Whitehorse commits to protecting McIntyre Creek as parkland

Housing and transportation pressures have threatened wildlife habitat surrounding McIntyre Creek for years, but the City of Whitehorse's new official community plan offers a measure of protection to the 42-square-kilometre area of land.

The "Whitehorse 2040" community plan was recently adopted by the city. It identifies land for five regional parks around the city, including Chasàn Chuà/McIntyre Creek.

The exact park boundaries for McIntyre Creek have not been set, but must be confirmed "through comprehensive management plans," the document states. 

Meagan Elliott, a conservation co-ordinator with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, turned her attention to the McIntyre Creek area in 2020.

She said the community plan's commitment to creating parkland around McIntyre Creek is a big win.

"They haven't announced the park boundaries, and I think it could take a while to get those kinds of details finalized," she said.

"Hopefully, some of what we learned in our study of the area can be used in the decision-making process."

In 2021, the parks and wilderness society set up 42 cameras around McIntyre Creek. These captured video of more than 55 bird species, and 15 mammals including moose, lynx and one wolf.

The organization is currently working on a final report based on the research.

Lewis Rifkind, with the Yukon Conservation Society, said while the commitment not to build in the area is an important step, the wildlife benefits will be affected by regulations and uses of the McIntyre Creek park. 

"What do we mean by a park? Is it a wilderness park? Will there be areas for human activity? I mean, some people's idea of a park includes baseball, diamonds, football fields," said Rifkind.

"In the whole zone of McIntyre Creek there are some very important wetlands. Should those be off limits to humans?"

He said collaboration between the city, the territory and First Nations could bring added benefits.

"The Yukon government is doing a Fish Lake planning exercise at the moment. There's a chance for nice connectivity." he said.

"When it comes to wildlife conservation, there's no point in protecting areas if the animals can't move between them, so this is a nice opportunity to implement that."