Bulletin
Yukon's Proposed Kusawa Lake Park Withdrawn From Mineral Staking
Ark Mountain and Kusawa Lake
Photo by Rob McClure
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In April 2005, the Yukon Government protected the proposed Kusawa Lake Park area from mineral claim staking and other land dispositions. This scenic 3113 km2 area west of Whitehorse, in the Stikine Highland and Southern Lakes ecoregions, has been an active park candidate since the start of the Endangered Spaces Campaign in 1989. In the 1970s, part of the area was a Recreation Reserve, but the park proposal did not advance until progress was made on land claims negotiations.
The pristine Kusawa Lake watershed is set in the Coast Mountains, and is known for its wildlife diversity, including important populations of Dall sheep, mountain goats, raptors and grizzly bears. The watershed supports lake trout, whitefish, grayling and salmon. Although much of the park area is high elevation habitat critical for resident large ungulates and carnivores, lowland areas in the watershed make a significant contribution to protection of the southern Yukon's boreal forest. Impressive sand dunes and extensive boreal grasslands are special ecological features of the proposed park.
In recent years, archaeologists and palaeontologists have drawn international attention to the importance of Kusawa Lake as a window on the past. Melting snowfields have revealed extensive ancient caribou dung deposits and artifacts left there by the people who once hunted the caribou. Remains of bison, sheep, and other animals have been found, often beautifully preserved in the ice on the high cold ridges. Today, the long deep Kusawa Lake and the Takhini River are popular destinations for camping, canoeing, boating, hiking, angling and hunting.
Kusawa grasslands
Photo by Juri Peepre
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Kusawa Lake is not yet formally designated as a Territorial Park, although official park status will follow once a management agreement between the Yukon government and the Kwanlin Dun, Carcross-Tagish and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations is concluded. The Carcross-Tagish First Nation has not ratified their land claim agreement, but the park is recognized as a Special Management Area in the Final Agreement of the Kwanlin Dun.
Permanent withdrawal of the proposed 311,286 hectare Kusawa Lake Park is a significant step forward towards completion of a network of Yukon protected areas. This brings the total amount of permanent or interim protected lands in the Yukon to about 12.7%, or 61,296 km2, excluding the interim Special Conservation Lands on the North Slope, negotiated through the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. Of the total conservation lands in the Yukon, approximately 10.5% are closed to industrial development.
For more information on Kusawa Lake, go to the following pages on this Web site:
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