The Ross River Dena Council, Yukon government and Parks Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly assess the feasibility of establishing a protected area in central-eastern Yukon.
The proposed national park reserve and Indigenous protected and conserved area is a 40,902 square-kilometre region from the Pelly River valley floor to the Selwyn-Mackenzie mountains. The feasibility assessment will exclude advanced mineral exploration and development sites already permitted to operate within the area, a Dec. 6 federal news release reads.
A steering committee will report on the feasibility of establishing a national park reserve and the establishment of an Indigenous protected and conserved area, the release reads. To do this, the committee is tasked with engaging local communities, the public, industry and stakeholders to evaluate environmental, economic and cultural values.
The committee would be responsible for proposing conservation options that reflect long-term conservation efforts, cultural protections and Indigenous stewardship plans within a model of co-governance, the memorandum of understanding reads.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) received its first signature on Dec. 4. The MOU’s mandate toward the steering committee is to oversee and develop a work plan, a budget, reports and other activities to ensure all parties’ needs are met, the MOU reads.
The steering committee may recommend how to best implement federal and territorial legislation to uphold Indigenous-led principles and ensure long-term conservation commitments, the MOU reads.
The Canadian government will provide a project manager, secretarial and administrative support to accomplish the work of the steering committee in its efforts to carry out feasibility assessments across the region, according to the document.
First Nations could be consulted regarding feasibility assessments taking place in their traditional territories. An opportunity to participate in feasibility studies could be offered provided the studies take place within the traditional territory of the First Nation.
The Finlayson caribou herd’s migratory paths occupy areas of the proposed national park conservation area, according to 2017 Yukon government survey data. The data reported caribou being distributed north and south of Robert Campbell Highway, north of Pelly River in Slate Rapids and near Finlayson Lake, with comparable results to the 2007 census.
The Kaska Dena Council’s website said in a 2021 newsletter that the Finlayson caribou herd traditionally migrates through Kaska Dena peoples’ traditional territories during the calving and rutting seasons, with some Kaska still referring to the area as nature’s grocery store.
The feasibility assessment of proposed plans to make a section of the Ross River area into a national park reserve will conclude with the steering committee submitting reports to all parties involved.
The report aims to offer suggestions and recommendations and does not aim to prevent each party from making their own respective decisions, the MOU reads. If all parties are in an agreement to proceed with the national park reserve, the steering committee will proceed to develop a co-developed agreement, the document states
Disputes that arise between parties will be dealt with by the steering committee convening at the earliest convenience to make best efforts to resolve the matter.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
