Ch. 3 Land - Environment Yukon

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Relationship of Agriculture to the Environment In the Yukon, the major impact of agriculture is the conversion of land from natural to developed areas and the related loss of wildlife habitat, subsistence and trapping areas, and public recreation lands. Competing uses for land are particularly critical in the greater Whitehorse area. Most land with agricultural potential close to Whitehorse is either subject to land claim negotiations or has already been allocated. Interest in agricultural parcels is reaching further into the hinterland where there may be less conflict with recreational use, but more potential for negative effects on wildlife and subsistence activities. While competing interests between agriculture and other land and resource interests remain largely unresolved, the actual land area utilized for agriculture is small. An estimated 102 sq km, (1.5 per cent of the Yukon’s 6,680 sq km of arable land) has been developed for farming. In terms of the total land area of the Yukon this accounts for only 0.02 per cent. However, areas developed for farming are usually valley bottom lands, which are limited in the Yukon and are often key wildlife habitat or of high recreation value. As reported in the 1995 State of the Environment Report, the Takhini River Valley experienced a change from wildlands and habitat to farmland and rural residential over the past 20 years. While this farming area contributes to the supply of local food produce, the conversion of natural areas to farmland has been difficult for the First Nation families who traditionally used this area. The 1991 agricultural policy, required the consideration of other resource interests. Despite the more thorough review in the 1990s, the end result was limited accommodation for the traditional land users. Stella Jim explains how development affected her way of life. “Takhini valley, there is all fences now, and Champagne. It was all wide open. Ever since that place has started farming, fences all over the place. Old people can’t hunt around where people used to hunt. Now it’s just a fence all over the place. You can’t go and step out there any place you want. All the way down, nothing but farm all over, from Stoney Creek to Whitehorse 5.” Several local area land use plans have considered other resource values (Klondike Valley, Lorne Mountain and Golden Horn). However, in 1999 there were no regional land use plans in place to assess agricultural land use in a broader perspective in relation to the overall land and resource values in a region. While land use allocation is seen as an important issue in terms of land use, there are other environmental concerns that have been raised. Disease transmission and genetic contamination are concerns with game farming. Currently there are six game farming operations in the greater Whitehorse area. These include wood bison, elk and a commercial game farm with a variety of animals. About 585 hectares is used by game farm operators at present. There is no evidence of genetic contamination or disease transmission to date 4. Fish habitat can potentially be affected by agricultural activities but no records of significant fish habitat degradation from agriculture have been noted. Soil erosion and pollution from agricultural activities can cause soil degradation if clearing and cultivation is not carried out in a sound manner. The Yukon Agriculture Branch monitors agricultural practices to prevent soil degradation. PROGRESS & CHALLENGES Progress since 1995 ■ Agricultural sales have increased from $2.3 million in 1991 to $3.5 million in 1996, indicating that the use of land for agriculture has fairly significant economic benefits to the Yukon 2. ■ Ibex Valley, Mount Lorne and Golden Horn local land use plans that identified agricultural lands in an integrated approach have been prepared. ■ The agricultural policy has been reviewed. ■ The Yukon Land Use Planning Program, that is expected to address the disposition of agricultural land use in an integrated approach, has been established. Challenges ■ Continuation of the spot land allocation process for most agricultural dispositions. ■ Lack of an adequate supply of rural residential lands, resulting in pressure on the agricultural land program. ■ Under-utilization of land disposed of for agriculture. ■ Increasing pressure for the subdivision of agriculture land. 3.7 Transportation The story of the Yukon is linked to the territory’s transportation network. Before the Gold Rush, people traveled by foot, dog team, boat, on trails and by river, leaving little evidence of their passage. During the Gold Rush, local roads were developed in the Klondike region and travel through the Yukon was enhanced by the railway from Skagway to Whitehorse, better overland trails between communities and a river boat system. Signs of past users 6 4 ❧ Y U K O N S T A T E O F T H E E N V I R O N M E N T R E P O R T 1999
still exist along the old trails and rivers in the dry Yukon interior. Regenerating forests in the major river valleys are evidence of the extensive woodcutting required to fuel the paddlewheelers. The City of Whitehorse, at the end of the rail line, became the major centre of the territory. The modern road transportation network in the Yukon really began in 1942 with the construction of the Alaska Highway. Prior to that time, there was a winter road from Whitehorse to Dawson City, a road from Mendenhall to Silver City on Kluane Lake, and roads connecting the gold fields in the Klondike and the mining operations at Whitehorse and Keno. Incentives such as the Yukon Regional Resource Road Program (RRRP) and Resource Transportation Access Program (RTAP) available from 1986 to 1992, and the federal government’s Northern Road Policy in effect for 20 years before that increased the number of roads and trails into the hinterland 1. Highways link most regions of the territory and join the Yukon to Alaska, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Old Crow is the only Yukon community not accessed by a year round road. New roads and trails which exceed the thresholds of 1.5 meters wide and two hectares in area require a land use permit and are subject to environmental impact assessment. Applications for 51 new logging, mining and access roads on federal lands were approved between 1995 and 1999. Another 24 “Any road in the Yukon follows Indian trails, all the way through. Moose, they have trails, like we have trails, and they follow the trails”. –Paddy Jim, Champagne/Aishihik First Nation Elder 1999 applications to upgrade and use existing winter roads were also approved 2. The use of existing mining access and forest roads for recreation is probably increasing, associated with the greater numbers of people taking advantage of outdoor recreational opportunities in the Yukon backcountry in both summer and winter. There is also an increase in air travel between Yukon communities. Flight- seeing has increased dramatically in the 1990s especially in the Kluane area. Flyin wilderness operations are expected to increase as the Yukon becomes recognized as a destination tourist area 3. The Relationship of Transportation to the Environment The development of a transportation network results in changes to the land, its resources and the people living on the land. Mineral exploration road west of Nahanni Range Road in the Logan Mountains C H A P T E R 3 L A N D ❧ 6 5
Page 1 and 2: The Yukon is situated in the northw
Page 3 and 4: number of humans is immense. As cou
Page 5 and 6: Different data sources for 1999 tha
Page 7 and 8: ■ protecting core areas within ea
Page 9 and 10: within the study area in February 1
Page 11 and 12: 3.4 Mining Mining has been an impor
Page 13 and 14: An environmental review committee,
Page 15 and 16: Reclamation and Abandonment When th
Page 17 and 18: first bar of gold on November 23, 1
Page 19 and 20: This creates uncertainty and delays
Page 21 and 22: every year in the Yukon, but the an
Page 23 and 24: Direct Costs: ■ Picking up Whiteh
Page 25 and 26: The Yukon’s beverage container re
Page 27 and 28: Contaminant? In Carcross, the recen
Page 29 and 30: PROGRESS & CHALLENGES Since the 199
Page 31: with the objective of import replac
Page 35 and 36: 3.8 Tourism Tourism is gaining impo

Ch. 3 Land - Environment Yukon

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