Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y)

Tombstone Territorial Park Photo by Juri Peepre

CPAWS-Yukon supports the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y). As the northern anchor of this initiative we have participated since 1993 in the effort to protect and conserve ecosystems and wildlife habitat along the spine of the continent – 3200 km from the Three Rivers of the Peel Watershed in northern Yukon to the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming.

CPAWS-Yukon continues to work towards conservation and protection in the Peel watershed, including the Three Rivers, through the land use planning process and by working directly with communities. We have the opportunity to protect one of the largest roadless areas in the Yukon before industrialization – a place of unparalleled wild beauty, where ecological and evolutionary processes remain intact. A forward-looking planning approach that includes genuine consultation with First Nations, communities, and the public would help ensure that the entire living community remains protected and whole – while providing for a sustainable local economy.

View a map of the areas comprising the Yellowstone to Yukon region.

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative uses the best available science and traditional ecological knowledge to support planning a network of protected areas and conservation lands along the spine of the continent. These plans include the identification of essential wildlife habitat areas and connecting linkages that will help knit the protected areas together and allow for movement of wildlife.

Yellowstone to Yukon is the birthplace of the Canadian and U.S. national parks systems.

Ten national parks and dozens of state, provincial and territorial parks already exist and make up a significant amount of the linked core areas many scientists believe will maintain wildlife in this ecoregion over the long term.

Yellowstone to Yukon is home to some of the world’s most spectacular wilderness and a variety of human communities and cultures. Ever-increasing interests in mineral extraction and a growing human population demand that we exercise forethought and respect if we want the Y2Y corridor to remain as a land of opportunity for more than just ourselves.

More than 70 mammal species inhabit the Y2Y region, from herds of caribou stretching as far as the eye can see, to solitary wolverines prowling high alpine meadows. Of note is the diversity of large carnivores – found nowhere else in the world – including grizzly bear, black bear, wolf, cougar, lynx and bobcat. Yellowstone to Yukon means viable wildlife populations for hunters and naturalists alike – forever.

You’ll find more than 100 species of fish in the lakes and rivers of the Y2Y region, including chinook salmon, arctic grayling, and the endangered bull trout.

At least 275 species of birds breed in the region, which includes a major flyway from one end of the region to the other. Over 6000 Golden Eagles and 19 other species of raptors migrate each spring and fall between Yellowstone National Park and the Yukon.

Grizzlies nursing
Photo by Fritz Mueller