YLUPC
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Artwork: Yukon Graphic Recording

INTENT STATEMENT

The vision for this LMU is to maintain its high ecological and socio-cultural value while supporting forestry and traditional economic activities, including trapping and harvesting.
Located within the Tintina Trench flyway and adjacent to the North Klondike River, this area offers important habitat for migratory birds, raptors, furbearers, moose, freshwater fish, and salmon. As part of the Klondike River watershed, it also includes important sources of community drinking water, particularly Wolf Creek. Industrial interests are currently limited, with activity focused mainly on forestry and a small number of placer claims. Supporting sustainable forestry in this LMU is a key priority. The area contains an active outfitting concession, traplines, and associated infrastructure. While access is currently limited, the LMU lies close to both the Dempster and North Klondike highways.
This LMU is designated as an ISA 2 to reflect the priority placed on protecting ecological and socio-cultural values while allowing for ongoing sustainable use. It is already heavily used, with multiple, and at times conflicting land uses, including important areas for commercial fuelwood harvesting. Additional management directions aim to support continued sustainable growth of key industrial activities while safeguarding ecological and socio-cultural values.
Current development levels classify this LMU as an ISA 2 designation; however, the long-term vision prioritizes sustainable forestry, with no future quartz mining and placer mining limited to existing tenures. For this reason at the 10-year Plan Review, the development footprint of this LMU should be reviewed. If both development footprint indicators are below ISA 1 critical thresholds, the LMU designation should change to ISA 1.

TR’ËHUDÈ AND STEWARDSHIP

“There is a long history of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in connections to this area. It is an area filled with history and a place of cultural continuity for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. There is a valley in this LMU where you can see the caribou coming down. People say that it would have been a natural place for ancestors to have camps. Arrowheads have been found in this area.”

– Dawson Regional Planning Commission

LMU DIRECTIONS

  1. Mineral development is allowed only within existing mineral tenure. Withdraw all other lands from placer and quartz mineral staking.
  2. No residential or agriculture development outside existing permits or tenure.
  3. Due to the associated risks and the high concentration of conservation values in surrounding LMUs, heap-leach mining is not supported in this LMU under the current regulatory regime and with commonly used technologies.
  4. Sustainable forestry is encouraged within this LMU.
  5. This LMU is prioritized for an Access Management Plan for new and existing access. The Access Management Plan must:
    1. Recognize and account for the ongoing presence of Wildland Fire Management in this LMU.
    2. Acknowledge and plan accordingly to mitigate the impacts of increased access on moose harvesting and trapping.
    3. Consider that new access may only be acceptable by winter roads.
    4. Support requirements for all access and forestry roads to be decommissioned once permits expire.
  6. At the 10-year Plan Review, the development footprint of this LMU should be reviewed. If both development footprint indicators are below ISA 1 critical thresholds, the LMU designation should change to ISA 1.
  7. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in should have the primary responsibility of managing this area through the establishment of an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA).
  8. This LMU contains tributaries to the Klondike River that form important headwaters for drinking water catchment for Dawson City and surrounding residential neighbourhoods. Development and activities should not impact this important water source.
  9. Activities that have the potential to disturb high-value salmon habitat should be prohibited.
  10. This LMU contains critically important habitat for lynx populations and for migratory birds.
  11. Development of the North Fork Hydro site (s 7.8.1.1 THFA) may be considered jointly by both Parties.
  12. This area is located within important caribou herd ranges. It is crucial to maintain key caribou migration pathways and to minimize disturbance to key habitat. Stewardship Directions for the caribou overlays (Section 5.3.4) must be followed.

PRIORITY VALUES

  • Water
  • Plant and Animal Relations
  • Salmon
  • Sustainable Local Economy
VALUES
Land–People Relationship
  • Given proximity to Dawson City and main highways, there is potential for recreational pursuits in this area; however, access remains relatively limited. There are several hiking opportunities along the Yukon Ditch and within the Tombstone Mountains south of the park. Snowmobiling occurs along existing trails.
  • Opportunities for stewardship and relationship-building exist through activities such as trapping, forestry, and salmon enhancement projects.
Community Culture
  • Access is limited, but high cultural use by Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in presents possibilities for cultural education for other members of the community.
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Culture, Heritage, and Hän language
  • Traditional trails and archaeological sites, are present in this LMU.
  • This is an important area for connecting to the land through land use and economic activities, including trapping, gathering, and harvesting. It has high cultural value and contemporary use for traditional economic activities.
Community Resilience
  • This LMU contains important headwaters for drinking water catchment for Dawson City.
Water
  • Klondike River watershed offers important aquatic habitat values for wildlife and is a primary drinking water source for the Region.
Plant and Animal Relations
  • There are raptor nests along the North Klondike River and within the Tintina Trench Flyway.
  • Watercourses and ponds offer important habitat for waterfowl, including swans, cranes, ducks, geese, and shorebirds.
  • There are key sharp-tailed grouse habitat areas.
  • Beaver, muskrat, wolverine, ermine, and river otter are present, and this LMU functions as a regionally important lynx refugium.
  • The Klondike River watershed offers important habitat for resident fish species including Arctic grayling.
  • Species-at-risk expected to occur include bank swallow, lesser yellowlegs, olive-sided flycatcher, rusty blackbird, short-eared owl, horned grebe, barn swallow, common nighthawk, wolverine, gypsy cuckoo bumble bee, Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee, western bumble bee mckayi subspecies, and transverse lady beetle.
Salmon
  • The Klondike River watershed offers critical spawning and rearing habitat for Chinook salmon.
Caribou
  • This LMU contains winter habitat and migration corridors for the Fortymile caribou herd.
Moose
  • There is extensive good moose habitat, including important late-winter (February to April) calving habitat.
Landscapes
  • This LMU is part of the McQuesten Highlands ecoregion.
  • It contains important mineral licks for wildlife.
Wetlands
  • There is some wetland habitat, including bog, fen, and swamp.
Sustainable Local Economy
  • This LMU contains historical infrastructure and a potential future hydroelectric generation site.
  • There is high presence of commercial forestry. This LMU overlaps the Klondike River Landscape Unit of the Forest Resources Management Plan, which is designated as high priority for short-term planning, and includes two active timber harvest plans: Dempster Highway and Five Mile Dempster Highway.
  • Mineral potential is high to moderate, with some isolated placer claims and a past coal mine. Overall, the area is generally of low interest for mineral exploration and development.
  • There are active trapping and outfitting concessions and associated infrastructure.
  • There are limited hiking opportunities (air access only) and the LMU is directly adjacent to Tombstone Territorial Park. There is potential for Indigenous tourism and interpretation along the Dempster Highway (for example, Wolf Creek), as well as opportunities for wildlife viewing and scenic views along highway.

Indicator gauges

Surface disturbance (km²)
Linear disturbance (km)

Cumulative effects