News Release

Yukon Government Decision on Fishing Branch Protected Area

September 29, 1999 – Today’s Yukon Government announcement on the creation of a 5,400 square km park study area in the Fishing Branch watershed is good news for all Canadians. The Yukon Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says it has the potential to be a major step forward for northern conservation, but the Yukon Government still has to provide a plan to phase out mining exploration work in the proposed park. The Fishing Branch River is located in the Ogilvie Mountains of northern Yukon and is the first protected area proposal to go through the territorial Protected Areas Strategy.

“We congratulate the Yukon Government for its decision to include the entire Fishing Branch watershed in the park study area. Full protection of the watershed – and that means no industrial development of any kind – is the minimum standard needed to ensure the survival of spawning salmon and grizzly bears,” said Juri Peepre, chair of CPAWS-Yukon and Yukon co-ordinator of the World Wildlife Fund Endangered Spaces Campaign.

While CPAWS-Yukon supports the boundary proposal for the park, the decision to allow continued mining exploration is unacceptable and contrary to the government’s own policies. An outside company staked new claims in the park area after the proposed boundaries were drawn on government maps and the local planning effort was underway. The Yukon government has made at least three commitments to ensuring that core protected areas are free of industrial development. These include the Yukon Protected Areas Strategy, the Whitehorse Mining Initiative and the national Endangered Spaces standards.

“This sends a clear signal to the mining industry that the government will back you up 100% if you stake claims in a proposed protected area. It’s another example of how the free entry mining system allows the industry to make its own land use decisions – regardless of what the public or First Nations think,” said Mr. Peepre.

“When a final decision is made on Fishing Branch, we expect the Yukon government to meet the standards that the public supports and make good on its own protected area policies. We are looking for a clear plan to prevent roads or mines in the heart of the Fishing Branch watershed,” added Peepre.

Juri Peepre
CPAWS-Yukon
Telephone: 867-393-8080