stewart-planning

March 31 2025

Cyanide in the Environment: A webinar on the Eagle Mine disaster

CPAWS Yukon Blog, Uncategorized stewart-planning

Cyanide in the Environment

A webinar on the Eagle Mine disaster

Compiled by Paula Gomez Villalba | March 31, 2025

In the wake of the Eagle Mine disaster, Yukon Seed & Restoration hosted a webinar with updates on the disaster response and ongoing risks from the toxic cyanide solution. Mark O’Donoghue, retired Biologist and advisor to the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, explained the initial heap leach failure and outlined the response so far, including water treatment, storage capacity, groundwater contamination, and ongoing monitoring. Cyanide, cobalt and mercury are three major contaminants of concern. Dr. Laurie Chan, Canada Research Chair in Toxicology and Environmental Health and University of Ottawa professor, spoke about their chemistry, toxicity, and environmental health risks. These conversations are especially important as the Eagle Mine disaster continues to unfold, with toxic water still seeping into the land.

Mark O’Donoghue on Eagle Mine

“It’s been damage control and it’s been triage… This is all happening very quickly. The emphasis has been on avoiding a catastrophe… If nothing was done to contain the water, we would have had a surface spill of cyanide water and that could still be the case because their ponds are quite full there. It would flow from the creek and the toxins out there would have certainly killed everything down the McQuesten River and it would likely have done so down part of the Stewart River as well.”

“There’s massive contamination that’s gone into the groundwater, both in terms of when it first slid and now it’s been leaking since then… But it is estimated that there’s several hundred thousand cubic meters of contaminated solution in the groundwater. So that’s several hundred million liters. It’s a huge amount of contaminated groundwater in the lower Dublin Gulch area.”

“The plume of contaminated groundwater from the mine site has reached Haggart Creek and is having an increasing effect on water quality in the creek. There’s lots of uncertainties about where the water’s going and whether it’s even reasonable to intercept it.”

“Haggart Creek has huge value biologically and culturally. It’s known as a salmon-spawning stream and a salmon-rearing stream. It also has a hugely important grayling run. This is the most important grayling fishery in the Na-Cho Nyäk Dun traditional territory, right where the Haggart Creek comes into the South McQuesten River. The grayling congregate there in March/April, and people go there and fish through the ice. It is a big community event every year.”

“One of the big problems is that [Victoria Gold’s] water treatment plant was never designed to take cyanide out. It was designed to deal with other water that’s coming out of the mine area where they’re mining [with] high turbidity, other metals in it. This water treatment plant had to be repurposed and basically jury-rigged to try and make it so it could remove the cyanide. Getting this right has taken a lot longer than I expected.”

“Each of these dots is a different water monitoring station within the first four kilometers south of where Dublin Gulch flows into the creek. Water quality stayed quite safe all the way through September and then cyanide started increasing and has increased pretty steadily since then… That’s the case with some other contaminants.

— Mark O’Donoghue with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun

Increase in cyanide levels at stations 4 km from the mine.

Consistently high mercury levels at stations 4 km from the mine.

Cobalt levels increasing at stations 8 km from the mine.

Dr Laurie Chan on Cyanide

“It’s fairly uncommon to have high levels of cyanide in the environment so there is relatively few data and very few studies looking at the impact of cyanide in the environment.”

“Cyanide is a very well-known poison. It’s very toxic, but at low doses, our bodies can handle it. Moose and caribou, all animals have some capacity to detoxify the cyanide and then excrete it. It doesn’t stay in the body for long. It doesn’t bioaccumulate in the body.”

“Cyanide in water does not bioaccumulate in tissues or fish because it gets transformed and released. [When] eating fish the risk of contaminative cyanide is low… If there’s a dead fish, there may be some residual cyanide in the fish, but if the fish is alive and kicking, it shouldn’t be a major risk of cyanide.”

“Fish and plankton, those little animals or plants that fish eat, are very sensitive to cyanide…The Canadian drinking water guideline is 0.2 milligram per litre. The guideline for fish is .005 milligram per litre. So, humans are more resistant to cyanide than fish.”

“Cyanide actually inhibits respiration in the cell and it doesn’t discriminate what cell. So that’s why cyanide has got systemic toxicity. It affects the whole body.”

“We get cyanide usually through breathing in, eating, drinking water, or even contacts from skin absorption. The concern is not just ingesting water. If the creek or the river is contaminated, if kids are swimming there, then we need to worry about thermal absorption as a route as well, not just drinking.”

Dr Laurie Chan on Other Contaminants

“Organic mercury can bioaccumulate unlike cyanide and cobalt. It will accumulate in the body of fish and animals. The bigger the fish is and the older the fish is, the more mercury it will have in the body… Mercury attacks the brain and the heart… If there’s consistent release of mercury in the environment, the sediment will have high levels of mercury in the river or the creek, and if there is the right bacteria it will become organic mercury that goes into fish. The fish will have high mercury and not be fit for human consumption. It’s a long-term effect, the mercury doesn’t go away easily.”

“Cobalt is 50 times less toxic than cyanide. Since it’s a nutrient and not very toxic, we don’t have any drinking water guidelines for cobalt. But in the environment, cobalt released in soil, water, plants and cannot be created or destroyed. Cobalt in water has two different forms, one that binds to particles and one that dissolves. The dissolved cobalt is more bioavailable and toxic.”

“We are still in the early stage of understanding what are the impacts of these chemicals in the environment and to people in the area. So we need, definitely, more monitoring…and then we need to do risk assessment, looking at this information and having a better understanding of what do people use, where do people hang out to actually estimate the dose, to answer the question of what might be the effects.”

There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty surrounding the Eagle Mine disaster and the decades of cleanup ahead. The impacts aren’t just technical, they’re deeply personal too. This disaster will continue to affect life-sustaining waters and how people connect with the land. It threatens health, culture, and future generations—but this isn’t something we simply have to accept. There are ways to push for accountability, protect communities, and stand in solidarity with the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun.

“Go to the emergency response webpage and fill out the letter to send to your local MP/MLA demanding that we get a public inquiry on this so we get to the bottom of it and it never happens again. ”

— Chief Dawna Hope, First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun

Join the call for a public inquiry

FNNND emergency response webpage

The webinar was hosted by Yukon Seed and Restoration on Monday, March 10th, 2025 with in-person showings at Ihdzí’ in Mayo and the NNDDC office in Whitehorse, Yukon. Quotes edited for length and clarity. The full webinar recording can be found here.

March 7 2025

What the Heap? Understanding the cyanide disaster at Eagle Mine

CPAWS Yukon Blog, Uncategorized stewart-planning

What the Heap?

Understanding the cyanide disaster at Eagle Mine

Written by Paula Gomez Villalba and Nicole Schafenacker | March 7, 2025

On June 24, 2024, the heap leach at Victoria’s Gold’s Eagle Mine near Mayo, Yukon, on the traditional territory of the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND), failed, causing a slide that released 300,000 cubic meters of cyanide-contaminated water into the ecosystem.

The cycle that kept hundreds of millions of litres of toxic solution contained broke.

Victoria Gold was unprepared for the crisis, and in the months following the disaster failed to take adequate steps to mitigate the damage, while their financial prospects tanked. Late last summer a court put Victoria Gold into receivership, transferring control of the mine site and the company’s finances to more competent hands. Still, there are huge challenges to overcome, like containing the contaminated water, keeping storage ponds from leaking and overflowing, and stabilizing what remains of the heap leach.

This disaster is yet the latest example showing the Yukon is far behind when it comes to responsible mining. A public inquiry can help us change that. We must understand what policies, decisions, and actions from government and Victoria Gold management led to this disaster.

Sign our letter calling for a public inquiry

Water contaminated with cyanide and heavy metals is still seeping into the ground. It has reached local waterways, including Haggart Creek in the South McQuesten watershed, home to grayling, and Yukon River Salmon.

Here, in the South McQuesten River watershed, people fish, hunt, and pick berries. Moose and grizzly bears care for their young, and thousands of birds find refuge during migration. There is no doubt that this disaster will change how people interact with the area.

Quotes from CBC News feature by Julien Greene highlighting people who live near the Eagle Mine Disaster site: Troubled water.

Join the call for a public inquiry

How did the Eagle Mine heap leach work?
To better grasp why this disaster requires immediate action, it’s helpful to understand how heap leaching generally works.
1. A toxic cyanide solution was applied to the top of the heap leach pad.
2. The heap leach pad is where rock containing gold (also called ore) was piled up over a protective liner that protects the ground underneath.
3. The toxic solution seeped down through the rocks, dissolving the gold and collecting in an in-heap pond underneath the pile on the pad.
4. A pump system collected the solution from the in-heap pond to a plant where the gold was extracted, and the solution cycled back through the same process.
5. Farther down from the embankment, a lined storage pond was available to catch solution overflowing from the in-heap pond in emergency situations, like large rainfalls and pump failures. It was small, able to only hold 3-days worth of overflow solution.
The breakdown of the heap leach leaves the nearby lands and water facing an uncertain future at each step of the process. In an update from last fall (before the snowfall), FNNND reported over 600 million litres of cyanide solution remained at Eagle Mine, in surface ponds and circulating through the damaged heap facility, with minimal water treatment available.
What happened?

In the disaster, the mine’s heap leach facility, a huge pile of rock over which cyanide solution is cycled to extract gold from the ore, failed. The resulting slide and damage to the facility released over 300,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated water into the ecosystem. A month after the initial failure, the territorial government stepped in to begin groundwater interception, and later a full response coordinated by the territorial government with the FNNND emergency response team and federal government.

Even now, eight months later, cyanide is still infiltrating into the environment, with leaks recently reported from a ruptured pipe and from a storage pond meant to contain contaminated water.

Victoria Gold, the owner of Eagle Mine, had a history of violations, unrealized plans, and broken promises, and repeatedly failing to follow the requirements of their operating licenses or meet deadlines to bring the site into compliance. Mining failures like this should never happen again.

“Yukon Government has a lax approach to permitting, compliance, monitoring, and enforcement of mineral activity in the Yukon, and this approach was reflected in YG’s oversight-or lack thereof-of the Eagle Gold Mine… [including] allowing Victoria Gold Corp to operate the Heap Leach Facility without proven cyanide treatment capacity, contrary to the conditions of its Water Use Licence” — First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun letter to the Auditor General of Canada

There are a lot of questions unanswered, and a public inquiry is the only way forward to give the South McQuesten watershed the justice and respect it deserves. Tell Yukon government there must be a public inquiry.

Why is a public inquiry needed?

The Yukon government has committed to a technical review of the heap leach failure and, while this is important work, it’s not enough to break the long pattern of failed mines in the Yukon. We must look at why the heap leach failed—not only the narrow ways of how it failed. A technical review looks at this disaster in isolation, focusing solely on the technical and physical ways the heap leach failed like engineering design and operational decisions, but a public inquiry goes beyond that.
With the authority to subpoena witnesses, documents, and expert testimony, a public inquiry would also investigate broader systemic issues that may have contributed to the Eagle Mine disaster. It would examine whether oversight, permitting processes, and enforcement were effective or if regulatory gaps played a role. A public inquiry would also allow for community voices, impacted First Nations, and independent experts to provide testimony.
A public inquiry looks at all the evidence with accountability and transparency, and would help rebuild the trust this disaster has damaged. The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun has called on the Yukon government to launch a full public inquiry and urged all Yukoners to join FNNND in these calls.

“A public inquiry is essential to look at how mines in Yukon are approved, regulated, inspected, and enforced. Without an understanding of what happened, justice cannot be served, and Yukon First Nations and Yukon mining operators cannot mitigate this from ever happening again.” — Call to action #4 from emergency-response.nndfn.com

You can help. Sign the open letter in support of an independent public inquiry.
The receivership of the Eagle Mine was positive news. What does it mean?

Victoria Gold’s response to the heap leach disaster did not inspire confidence that the lands, waters, and people downstream of the heap leach were in good hands. The company failed to communicate openly with Yukoners, the territorial government, and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, who they had an explicit agreement to communicate with. Victoria Gold repeatedly failed to meet deadlines for containing and treating contaminated water, and couldn’t even show significant progress. They also couldn’t show that they had the funds or capacity to properly contain and remediate the disaster. The company was placed into receivership for these and other reasons.

This means that a court, after hearing evidence from the Yukon government and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, appointed a third party, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to administer the assets and liabilities formerly under the control of Victoria Gold at the direction of the Yukon government. This allows the Yukon government and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun to make more collaborative decisions and plans. The receivership also made sure that the disaster response was getting the resources it needed, and that the response was much more transparent.

While some have argued that the site should have been left in Victoria Gold’s hands and the company given a chance to find financing, this would be a very risky approach, especially given the territory’s checkered history with failed mines. In the past, the government often waited too long to step in while failing companies allowed environmental risks and costs to escalate at soon-to-be abandoned mine sites.
Where can I learn more?

Join the call for a public inquiry

Map of the McQuesten River (Et’o Nyäk Tagé in Northern Tutchone) Watershed

February 17 2025

Conversations with Voices from the Wind River

CPAWS Yukon Blog stewart-planning

Written by Paula Gomez Villalba | February 17, 2025

The 2023 Wind River Trip on the traditional territory of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun and Tetlit Gwich’in began under the looming shadow of wildfires. On the day the group was set to depart, the entire community of Mayo was evacuated due to a nearby blaze. Flying into a nearby launching spot on float planes, the group soared above active fires and through mountain valleys cloaked in haze. Our Outreach Manager, Joti Overduin helped lead the trip and shared:

“At one point we weren’t sure if it was going to be safe for us to keep going. We had landed at McClusky Creek, portaged over and lined down the creek, and we were on the Wind River. But we had to take our time. Joel and I were the only ones that had done the river before, and I knew what was out there, but no one could see it at the beginning because it was all smoke.”

Having co-organized many trips over the years, our team has learned how important it is to build space into the itinerary for safety setbacks and rest. We worked tirelessly to ensure the group’s safety, maintaining constant communication with FNNND Lands and Wildland Fire in Mayo. The trip, co-organized by CPAWS Yukon, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND), and the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate (YFNED), was defined by both challenges and incredible moments of connection. Youth participants included Chayce Moses-McLaren, Dominic Palmer, Lucien Trudeau, and Shalaya Boss-Blackjack, alongside youth mentors Chantel Blysak, Kadrienne Hummel, and Laurent Turgeon-Dharmoo.

It was very exciting to have most participants join us for a conversation at Voices from the Wind River after the screening of “Connections,” a short film recounting their journey. What participants shared felt like an invitation to hop into the canoe with them, to reflect on the transformative power of being on the land, and to celebrate courage, resilience, and community. Led by Joti, Jona Barr, and Ashwin Freyne, with support from Bethany Paquette, Joel Luet, and Virginia Mitford, the group made their way downriver despite the smoky conditions.

“I was joking with Lucien about how the mountains behind the smoke look like big muffins and that kind of stuck throughout the whole trip. Then we were hit with this big lightning storm that shook the ground and it was kind of scary—our canoes were filled with water halfway. The next day it got even smokier so we weren’t sure what was going on, but Joti had good contact back in Mayo with Wildland Fire. The next site we were at was the last point where we could be evacuated from a nearby lake called Angel Lake, and that was when all the fires got put out around and downstream from us. The rain helped us continue on.” — Kadrienne Hummel

“When we stayed at this one campsite [near Angel Lake], it was all smoky and you couldn’t see anything except for the water and where you were. We went to sleep and then in the morning I got up and I looked outside my tent, you could see everything! It was a really sunny morning, nice crisp morning air. You could see all the mountains, all the braidings of the river, and I was so amazed.” — Shalaya Boss-Blackjack

“The trip had so many highlights in terms of how beautiful it was and also how difficult it was with all the rain and the fires and the paddling; 16 days is actually longer than it sounds” — Ashwin Freyne

“We watched a grizzly bear family just bathing. It was a really hot day that day and they were playing around in the stream and eating bearoots—eating while they’re still in the stream. We were at a safe distance to just sit and eat some berries, watch them from afar, and have a break” — Kadrienne Hummel

Bethany Paquette (left) was our filmmaker and helped guide the boat down the river, she shared: “It was really rewarding. I would usually get out of my tent and I would throw up the drone before I even went to the bathroom, and the last thing I did before going to sleep would be making sure all my batteries were charging. It was a very different trip for me.”

“There was time set aside so that we could rest at each camp spot. We had time to hike the mountains nearby and see some cool waterfalls but I think for this trip there was an opportunity for me to practice ceremony. I said a little prayer and I asked ancestors and Creator to watch over us to ensure that we have a safe journey home.” — Kadrienne Hummel

“We were stopping to take water samples as we went down the Wind River. FNNND and its partners doing a lot of research on water as well as permafrost, as water is of greatest importance to FNNND. Our group also helped collect information for FNNND about some of the cultural sites along the way” — Joti Overduin

Joel Luet shared wisdom from his previous paddling down the Wind River that helped make the journey smoother. He highlighted a funny moment during Voices from the Wind River that speaks to teamwork and the unpredictability of river trips: “One afternoon we just got pounded by a thunderstorm, but as soon as we hit the shore everyone was just working to get the tarps up. Of course as soon as the tarps were up. the rain stopped—so I guess they did their job.”

“We canoed past coals that were still burning and winter roads that still [leave] a scar along the shorelines. This is a river that my ancestors traveled and I know that they lived in this area and traveled back and forth to the Northwest Territories since the early 1800s, and that’s only recorded history. To be out there on the land and to see this untouched wilderness and what’s at stake when we put exploration into the picture—it gave me that encouragement to be able to speak up for my First Nation.” — Kadrienne Hummel

“FNNND Elder Jimmy Johnny told us that there are stone axe stumps at certain sites. We were hiking and exploring hoping that we’d find some, and it was beautiful. I remember the moment where we saw what we thought was a stump that had been cut down with a stone axe, and realizing it was, and seeing more and more. Then that site just transformed to be more open. You could feel the people that have been in that place and it was incredibly exciting. We would just go from one step to the next and take photos.” — Joti Overduin

“Having youth on canoe trips, it builds so much empowerment within themselves. When we were at the Peel Canyon, we left camp and [Chase and Dom who were 15 at the time] canoed together through a small wave of rapids. They were behind us, so we were waiting, and we could just hear them holding their paddles up and hooting and hollering, and just being pumped that they achieved something” — Kadrienne Hummel

“When we were on The Peel (we had come from the Wind to the Peel), and we were in the canyon, maybe day 14. I think we had a super long day of paddling, but I just remember I felt like we had adapted so much as a group. There was a calmness, we all knew our role, we were all helping, and everyone just seemed really relaxed. It was a beautiful spot, but what I remember about it was just everyone’s relaxed nature about it.

Half the crew went across the river and hiked up to a little spot when the sun was going down, and half stayed. We could hear them singing and belting out a song across the river, and then when they came back we all kind of chilled out.

I could just feel like the difference from the beginning of the trip. It was so taxing to do all of this stuff with such long days. You’re so tired you just want to lay on the ground when you get there but there’s so much to do, like set up tents and food, and take care of your wet gear. But I felt like we were super strong by that point of the trip” — Chantel Blysak

“We all have these roles that we play in canoe trips and all our goofiness comes out in different ways and to be able to bond with community members in this way and have this life experience that only we share together—it’s like family. It’s so good to be reconnected and I’m so glad that everyone came out to support. We’re all here for the same reason, for the environment and for our love for the Yukon” — Kadrienne Hummel

“It was a really positive challenge because all of us had moments of peaks and valleys. There’s hard parts of the day, there’s really challenging parts of the river, physically you’re cold and you’re hungry. It’s just so taxing and then there’s these most amazing, memorable, beautiful moments. These big highs and lows happen everyday, and then we’re also trying to help lead and support the youth while they’re having peaks and valleys. I just learned the land is such a such a valuable place to do that, the land gives them the space and all the stuff they need to learn. I went through my own journey but I got to watch them figure it out too each day” — Chantel Blysak

“When we left the community of Mayo, there was a huge send off for us and people sent us with a stack of letters for the youth to read from the community along the way. When we got back, there was an even bigger feast and celebration. This is not just about the people on this trip, it’s the whole community” — Joti Overduin

These stories were shared during the Voices from the Wind River event held in November 2024. On-the-land trips like these are made possible through careful planning, strong relationships, and support from donors like you. They also rely on the conservation of landscapes that are ecologically and culturally important. We’re grateful for the decades of work from Peel nations, elders, allies, and others that gave the Peel Watershed the protection it deserves. As land planning continues and new generations connect with the land and water, we all share the responsibility to care for and uphold our values for today and tomorrow.

You can support community trips and the future of the Yukon’s wild spaces by donating to CPAWS Yukon.

Quotes edited for length and clarity. Photos taken by trip participants.

September 20 2023

Connecting to the Land Through Plants

CPAWS Yukon Blog stewart-planning

Connecting to the Land Through Plants

Native plant reclamation with the First Nation of Na-Cho-Nyäk Dun and Yukon Seed and Restoration

Written by Stephanie Woods, Conservation Coordinator | September 20, 2023

The wild Ninchún (prickly rose) was just starting to open from bud to bloom as we turned onto the dirt road that meandered through an old forest fire burn site and traveled into a rich forest full of k’i (paper birch). The ts’ok denéht’ro (black spruce), t’o (trembling aspen), and blooming ts’ago (Labrador tea) guided the way to Ethel Lake, a sacred and alive place, on the traditional territory of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNNND).

Ninchún (prickly rose), ts’ok (spruce), and k’ay (willow) at Ethel Lake.

A few weeks prior, CPAWS had joined the FNNND gathering to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of signing their Final Agreement. Helaina Moses, a Councillor with FNNND, excitedly shared her passion for native seed, restoration, and youth training around the lunch table.

“You should come to see it for yourself,” she encouraged as she invited us to join the first three days of an eight-day youth training program.

Aiden, CPAWS Yukon’s summer intern, and I arrived the evening prior, providing time and space to introduce ourselves to the hosts, land, and water. I sat on the shores of Ethel Lake, breathing it in, while Aiden took the plunge into the cold and welcoming lake. We both took in the peace of the elements on the porch that evening, listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind and the evening song of birds. We said sweet dreams to the mosquitos and turned in for the night, excited for the following morning.

Aiden on the porch at Ethel Lake and a welcome sign he created for the arriving students. I worked on my first beadwork project before training started.

Northern Tutchone youth gathered for the event to learn about native plants and reclamation on their traditional territories. The program was developed in collaboration with Yukon Seed and Restoration, a First Nations-owned environmental restoration company, and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun.

Youth learned about plant identification, technical field skills, and planning for fieldwork in remote places. The group learned how to distinguish the layers of vegetation, for example, the difference between a herb, shrub, and tree layer when analyzing a 1m x 1m plant plot. Traditional Ecological Knowledge was woven through the technical teachings as the group learned the Northern Tutchone names for each plant, as well as how to harvest seeds in an honourable and reciprocal way — when we take, we give back.

Once disturbed, the natural evolutionary makeup of native plant communities is nearly impossible to replicate and return to its original state. The relationships between plants, soil, and the elements are intricate and complex, having evolved and found balance over large scales of time. Successful native plant reclamation requires a connection with the land, technical and thoughtful planning, as well as consistent monitoring.

Helaina threaded stories and insights throughout the training. She shared the history of the FNNND culture that encompasses a deep and interwoven connection with the land and plants. Adrienne Hill, a FNNND citizen and respected member of the community, shared information and feelings on the complex political context of signing their Final Agreement and what that looks like now. There was space held for healing that recognized the traumatizing and painful history of colonialism and environmental destruction. Traditional Ecological Knowledge, western science, and space holding spun together to provide this unique offering of healing and learning on the land. FNNND citizens echoed motivation throughout the teachings for youth to become involved in environmental reclamation and monitoring, as well as land guardianship that protects their values within the Northern Tutchone region.

On the evening of the second day, we gathered ts’ok tips to make spruce-tip tea, and ts’ago flowers to make Labrador tea. The plants became a part of us with each sip. Nanette Richard of Silverberry Pro’s truck (right) brought the message home.

Future land use planning in the Northern Tutchone region will include restoration and reclamation guidelines. Training and paid opportunities such as these empower youth to conduct Indigenous-led land guardianship and protection now and in the future.

The voice and active participation of Indigenous youth are needed more than ever. Mining sites are extensive, land developments are ongoing, and there is a clear need for native plant reclamation on these disturbed sites. Native plant reclamation is not only a phase of a project or development but an essential and empowering part of the healing process on the land and within the community.

It was our privilege to be part of, and actively participate in this opportunity, learning alongside youth. I feel gratitude for being invited to such an event and working with an organization, such as CPAWS Yukon. CPAWS supports on-the-land and on-the-water opportunities for Indigenous peoples on their traditional territories, committed to being of service where appropriate and needed.

Group activities included identifying three parts that make up each species of plant and the cultural practice of dreamcatcher weaving.

Before we departed Ethel Lake, Aiden and I participated in a group activity that we had helped prepare for throughout our stay. We were instructed to gather three separate parts of each species of plant, for example, the stem, leaves, and buds of Ninchún (prickly rose), or the cones, bark, and tips of degay ts’ok (white spruce), and so on. While harvesting, I offered a strand of my hair in reciprocity – when we take, we give back. During the group activity, each part of the plant, like each strand of a braid, came together to form the visualization of one whole species of plant.

The cover of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s famous novel Braiding Sweetgrass comes to mind. Traditional Ecological Knowledge, western science, and plants are the strands of a braid that are highly interconnected and stronger when woven into one. Each strand helps heal and strengthens the other, for we are in this work of healing, learning, and restoring, together. As we turned back onto the paved road back to Whitehorse, we marveled at all of the purple Shràttha (bear root) and yellow tl’o nan ka neshį’ (locoweed) in bloom on the roadside, lighting our way home.

The Northern Tutchone Seed Collection and Reclamation Training Initiative would not be possible without the dedicated support from our funders. This initiative is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Skills and Partnership Fund.

October 18 2019

We paddled through the Beaver River Watershed to see what could be lost to road development

CPAWS Yukon Blog, BlogBeaverRiver beaver river watershed, stewart-planning

Day 5, the day we paddled with Chinook salmon and listened to a pack of wolves on the Beaver River. Photo: Steve Hossack

Pushing ourselves over another beaver dam after our paddling charge left us high-centred. Photo: Calder Cheverie

Emerging from a narrow stream to one of the many small lakes between McQuesten Lake and the Beaver River. These wetlands are a haven for birds and other wildlife. Photo: Calder Cheverie.

Standing in the path of one of the road’s 73 water crossings, where the Wind River Trail meets Scougale Creek. Photo: Calder Cheverie

Paddling past the steep walls of Seven Mile Canyon. We don’t have time to stop but the pools along the rock walls look like inviting places to fish. Photo: Steve Hossack

The raging water of Fraser Falls makes travel up much of the Stewart River difficult and has kept the wilderness beyond unspoiled. The proposed road could open up not only the Beaver River Watershed but the upper Stewart River Watershed. Photo: Steve Hossack

We woke up to frost on the last day of the trip, at Fraser Falls fish camp. Like other mornings, we gather together and offer thanks before hitting the water. Photo: Steve Hossack

Written by: Randi Newton, Conservation Manager | October 18, 2019

The wolves are close. Their barks and howls echo off the stony, spruce covered hills that flank the clear water of the Beaver River. Sitting in my canoe, I catch a glimpse of a cream coloured pup before it scampers into the forest. Others are lucky enough to spot adults howling from the hillside. Our crew of twenty sits captivated by the serenade and many of us break out into joyous laughter.

We let our canoes float aimlessly, even though the sky is fading to early evening and we have miles of paddling left to go if we want to keep up with our itinerary. The chorus of howls continues for minutes. Red Chinook salmon swim alongside our canoes and two bald eagles fly overhead. The richness of life along the river is astonishing. It’s jarring to know this place is threatened by major mining development.

$\"\"$ Our 10-day, 379 kilometre paddling route. CPAWS Yukon

We’re on day five of a ten-day canoe trip that, so far, has taken us a short drive from the community of Mayo to McQuesten Lake, through a maze of beaver-dam choked streams and wetlands, and on to the Beaver River. We see the wolves just below the confluence of the Beaver and the Rackla River, and a few days after that we’ll join the Stewart River, which will take us back to Mayo.

Our crew includes members from the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, artists, photographers, and long time Yukoners. We’re here to connect with this wild place, document and celebrate it, so that we know and can share with others what stands to be lost to development.

For much of the trip, we travel alongside the route of a proposed 65 km mining exploration road that, if built, will lead to ATAC’s Rau gold project. Our group is too noisy to see more than a handful of moose but our guide Joel tells us he saw 34 on his last Beaver River trip, including one chased into the river by a wolf. This moose population already faces unsustainable levels of harvest and road access is likely to cause its numbers to fall even more.

We paddle 379 kilometres over the ten-day trip, passing by or travelling on many of the 73 water bodies that the proposed road would cross. We enjoy the freedom of dipping our bottles and drinking directly from the clear water, and we keep our eyes peeled for Chinook salmon and Dolly Varden char, yelling out to the group when we spot one. We dig our hands into the riverbed and marvel at the benthic invertebrates that wiggle between the small gravel. These small organisms signal a healthy aquatic ecosystem.

A lack of road access has allowed the Beaver River Watershed to remain remote and unspoiled. Canoe access is not easy. For the first few days of our trip, we travel up streams crisscrossed with beaver dams and deadfall. We do more pushing and pulling than paddling, and ping pong off narrow shores patterned with the tracks of moose, caribou, wolves and beavers. When the streams run dry, we portage across mucky ground that tries to steal our boots. Travel is exhausting and, for a few unlucky people who lose their footing dragging a canoe over a dam, very wet. A grizzly cub climbs up a nearby tree on one portage and keeps us alert.

The landscape keeps us smiling through the long days. While we wait for others wrestle their canoes over jumbles of logs, we enjoy the watershed’s kingfishers, swans, eagles, and loons. We watch small pike swim in the shallow streams. Elders from Na-cho Nyak Dun tell stories about their time on the land, and youth point out the places where their relatives lived and travelled.

If built, the ATAC road could open up this intact watershed to a future spider’s web of roads and development. Given that ATAC’s Osiris project sits over a 100 kilometres past the end the proposed road, it’s easy to imagine future calls to extend its length. Over a dozen companies have mining claims in the watershed, signalling there could be even more proposed branch roads and landscape fragmentation.

We arrive back in Mayo after ten days to a warm welcome and a BBQ celebration. A slideshow of the trip runs during the meal, and elders come forward with memories of time spent in the watershed. I hope future generations will tell the same stories, and that the watershed will remain rich and full of life. Fortunately, Yukon Government and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun have agreed that a land use plan for the Beaver River Watershed must be in place before construction of the exploration road can be authorized.

There’s no turning back once a road is built. With so much at stake, CPAWS Yukon is working to ensure the plan for the Beaver River Watershed is more than a check in the box. The plan must be built around the watershed’s values and the vision people have for it. We hope that you’ll stand alongside us and others who are working to secure a strong future for the Beaver River Watershed.

Stay tuned to CPAWS Yukon for more information. We’ll let you know when there are upcoming opportunities to lend your voice for the Beaver River Watershed.

In the meantime, you can share your vision for the watershed and your concerns with members of the Beaver River Planning Committee. Simply send an email to krysti.horton@gov.yk.ca and lesley.cabott@stantec.com.

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