CPAWS Yukon

10/16/2026

🌲🦅 Great news for the greenspaces in Whitehorse! Your concerns were heard, and Whitehorse city council voted down the proposed OCP amendment that would have allowed for greenspace in Whitehorse to be re-designated for industrial development and mining exploration.

Congratulations to all who wrote and shared their concerns with the City of Whitehorse on the impacts to residents if this amendment were to move forward.

This shows how important it is to stay engaged, and that will be very important as the city continues its work on the municipal Mineral Exploration and Development Framework. This framework will determine when and how these types of activities will be permitted and regulated within city limits.

Stay tuned for next steps, as input from residents will be essential!

10/15/2026

Film, photography, drumming, and conversation are coming together through KASKA VOICES, an opportunity to listen directly to Ross River Dena, deepen connections between communities, and learn about a vision for protection rooted in Kaska knowledge, responsibility, and care for the land: Gūkēyeh Gūs’ān.

Community members from Tū Łī́dlini (Ross River) will be sharing stories, perspectives, and relationships with the lands and waters of Dena Kēyeh (Kaska Country). The evening will include Kaska Drummers, The People of This Land (18 min) paddling film premiere, and a photography slideshow with Peter Mather and Robby Dick with stories from behind their lenses. Kaska Elders and panelists will share perspectives on land stewardship, Indigenous-led conservation, and planning for the future.

Ticket proceeds go to the Tū Łī́dlini Land Guardians, get your tickets at https://purchasing.yukonartscentre.com/EventAvailability?EventId=59401

Event Details:
• Date: Monday November 9th, 2026
• Location: Yukon Arts Centre
• Doors open at 5:30 PM | Official event 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Tickets are on a sliding scale $15-$30, kids 12 and under free.
• Door prizes
• Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Alcohol-free event.

Kaska Voices is a Ross River Dena event organized by CPAWS Yukon and Ross River Dena Council, with support from Yellowstone to Yukon and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.

10/13/2026

10/09/2026

We’ve got an update on Gladiator's proposal to amend the Whitehorse 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP), and it isn’t what we expected!

The City received submissions from 858 unique people and groups, with 64% of submissions supporting the amendment to open more areas to mining exploration. Interestingly, our prelim analysis found that most submissions in support came from people with strong links to the mining industry and project.

City Administration recommended no changes to the proposed amendment, with one notable exception: that “fire smart clearing” be removed from the definition of a Disturbed Area. This is a positive change, reflecting concerns raised by many residents that FireSmarting is about safety and stewardship, not degrading the land or diminishing its value.

We had hoped to see the amendment rejected or delayed until the completion of the City’s Mineral Exploration and Development Framework. However, there will be a City Council meeting on Tuesday Oct 13, where City Council will vote on whether to move the amendment forward.

The good news is that the Mineral Exploration and Development Framework is also moving forward. Its first reading will also be happening on Tuesday, with a public hearing on the Framework expected in November.

Thank you to everyone who submitted comments and spoke up about their concerns. We are still reviewing the City’s reports and documents, check out the comments for more info!

10/09/2026

⭐Lichens and Mosses ⭐ an introductory field guide is filled with stunning photos, community quotes, fun facts, and tips to help you connect and learn about common species in the Yukon.

Swing by our office at 101-301 Hawkins St and pick yours up. Guides are free or by donation!

Though small and often overlooked, lichens and mosses come in all kinds of shapes, colours, and sizes. Different ones have different roles in the boreal, and often deep connections to specific First Nations too. Created by our 2026 Conservation Intern, Hannah Hofsink, the guide covers 27 lichens and 13 mosses.

We're really excited to share this new resource, and to bring copies to future events and community trips! 🌱🌱

📷 Hannah Hofsink

10/06/2026

📣 Community Film Premiere! The People of This Land premieres in Tū Łī́dlini (Ross River) on Tuesday October 13th 📣

We’re really excited for the very first showing of an 18-min film we produced with Ross River Dena Council... Youth reflect and learn from the land, the river, and the people around them while paddling down Tū Désdés Tūé’ (Pelly River). Conversations with Chief Loblaw, Land Guardian Kodi Sterriah, photographer Robby Dick, Elder Louie Tommy, and others connect the past with stewardship today and a shared vision for the future.

Enjoy dinner, photos, door prizes, and stories along with the film.
📆 Thursday October 13th, 5pm
📍 HOPE Centre, 7 Ross River Rd

There will also be screening of “The River is Our Bloodline,” a film by First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun and CPAWS Yukon about a trip through the headwaters of the Stewart River. Both films bring together the stories from journeys within the Yukon River Watershed, and the impacts and significance of such trips.

Not in community? “The People of This Land” will premiere in Whitehorse next month. Stay tuned!

About the filmmaker
The People of This Land was filmed and edited by Christine Lin, a Taiwanese-American documentary filmmaker who tells stories about water conservation, natural history, and Indigenous knowledge. Based in San Diego, she has led video and media projects as the senior producer of visual storytelling at the National Audubon Society. She is a 2023-2025 PBS Accelerator Fellow, 2021 National Geographic Explorer, and 2020 Jackson Wild Media Lab Fellow.

09/30/2026

The Proposed IPCA is centred around Ross River, and extends up/down the North and South Canol and East/West along the Robert Campbell Highway.

The North Canol is more of an ATV trail than a road, and one of its' famous landmarks is the US Army Vehicle Graveyard that is located near the end of the road. It is also famous for incredible fall colours.

09/29/2026

Hi, my name is Peter Mather. I am a Whitehorse based photographer taking over the account to share stories from Tū Łī́dlini (Ross River) and their proposed Indigenous Protected Area Initiative.

For generations, the Ross River Dena have lived with this land — travelling it, hunting it, fishing its rivers and passing knowledge of it from one generation to the next.

Now they are working to create an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) across roughly 40,000 km² of their traditional territory.

An IPCA isn’t simply about putting a line around a map. It’s about protecting the land, wildlife and culture while giving the Ross River Dena a greater role in deciding what happens on their traditional lands.

But exactly what that will look like is still being worked out. How will mining be managed? What will happen with hunting, trapping and outfitting? What rights will remain with the community, and what new responsibilities will come with protecting such a huge area?

There aren’t many established answers. IPCAs are relatively new, and each one is shaped by the Indigenous people whose territory it protects.

For Ross River, this is an opportunity to imagine a different relationship with the land — one where the people who have lived here for generations have a much stronger voice in what happens next.

This is their homeland. And they are trying to decide what its future looks like.

09/28/2026

Hi, my name is Peter Mather. I am a Whitehorse based photographer taking over the account to share stories from Tū Łī́dlini (Ross River) and their Indigenous Protected Area Initiative.

The North Canol holds a special place in my heart. When I was kid, my dad would always take the whole family for a grand caribou hunting adventure up the North Canol. We would camp at the border and as a family we would hike up a mountain and spot for caribou.

One year, when I was 12 years old, my family was having lunch on our mountain knoll and I decided to go over the crest to hunt ptarmigan. I found a group of ptarmigan in a group of balsam trees, but spooked them and they flew to a tiny cluster of trees sixty metres away, I snuck up on them again, and they spooked to the next cluster of trees. This happened a few times, before I finally got one. I started back to the knoll, proud as could be, with my ptarmigan in tow.

When I got back to the knoll, my family was gone. I hadn't realized how long I'd been gone. Then, a new family appeared.....three caribou. They walked right over the knoll where we had been spotting.

I was a little nervous, unsure what to do, so I made my way back to our camp on the highway. When I got back, my mom was pretty worried. But my older brother, had told her not to worry, that I was really smart and good in the bush and would follow the creek back to camp. I was so proud. My first real independence in the bush....and also probably the first and last time my older brother complimented me.

09/27/2026

Hi, my name is Peter Mather. I am a Whitehorse based photographer taking over the account to share stories from Tū Łī́dlini (Ross River) and their proposed Indigenous Protected Area Initiative.

Two things can be true at the same time.

1. Mining is important to the Yukon economy.
2. Major mine projects in the Yukon have been managed horribly by companies and government, and the taxpayers (us) are paying the bills when they are inevitably abandoned.

Four years ago, I did a movie project called, "Kings of the North," and we partnered up with a local mine (Victoria Gold) for the project. I did my research and I figured that Victoria Gold was a good example of responsible mining in the Yukon. They employed a lot of Yukoners, and had a decent relationship with the local Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation, and it was considered a safe mine with a small footprint. Two years later, their heap leach pad collapsed and today we are still trying to clean it up and stop the poison getting into our watersheds.

A Ross River Dena IPCA would give the local Kaska people more say in what happens on their land.