Artwork: Aasman Brand Communications

INTENT STATEMENT

The near-term vision for this LMU is coordinated planning with other regional land use plans to ensure a consistent approach to stewarding this multi-use corridor. The sub-regional plan should support maintaining community access without compromising viewscapes and ecological and socio-cultural values.

There are numerous Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Settlement Land parcels along the Dempster Highway, as well as opportunities for land-based learning and cultural education for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in youth. Access is central to this LMU: without the access afforded by the Dempster Highway, many sustainable economy activities and living Community, Culture, and Heritage values would not exist. Changes to access, whether through lack of maintenance of the Dempster Highway or significant increases in traffic (tourism, commercial, government), could significantly alter the community’s interaction with this LMU, the viewscape, and ecological integrity. Access must be a significant focus of the sub-regional plan.

This is a heavy-use area with overlapping and sometimes conflicting land uses. A sub-regional planning area designation aligns with recommendations from the Peel Watershed and North Yukon Regional Land Use Plans. The sub-regional plan will need to focus on maintained and controlled access, maintaining the viewscape for its aesthetic and intrinsic value, and overlapping uses.

The designation as a sub-regional planning area indicates this LMU is a priority for planning, accompanied by the appropriate time and resources. It is not used to delay planning for this important area and should not be interpreted as such. This sub-regional plan should follow Chapter 11 of the THFA, and interim measures provided should be in place until sub-regional planning is completed.

TR’ËHUDÈ AND STEWARDSHIP

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in has a number of cultural camps that are accessed from the Dempster Highway, where Elders, Citizens, and youth to come together and share knowledge and practices out on the land. Residents and visitors also develop relationships with the land through recreational use, hunting, and harvesting.

LMU DIRECTIONS

1. Interim Measures – applied upon Plan approval until sub-regional plan approval
2. This LMU is exempt from surface and linear disturbance tracking as the appropriate indicators will be selected during the sub-regional planning process.
3. Mineral development allowed within existing mineral tenure.
4. Withdrawal of all other lands from placer and quartz mineral staking until the completion of a sub-regional plan. When a claim expires, it should be withdrawn from further staking while this withdrawal is in place.
5. The visual integrity should be maintained.
6. New access off the Dempster Highway is not allowed until a sub-regional plan is approved. If access is required, it must be agreed upon jointly by both Parties. Where the Parties cannot reach an agreement, Dispute Resolution (THFA 26.3.1.3) should be followed.
7. 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.
8. With regard to the Klondike and Blackstone rivers:
   1. Do not block the flow of water of either the Klondike or Blackstone rivers.
   2. No ground disturbance or storage of contaminants (fuel storage, outhouses, waste materials, tailings ponds, and so on) within 30 m of the high-water mark.
   3. Reclamation of existing disturbances should be directed towards standards for Heritage and Water values.
   4. Where possible, always use existing access points.
   5. Access should be shared.
9. Sub-Regional Planning
10. To be conducted jointly by the Government of Yukon, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, and the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and must be in alignment with the Peel Watershed and the North Yukon Regional Land Use Plans.
11. Sub-regional planning of the Dempster Highway Corridor should occur as per Chapter 11 of the THFA and should be initiated in a timely manner upon Plan approval.
12. The sub-regional plan should consider the following:
    1. Alignment with directions and values laid out in all LMUs adjacent to the Dempster Highway Corridor set out in this Plan, and the Peel Watershed and the North Yukon Regional Land Use Plans.
    2. The Dempster Highway Development Regulation under the Area Development Act (RSY 2002, c.10).
    3. The visual integrity of the corridor and the adjacent LMUs.
    4. Directions for use of off-road vehicles.
    5. Coordinated access management for potential oil and gas development in the Eagle Plains basin.
    6. Access to aggregate materials for ongoing maintenance and future construction projects.
    7. The potential for increased military activity.
    8. Commercial activities, including tourism and outfitting.
    9. Increased tourism and recreational opportunities potentially negatively impacting the ecosystem and infrastructure.
    10. First Nations’ values, knowledge, issues, and interests, for example, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Cultural Integrity Area Resolution.
    11. The continued use of First Nations’ Settlement Land adjacent to or within the corridor.
    12. Harvesting and traditional economic activities.
    13. Effects of increased access on caribou herds.
    14. Measures to avoid the introduction of invasive species.
    15. Impacts of climate change on highway infrastructure and the surrounding area.
    16. Geohazard mapping and targeted permafrost study to identify areas vulnerable to instability and infrastructure damage.
    17. Development footprint is allowed according to ISA 1 surface disturbance and linear feature density thresholds.