrod plant, showing multiple yellow flowers.
Close-up of flowering yarrow, showing top of plant with mat of white flowers with a yellow centre.
Close-up of locoweed in bloom with pale yellow flowers.

Goldenrod, yarrow, and locoweed. Photos by Paula Gomez Villalba.

As we walked down to the creek through the forest, we learned that many of Yukon’s native plants know the history of the short spring and summer seasons in the territory, having evolved to flower early in the season and form fruits and seeds by late summer. I could see signs of this all around us: prickly wild roses had dropped their petals and started forming bright rosehips (khǘr zhǜr), and clusters of glossy black crowberries (zhǜr tthē) already dotted the forest floor.

Roots at Risk: A walk through Chasàn Chùa
Close-up of forest floor with crowberries plant and 4 fruits on top of old pine needles.
Top of a fireweed plant with thin, pink capsules that contain seeds.

Prickly wild rose, crowberries, and even some fireweed plants start producing seeds (inside fruits or capsules) throughout July. Photos by Paula Gomez Villalba.

Unfortunately, these mosaics of colours, textures, and life are at risk…

While adapting to the short growing season traditionally gave Yukon plants an edge, climate change is rapidly changing the North. Warmer temperatures, changes in precipitation, and human disturbance are creating conditions that favour invasive species—introduced, non-native species that cause harm. Some choke out local species, while others change the soil or overgrow, crowding out other plants.

Close-up of horsetail plant, showing leaf and branches growing around the stem.
Forest landscape with trees growing up from the forest floor covered in horsetail.
Two horsetail plants growing through gravel.

There are eight species of horsetail in the Yukon, and four have been observed in Chasàn Chùa. Photos by Paula Gomez Villalba.

Along the creek where the soils became sandy and exposed, horsetail covered the ground, creating a delicate green mat of thin and intricate branches. Laurence explained that horsetail is one of the oldest plants on the planet, having been around during the Jurassic period and surviving multiple mass extinctions! Yet even these ancient plants are vulnerable to invasive species. Laurence snipped a stalk of white sweetclover growing just a few feet away. They explained how this plant, introduced accidentally through farming, fixes nitrogen in its pithy white roots, making the soil where it grows less hospitable to horsetail and other native species.

Roots at Risk: A walk through Chasàn Chùa

White sweetclover is invasive, and it is now well-established here in the Yukon. Photo by Paula Gomez Villalba.

Many invasive species first establish and spread easily near disturbed areas. White sweetclover loves gravelly soils, like those found along rivers, construction sites, and roadsides. At roadsides especially, sweetclover pushes out fireweed, producing a whopping 300,000 seeds and hitching rides on the soles of people’s shoes or the tires of their bikes and cars. These seeds can lie dormant in soil or water for up to 30 years before popping back up to sprout when conditions are right, which means restoration work requires returning to the same place and removing sweetclover again and again until the seedbank is depleted. It’s a slow process that’s made even more difficult due to the lack of resources dedicated to managing invasive species in the Yukon.

No one is really responsible for evaluating and combating invasive species in the Yukon. The territory’s Wildlife Act defines wildlife only as vertebrate animals, rather than all living organisms like plants. There is no noxious or invasive plant act. As we walked through the forest, Laurence highlighted the importance of writing to your local representatives. The territory needs comprehensive legislation to protect native species and species at risk. Stable, long-term funding is essential for increased awareness and on-the-ground restoration efforts that prevent the further introduction and spread of invasive species.

Ultimately, the future of the northern boreal depends on the actions we take today. White sweetclover is just one of many invasive species whose presence puts much of what makes the Yukon special at risk. Invasive species aren’t inherently better or more suited to the north, they just have a strong competitive edge because human-caused climate change continues to create favourable conditions for them, while simultaneously stressing native species.

Roots at Risk: A walk through Chasàn Chùa

Bumblebees and many other animals rely on native Yukon plants to survive. Photo by Paula Gomez Villalba.

Beyond providing space for us to connect with nature, boreal forests and wetlands are biodiversity hotspots that filter water, provide homes for wildlife, and help build resiliency to climate change. Disrupting them triggers significant changes across ecosystems that have taken millenia to evolve. That’s why we need resources to engage and connect people with plants and restore areas that are changing. Find out about future Plants of the Boreal walks and similar events by signing up for our newsletter.

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Southern Tutchone translations from the Yukon Native Language Centre’s Southern Tutchone Noun Dictionary and Champagne and Aishihik First Nation’s Dákwänjé Dictionary.

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