Thirty-one years ago I headed to the Yukon because it was the last frontier, where you could be hundreds of miles in the wilderness and never hit a road.
It was abundant with wildlife, mountains, wild rivers and grizzly bears. And it still is. It holds a certain magic that you can’t find anywhere else.
Apart from the Klondike Gold Rush and First Nations living the land, people have come for the magic: the wide-open spaces, the wilderness, the animals.
A vast majority of newcomers arrived for the land. They have become trappers, outfitters, dog mushers, tour operators, guides and just plain outdoor enthusiasts.
We also have hundreds of adventurers coming in from Outside to paddle the rivers of the Peel and to hike. Thousands more come because of the wild Yukon attraction.
Now certain parties want to develop the Peel watershed. The government supports them, ignoring the 87 per cent of Yukoners who want 100 per cent protection for the Peel. As usual, money talks. There will always be minerals, but there won’t always be the wild places if we don’t do something.
If roads are built into the Peel watershed, the magic of the Yukon will no longer exist - it will be destroyed.
Is it really worth it, Yukoners?
A lot of those parties that want to open up the Peel are corporations from out of the territory. Most of those rock-seekers aren’t even Yukoners. They’re from somewhere else. They want the minerals, but they don’t care about the land.
Thank you to all of you who care about the land and have put effort into trying to stop these corporations and the government’s sneaky cover-up plan.
We shouldn’t forget why we came here in the first place.
Deb Wild
Whitehorse