Atlin-Taku Planning Area Background Report - Integrated Land ...

Atlin-Taku Planning Area 

Background Report: 

An Overview of Natural, Cultural, and 

Socio-Economic Features, Land Uses 

and Resources Management 

Prepared by: 

Hannah Horn and Greg C. Tamblyn 

Prepared for: 

Prince Rupert Interagency 

Management Committee 

Smithers, B.C 

June 2002

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The authors would like to thank the many people who provided their knowledge and 

expertise to making of this report. In particular, we would like to thank all of the agency 

staff who contributed much information and time by providing data, map products, and 

reports, contributing local knowledge, or reviewing the document for technical accuracy and 

completeness. Thanks also to the GIS people at Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, 

who prepared the maps. 

Atlin-Taku Technical Background Report 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................................................V 

LIST OF MAPS ................................................................................................................................................. VI 

LIST OF ACRONYMS....................................................................................................................................VII 

1.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE............................................................................................................1 

2.0 THE ATLIN TAKU PLAN AREA ..............................................................................................................1 

2.1 THE BIOPHYSICAL SETTING .........................................................................................................................1 

2.1.1 Geography and climate.......................................................................................................................1 

2.1.2 Ecosystem classification .....................................................................................................................2 

2.2 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DESCRIPTION.........................................................................................................5 

2.2.1 History of the area ..............................................................................................................................5 

2.2.2 Communities .......................................................................................................................................7 

2.2.3 Economy and employment ..................................................................................................................8 

2.2.4 First Nations .....................................................................................................................................14 

2.2.5 Local government and community representation ............................................................................18 

3.0 RESOURCE DESCRIPTION AND VALUES..........................................................................................19 

3.1 BEDROCK GEOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................19 

3.2 VEGETATION ECOLOGY .............................................................................................................................22 

3.2.1 Overview of ecosystems ....................................................................................................................22 

3.2.2 Forest Types......................................................................................................................................23 

3.2.3 Rare ecosystems................................................................................................................................25 

3.3 TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE ............................................................................................................................25 

3.3.1 Assessing habitat values....................................................................................................................26 

3.3.2 Wildlife species at risk in the Atlin-Taku planning area ...................................................................28 

3.3.3 Other species of interest....................................................................................................................32 

3.3.4 Current wildlife management strategies ...........................................................................................34 

3.4 FRESHWATER FISH.....................................................................................................................................36 

4.0 RESOURCE USES......................................................................................................................................40 

4.1 CULTURE AND HERITAGE...........................................................................................................................40 

4.1.1 First Nations cultural heritage resources .........................................................................................40 

4.1.2 Non-aboriginal historic features.......................................................................................................42 

4.1.3 Strategic planning considerations related to cultural and heritage resources .................................43 

4.2 FORESTRY..................................................................................................................................................43 

4.2.1 Timber allocation and harvest ..........................................................................................................43 

4.2.2 Timber harvesting and operability....................................................................................................44 

4.2.3 Agents of change...............................................................................................................................45 

4.2.4 Forest management for biodiversity and wildlife..............................................................................45 

4.2.5 Strategic planning considerations related to forestry.......................................................................46 

4.3 MINERAL AND ENERGY RESOURCES...........................................................................................................46 

4.3.1 Metallic mineral resources ...............................................................................................................46 

4.3.2 Placer Resources ..............................................................................................................................56 

4.3.3 Industrial Mineral Resources............................................................................................................59 

4.3.4 Energy resources ..............................................................................................................................60 

4.3.5 Strategic planning considerations related to mineral and energy resources....................................60 

4.4 RECREATION, TOURISM AND VISUAL QUALITY .........................................................................................61 

4.4.1 Recreational activities and areas of use ............................................................................................61 

4.4.2 Tourism .............................................................................................................................................64 

4.4.3 Visual quality ....................................................................................................................................67 


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4.4.4 Strategic planning considerations related to recreation, tourism, and visual quality ......................67 

4.5 FISHING......................................................................................................................................................68 

4.5.1 First Nations Fishery ........................................................................................................................69 

4.5.2 Recreational Fishery.........................................................................................................................69 

4.5.3 Commercial Fishery..........................................................................................................................70 

4.5.4 Strategic planning considerations related to fishing ........................................................................70 

4.5.5 Current or upcoming projects...........................................................................................................71 

4.6 HUNTING, GUIDE-OUTFITTING AND TRAPPING...........................................................................................71 

4.6.1 Hunting .............................................................................................................................................71 

4.6.2 Guide-outfitting.................................................................................................................................74 

4.6.3 Trapping............................................................................................................................................74 

4.6.4 Strategic planning considerations related to the harvest of wild animals. .......................................75 

4.7 AGRICULTURE AND CROWN RANGE...........................................................................................................76 

4.7.1 Overview of agriculture and Crown range use.................................................................................76 

4.7.2 Strategic planning considerations related to agriculture and ranching ...........................................77 

4.7.3 Inventory needs .................................................................................................................................77 

4.8 FRESHWATER USE ......................................................................................................................................77 

4.8.1 Overview of freshwater use...............................................................................................................77 

4.8.2 Strategic planning considerations related to water ..........................................................................78 

4.9 ROADED ACCESS........................................................................................................................................78 

4.9.1 Public roads......................................................................................................................................78 

4.9.2 Non-status roads ...............................................................................................................................79 

4.9.3 Mineral Resource Access ..................................................................................................................79 

4.9.4 Strategic planning considerations related to access.........................................................................81 

5.0 PROTECTED AREAS................................................................................................................................83 

5.1 EXISTING PROTECTED AREAS ....................................................................................................................83 

5.2 PROTECTED AREAS STRATEGY STUDY AREAS ...........................................................................................84 

5.3 STRATEGIC PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS RELATED TO PROTECTED AREAS ...............................................88 

6.0 HISTORY OF PLANNING IN THE ATLIN-TAKU AREA...................................................................89 

7.0 REFERENCES CITED...............................................................................................................................93 

7.1 LITERATURE SOURCES ...............................................................................................................................93 

7.2 PERSONAL COMMUNICATION .....................................................................................................................97 

APPENDIX 1: SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCH AND INVENTORY PROJECTS IN THE 

ATLIN-TAKU PLANNING AREA. .................................................................................................................98 

APPENDIX 2: RARE AND ENDANGERED PLANT AND ANIMALS SPECIES....................................99 

APPENDIX 3: CURRENT POLICY FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT TO MEET BIODIVERSITY 

OBJECTIVES...................................................................................................................................................106 

APPENDIX 4: PROTECTED AREAS STRATEGY GAP ANALYSIS.....................................................108 


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LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1. Ecoregion zones within the Atlin-Taku plan area. .................................................... 3 

Table 2. Economic statistics for the Stikine Region Census Subdivision, 1996 ..................... 9 

Table 3. Experienced labour force by industry – Stikine Region Census Subdivision, 1996 10 

Table 4. Biogeoclimatic subzones and variants in the forested landbase.............................. 22 

Table 5. Mammals and birds at risk in the Atlin-Taku planning area. .................................. 29 

Table 6. Population estimates for large mammals in management units (MUs) which overlap 

the Atlin-Taku planning area. ......................................................................................... 30 

Table 7. Economically, culturally or regionally important fish species ................................ 37 

Table 8. Small Business Forest Enterprise Program timber sales 1997 – 2000 .................... 44 

Table 9. Past Producing Hardrock Mines in the Atlin-Taku plan area................................. 49 

Table 10. Recent Mineral Exploration reporting Expenditures in excess of $20,000 for 

Assessment on Mineral Tenures (1994 - 1999) .............................................................. 52 

Table 11. Developed hardrock mineral prospects in the Atlin-Taku plan area ..................... 55 

Table 12. Industrial mineral prospects in the Atlin Taku plan area....................................... 60 

Table 13. Public recreation activities in the Atlin-Taku area (from Davies, 1999)............... 61 

Table 14. Recreation sites and trails in the Atlin-Taku plan area.......................................... 63 

Table 15. Days hunted and number of kills (in parentheses) for the main big game species 

hunted in the Atlin-Taku plan area (MUs 6-26, 6-26, 6-27, 6-28, 6-29)........................ 73 

Table 16. The six most commonly trapped furbearer species in the Atlin-Taku plan area 

from 1989 to 1998........................................................................................................... 75 

Table 17. Existing parks and protected areas within the Atlin-Taku plan area. .................... 84 

Table 18. Summary of the gap analysis by ecosection for the Atlin-Taku plan area. ........... 85 

Table 19. Goal 1 PAS study areas within the Atlin-Taku plan area...................................... 86 

Table 20. Goal 2 PAS study areas within the Atlin-Taku plan area...................................... 87 


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LIST OF MAPS 

Map 1: Base map 

Map 2: Landsat image 

Map 3: Biogeoclimatic zones and ecosections 

Map 4: Current land status 

Map 5: First Nations traditional territories 

Map 6: Salmonid habitat 

Map 7: Forested landbase 

Map 8: Timber harvesting feasibility 

Map 9: Logging history 

Map 10: Metallic mineral assessment: provincial ranking 

Map 11 Industrial mineral assessment: provincial ranking 

Map 12: Recorded mineral activity 

Map 13: Tourism use areas 

Map 14: Guide outfitter territories 

Map 15: Protected Areas Strategy study areas 


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LIST OF ACRONYMS 

AAC Allowable Annual Cut 

ALR Agricultural Land Reserve 

AOA Archaeological Overview Assessment 

BEC Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification 

BEI Broad Ecosystem Inventory 

BEU Broad Ecosystem Unit 

C-AFN Champagne-Aishihik First Nations 

CMTs Culturally modified trees 

COSEWIC Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 

CWD Coarse woody debris 

CWS Canadian Wildlife Service 

DFO Fisheries and Oceans Canada 

FPC Forest Practices Code 

IWMS Identified Wildlife Management Strategies 

LRMP Land and Resource Management Plan 

MELP Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks 

MOF Ministry of Forests 

MoTH Ministry of Transportation and Highways 

MSBTC Ministry of Small Business, Tourism, and Culture 

MU Management Unit (for wildlife) 

NDT Natural Disturbance Type 

PAS Protected Areas Strategy 

RIC Resources Inventory Committee 

RPAT Regional Protected Areas Team 

TOS Tourism Opportunity Study 

TRT Taku River Tlingit 

TSA Timber Supply Area 

TSR Timber Supply Review 

TUS Traditional Use Study 

VQO Visual Quality Objective 

WHA Wildlife Habitat Area 


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LIST OF ACRONYMS CONTINUED 

Biogeoclimatic subzones: 

AT Alpine Tundra 

BWBSdk1 Boreal White and Black Spruce dry cool 

BWBSund Boreal White and Black Spruce undifferentiated 

BWBSvk Boreal White and Black Spruce very wet cool 

CWHwm Coastal Western Hemlock wet maritime 

ESSFvc Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir very wet cold 

MHund Mountain Hemlock (undifferentiated) 

SBSund Sub-Boreal Spruce (undifferentiated) 

SWBdk Spruce-Willow-Birch dry cool 

SWBund Spruce-Willow-Birch undifferentiated 

SWBvk Spruce-Willow-Birch very wet cool 

Ecosections: 

ALR Alsek Ranges 

BOR Boundary Ranges 

ICR Icefield Ranges 

STP Stikine Plateau 

TAB Tatsenshini Basin 

TAH Tagish Highland 

TEB Teslin Basin 

TEP Teslin Plateau 

THH Tahltan Highland 

TUR Tuya Ranges 


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1.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE 

This background report provides an overview and summary of information describing the 

natural, cultural, and socio-economic features of the Atlin-Taku plan area. The information 

in this report is intended to provide government staff with a current picture of the conditions 

and characteristics of land use and resource management in the plan area. It will provide the 

foundation for a technical document for members of the public, stakeholders and interest 

groups in the event of an LRMP process in the North Cassiar. 

The key components of the document are: 

A description of the plan area, including social, economic, and environmental 

attributes; 

An overview of resource uses and associated strategic planning considerations; 

A description of existing and proposed land management zones, including protected 

areas; and 

A history of planning in the area 

The information shown here is based on data and information from published journals, 

books, and government documents, current inventory information, and from discussions with 

government staff. 

Note: the maps shown in this report are current to 2000 when the initial datasets were 

assembled. The information in the report is current to May 2001. It does not incorporate 

changes in government structure since the June 2001 provincial election. 

Geographic area included in the report 

This report provides data and information on the Atlin-Taku plan area (Map 1). The plan 

area boundary includes the Canadian portion of the Taku and Tatsenshini-Alsek watersheds 

and the BC portion of the Teslin and Yukon watersheds. The western boundary of the plan 

area adjoins the Alaska Panhandle and the northern boundary follows the border with the 

Yukon Territory. The area comprises the northwestern portion of the Cassiar Timber Supply 

Area (Alsek and Atlin Supply Blocks). The total size of the plan area is approximately 5.54 

million hectares. Approximately 1505 ha of the plan is private land and another 1300 ha is 

Indian reserves. 

2.0 THE ATLIN TAKU PLAN AREA 

2.1 The Biophysical Setting 

2.1.1 Geography and climate 

The Atlin Taku area is geographically complex, extending from the Coast Mountains inland 

almost to Watson Lake. The Landsat satellite image shown in Map 2 gives and indication of 

the geography of the plan area. 


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The more coastal areas are characterized by mountainous terrain with fast-moving high 

gradient streams, broad river floodplains and massive glacial fields. The climate is dictated 

by the topography and proximity to the coast, resulting in heavy precipitation and oceanmoderated 

temperatures. The mean monthly temperature at the lower Taku River ranges 

from – 8°C in the winter to 15°C in the summer. Average annual precipitation is over 

2000mm/yr (Rescan, 1997). 

The interior part of the plan area is composed of a mixture of low mountains and large 

plateaus. The climate in the interior is continental and under an arctic influence. Winters are 

long and cold with limited snow accumulation. Summers are brief and warm. In Atlin, the 

mean temperature in January is -16°C and in July is 12.5°C. Annual precipitation is 338 

mm/yr (Rescan, 1997). 

As one moves from the coast to the interior, the conditions are transitional. This is reflected 

in distinct ecosystems that reflect the transition between the two climatic and physiographic 

regimes. 

The area contains seven biogeoclimatic zones and ten ecosections (see Section 2.1.2: 

Ecosystem Classification). Almost half of the area (43%) is in Alpine Tundra. Major rivers 

include the Taku, Tatsenshini, and Alsek Rivers. There is a complex of large lakes (Atlin, 

Tagish, and Teslin Lakes) that feed the Yukon River watershed. Fed by the Llewellyn 

Glacier, Atlin Lake is the largest natural lake in BC 1 and forms the headwaters of the Yukon 

drainage. 

2.1.2 Ecosystem classification 

Two of the most common methods for describing the ecosystems of British Columbia are the 

Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) system and the Ecoregion Classification 

system. The BEC system (described in Pojar et al., 1987) delineates areas into 

biogeoclimatic zones according to climate, elevation, soils and potential climax vegetation 2 . 

The Atlin-Taku LRMP area contains seven biogeoclimatic zones: non-forested Alpine 

Tundra (AT), Spruce-Willow-Birch (SWB), Boreal White and Black Spruce (BWBS), 

Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir (ESSF), Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS), Mountain Hemlock 

(MH) and Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) (see Map 3). A more detailed description of the 

BEC zones in the plan area is provided in Section 3.2: Vegetation Ecology. 

A broader method of describing ecosystems is the ecoregion classification system (described 

in Demarchi, 1996). This system is designed to “bring into focus the extent of critical 

habitats and their relationship with adjacent areas” (Demarchi et al., 1990). The ecoregion 

classification system is hierarchical. The five levels from largest to smallest are as follows: 

ecodomains, ecodivisions, ecoprovinces, ecoregions and ecosections. Ecodomains and 

ecodivisions are very broad (e.g. four ecodomains are found in B.C.) and place the province 

1 Since Atlin Lake extends into the Yukon, there are some who contend that it is the second largest natural lake 

after Babine Lake in central BC (Davies, 1999). 

2 Note: The term “potential climax vegetation” describes the more stable plant communities of later 

successional stages. The climax vegetation described for a zone may be different from what is currently 

growing on a site. 


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in a global context based on broad geographical relationships. The remaining three levels 

place the province in context with the rest of the continent or relate areas within the province 

to each other. These lower levels divide the province based on areas of similar climate, 

physical landscapes and wildlife potential (Meidinger and Pojar, 1991). 

The BEC system and Ecoregion Classification system are compatible and are often integrated 

for land use planning purposes. For example, the two systems are combined to produce 

Broad Ecosystem Classification mapping, also called Broad Ecosystem Inventory. Broad 

Ecosystem Classification uses information on dominant vegetation cover or distinct nonvegetation 

cover to determine the function and distribution of plant communities in a 

landscape. Broad Ecosystem mapping is used to derive interpretive maps of habitat 

suitability and capability for wildlife (see Section 3.3.1 Wildlife: Assessing habitat values). 

The plan area overlaps with two ecoprovinces, five ecoregions and ten ecosections (Table 1; 

Map 3). The ecosection descriptions that follow have been modified from RPAT (1996) and 

Demarchi (1996) to provide details specific to the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Table 1. Ecoregion zones within the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Ecoprovince Ecoregion Ecosection 

Coast and 

Mountains 

Northern Boreal 

Mountains 

Ecoprovince 

Northern Coast and 

Mountains 

Boreal Mountains 

and Plateaus 

Southern Yukon 

Lakes 

ALR (Alsek Ranges) 

BOR (Boundary Ranges) 

STP (Stikine Plateau) 

TEP (Teslin Plateau) 

TUR (Tuya Ranges) 

TEB (Teslin Basin) 

St. Elias Mountains ICR (Icefield Ranges) 

Yukon-Stikine 

Highlands 

TAB (Tatshenshini Basin) 

TAH (Tagish Highland) 

THH (Tahltan Highland) 

Alsek Ranges Ecosection (ALR): The Alsek Ranges Ecosection is comprised of the 

isolated, rugged ice-capped mountains of the southern Alsek and Fairweather Ranges of the 

St Elias Mountains and the northern Boundary Ranges, east of the Chilkat River. The 

climate is cold, wet and windy. Precipitation is heavy and winter snows are deep and wet. 

This is the smallest and most northerly of the ecosections in the Northern Coast and 

Mountains Ecoregion. 

Boundary Ranges Ecosection (BOR): This narrow ecosection hugs the eastern side of the 

Alaskan panhandle. The area is characterized by glacier-capped granitic mountains and is 


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dissected by the wide braided channels and extensive floodplains of the Taku and Whiting 

rivers. 

Icefield Ranges (ICR): The Icefields Ranges Ecosection consists of ice-capped, rugged 

mountains comprising the southern extension of the St. Elias Mountains. 

Stikine Plateau (STP): The Stikine Plateau Ecosection is an area of rolling plateau ranging 

from lowland to alpine. Sedimentary and volcanic rocks underlie the area. The climate is 

relatively dry and cold, with lower snow depths than surrounding areas. Low elevations in 

the Nahlin River valley are among the driest areas in the Boreal Mountains and Plateaus 

Ecoregion. 

Tagish Highland (TAH): The Tagish Highland Ecosection is a mountainous area of 

intermediate relief between the Teslin Plateau and the Coast Mountains. This transition belt 

has numerous gently sloping uplands dissected by rivers that feed into the long linear lakes of 

the Teslin Plateau. Although this ecosection is in the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains, it 

has greater precipitation than the plateaux to the east. All streams in this ecosection drain 

into the upper Yukon River system. Barren alpine areas and snowfields are common. 

Tahltan Highland (THH): This ecosection contains the eastern slopes of the Boundary 

Ranges. It is a transitional mountain area with several large valleys exposed to the coast that 

allow moist air to dominate the lower slopes. There is extensive glaciation proximal to the 

Boundary Ranges. 

Tatshenshini Basin (TAB): The Tatshenshini Basin is an area of rounded, subdued 

mountains and wide valleys leeward of the jagged Boundary and St. Elias Ranges. In spite of 

its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, this area has a typically sub-arctic climate - cold and 

comparatively dry for the region. Most of the ecosection is part of the Tatshenshini/Alsek 

drainage basin, with the exception of the Kelsall River which flows south to the Chilkat 

River. 

Teslin Basin (TEB): The Teslin Basin Ecosection consists of a wide valley with several 

large lakes, extensive wetlands, isolated mountains and rolling uplands occurring along the 

margins. The climate is cold and relatively dry. This ecosection was identified in 1995; 

prior to this time, it was included within the Teslin Plateau Ecosection. 

Teslin Plateau (TEP): The Teslin Plateau Ecosection is an area of wide valleys and rolling 

plateaux. This ecosection, within the Coast Mountains rain shadow, has a dry, subarctic 

climate. Atlin Lake and part of the Taku River are contained within this ecosection. 

Tuya Ranges (TUR): This ecosection contains the most widespread rolling alpine landscape 

in British Columbia: the northern Stikine Ranges of the Cassiar Mountains, the Kawdy 

Plateau, Astutla Range and small portions of the Nisutline and Dease Plateaus. The 

distinguishing feature of these ranges is the occurrence of flat-topped, steep-sided volcanoes, 

called tuyas that formed during eruptions under Pleistocene glaciers. Little boreal forest is 

found within this ecosection because of the relatively high elevation of the valley-bottoms - 

100 to 300 meters higher than in the Cassiar Ranges. 


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2.2 Social and Economic Description 

2.2.1 History of the area 

Much of the plan area is within the traditional territory of two Inland Tlingit groups: the Taku 

River Tlingit and Teslin Tlingit First Nations. The Inland Tlingit are of coastal Taku Tlingit 

ancestry. With the retreat of the Taku Glacier from across the Taku River, the Tlingit began 

travelling up the river and into the Atlin Lake area to trade with the interior Athapascan 

people. Trade between the Athapascans and the Tlingit was well established by the arrival of 

the first Europeans in the late 1700s (Staples and Poushinksy, 1997). As sea otter harvests 

declined on the coast and the fur trade with Europeans expanded in the interior, some of the 

Tlingit moved away from the coast and settled in the upper Taku and Yukon drainages, 

intermarrying with the interior Athapascan people 3 . An extensive trading network remained 

active to the turn of the century. Trading routes and camps extended throughout the area 

connecting major trade centers in what is now Alaska, northern British Columbia and the 

Yukon. 

This merging of coastal and inland cultures has resulted in a people with a common territory, 

language and culture, who make use of both coastal riverine and interior resources (Rescan, 

1997). There is a movement to align all Inland Tlingit groups, including the Teslin Tlingit, 

Carcross/Tagish, and Taku River people into a single group called Da Kha Kwan, which 

reflects the traditional ties between the Inland Tlingit groups. Ties between the Inland 

Tlingit and coastal Tlingit remain strong (Rescan, 1997). 

Oral history describes how, up until a couple of hundred years ago, the area around Atlin was 

Tagish territory. The Tagish lands were offered to the Taku River Tlingit as compensation 

for the death of a Taku River Tlingit woman. The Taku River Tlingit are also said to have 

defeated the Tahltan people in the early 1800s, assuming territorial rights to the upper Taku 

watershed and most of its tributaries (Rescan, 1997). 

Explorers, traders and prospectors began visiting the Taku region in the late 1700s. The 

Hudsons’ Bay company operated a number of trading posts in the area in the mid- late-1800s. 

Some placer mining occurred in the 1880s and the Taku River was used as an alternative 

route to the Klondike during the gold rush of 1898. The Klondike gold rush of 1897 and 

1898 brought tens of thousands of people to the north, seeking their riches in the streams 

around Dawson City. The Chilkoot Trail and White Pass route were two of the main routes 

to the Klondike gold fields. Hopeful prospectors were required by the Canadian Royal 

Mounted Police to haul one ton of goods over the Chilkoot Pass into British Columbia; 

enough food and supplies to support them for one year. Many of the Tagish people acted as 

packers for the prospectors on the Chilkoot Trail during the Gold Rush. Most of these 

stampeders returned to their homes empty handed, but the frenzied rush from Alaska into the 

Yukon has been called one of the last great adventures. 

3 There are a number of theories as to why some coastal Tlingit moved and settled inland. These include 

population pressure on the coast; benefits of the Interior fur trade; intermarriage; and friendship bonds formed 

with trading partners in the Interior (Yukon Community Profile, 2001) 


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The Taku River Tlingit, living in semi-permanent camps on the shores of Atlin Lake, had 

little interaction with non-native outsiders until the discovery of placer gold at Pine Creek in 

1898. Thousands of gold seekers flooded into the area, many of them diverted from the 

Klondike goldfields. By 1899 there were approximately 1500 people living at the Atlin 

townsite and another 4500 in gold camps at Discovery on Pine Creek. At its peak, there were 

approximately 10,000 people in the area (Atlin Community Website, 2001). At the time 10 

reserves, representing 1300 ha, were established for the Taku River Tlingit (then called the 

Atlin-Teslin band). The reserve at Five Mile Point was intended as a relocation site, 

although Chief Taku Jack rejected the proposed relocation and the TRTFN village was 

maintained on non-reserve land (Steele, 1995). By 1907, when gold production tapered off 

and mining became less economical, the population of Atlin had dropped to a few hundred 

and Discovery virtually ceased to exist. 

Mining has continued to be one of the primary economic mainstays of the Atlin-Taku area 

through the years. Many of the creeks around Atlin have past or existing placer operations 

on them, with placer mines ranging in size from single person outfits to large operations 

using heavy equipment and employing several people. The Atlin area has yielded over $23 

million in gold in the last 100 years, second only to the Cariboo for placer gold production in 

BC (BC Tour Online, 2000). There have been a number of mining operations on the Taku 

River since the 1800s. Mines have operated at three deposits along the Tulsequah River 

(Tulsequah Chief, Big Bull, and Polaris Taku) at various times between 1923 and 1957. In 

1929, the small settlement of Tulsequah was established as a service center for three 

operating mines, all of which ceased production at the outbreak of World War 2. The 

Tulsequah Chief mine re-opened after the war and closed again in 1957. Redfern Resources 

Ltd. began an application to resume operations at the Tulsequah Chief mine in 1994. A 

Project Approval Certificate for the project was granted in 1998 following a two and a half 

year review under the Environmental Assessment Act. However, the decision to grant the 

Certificate was overturned in June 2000 by Supreme Court of BC as the result of a lawsuit 

launched by the Taku River Tlingit. This project remains under review by the Environmental 

Assessment Office. 

Tourism is also a longstanding contributor to the Atlin economy. Following the gold rush in 

1898, Atlin became a fashionable place to visit for American tourists on their Alaskan tour. 

Cruise ships brought passengers from Seattle and San Francisco to Skagway, where they 

disembarked and boarded the White Pass rail to Carcross. They then transferred to a paddle 

steamer on Tagish Lake and headed to Taku Landing, and from there to Atlin. The M.V. 

Tarahne, built in 1917, took passengers on tours of Atlin Lake. In the early 1900s, at the 

peak of tourism for that period, 400 people per week made the journey to Atlin (Atlin 

Community Website, 2001). These overland excursions to Atlin ended in the 1930s when 

airplanes began to service Atlin and the White Pass rail company withdrew its transportation 

link to the area. Tourism has continued to provide local employment, primarily in the 

summer months. 

World War II hit the mining and tourism industries in Atlin and area hard. Jobs disappeared 

and the population of Atlin dwindled. The Atlin Road was built in 1949-50 linking Atlin to 

the Alaska Highway. Despite the land-based link to Whitehorse and beyond, the size of the 

town was slow to recover. In 1963, the non-aboriginal population of Atlin was only 75 


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(Rescan, 1997). In the 1960s the overall population of the town slowly began to rise again as 

people began moving into the area as part of a lifestyle choice. The current population of 

Atlin is approximately 450 permanent residents and 100 – 200 seasonal residents (Atlin 

Community Website, 2001). 

2.2.2 Communities 

The population of the northern BC is characterized by small, unincorporated communities 

separated by long distances and the plan area is no exception. In 1996, the total population 

for the Stikine Region Census Subdivision, which covers 11 million ha and includes the 

communities of Atlin, Dease Lake, Good Hope Lake and Lower Post, was only 1391 (BC 

Stats, 2001). Other than small and scattered settlements, the only sizable community and 

commercial centre in the Atlin-Taku plan area is the town of Atlin on the eastern shores of 

Atlin Lake. Map 4 summarizes the current land status of the plan area. 

2.2.2.1 Atlin 

Set on an aquamarine glacier-fed lake with a panoramic view of the rugged peaks of the 

Coast Mountains and steeped in history and pre-history, Atlin is a community that imparts a 

strong sense of place and character. The name Atlin comes from a Tlingit work “Ah-tlen” 

meaning “big waters”. The number of year-round residents in the town is currently around 

450, increasing by 100 - 200 in the summer months (Atlin Community Website, 2001). 

Summer residents include recreational property owners and those with seasonal employment 

(primarily placer miners). Atlin township is the northern and westernmost town in BC at a 

latitude of 59° 35’N and longitude of 133° 40’ W. On the longest day in Atlin there are 18 

hours and 42 minutes of sunlight. The township is unincorporated and the affairs of the town 

are run by voluntary organizations such as the Atlin Advisory Planning Commission, who 

deal with land use planning and application referrals, and the Atlin Board of Trade, whose 

mandate is to promote economic and social enhancement. Many of the residents of the 

community have grown up in Atlin or have lived there for a long time. The town is 

characterized by its history and surroundings as well as the independent and self-sufficient 

spirit of its residents. 

Access to Atlin is limited. The Atlin Road provides the only ground access to the town. The 

nearest major center, Whitehorse in the Yukon, is approximately 200 km (two hours drive) 

away. A local bus and van service provides public transportation between Atlin and 

Whitehorse (population 22,000 in 1996). Fixed wing planes, float planes and helicopters 

provide year round flights to the town. Juneau, Alaska, is 45 minutes from Atlin by air. 

Skagway, Alaska, is also accessible by a short plane ride. Atlin can be accessed by boat from 

the town of Tagish along Tagish Lake in the Yukon. In the winter months, when the lakes 

have frozen, travel to the area can also occur by snowmobile and dog-sled. 

Atlin has a number of amenities including a recreation center and curling rink, two general 

stores, a post office, a community library, an airport, an RCMP station, a fire department and 

a Red Cross Outpost Hospital. There are limited banking services through the Government 

Agent and Bank of Montreal. The Government Agent acts as liaison to other provincial 

departments and offers a wide range of services to the town including: mining recording; 


Page 7

court register; issuing of birth, death and marriage certificates; Hunting and Fishing 

Licences; and Notary Public (Government Agents website, 2001). 

The local school goes from kindergarten to Grade 9. Grades 10 – 12 and adult education 

classes are provided through a pathfinder lab (distance education). Many students complete 

their Grade 10 – 12 years in Whitehorse. The Atlin School operates a satellite outreach 

program for children in outlying areas and one teacher travels over a large area to tutor these 

students. 

Atlin’s power is supplied by a diesel generation plant with five diesel generators. Fuel to run 

the generators (1.2 million liters/year) has to be trucked in via the Atlin Road (Rescan, 1997). 

Most of drinking water for the town is taken from Atlin Lake. 

2.2.2.2 First Nations communities 

Approximately one-quarter of the 360 members of the Taku River Tlingit live in or near 

Atlin (INAC, 2001; Staples and Poushinsky, 1997). Most homes are on the Five Mile Point 

Indian Reserve No. 3 about 8 km south of Atlin. A small number of households and the 

TRTFN administration office are located on Indian Reserve No. 4 (‘townsite reserve) within 

Atlin. A few families also live off-reserve in Atlin and in other communities in the Yukon 

and BC. Members of the Tlingit community living away from Atlin travel frequently to the 

area to visit relatives and to hunt, fish and gather berries and medicinal plants in the TRTFN 

traditional territory (Rescan, 1997). 

Although the Champagne-Aishihik, Carcross/Tagish, and Teslin Tlingit First Nations have 

traditional territories over large parts of the plan area, their communities are all in the Yukon. 

2.2.3 Economy and employment 

The economy of the plan area is largely seasonal. With the exception of a small heli-skiing 

operation, most local businesses are summer operations such as mining, tourism, home 

building, road construction, commercial fishing and guide outfitting. Most of the year round 

employment is based in Atlin in government jobs (First Nations, provincial and federal) and 

with providers of goods and services. The unemployment rate in the winter months is 

generally high. 

In the Atlin-Taku area, as is the case for other northern communities, the cost of living is 

high due to the distance from markets and the low volume of sales. Residents of Atlin tend 

to travel to shop, bank, use services, and enjoy social amenities unavailable in their own 

town. This results in a leakage of dollars out of the community and into the larger center. 

Many of the residents engage in sustenance hunting, fishing, and gathering activities. For 

many local residents, particularly the Taku River Tlingit, hunting, trapping, fishing, and 

berry-picking provide are integral to the social and cultural fabric of the community and are a 

significant component of the local economy (Staples and Poushinsky, 1997). 

Economic activity in the Atlin-Taku area is constrained by its limited infrastructure and long 

distance to markets. The main economic drivers, mining and tourism, are cyclical in nature 

which has lead to significant fluctuations in the local economy. 


Page 8

Table 2 summarizes employment statistics for the Stikine Region Census Subdivision, which 

includes Atlin, Dease Lake, Good Hope Lake, and Lower Post. Statistics were not available 

for the town of Atlin itself. The population of the overall Stikine Region covering 13 million 

hectares, was only 1391 in 1996 (Statistics Canada, 2001). Of these, the participation rate in 

the labour force is somewhat higher than the provincial average, although the average 

household income is lower than the average for BC. Approximately 14% of the workers in 

the Stikine Region worked away from home, with most working outside of the Stikine 

Region itself (Statistics Canada, 2001) 

Table 2. Economic statistics for the Stikine Region Census Subdivision, 1996 

Stikine Region B.C. 

Population 1391 3,724,500 

Pop (15+) in labour force 780 1,960,660 

Participation rate (%) 74.3 66.4 

Unemployment Rate (%) 9.6 9.6 

Average household 

income (1995) 

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2001 

41,893 50,667 

Table 3 summarizes the experienced labour force by industry in the Stikine Region Census 

Subdivision in 1996. While this profile is for a much larger area, including the towns of 

Dease Lake, Good Hope Lake and Lower Post, it provides an overview of the general 

employment in the northwest. As shown in Table 3, the public sector (government, 

education, health and social services) is the largest employer, representing 42% of the 

experienced labour force. Mining represents the highest non-government employer at 10%. 


Page 9

Table 3. Experienced labour force by industry – Stikine Region Census Subdivision, 1996 

Industry divisions 1996 labour force % of 1996 labour 

force 

Agriculture and related services 20 2 

Fishing and trapping 10 1 

Logging and forestry 20 2 

Mining and milling, quarrying 

and oil well 

80 10 

Manufacturing 10 1 

Construction 45 5 

Transportation and storage 20 2 

Retail trade 70 9 

Business services 10 1 

Government services 175 22 

Educational services 140 18 

Health and social services 20 2 

Accommodation, food and 

beverage 

75 9 

Other service industries 60 7 

Total labour force 15 yrs+ 775 100 

2.2.3.1 Mining 

The town of Atlin was built on placer mining and it remains a key employer in the 

community. Hardrock mining has been a lesser contributor to the local economy, as past 

producing mines adjacent to the community have been small with short periods of operation. 

However, hardrock mineral exploration continues to contribute to the local economy, through 

seasonal employment and purchase of local goods and services. 

In the broader plan area, there are several significant past producing mines and mineral 

exploration that, as a result of topography and infrastructure, have benefited northern 

residents outside of the Atlin-Taku plan area. Examples include intensive exploration and 

development of the Windy-Craggy deposit in the Tatsenshini-Alsek park area, historic 

mining of the Tulsequah and Polaris-Taku deposits in the Taku River area and recent mining 

at the Golden Bear deposit, located north of Telegraph Creek. 


Page 10

Placer gold mining 

Though many of the streams have been panned for gold, placer gold production has been 

concentrated in two relatively small portions of the plan area. Placer gold production from 

streams in the St. Elias Mountains ended prior to 1993, when establishment of the 

Tatshenshini-Alsek Park absorbed active placer areas. The remaining placer gold production 

area is located proximal to the community of Atlin. 

Many of the creeks lying to the east and south of Atlin, contain placer gold and are actively 

mined. Placer mining largely occurs outside of the winter months, though in some years, a 

few operations continue year round. Winter is also used to mobilize equipment to remote 

placer sites, to minimize environmental impacts. Placer mining is considered the most 

important contributor to the local economy, generating approximately $5 million in 1994 

(Rescan, 1997). In 1996, placer mines employed approximately 150 people a year on a 

seasonal basis (approximately one-quarter of the summer population) (Rescan, 1997). The 

overall income dependency on mining in Atlin, based on the above figures, is estimated at 

60% (Rescan, 1997). The economy of the town is tied closely to gold prices and the 

economic health of the town tends to fluctuate as markets change (Steele, 1995; Atlin 


Hardrock mineral development 

The Atlin-Taku plan area has good potential for the discovery of economic mineral deposits. 

The area encompasses one operating mine, several past producing metallic mines, and 

numerous developed prospects. Several of the known developed prospects are polymetallic, 

containing several potentially economic metals, in addition to the very rich Windy Craggy 

copper-deposit. Reflective of the prospective geology in the plan area, is the large number of 

mineral tenures and extensive mineral exploration conducted. Exploration spending in the 

Atlin area alone is estimated at $500,000 to $1 million per year (Rescan, 1997). 

Currently, the only operating mine in the plan area, the Golden Bear mine, is near closure. 

The mine originally opened in 1989, as an underground and small open pit operation, 

processing ore through conventional floatation methods. The processing method proved 

uneconomic, leading to closure of the mine in 1994. The mine was subsequently bought by 

Wheaton River Minerals, who conducted further exploration and development, which led to 

reopening as a heap leach gold operation in 1997. Mining at the site was completed in 2000, 

but processing of ore is anticipated to continue to 2002. Since reopening in 1997, the mine 

has operated on a seasonal basis, employing approximately 80 persons when actively mining. 

Mining and tourism 

Mining activity has contributed to the development of tourism in the Atlin area both 

historically and at the present. In the early 1900's, small communities were established 

around the Ben-My-Chree and Engineer mines, on Tagish Lake. At Ben-My-Chree, the wife 

of the mine owner developed beautiful gardens and ran a small tourist operation serving tea 

for travelers arriving on the paddlewheeler. Both sites continue to be points of interest for 

travelers. In the community of Atlin, historic placer activity is a draw for tourism. Efforts 

have been made to establish a mining museum and develop placer tourism opportunities. 


Page 11

2.2.3.2 Tourism 

As with mining, tourism has a long, cyclical history in the Atlin area. The White Pass 

railway, built by the Klondike gold rush, provided access to the area until the 1930s, 

augmented by boat travel on Tagish and Atlin lakes. 

Today tourists are drawn to the plan area by the spectacular scenery, history and culture, and 

opportunities for quality outdoor experiences in a wilderness setting. Though some winter 

tourism has been developed in recent years, most activity is concentrated in the summer 

months. Tourism operations are based out of Atlin, Whitehorse, and Alaska (Juneau and 

Haines). The plan area is not as much of a tourist destination in and of itself, rather it is one 

part of an overall northern experience that includes Alaska and the Yukon. 

With its large areas of wilderness, most of the tourism operations offered are nature-based 

backcountry experiences. There are also more front-country facilities and amenities 

available within Atlin. 

Summer tourism 

Most of the tourism activity in the plan area occurs between the months of May and 

September. Summer tourism activities are land, air and water-based. Land-based tourism 

activities include touring, wilderness backpacking, glacier touring, mountaineering, and 

guided fishing and big game hunting. In 1999, there were four guiding businesses based in 

Atlin offering hiking and mountaineering trips and four guide outfitting companies offering 

guided hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities (Davies, 1999). Tourists often 

make the detour into Atlin as part of their driving tour to and from Alaska. 

There are a large number of commercial operators offering a range of motorized and nonmotorized 

water-based activities in the Atlin area, on the Taku, and in Tatsenshini-Alsek 

Park. These include houseboat rentals on Atlin Lake, sports fishing trips on the Taku, 

Nakina and Inklin Rivers, guided and non-guided kayaking and canoeing trips on the lakes 

near the BC-Yukon border, and guided raft trips down the Taku, Tatsenshini, and Alsek 

Rivers (Davies, 1999). 

Winter tourism 

Winter tourism activities include guided heli-skiing, cross-country skiing, snow-mobiling 

and dog sledding. Most winter tourism activities are based out of Atlin. Winter tourism is 

much smaller than summer tourism and local tourism interests feel that there is potential for 

expansion of the winter tourism market (Rescan, 1997). 

Air-based tourism 

In 1999, three air charter operations offered sightseeing from either fixed wing or float 

planes. In addition, one business offers helicopter sightseeing and heliskiing (Davies, 1999). 

Air transportation is available throughout the year. 

2.2.3.3 Commercial fishing 

The only commercial fishery in the plan area is on the lower Taku River. There are eighteen 

commercial gillnet licenses in the Canadian fishery on the Taku River. The TRTFN holds 


Page 12

eight licences. The other licences are held by residents of Atlin or elsewhere (J. Burdek, pers 

comm.; RES, 1997). 

Most fish are flown to Atlin for processing or freezing, although some are sold in Juneau or 

flown to Atlin for retail sale. There is one processing plant in Atlin that produces smoked 

salmon products. Some TRTFN fishermen also sell a portion of their catch as smoked 

products (Rescan, 1997). 

2.2.3.4. Forestry 

There is currently little forestry activity in the plan area. Much of the area is classified as 

inoperable. The average annual timber harvest in the operable areas ranges from 1500 - 2000 

m 3 /yr, primarily to provide timber for local home building, mine timbers and rough cut 

timber. The amount allocated for harvesting is in response to local demand and is unlikely to 

change significantly in the near future (C. Rygaard, pers. comm.). Over time, timber is 

becoming less accessible and is located farther from the community.. 

There are no major forest tenures in the area. Deterrents to large-scale timber development 

include the high cost of operations (due to the relatively low volumes and inaccessibility of 

merchantable timber), long distances to processing facilities and markets, a lack of local 

infrastructure, and a low and cyclical demand for timber locally. To date, Crown timber has 

only been offered only as short-term sales under the Small Business Forest Enterprise 

Program and through the Forest Service Reserve. About 8 - 12 people are employed in 

timber harvesting and silviculture activities on an annual basis (C. Rygaard, pers comm.). 

There are a number of small family-owned mills in the Atlin area, including a mill owned 

and operated by the TRTFN and located on the Five Mile reserve (Rescan, 1997). Most 

timber is sold and used locally. 

2.2.3.5 Trapping 

Trapping provides seasonal income for a number of local residents, including a number of 

Taku River Tlingit. Not all of the traplines in the area are active. The number of individual 

species trapped is dependent on influenced by furbearer numbers and market prices. Marten 

are the most frequently trapped species. 

2.2.3.6 Agriculture and range 

A number of people in the Atlin area grow local produce for sale in Whitehorse and in Atlin 

itself. There are also a number of agricultural leases and tenures for beef production. Guide 

outfitters in the area have range tenures for grazing of packhorses. 

2.2.3.7 Other economic activities 

Artisans 

There are a number of home-based artist studios in Atlin, many of them selling arts and crafts 

made from local materials. An art school and artist’s retreat holds workshops throughout the 

summer and attracts participants from around the world. 


Page 13

Road construction and maintenance 

The maintenance and construction of highways is contracted to a private company, providing 

both seasonal and year-round employment. In addition, a number of small operators in Atlin 

have equipment that can be used in road construction. 

2.2.4 First Nations 

There are five First Nations groups with an interest in the plan area: the Taku River Tlingit 

First Nation, Tlingit Teslin Council, Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Tahltan First Nation, and 

Champagne-Aishihik First Nations (Map 5). The traditional territories of four of these First 

Nations are transboundary, extending from BC into the Yukon and, in some cases, into 

Alaska. 

The Taku River Tlingit and Teslin Tlingit are closely related, sharing a common history, 

culture and language. The First Nations communities at Atlin and Teslin are connected 

through a system of trails that were used extensively until the 1940s when the Alaska 

Highway was built (Yukon Community Profiles, 2001). The ties between the two Inland 

Tlingit groups, which are closely linked culturally, politically and economically, remains 

strong (Staples and Poushinsky, 1997). The introduction of non-Tlingit political and 

administrative boundaries (e.g., political boundaries and the registered trapline system) at the 

time of European settlement divided traditional Tlingit territories that extended from Alaska 

to the Yukon. There is an social division among the Tlingit people that exists to this day 

between “BCers” and “Yukoners,” with associated challenges to maintaining the traditional 

systems of land ownership and management of resources (Staples and Poushinsky, 1997). 

The Carcross/Tagish people are a blend of coastal Tlingit and interior Tagish and Athapaskan 

ancestry. Ties between the First Nations communities at Carcross and Tagish and the Atlin 

and Teslin communities are also strong. 

The Taku River Tlingit, Telin Tlingit, Carcross/Tagish and Champagne-Aishihik are all at 

Stage 4 of the BC Treaty process (negotiation of an agreement-in-principle) and are 

negotiating together at the Northern Regional Negotiations table. The Champagne-Aishihik 

and Teslin Tlingit have already negotiated agreements on land settlement and selfgovernment 

with Canada and the Yukon Territory. These agreements received Royal Assent 

in July 1994. The Carcross/Tagish First Nation are currently negotiating their final 

agreement on land claims and self-government with the federal and Yukon governments. 

The Land Claims and Self-Government Agreements assert a role for these First Nations in 

co-management of their traditional territorial lands and any development proceeding on those 

lands. In accordance with the agreements, regional land use planning processes are 

beginning in Yukon portion of the traditional territories of the Champagne and Aishihik First 

Nations and the Teslin Tlingit Council. Once the final agreements are settled with the 

Carcross/Tagish First Nation, their traditional territories will be incorporated into the Teslin 

regional land use planning process, to create a larger Daak Ka planning region in the Yukon. 

The Tahltan Nation has withdrawn from the BC Treaty Negotiation process. 


Page 14

2.2.4.1 Taku River Tlingit 

The Taku River Tlingit First Nation (TRTFN) are based out of Atlin, although many 

members live in communities in the Yukon (Whitehorse, Carcross and Teslin) and in 

Vancouver and other parts of BC and the US. There were 361 registered members of the 

TRTFN in 2001, 72% of whom lived off reserve (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2001) 

The traditional territory of the Taku River Tlingit includes the Taku River and most of its 

tributaries, Atlin and Little Atlin lakes at the southern end of the Yukon drainage, and large 

portions of the interior region in the southern Yukon (Map 5). The TRT have ten Indian 

Reserves, all in BC, totaling 1264 ha. Seven of the reserves are around Atlin and three are 

around Teslin Lake. The Taku River Tlingit is comprised of two clans: the Yanyèdí clan of 

the Wolf moiety and the Kùkhhittàn clan of the Crow moiety. The First Nation is governed 

under a traditional clan system (see Section 2.2.6: Local Government and Community 

Representation). 

The economy of the TRTFN communities has been described as a “mixed” economy where 

traditional land use (hunting, fishing, berry-picking, etc) and a cash economy (through wage 

earning and income from other sources) are combined (Staples and Poushinsky, 1997). This 

diversity provides a degree of economic stability, providing a buffer against seasonal changes 

in employment and the uncertainties of external economies. Members of the community 

work in guiding (fish and game), outfitting, carpentry, mining, commercial fishing, and 

casual labouring. The TRTFN has a mill on the No 5 reserve and holds eight commercial 

fishing licences on the lower Taku River. 

Hunting, fishing and gathering of plants for food and medicine are considered integral to the 

social, cultural, and economic fabric of the Taku River Tlingit community. Almost all 

TRTFN households participate in traditional land use activities. Areas of particular 

significance to the TRTFN include Blue Canyon, the Gladys River to its confluence with the 

Nakina River, the O’Donnell River Valley, Kuthai Lake and Silver Salmon River (Staples 

and Poushinsky, 1997). 

The TRTFN have a number of concerns related to the management of fish and wildlife and 

regulation of hunting, trapping and fishing activities in their traditional territory. There is a 

history of conflict between the TRTFN and the provincial and federal governments on these 

issues (Staples and Poushinsky, 1997). The concerns of the TRTFN are particularly strong 

with regard to the management of hunting in areas traditionally used by the Tlingit and close 

to their communities, such as Blue Canyon, Surprise Lake, and areas to the east of Atlin 

(Staples and Poushinsky). These issues are discussed in further detail in Section 4.6.1.2: 

Hunting – First Nation. The TRTFN and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are partners in a 

program to for fish habitat stewardship in an area that includes the Taku River watershed and 

the Atlin Lake area (see Section 4.5: Fishing). 

2.2.4.2 Teslin Tlingit 

The Teslin Tlingit live in and around the town of Teslin in the Yukon Territory, 183 

kilometers from Whitehorse. Teslin village was originally a Tlingit summer campsite. The 


Page 15

Teslin Tlingit currently comprise approximately two-thirds of the population of Teslin 

(Yukon Community Profiles, 2000). The number of members represented by the Teslin 

Tlingit Council in 2001 was 536, 52% of whom lived off-reserve. (Indian and Northern 

Affairs Canada, 2001). 

The traditional territory of the Teslin Tlingit includes the drainage system of Teslin Lake in 

northern BC and the southern Yukon (Map 5). All of the Teslin Tlingit reserves are in the 

Yukon. The Teslin Tlingit have five clans: Eagle, Wolf, Frog, Crow and Beaver. 

The official name of this First Nation is the Teslin Tlingit Council. The Council is 

recognized and established under the traditional law of the Teslin Tlingit and is a registered 

Indian Band under the Indian Act. The Teslin Tlingit Council is affiliated with the Tlingit 

Tribal Council, the Daxa Nation. The Self-Government Agreement signed with the Canada 

and the Yukon Territory in 1993 recognizes the Teslin Tlingit Council as a self-governing 

First Nation. The clan system has been incorporated into the Council and is an important 

aspect of the Self-Government Agreement (Yukon Community Profiles, 2000). 

Tle-Nax T-awei Incorporated, the development corporation of the Teslin Tlingit Council, is 

involved in a number of community economic initiatives including tourism development, a 

small business assistance program, expansion of cultural activities and arts and crafts, and 

expansion of the Yukon River Timber Company sawmill (Yukon Community Profiles, 

2000). A Teslin Region Tourism Development Plan was developed in 1993. The Plan 

identifies a number of opportunities for culturally-based tourism development, including 

development of a Teslin Cultural Display to demonstrate the Tlingit culture and northern 

lifestyles in general (YFNTA, 2000). The Council is a member of the Yukon First Nations 

Tribal Association. 

2.2.4.3 Carcross/Tagish 

The Carcross/Tagish First Nation (C-TFN) are people of Tlingit, Tagish and Athapaskan 

descent. There were 531registered members of the First Nation as of May, 2001, 60% of 

whom lived off-reserve (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2001). The Carcross/Tagish 

people belong to the Tagish linguistic grouping of the Athapaskan language family. Most 

live in the communities of Carcross and Tagish and comprise approximately 50% of these 

communities (Yukon Community Profiles, 2000). The social organizational system of the 

Carcross/Tagish is reflection of their Tlingit and Tagish heritage e.g., with the potlatch being 

an important aspect of the social and political fabric of the community. The Carcross/Tagish 

have two moieties, crow and wolf, and a number of associated clans. 

The traditional territory of the Carcross/Tagish people is primarily located at the headwaters 

of the Yukon River system in the Yukon and northwestern BC. The C-TFN is recognized 

under the traditional law of the Tlingit/Tagish descent and is also recognized as a band under 

the Indian Act of Canada. The First Nation is adopting a constitution based on its traditional 

clan system. The C-TFN is affiliated with the Tlingit Tribal Council, Daxa Nation. The C- 

TFN is currently negotiating their First Nation Final Agreement and Self-Government 

Agreement with the federal and Yukon governments. 


Page 16

Employment in Carcross and Tagish is based mainly on summer tourism, with some 

adventure tourism happening in the off-season. 30-40% of the total employment in Carcross 

is in government services and administration of the C-TFN (Yukon Community Profiles, 

2000). People are also employed in health and education services. 

2.2.4.4 Champagne-Aishihik 

The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (C-AFN) represent a joining of the Champagne 

people of the Desadeash River with the Aishihik people of the headwaters of the Alsek River 

drainage. The Champagne and Aishihik people are of Southern Tutchone and Tlingit 

descent. Their traditional territory straddles the border of the Yukon and British Columbia 

and includes the entire Tatsenshini and Alsek drainages as well as areas east of the Haines 

Road to the Takhini River drainage (see Map 5). 

The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations are recognized and established under the 

traditional law of the Southern Tutchone. In addition, The Champagne and Aishihik Indian 

Bands are recognized as Bands under the Indian Act. The Self-Government Agreement 

between the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Canada and the Yukon Territory 

recognizes the inherent right of the Champagne and Aishihik to be self-governing First 

Nations. The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations are affiliated with the Southern 

Tutchone Tribal Council. 

The overall membership of the C-AFN was approximately 1100 in 2000, making it one of the 

largest First Nations in the Yukon (Yukon Community Profiles, 2000) The administration 

office of the C-AFN is based in Haines Junction, at the junction of the Alaska and Haines 

highways in the Yukon. Haines Junction is the first major community northwest of 

Whitehorse. The Champagne-Aishihik also have a number of settlements or camps 

throughout their territory. Most of the settlements are around Haines Junction where they 

comprise approximately half of the population (Yukon Community Profiles, 2000). 

The Dakwakada Development Corporation was established to promote economic 

development for the C-AFN. Projects of the Corporation include a hotel/lodge, a mall, 

Dakwakada Forest Products, and greater involvement in the tourism industry, including the 

development of a tourist resort (Cooko-Whiteduck, 2001). 

The C-AFN has an agreement with BC Parks for cooperative management of the 

Tatsenshini-Alsek Park, which covers most of their traditional territory within BC (see 

Section 5.0: Protected Areas). 

Tahltan 

The Talhtan have traditional territories in the Taku River watershed and still make extensive 

use of portions of the Taku River watershed. The Tahltan communities are located in the 

neighbouring Cassiar Iskut-Stikine LRMP area, in the towns of Dease Lake, Telegraph 

Creek, and Iskut. The Tahltan traditional territory includes the entire Stikine River 

watershed. 


Page 17

2.2.5 Local government and community representation 

The township of Atlin is unincorporated and there is no municipal government in the town, 

i.e., there is no elected body such as Mayor or town council and no by-laws. The nearest 

thing to local government is the Atlin Advisory Planning Commission, consisting of seven 

elected members who act in a voluntary capacity and make decisions regarding land use 

zoning and applications. The other main community organization is the Atlin District Board 

of Trade. The Board of Trade, which celebrated its 100 th anniversary in 2001, is the longest 

running organization in Atlin. It has the role of promoting economic development and social 

enhancement. 

The administration office of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation on the townsite reserve in 

Atlin. Decision-making within the TRTFN is set out in a constitution developed and ratified 

by clan members in 1993. The constitution asserts the status of the TRTFN as a selfgoverning 

people and establishes the traditional clan system of governance under the 

traditional law of the Taku River Tlingit. The clan system replaces governance by an 

elected band council under the Indian Act. The TRTFN council consists of three 

representatives. Clan members appoint one director from each of the two moieties or clans 

(Wolf and Crow) and one non-aligned spokesperson. The appointments are for an indefinite 

term of office and appointees may be removed by their clans at any time. 

The plan area is not within a regional district. The Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine 

extends as far north as Iskut and Telegraph Creek. 


Page 18

3.0 RESOURCE DESCRIPTION AND VALUES 

3.1 Bedrock Geology 

Introduction: 

The science of geology, as in other fields, is replete with terminology that can overwhelm 

and confuse non-specialists. To facilitate the layperson's understanding geologic 

terminology has been simplified in regards to: (1) geologic time, (2) mineral and rock names, 

and (3) names of rock formations. 

Geologic time is measured by two independent systems, a relative scale devised from 

paleontology (the study of ancient life) and an absolute scale derived from the precise 

radioactive decay of certain chemical elements. Just as carbon is used to date artifacts 

thousands of years old, isotopic pairs of potassium-argon, rubidium-strontium and uraniumlead 

are used to date rocks that are one million to hundreds of millions of years old. The 

paleontologic scale gives rise to geologic periods, each about 50-70 million years long 

(Mississippian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic etc.) and a long and unwieldy series of 2-15 

million-year-long stages. These appear in the legend of all geologic maps. Time periods 

convey a great deal of information (to geologists) about how a map unit (rock formation) 

relates to other areas, its place in the evolution of Cordilleran geology and even the types of 

metallic and industrial mineral deposits that might be present, all of which is not apparent to 

non-specialists. For this reason, geologic time periods are abandoned in this report in favour 

of the absolute time scale, a simplification that goes against certain geologic principles. 

Second, only the most basic rock names are used in the report, such as limestone, basalt and 

granite, and few mineral names are used. 

Third, the geologic framework is presented as terranes, rather than a much larger number of 

rock formations. Only the names of a few distinctive formations are used that are likely to be 

familiar to residents of the area. Rock formations are named during geologic mapping of an 

area and are correlated to formations in adjacent areas. Some correlations are precise, others 

may involve changing facies (past depositional environments) or the age range. Geologists 

are familiar with the succession of formation names and appreciate the significance and 

subtleties of regional correlation, but these are not meaningful to most lay-people. 

Geology of the Atlin-Taku plan area: 

The Atlin-Taku District presents a great transect of Cordilleran geology, including rocks of 

vastly different origin that span 500 million years and represent more geologic diversity than 

any other land planning area in British Columbia. For this report, the geology is simplified 

into four northwesterly geologic terranes; Yukon-Tanana, Cache Creek, Stikine and 

Alexander. A terrane is a sequence of related rocks that formed in a single geologic setting. 

In their early history terranes developed independently, far from their present location and 

with a unique mineral endowment. They were amalgamated with North America by 

processes of plate tectonics. Boundaries between terranes are major faults, sometimes called 

sutures. Superimposed onto this geologic collage, after continental accretion, are igneous 

intrusions, volcanic fields and sedimentary basins. These are called overlap assemblages and 


Page 19

provide evidence of when terranes were bound together. The most extensive of these 

younger geologic events constitutes a fifth division of the Atlin-Taku district, the Coast 

Range granite belt. 

Yukon-Tanana terrane comprises two areas of metamorphic rocks in the Atlin-Taku district. 

The larger east arm is up to 70 km across and is that part of the district east of Teslin Lake. 

The Teslin fault, which bounds the east arm, underlies Teslin Lake and continues southeast 

along the Jennings River. The west arm lies along the B.C.-Alaska border and is just 10-20 

km wide. It is bounded by the Llewellyn fault to the east and largely engulfed by Coast 

Range granite on the west, so that it is discontinuous. Yukon-Tanana metamorphic rocks 

were originally sedimentary and volcanic strata, derived from an arc of volcanoes on the 

continental margin of North America 325 to 390 million years ago. High temperature and 

pressure metamorphosed Yukon-Tanana rocks into quartzite, schist, gneiss and marble, and 

also deformed the layered rocks into tight folds. These folds are evident on a micro-scale 

(centimeters) and macro-scale (tens of kilometers). As its name implies, Yukon-Tanana 

terrane extends across central Yukon into Alaska. 

Cache Creek terrane consists of rocks formed 225 to 350 million years ago in an ocean basin 

that lay between the two arms of Yukon-Tanana rocks. Cache Creek terrane is the 

compressed remnant of that ocean and its rocks. This compression caused tight folding and 

thrust faulting, the stacking of older rock sequences on top of younger. Cache Creek terrane 

is 80 km wide and extends 150 kilometres across the plan area. It was joined to ancient 

North America along two plate-bounding subduction zones, the Teslin fault to the east and 

the Nahlin fault to the southwest. Cache Creek terrane extends to Dease Lake, and far 

beyond to its namesake locality in southern British Columbia. The rocks consist of basalt 

lava formed at a mid-ocean ridge, deep water sedimentary rocks (argillite and chert), 

limestone reefs originally anchored to island volcanoes, and bodies of serpentine (a dense 

igneous rock brought up from the mantle along deep faults). Serpentine is particularly 

abundant east of Atlin village and some geologic theories link it to the area's famous placer 

gold. Prominent gray limestone bluffs and orange-brown weathering serpentine are part of 

the distinctive geologic landscape of the Atlin area. Most of the Atlin (104N) map-sheet is 

underlain by Cache Creek terrane and, in 2000, the federal and provincial Geological 

Surveys began a joint program to improve the quality of geological mapping. This includes 

an aeromagnetic survey, important data that will assist with geologic interpretation. 

Stikine terrane is a 200-225 million year old volcanic island arc. It is 100 km wide at the 

southern end of the Atlin-Taku plan area but narrows to just 20 km wide, north of the Taku 

River to the Yukon border. Rock textures show that eruptions ranged from violent 

explosions producing coarse debris to "quiet" effusions of lava. Chemically similar stocks 

(igneous bodies

subjected to high temperature and pressure of metamorphism. An important similarity is the 

presence of bedded copper-zinc-silver-gold deposits (see section 4.3.1). 

Alexander terrane is largely restricted to the Alaska panhandle and has limited extent in 

British Columbia. Other than a small area on the North Coast near Prince Rupert, the B.C. 

segment of Alexander terrane is essentially within Alsek-Tatshenshini Park. It lies west of 

the Haines highway which approximately delineates the terrane-bounding Denali fault. 

Alexander terrane has been called a micro-continent and has its own long and complex 

history that is completely foreign to the terranes described above. Its major components are a 

350 to 500 million year old succession of sandstone, shale, deep ocean basalt and shallow 

water limestone, overlain by mid-ocean rift volcanic rocks and deep water limestone (about 

200 million years old) all of which are intruded by granites from 150 million years to as 

young as 20 million years old. The uniquely large Windy Craggy copper deposit formed in 

the mid-ocean rift volcanic sequence. 

The principal sedimentary overlap assemblage is called the Whitehorse Trough, a subsiding 

marine basin formed on top of Stikine and Cache Creek terranes 175-200 million years ago. 

A thick sequence of conglomerate, sandstone and argillite formed from material eroded from 

Stikine terrane and shed eastward and northward along the axis of the basin. As the name 

implies, the basin extends into southern Yukon. The strata were folded, faulted and weakly 

metamorphosed during younger geologic events. As in all sedimentary basins, the 

Whitehorse Trough has a potential for petroleum that is determined by amount of 

hydrocarbon in the source rocks, the temperatures attained during metamorphism and the 

presence of trapping structures, or reservoirs. In the Whitehorse Trough, temperatures may 

have exceeded the limit for survival of oil and gas and structural deformation may have 

ruptured potential reservoirs. 

Igneous intrusions were emplaced during and after the amalgamation of Yukon-Tanana, 

Cache Creek, Stikine and Alexander terranes, and were derived from partial melting of 

crustal plates during collision. These can be divided into two groups; (a) numerous 

individual batholiths (igneous intrusions 5 to 30 km across) and stocks (bodies less than 5 km 

in diameter) that are widely distributed and (b) the Coast Range granite belt, a well-defined 

composite zone of batholiths that runs the length of the Canadian Cordillera. For simplicity 

in this report, all these igneous intrusions are referred to as granite. In detail there is a 

spectrum of composition that includes granite, syenite, monzonite, granodiorite, diorite and 

various other varieties. The first group of isolated intrusions, at 75-180 million year old, is 

older than the Coast Range which formed 50-100 million year ago. In the Atlin-Taku plan 

area, the Coast Range belt forms a zone 50 to 80 kilometre wide superimposed on Yukon- 

Tanana, Alexander and Stikine terranes. In width, it extends from the head of Tutshi Lake to 

the Haines highway. Individual intrusions of the first group include the Fourth of July 

batholith, north of Atlin, a particularly distinctive body with large pink feldspar crystals, and 

the Surprise Lake batholith. Granite bodies of this group are more important with respect to 

mineral deposits (see section 4.3.1) than the Coast Range belt which contains few mineral 

occurrences throughout its length in British Columbia. 

Volcanic fields erupted at discrete time intervals during late Cretaceous to early Tertiary time 

comprise the youngest overlap assemblage. The most extensive is the Sloko volcanic field, 

formed about 55 million years ago. It covers a 20 by 35 km area south of Atlin Lake. 


Page 21

Remnants of its original distribution extend south to Tatsamenie Lake, north to the Bennett 

Lake caldera on the B.C.- Yukon border and west in the Coast Range. Sloko volcanism is a 

comparatively young geologic event. The Cordillera was nearly in its present form when 

these volcanoes erupted in a continental, subaerial setting. Sloko volcanic rocks were 

deposited onto Stikine terrane, western Yukon-Tanana, the Coast belt and a small part of 

Cache Creek terrane. Older volcanic centers, 80-90 million years old, are restricted in area 

and difficult to distinguish from Sloko volcanics, but are more important with respect to 

mineral deposits. Examples occur at Montana Mountain on the Yukon border, at Table 

Mountain near the head of Graham Inlet, and between Trapper Lake and the Sutlahini River. 

Small intrusions and dikes that supplied magma to these volcanoes are abundant between 

Tulsequah and Tatsamenie Lake and are responsible for certain mineral occurrences and 

prospects. Volcanic eruptions within the last million years include accumulations on Heart 

Peaks and the Ruby Creek lava flow. These are coeval with the Mount Edziza and Level 

Mountain volcanic edifices. 

3.2 Vegetation Ecology 

3.2.1 Overview of ecosystems 

Table 4 provides a breakdown of the forested landbase for the Atlin Taku plan area by 

biogeoclimatic subzone or variant. Map 3 shows the biogeoclimatic subzones and variants in 

the plan area as well as the ecosections. As can be seen in Map 3, the boundaries of the 

biogeoclimatic zones correspond closely to the boundaries of the ecosections. 

Table 4. Biogeoclimatic subzones and variants in the forested landbase. 

Biogeoclimatic zone Biogeoclimatic 

subzone/variant 

No of 

hectares 

% of the forested 

landbase 

Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) CWHwm 75,291 1.4 

Mountain Hemlock (MH) MHund* 141,509 2.6 

Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS) SBSund* 188,047 3.4 

Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine Fir 

(ESSF) 

Boreal White and Black Spruce 

(BWBS) 

ESSFvc 218,673 3.9 

BWBS dk1 1,083,692 19.6 

BWBSvk 71,084 1.3 

BWBSund* 3,355 0.1 

Spruce-Willow-Birch (SWB) SWBdk 66,087 1.2 

SWBvk 131,675 2.4 

SWBund* 1,203,880 21.6 

Alpine Tundra (AT) ATp 2,354,500 42.5 

TOTAL 100 

Und = undifferentiated. Undifferentiated zones generally occur in more remote areas where detailed 

descriptions of vegetation are lacking. 


Page 22

3.2.2 Forest Types 

3.2.2.1 Coastal forests: CWH-MH 

The coastal zones (CWH and MH) occur within the Alsek and Boundary Ranges ecosections. 

The coastal forest comprises a relatively small amount (4%; 217,000 ha) of the plan area 

(Table 4). 

The forested portions of these zones are part of the coastal temperate rainforest. This forest 

type is characterized by old-growth conifer stands with a complex structure, often including 

very large, old trees. The complexity of the coastal temperate rainforest is due to its age and 

disturbance regime. Trees reaching 500 years of age are common in northern coastal 

rainforests. The wet coastal climate results in a low frequency of fire. For the most part, 

forests are replaced in piecemeal fashion by the death and replacement of individual trees, 

although large-scale disturbances such as windthrow and landslides also occur occasionally. 

This ongoing pattern of small-scale disturbance events results in patches and layers of 

vegetation at various stages of succession, with a range of tree sizes and ages. The patchy 

multi-layered canopy lets in enough light to encourage the growth of many moss and fern 

species and these forests are renowned for their dense understory. 

The lower elevations of the coastal forests are within the Coastal Western Hemlock wet 

maritime subzone (CWHwm). The northern CWHwm variant is characterized by deeper 

snowfall and colder temperatures, an absence of western redcedar and an abundance of 

western hemlock relative to more southern variants (Radcliffe et al., 1994). Western 

hemlock and Sitka spruce are the dominant tree species. On wetter sites Sitka spruce are 

more abundant. In very wet sites, the tree layer tends to be dominated by lodgepole pine and 

yellow cedar. On the active floodplains of larger rivers, hemlock and spruce are dominant on 

higher benches, only occurring on lower benches on elevated microsites. Deciduous forests 

with alder and willow dominate areas with elevated water tables and directly adjacent to 

rivers. Most CWHwm subzone is forested, with localized non-forested bogs, fens and 

marshes and the bottoms of avalanche tracks (Banner et al., 1993). 

Subalpine forest occurs at higher elevations in the Mountain Hemlock zone. The snow-free 

season is short and the soils rarely dry out. Low-lying clouds are often present, providing a 

significant amount of additional moisture to the system. Mountain hemlock and amabilis fir 

are the most common species at these elevations, with yellow-cedar occurring in more 

maritime areas and minor subalpine fir in drier, colder areas. The lower elevations of the 

subalpine forest are continuously forested except where dissected by avalanche tracks, as is 

often the case. Upper elevations have clumps of trees interspersed with subalpine meadows 

and wetlands. 

3.2.2.2 Transitional forests: SBS-ESSF 

As one moves inland from the coast to the interior, the forest composition changes. The 

transitional forests in the plan area correspond with the Tagish and Tahltan Highland 

ecosections. The SBS-ESSF represents 7.3% of the plan area. 

There are two forest types in the transitional zone. The Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS) occurs at 

lower elevations and the ESSFvc at higher elevations. These northern transitional forests are 

poorly studied. They occur along the low-elevation valleys of the Taku River and its 


Page 23

tributaries and the transitional streams feeding into the Yukon River headwaters (Map 3). 

Coastal weather systems are able to penetrate up valleys, losing their warmth and gradually 

and creating an area of transition between the warm, wet coast and cold, dry interior. 

Dominant tree species in the northern SBS are hybrid (Roche) spruce, subalpine fir, black 

cottonwood, paper birch and, less commonly, lodgepole pine and trembling aspen (Banner et 

al., 1993). Features that distinguish these forests from the neighbouring BWBS include an 

abundance of devil’s club and an absence or paucity of western hemlock. There tends to be 

an abrupt boundary between the SBS forests and the adjacent CWH and BWBS forests. 

As one increases in elevation, the forests undergo a gradual transition to Engelmann Spruce - 

Subalpine Fir (ESSF). The ESSF in the north is at the wettest and snowiest extreme of the 

ESSF in the province. (Banner et al., 1993). The snow pack is heavier and growing season 

shorter than at lower elevations. The dominant tree species shifts from hybrid spruce at 

lower elevations to subalpine fir with more heathers in the understory and subalpine herbs 

and dwarf shrubs in forest openings (Banner et al., 1993). Continuous forest gives way to 

subalpine parkland at higher elevations. Avalanche tracks are common and are dominated by 

Sitka alder. 

3.2.2.3 Interior forests: BWBS-SWB 

The climate as one moves further to the interior becomes more continental. This results in 

more large expanses of boreal forest, composed of Boreal Black and White Spruce (BWBS) 

at lower elevations and Spruce-Willow-Birch (SWB) at higher elevations. These interior 

forests represent 46.2 % of the plan area. There are two distinct areas of boreal forest in this 

plan area: the Tatsenshini-Alsek and the Interior Plateaus. 

Tatsenshini-Alsek 

The forests in the Tatsenshini-Alsek area have a different combination of variants of the 

BWBS and SWB than in the interior plateaus. The more coastal areas have very wet cool 

(vk) subzones of the BWBS and SWB. Neither subzone occurs outside of the Haines 

Triangle of the Tatsenshini-Alsek area (Radcliffe, 1994). Weather from the North Pacific 

gets funneled up the Alsek and Tatsenshini Rivers, creating a climate that, while being 

dominantly of an interior continental type, is somewhat transitional with wetter conditions. 

Characteristically, the climate in the BWBSvk is wetter and much snowier than the BWBSdk 

(dry cool variant) in the Tatsenshini Basin and the Teslin Plateau. Forests in the BWBSvk 

are mixed, with white spruce, black cottonwood and paper birch as the most abundant tree 

species. Lodgepole pine and subalpine fir are absent. Wetlands are uncommon (Radcliffe et 

al., 1994). The SWBvk subzone is very snowy and is primarily non-forested with scattered 

open stands of white spruce and black cottonwood. The dominant vegetation consists of 

dense, shrubby thickets of Sitka alder and willow. Moist, lush meadows are common and 

widespread (Radcliffe et al., 1994). Further inland, in the Tatsenshini Basin ecosection, the 

SWB dry cool (dk) subzone replaces the SWBvk. 

Interior plateaus 

The BWBS subzone in the interior of the plan area is the BWBS dry cool (dk). This subzone 

is ubiquitous, occurring in the low elevation area of the Tatsenshini Basin, Teslin Plateau, 

Teslin Basin, Stikine Plateau, and Tuya Range ecosections (Map 3). These areas have long 


Page 24

and very cold winters, cold soil temperatures, and a short growing season. Arctic air masses 

move through in the winter. This results in poor tree growth. The forests exist as a 

patchwork of slow-growing forests, deciduous scrub, and wetlands of varying ages and 

successional stages (Banner et al., 1993). In the BWBS, white spruce and black spruce, 

subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, and aspen are the major tree species. Shrub species include 

soopolallie, highbush cranberry, and Labrador tea. Wetlands are common but, for the most 

part, are not extensive (with the exception of the Teslin Basin). Grassland communities are 

also present in some site series (Radcliffe et al., 1994). 

The Spruce-Willow-Birch (SWB) occurs above the BWBS. This zone is mostly forested by 

white spruce and subalpine fir, with lodgepole pine, aspen and black spruce occurring in 

variable amounts at lower elevations. At higher elevations subalpine fir is dominant. In the 

subalpine area, the vegetation mainly consists of deciduous shrubs such as willow and scrub 

birch (Banner et al., 1993). 

3.2.3 Rare ecosystems 

The Conservation Data Centre (CDC) lists 111 plant species and 12 natural plant 

communities as rare or endangered in the Cassiar portion of the Bulkley / Cassiar Forest 

District (Appendix 2). The precise number of plant species and natural communities at risk 

within the planning area is unknown for two key reasons. First, only portion of what is 

shown on the CDC lists apply to the Atlin-Taku planning area because it encompasses only 

about one-third of the “Cassiar.” Second, due to the remote nature of this region of the 

province, little research has been done in this area. We know of no current research projects 

on plants in the Atlin-Taku area. 

3.3 Terrestrial Wildlife 

The types of terrestrial wildlife found in the Atlin-Taku planning area are governed by 

vegetation, climate and other physical and ecological factors. The interior plateaux and 

mountain ranges covering the vast majority of the planning area are generally colder and 

drier than the coastal areas. The primary limiting factor to wildlife in the interior is the 

severe winter conditions. Wildlife here is adapted to the long cold winters. Although 

snowpacks in the mountains can be high, coastal conditions are generally more forgiving as 

some animals can migrate into low elevation valleys. In the lower Taku and Whiting River 

valleys, the relatively moist, mild climate and productive forests at low to middle elevations 

result in a tremendously biodiverse coastal rainforest, providing habitat for a great diversity 

of birds, and variety other terrestrial animals. The Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) zone, 

in particular the vh 4 and wm subzones, have the greatest diversity of terrestrial vertebrate 

species in Prince Rupert Forest Region (MOF, 1994.). 

A comprehensive inventory of species generally does not exist for the Atlin-Taku planning 

area. However, recently completed wildlife studies associated with the proposed Tulsequah 

Chief mine have helped to clarified animal distributions in the vicinity of the proposed 

Tulsequah Chief road and mine site. In the remainder of the LRMP area, wildlife presence 

4 The vh subzone is not found in the planning area. 


Page 25

information tends to be generalized. For example, ungulates, bears and wolves are the most 

common large animals within the Northern Boreal Mountains Ecoprovince, which covers the 

interior and northwestern portions of the planning area. Although moose are the most 

numerous and widely distributed ungulate, caribou, as well as Dall’s and Stone's sheep, 

which are at their southern limits of distribution, best distinguish the fauna of the area 

(Demarchi, 1996). Mountain goats are abundant in rugged alpine areas. Grizzly bears, black 

bears, and wolves are common. Wolverines and lynx are also relatively common. Small 

mammal communities are particularly diverse in the area and several species reach their 

southern limits within the planning area including collared pika, Arctic ground squirrel, 

tundra vole and tundra shrew (MOF, 1994). 

The Northern Boreal Mountains Ecoprovince has a relatively low diversity of birds 

However, many species found here breed nowhere else in British Columbia. Examples are 

the Pacific Loon, Gyrfalcon, Lesser Golden-Plover, Wandering Tattler, Hudsonian Godwit, 

Red-necked Phalarope, Arctic Tern, Northern Shrike, Smith's Longspur, Snow Bunting, and 

Common Redpoll (Demarchi, 1996). In addition, the area supports the only known breeding 

population of the dark race (harlani) of the Red-tailed Hawk. It is also the only breeding area 

other than the Okanagan Basin Ecosection for Brewer's Sparrow. This ecoprovince is also 

important to Willow and Rock ptarmigan, Bohemian Waxwing, and American Tree Sparrow, 

which are relatively abundant (Ibid.). 

The Coast and Mountain Ecoprovince, hugging the western side of the planning area, has a 

greater coastal influence. It has the greatest diversity and number of birds within the planning 

area. See Demarchi (1996). 

Generalized habitats for select species of wildlife inhabiting the biogeoclimatic zones found 

within the two ecoprovinces discussed here are summarized in Meidinger and Pojar (1991). 

3.3.1 Assessing habitat values 

When managing for wildlife values, it is not only important to know what species live in an 

area and their population trends, but also what type of habitat they require and where this 

habitat lies in the landscape. 

3.3.1.1 Habitat capability and suitability 

Without sufficient habitat, a species’ population will decrease and may ultimately disappear 

from an area. The relative importance of various ecological units (habitats) to wildlife 

populations can be estimated using habitat capability and suitability ratings. These ratings 

can also be used to provide information on how various management activities affect wildlife 

populations. 

Habitat suitability ranks the present quality of habitat; habitat capability ranks the quality of 

potential habitat when vegetation is at its optimum seral stage for that particular species. An 

area may have high capability, but due to its present vegetation structure, it will not have 

high suitability. The ratings are provincially based and thus reflect the potential of an area to 

support a particular species by comparing habitats of interest to the best available for that 

particular species in the province. Habitat effectiveness is also considered when rating 

habitats. Effectiveness is based on the human factors that displace animals. For example, an 


Page 26

area may have high habitat suitability, but due to the pressure of a mainline road, the habitat 

does not get used to its full potential, thus it has a lower effectiveness rating. Conversely, 

habitat suitability may by increased by other factors, such as the presence of spawning 

salmon. 

Caveat: Habitat suitability and capability mapping is an initial attempt at identifying potential 

areas where certain wildlife species may occur. Because these maps are based on 

interpretations of vegetation patterns, they are not always accurate, particularly at a broad 

scale such as 1:250,000. Correlating actual occurrence data and local knowledge with these 

maps is critical to focusing in on where animals are actually located (L. Vanderstar, pers. 

comm.). This information is often gathered as part of an LRMP process. 

Broad Ecosystem Classification Mapping 

Habitat capability and suitability is derived from ecosystem mapping. At the broad scale of 

an LRMP, Broad Ecosystem Classification may be the most appropriate scale for mapping 

wildlife habitat. Broad Ecosystem Classification or Broad Ecosystem Inventory (BEI) is an 

ecologically based classification system that provides an ecosystem perspective for resource 

management and land use planning. The unit of classification in this system is the Broad 

Ecosystem Unit (BEU). A BEU “is a permanent area of the landscape that supports a distinct 

type of dominant vegetation cover, or distinct non-vegetation cover (such as lakes or rock 

outcrops)” (RIC, 1998), and is generally named after the dominant climax vegetation within 

the unit. BEUs emphasize the site characteristics that determine the function and distribution 

of plant communities in the landscape. Each BEU is an amalgamation of biogeoclimatic 

ecosystem (BEC) units. Mapping of BEUs combines the ecoregion classification system 

(Demarchi, 1996) and the biological ecosystem classification (BEC) system (Meidinger and 

Pojar, 1991). A summary of these two classification systems is provided in Section 2.1.2. A 

more complete description is provided in RIC (1998). Broad Ecosystem Inventory with 

habitat interpretations is available for the planning area. 

Terrestrial / Predictive Ecosystem Mapping 

A more detailed method of determining habitat suitability uses Terrestrial Ecosystem 

Mapping (TEM) as a foundation. This mapping occurs at a scale of 1:20,000 and is far more 

precise than mapping developed from broad ecosystem units. Detailed habitat suitability 

mapping and wildlife habitat interpretations have not been conducted for most of the Atlin- 

Taku Planning area. However, habitat interpretations for some species are complete for the 

area of the proposed Tulsequah Chief mine site and the proposed access road corridor. 

Further Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping has been conducted at a scale of 1:50,000 for the area 

between Atlin Lake and Gladys Lake south down the Gladys River to the Silver Salmon 

River. This two-year project is expected to be completed by August 2001. 

Due to the expense of TEM, the Ministry of Forests is developing a method of predicting 

ecosystems called predictive ecosystem mapping. There are plans to complete predictive 

ecosystem mapping for the entire Prince Rupert Forest Region. However, the “Cassiar” is a 

low priority and there are no immediate plans to work on this area. 


Page 27

3.3.2 Wildlife species at risk in the Atlin-Taku planning area 

This section briefly describes some of the wildlife species of highest management concern in 

the planning area and some of the government initiatives in place to help manage these 

species. These include species at risk and those of regional significance. Because habitat 

suitability and/or capability interpretations are not yet available in a digital format, maps 

could not be created for this report. 

Several species of animals and plants within the Atlin-Taku planning area are considered to 

be at risk to population declines, either because of conflicts with human activities or 

alterations to, or loss of, their habitats. Within British Columbia, species at risk are ranked 

by the Conservation Data Centre (CDC) as Red-listed 5 or Blue-listed 6 . Yellow-listed 7 

species are regionally important. As of June 2000, seven terrestrial animals, 14 birds and 

three fish found within the Cassiar portion of the Bulkley / Cassiar Forest District were 

considered to be at risk (Table 5). 

3.3.2.1 Grizzly Bear 

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) is one of the three Identified Wildlife species, along with 

fisher and bull trout, which the BC government recommends be considered at the LRMP 

level. LRMPs have the responsibility of considering Grizzly Bear Management Areas 

(potentially as protected areas or resource management zones) under the BC Grizzly Bear 

Conservation Strategy, as well as setting operational direction for the management of grizzly 

bear habitat. The Identified Wildlife Management Strategy and B.C. Grizzly Bear 

Conservation are described later in section 3.3.4. 

The grizzly bear is Blue-listed in BC. The historic distribution of the grizzly bear has shrunk 

considerably throughout North America. At one time, grizzlies were found throughout 

British Columbia, except for some coastal islands. Today grizzly bears have disappeared 

from much of the south and south-central parts of the province, and local populations are 

declining across much of the province. “Grizzly bear populations decline as human 

development encroaches into their range. [In effect] the more human activity, the fewer 

bears.” (G. Schultze, pers. comm.). However, BC has some of the last large areas of 

remaining habitat and contains approximately one-quarter of the North American population 

(MELP, 1995). 

5 The Red list includes any indigenous species or subspecies (taxa) considered to be extirpated, endangered, or 

threatened in British Columbia. Extirpated taxa no longer exist in the wild in British Columbia, but do occur 

elsewhere. Endangered taxa are facing imminent extirpation or extinction. Threatened taxa are likely to 

become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. Red-listed taxa include those that have been, or are 

being, evaluated for these designations. 

6 The Blue list includes any indigenous species or subspecies considered to be vulnerable in British Columbia. 

Vulnerable taxa are of special concern because of characteristics that make them particularly sensitive to human 

activities or natural events. Blue-listed taxa are at risk, but are not extirpated, endangered or threatened. 

7 The Yellow list includes any indigenous species or subspecies which is not at risk in British Columbia, but 

which is a regionally important species whose habitat requirements are not met by other provisions of the Forest 

Practices Code (e.g. Biodiversity Guidebook and Riparian Management Area Guidebook) or which is 

vulnerable during times of seasonal concentration (eg breeding colonies). 


Page 28

Table 5. Mammals and birds at risk in the Atlin-Taku planning area. 

Species Risk ranking 

(CDC) 

Identified 

Wildlife 

Species 

Grizzly Bear* (Ursus arctos) Blue-listed X 

Fisher* (Martes pennanti) Blue-listed X 

Wolverine, luscus subspecies (Gulo Gulo luscus) Blue-listed - 

Dall’s Sheep (Ovis Dalli Dalli) Blue-listed - 

Tundra shrew (Sorex tundrensis) Red-listed - 

Glacier bear (Ursus Americanus emmonisii) Blue-listed - 

Meadow jumping mouse, alascensis subspecies 

(Zapus hudsonius alascensis) 

Blue-listed - 

Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) Blue-listed - 

Upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) Red-listed - 

Smith’s longspur (Calcarius pictus) Blue-listed - 

Oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis) Blue-listed - 

Trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) Blue-listed X 

American Peregrine Falcon, anatum subspecies 

(Falco peregrinus anatum) 

Peregrine flacon, pealei subspecies (Falco 

peregrinus pealei) 

Red-listed - 

Blue-listed - 

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) Blue-listed - 

Wandering Tattler (Heteroscelus incanus) Blue-listed - 

Short-Billed Dowitcher (Limondromus griseus) Blue-listed - 

Hudsonian godwit (Limosa haemastica) Red-listed - 

Red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) Blue-listed - 

American golden-plover (Pluvialis dominica) Blue-listed - 

* Species recommended by the BC government to be considered at the LRMP level under the Identified 

Wildlife Management Strategy. 

Grizzly habitat covers a diverse array of ecosystems. Some bears are seasonally “transient” 

and travel large distances, while “resident” bears have a much smaller range. Home ranges, 

which vary by sex and age, vary from 25km 2 for females in productive coastal habitats, to 

over 2500 km 2 in the northern interior. Some have high elevation ranges; others migrate 

seasonally to lower elevations. Prime habitat for coastal grizzlies, with the exception of 


Page 29

denning areas and avalanche chutes, occurs below treeline and is concentrated in valleybottom 

ecosystems associated with important salmon streams (Pojar et al. 1999). 

Because grizzlies employ a variety of strategies to meet habitat requirements, management of 

grizzly habitat must be considered at several spatial scales – from specific food-producing 

microsites to regional migration routes. Various time scales must also be considered. Food 

sources shift seasonally and annually, while habitat modifications through development can 

affect habitat quality. Apart from food, habitat requirements include thermal cover (e.g. 

dens/bedding sites), security (e.g. cub protection), and access to potential mates (MOF and 

MELP, 1997). 

The average estimated density for grizzly bears within the planning area is 19.9 animals per 

1000 km 2 (Table 6). 

Table 6. Population estimates for large mammals in management units (MUs) which overlap 

the Atlin-Taku planning area. 

Species Population Estimate * 

(MUs 6-25,26,27,28,29) 

(1999, 2000 for Grizzly) 

Comments 

Grizzly Bear 915 ** Average density = 19.9 /1000 km 2 

Caribou 1600 

Mountain Goat 3878 

Moose 5040 

Stone’s Sheep 1300 

Dall’s Sheep 400 

* These estimates will be biased high because the MUs extend beyond the boundaries of the planning area. 

** Source: Sharpe,.2000 

Source: Hatter, I, 1999. 

3.3.2.2 Fisher 

The Fisher (Martes pennanti), like the grizzly bear, is one of the three Identified Wildlife 

species that the BC government recommends be considered at the LRMP level. 

The fisher is Blue-listed because populations are believed to be declining over much of their 

range. Populations are susceptible to over-harvest by trapping and loss of habitat through 

forest harvesting (MOF and MELP, 1997). 

Fisher habitat includes forested landscapes, especially those with mixed habitats and 

structural classes, edges and riparian areas. Forests with structural characteristics of older 

forests (e.g. Class 6 and 7), particularly riparian areas with large trees (i.e. cottonwood 

floodplains), are important habitats for resting and maternal denning. Important habitat 

features include canopy closure > 30%, coarse woody debris (CWD), large wildlife trees and 

canopy cover in winter. Foraging occurs in a wide range of structural stages including early 

stages (age classes 1-3), depending on presence of prey and cover. Primary prey species are 


Page 30

associated with abundant CWD and a productive understory. Connectivity between riparian 

areas and between riparian and upland sites is important. Fishers require relatively large 

home ranges, averaging 15 km 2 and 40 km 2 for females and males, respectively. 

Consequently, 600 km 2 has been suggested as a minimum area necessary to manage viable 

populations (MOF and MELP, 1997). 

3.3.2.3 Trumpeter Swan 

The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) is Blue-listed and an Identified Wildlife species 

because breeding pairs are rare in BC and key wintering habitats are at risk to development 

and oil pollution. COSEWIC has designated the Trumpeter Swan as not at risk in Canada 

(MOF and MELP, 1997). 

Trumpeter swans are the largest birds in North America. They migrate annually from 

overwintering areas in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana and the coast of BC, to breeding areas 

in northwestern Canada and Alaska. Breeding occurs between late May and mid-September 

in secluded wetlands surrounded by forest. Breeding pairs return to nesting marshes each 

year, but will abandon nesting areas if disturbed too much. Known breeding sites are 

scattered throughout northern BC, with new nesting marshes discovered each year. The 

Burns Lake area forms the southern extent of the swan’s breeding grounds (MOF and MELP, 

1997). Within the Atlin-Taku planning area, trumpeter swans nest at Old Man Lake 

(currently a Goal 2 protected area study area). 

3.3.2.4 Wolverine 

The wolverine (Gulo Gulo luscus) is Blue-listed. Declining populations of large ungulates 

(e.g. caribou) is one factor contributing to falling wolverine populations (Schultze, pers. 

comm.). Trapping has also contributed to population declines in eastern Canada, while 

poisoning wolves has been detrimental to wolverines in western Canada because wolverines 

often take bait meant for wolves (CWS, 1999). Once populations become threatened, they 

may be slow to recover due to the low reproduction rates of wolverines (less than one 

offspring per female per year) (CWS, 1999). Wolverines, like grizzly bears, are sensitive to 

loss of large wilderness areas. Anecdotal evidence suggests that wolverines are sensitive to 

human presence particularly near subalpine denning sites. They have been known to relocate 

kits several kilometers away after a human approaches, even on foot (L. Vanderstar, pers. 

comm.) 

Wolverines are solitary animals that roam over large areas in search of food. They consume 

a variety of scavenged or fresh food items ranging from roots and berries, to small furbearers 

and fish, to large ungulates such as moose, caribou and mountain goats. Wolverine are often 

found in sub-alpine and alpine habitats in summer, and descend to lower elevations in the 

winter (CWS, 1999). In the Atlin-Taku planning area, preferred forest habitat is mature and 

old-growth coniferous forests in the Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir zone (Coupé et al., 

1991). 

3.3.2.5 American Peregrine Falcon 

The peregrine falcon subspecies anatum (Falco peregrinus anatum) is Red-listed in British 

Columbia. It is one of three sub-species of peregrine falcons in North America. Peregrine 


Page 31

Falcon populations declined sharply in 1960s, evidently the result of poisoning from 

chemical pesticides or industrial pollutants (CWS, 1999). Extensive reintroduction programs 

have been started in Canada and the United States. 

Peregrine falcons prefer to nest on sheer cliffs. A breeding pair usually has several alternate 

nesting ledges within a breeding territory of several square kilometers. If the nest is 

disturbed or robbed, the adults will often re-nest in a different location, usually nearby. 

Peregrines feed almost exclusively on birds and nearly always strike them in flight. Because 

falcons specialized in direct aerial pursuit of prey they prefer non-forested areas in which to 

hunt, particularly shores, marshes, river valleys, open moors, or tundra (CWS, 1999). 

3.3.2.6 Short-eared owl 

The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is Blue-listed in BC. Natural succession, wetland 

drainage, urban expansion and increasingly intensive farming have contributed to its decline 

in Canada. The species is not protected by the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act 

(CWS, 1999). 

The short-eared owl prefers large areas of relatively open habitat in marshland and tall grass 

fields. The owl searches extensively within its breeding ranges for prey. It likes to hunt and 

roost in abandoned pastures, fields, hay meadows and grain stubble during summer. Nests, 

built each year, are usually slight depressions in the ground hidden under low shrubs, reeds 

and grasses, and are often located near water. (CWS, 1999). 

3.3.3 Other species of interest 

Other species of interest include, but are not limited to moose, caribou, mountain goat, 

marten, Stone’s sheep, Dall’s sheep, bald eagle, golden eagle, goshawk, and gyrfalcon. 

Following are brief descriptions for moose, caribou, mountain goat and marten. 

3.3.3.1 Moose 

Moose in the Atlin-Taku planning area originated primarily in Alaska (N. MacLean, pers. 

comm.). They tend to be the Alces alces gigas subspecies, which is larger and darker in 

colour than the other subspecies found in the planning area – Alces alces andersoni. 

In areas of heavy snowfall, especially near the coast, suitable moose winter range is largely 

confined to the spruce-cottonwood riparian habitats of major rivers and tributary confluences. 

Along major rivers, the annual flooding and deposition of sediment results in selfperpetuating 

shrub communities in early seral stage or as understory in cottonwood or mixedwood 

forest stands. These areas are considered the primary winter range for moose when 

snowfall confines them to low elevation valleys. 

In interior regions with lower snowfall, moose may overwinter in subalpine south-facing 

aspen stands. Upland site disturbance, such as burns, will also produce seral shrub 

communities that moose will forage in during the winter months if snow depths and 

proximity to cover are favourable. These temporary early seral shrub communities, 

providing an abundance of willow and/or red-osier dogwood, are considered secondary 

moose winter range. 


Page 32

Stands or patches of old-growth conifers with snow intercepting canopies are preferred for 

winter bedding sites and also for thermal and security protection during extreme winter 

conditions and when warm spring temperatures may result in over-heating of moose with 

winter coats. 

Although perhaps not currently an issue in the Atlin-Taku area, visual screening from roads 

and, where necessary, control of public access can reduce vulnerability of moose to poaching 

and human-induced habitat displacement. 

3.3.3.2 Caribou 

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in British Columbia are divided into two ecotypes based on 

winter habitat use: ‘mountain’ and ‘northern’ (Stevenson and Hatler, 1985; Heard and Vagt 

1998 in Poole et al., 2000). The ‘mountain’ ecotype is found in the mountains of 

southeastern BC, while the ‘northern’ ecotype is located in the west-central and northern 

parts of the province (Stevenson and Hatler, 1985; Poole et al., 2000). The caribou within 

the Atlin-Taku planning areas are of the northern variety. Northern caribou normally winter 

in low elevation mature lodgepole pine forests and on windswept alpine slopes (Stevenson 

and Hatler, 1985; various authors in Poole et al., 2000). In some instances, northern caribou 

will overwinter in mature and old-growth spruce and fir forests, typically the winter habitat 

of mountain caribou. Although northern caribou eat primarily terrestrial lichens during 

winter, they also forage on lichens growing on trees (arboreal lichen). Forage location 

depends on snow conditions and lichen abundance. During summer, caribou use a variety of 

habitats from low elevation forested areas to alpine. Summer diet consists of new leafy 

forage including forbs, grasses, sedges, and shrubs in addition to lichen (Cichowski, 1993; 

McTaggart Cowen and Guiguet, 1978). During calving in June, adult female caribou often 

disperse to islands or high elevations to avoid predation. 

The caribou is a regionally significant species in the Atlin-Taku area. The ranges of three 

herds extend into the planning area: the Level-Kawdy, Atlin, and Carcross – Squanga herds. 

The Level-Kawdy herd is the largest of the three herds, with a population of approximately 

1600 (Marshall, 1999). Its range is thought to encompass the northern plateau of Level 

mountain, Kawdy Plateau and the headwaters of the Tuya, Teslin and Nahlin rivers. The 

Atlin herd spans the Yukon and British Columbia border, with the western and eastern 

boundaries set by Atlin Lake and Teslin Lake. The summer range extends south to the Silver 

Salmon / Dixie Lake area (Diemert, pers. comm.). Calving tends to occur in the mountains 

east and northeast of Atlin. Winter range is a 20-25 kilometer-wide area stretching northeast 

from Atlin to Teslin Lake in the Yukon in addition to a 10 x 20 km patch of habitat around 

Mt. McMaster, east of the southern part of Atlin Lake (O’Donoghue, 1997). In 1999, the 

population of this herd was estimated to be 809 in 1999 (M. Williams, pers. comm.). The 

Carcross – Squanga herd, the smallest of the three herds, is centred in the Yukon. Its 

population is approximately 450. The southern third of its summer range is west of Atlin 

Lake, extending 10 km west of the highway to Skagway, Alaska. In the winter, these 

animals are concentrated southwest of Whitehorse in forested habitats around Marsh Lake 

(O’Donoghue, 1997). A finger of the winter range extends 10 km into BC along the shores 

of Tagish Lake and a 10 x 15 km isolated winter refuge exists on Teresa Island at the south 

end of Atlin Lake (Ibid.). 


Page 33

The Atlin and the Carcross – Squanga herds, along with the Ibex herd in the Yukon, are 

known as the Southern Lakes caribou. A recovery program for these caribou was launched 

in 1992 by First Nations and the Yukon and BC governments to increase the population of 

the herds to historic levels (thousands of animals). The First Nations have voluntarily 

stopped hunting caribou from these herds. A management subzone in BC was closed to 

hunting (O’Donoghue, 1997) in the mid-1990s, but is currently open to limited entry hunting 

for caribou. A large educational campaign and community involvement was included in the 

recovery program. 

3.3.3.3 Mountain Goat 

The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) is recognized as a regionally significant species 

under the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy. Mountain goats live in rugged 

mountainous areas. Summer and winter habitats vary primarily by elevation. Between June 

and September, mountain goats are found on cliff faces, and in alpine and subalpine 

meadows feeding on grasses, sedges, rushes and forbs. In winter, predator avoidance and, in 

some areas, deep snow, confine mountain goats primarily to old growth stands near escape 

terrain. Such habitat commonly extends to, and includes, valley bottoms (L. Vanderstar, 

pers. comm.). Features of winter range include south- and west-facing slopes generally 

within 400 meters of steep escape terrain (MOF & MELP, 1997). Mature (age classes 6 and 

7) and old forest provide thermal cover and forage in the winter. Shrubs, lichen, and conifers 

supplement the winter diet. Some goats feed on wind-blown mountain ridges where forage is 

exposed or snow coverage is minimal. 

Because goat winter range is limited, even small areas of habitat alteration within winter 

habitat can have a disproportionately larger effect on the associated goat population. The 

maintenance of travel routes between patches of escape terrain in winter ranges is important 

to ensure habitat effectiveness. Removal of old growth forest in winter habitat areas lowers 

the quality of goat wintering sites by decreasing the amount of available forage and reducing 

the ability of the forest canopy to intercept snow. 

MELP estimated there were 3878 mountain goats within MU 6-25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 in 1999 

(Table 6). 

3.3.3.4 Marten 

The preferred habitat for Marten (Martes americana) is mature and old growth coniferous 

forest. Marten often forage around coarse woody debris - downed trees, stumps and hollow 

trees, but may venture into dense younger forests or more open areas to find food. Denning 

also occurs in coarse woody debris. Loss of mature forested landscape has contributed to the 

decline in abundance of marten in North America (CWS, 2000). 

3.3.4 Current wildlife management strategies 

3.3.4.1 Identified Wildlife Management Strategy 

The Identified Wildlife Management Strategy (IWMS) is one of the components of the 

Forest Practices Code meant to meet the goals of conserving biological diversity. The Forest 

Practices Code assumes that the habitat requirements for the majority of species and plant 


Page 34

communities will be addressed through “coarse filter management” as per the Biodiversity 

Guidebook (MOF and MELP, 1995a) and the Riparian Management Area Guidebook (MOF 

and MELP, 1995b). The Identified Wildlife Management Strategy focuses on “fine filter 

management,” which is managing for habitat requirements of select wildlife species (and 

plant communities) that require additional management attention. Identified Wildlife are 

selected from provincial lists of species at risk. Two documents comprise the Identified 

Wildlife Management Strategy: 

1) Species and Plant Community Accounts for Identified Wildlife (MOF and MELP, 

1997) 

Summarizes the status, ecology, distribution and habitat requirements for each 

identified species or plant community; and 

2) Managing Identified Wildlife: Procedures and Measures (MOF and MELP, 1999) 

Describes specific management prescriptions for identified species or plant 

communities. 

Most Identified Wildlife species are to be managed within established Wildlife Habitat Areas 

(WHAs) at the operational stage of forest planning. However, grizzly bear, fisher and bull 

trout, are “higher level plan species” and are to be addressed through strategic land use plans 

such as LRMPs. For these species, habitat requirements need to be addressed over large 

areas due to low densities, large home ranges, widely distributed limiting habitats, or 

sensitivities to forest level disturbances (MOF and MELP, 1999). Strategic land use plans 

can provide direction to manage these “higher level plan species” through recommendations 

for zoning as well as through objectives and strategies to guide resource development 

activities. This includes direction to conserve critical habitat features and minimize effects of 

development activities on disturbance or displacement of animal populations. 

The management of other species of wildlife can also be addressed at the LRMP level. This 

includes formal designation of ungulate winter range (moose, caribou, and mountain goat). 

3.3.4.2 British Columbia Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy 

“The mandate of the BC Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy is to ensure the continued 

existence of grizzly bears and their habitats for future generations. The strategy has four 

goals: 

To maintain in perpetuity the diversity and abundance of grizzly bears and the 

ecosystems on which they depend throughout British Columbia. 

To improve the management of grizzly bears and their interactions with humans. 

To increase public knowledge and involvement in grizzly bear management. 

To increase international co-operation in management and research of grizzly bears.” 

(MELP, 1995). 

“The goals and objectives of this strategy address three major issues: 

loss and alienation of grizzly bear habitat 

interactions with humans, and 

international considerations.”(MELP, 1995). 


Page 35

One of the main components of the Conservation Strategy is the identification of Grizzly 

Bear Management Areas (GBMAs). GBMAs are intended to act as permanent examples 

(benchmarks) of naturally regulated populations and are identified through LRMPs and the 

Protected Areas Strategy. 

In addition to GBMAs, the Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy includes strategies for 

research, inventory, education, altering hunting regulations, and increasing enforcement and 

penalties (MELP, 1995). Habitat protection measures are to be addressed through strategic 

level planning (as stated in the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy). The Grizzly Bear 

Conservation Strategy combined with strategic planning direction for habitat (as 

recommended through LRMPs) provide an overall approach to conserving healthy grizzly 

bear populations in the province. 

3.3.4.3 Inventory Needs 

Species inventory status. Digital habitat capability and suitability mapping is not yet 

available. Broad Ecosystem Mapping is meant to be adequate for use at an LRMP 

level. However, the accuracy of the information has not been verified. 1:50,000 

habitat mapping is currently being mapped in the Tulsequah Chief project area. Such 

mapping could potentially be generalized for LRMP use. 

Broad Ecosystem Inventory with habitat interpretations is now available for the 

planning area. Although this should be adequate for strategic planning, Predictive 

Ecosystem Mapping would provide habitat suitability and capability modeling at a 

much finer scale. Some ground truthing will be required. 

Local knowledge about locations and trends in wildlife populations. 

3.3.4.4 Current or upcoming wildlife studies 

Karen Diemert, based out of the Smithers office of the Ministry of Environment is 

overseeing all aspects of ungulate and bear studies. 

Grizzly Bear Cumulative Effects Analysis and baseline population collection 

associated with the Tulsequah Chief proposed development. This project involves 

Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping and collaring grizzly bears to determine movement 

patterns. 

Caribou calf survival studies are ongoing in the Atlin herd. 

Caribou studies associated with the Tulsequah Chief proposed development will 

collect data on movements, habitat use, calf survival and calf recruitment. 

3.4 Freshwater Fish 

Four major watersheds are found within the Atlin-Taku plan area: the Teslin, Tagish, Alsek 

and Taku. The Teslin watershed, encompassing the Swift, Gladys, Jennings, and Teslin 

rivers, drains the northeast section of the planning area. Tagish Lake, which spans the BC / 

Yukon border in the north-central portion of the planning area, receives water from Atlin 

Lake to the east and Tutshi Lake to the west. These systems drain into the Yukon River, 

which empties into the Arctic Ocean. The remaining rivers in the planning area feed the 

Pacific Ocean. The northwestern arm of the planning area is comprised of the Alsek 


Page 36

watershed. The Alsek, and its major tributary, the Tatshenshini River, are highly braided 

glacial fed systems carrying considerable sediment. The Alsek River flows through the 

northern extent of the Alaskan Panhandle prior to discharging into the Gulf of Alaska. The 

largest watershed within the planning area is the Taku River watershed. The Taku River cuts 

through the Coast Mountains and passes into Alaska in the southwestern section of the 

planning area. The Taku River has several major tributaries included the Sheslay, Inklin, 

Nahlin, Nakina, Sloko and Sutlahine rivers. 

All systems contain a wide variety of economically and culturally important fish (Table 7). 

Salmon are found in all major watersheds with the exception of the Tagish Lake drainage 

(Map 6). Assorted species of char, trout and whitefish occur in the watersheds, depending on 

available habitat. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus - a char species) are found in the Taku 

watershed. They may exist in the other watersheds as well, but may have been misidentified 

as Dolly Varden in past studies. 

Table 7. Economically, culturally or regionally important fish species 

Species Teslin 

River 

Tagish 

/ Atlin 

Lake 

Watershed 

Alsek 

River 

Taku 

River 

x - x x 

Chinook Salmon 

(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) 

Coho Salmon 

(Oncorhynchus kisutch) 

x - x x 

Pink Salmon 

(Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) 

- - - x 

Sockeye Salmon 

(Oncorhynchus nerka) 

- - x x 

Chum salmon 

Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

x 

x 

x 

Rainbow Trout 

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) 

x* x x x 

Cutthroat Trout 

(Oncorhynchus clarki) 

- - x x 

Lake Trout 

(Salvelinus namaycush) 

x x - - 

Dolly Varden 

(Salvelinus malma) 

- x x x 

Bull Trout 

(Salvelinus confluentus) 

- - ? x 

Lake Whitefish 

(Coregonus clupeaformis) 

x x - - 

Round Whitefish 

(Prosopium cylindraceum) 

x x - x 

Mountain Whitefish 

(Prosopium williamsoni) 

x x - x 

Broad Whitefish 

(Coregonus nasus) 

x - - - 

Least Cisco ** 

Burbot (Lota lota) 

x 

x 

x 

x 

- 

x 

- 

- 

Northern Pike 

(Esox lucius) 


x x - - 

Page 37

Species Teslin 

River 

White Sturgeon 

(Acipenser transmontanus) 

Arctic Grayling 

(Thymallus arcticus) 

Eulachon 

(Thaleichthys pacificus) 

(MELP, 2000) 

Watershed 

Tagish 

/ Atlin 

Lake 

Alsek 

River 

Taku 

River 

- - - x 

x x x x 

- - - x 

* Rainbow trout are found in Disella Lake. They were likely introduced. 

** Least cisco is included in the list because it is red listed. 

These fish each have their own habitat requirements. Some species live in both rivers and 

lakes, while other species inhabit lakes virtually exclusively. The salmon and trout, in 

particular, require cool, clean and clear water. Due to the large numbers of glaciers feeding 

the water systems of the planning area, fish must often pass through highly turbid water as 

they head for clear-water spawning grounds. Those living or spawning in streams also 

benefit from stable stream channels containing a range of habitat attributes. 

The bull trout is Blue-listed in BC because populations are declining globally. Bull trout are 

sensitive to habitat degradation, are vulnerable to sport fishing pressure, and are considered 

an indicator of ecosystem health. They appear to have a narrower range of habitat 

preferences than other salmonids and require clean, cold (

annual summary reports are reported in different ways for each species, so direct 

comparisons are difficult. 

Sockeye 

1988-98 average run size = 236,017 fish (min.: 118, 452 and max 324, 835) 

Escapement goal is 71,000 to 80,000 fish (TTC, 2000). 

Chinook 

Coho 

Pink 

1986-98 escapements to index sites averaged 9,670 fish (TTC, 2000). 

Between 1979 and 1998: min. escapement to index sites: 2000; max. 19,777 (DFO, 

1999). 

Interim escapement goal is 13,200 to index sites (DFO, 1999). 

In 1999, only 4,172 large chinook were counted at the index sites - the lowest number 

recorded since 1984. The actual estimate of escapement for 1999 was 20,545. 

The actual escapement goal is 30,000 to 50,000 large chinook salmon (TTC, 2000). 

The population appears to be relatively stable based on 1979 to 1998 data. (DFO, 

1999). 

Run size (entering Canadian waters) 1987-98 average = 76,456 

Average escapement = 70,226; escapements have fluctuated considerably: min. 

39,450, max. 127,484 (TTC, 2000). 

Escapement goal is 27, 500 to 35,000. 

Population appears to be stable (DFO, 1999). 

No program in place to estimate the escapement of pink salmon. 

1989-98, at the Canyon Island fish wheels, an average of 15,768 fish were captured 

per year (TTC, 2000). 

Chum: 

No estimate of system-wide escapements 

The average catch of chum salmon at the Canyon Island fish wheel between 1989 and 

1998 is 463 (TTC, 2000). 

Min. catch 80 in 1986, max. 1533 in 1987. (DFO, 1999) 

The chum fall run has been declining over the past decade. 

Alsek River watershed 

Currently, system-wide escapements are not determined for the Alsek watershed. However, 

interim escapement goals have been set: 33,000 - 58,000 sockeye and 5,400 - 25,000 coho. 

The only index site within the watershed is the Klukshu River weir, in the Yukon (TTC, 

2000). 


Page 39

4.0 RESOURCE USES 

4.1 Culture and heritage 

4.1.1 First Nations cultural heritage resources 

First Nations have lived and carried out activities throughout the Atlin Taku area for tens of 

thousands of years. Cultural heritage resources are protected under the Heritage 

Conservation Act. These resources include all pre-1846 features such as archaeological sites 

and artifacts, culturally modified trees (CMTs), aboriginal rock art, and burial places. The 

Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture, Archaeology Branch manages 

archaeological sites and information under the Heritage Conservation Act. 

Mineral exploration specifically addresses cultural heritage resources in the application for a 

Mines Act permit and First Nations are consulted regarding proposed exploration programs. 

In the case of mine development, consultation with First Nations is required to identify 

archaeological sites and assess potential impacts of the proposed mining operation. 

The Ministry of Forests makes referrals to First Nations as part of forest development 

planning under the Small Business Forest Enterprise Program. 

4.1.1.1 Archaeological values 

There has been little archaeological research in the plan area to date. Most has focussed on 

the Taku and Nakina drainages and the area proximal to Atlin Lake.An assessment of 

archaeological and cultural heritage values was conducted as part of the application for the 

Tulsequah Chief mine. The Tulsequah Chief Project Report provides a summary of known 

traditional trails and settlement areas and describes archaeological features identified in the 

Taku River drainage (Rescan, 1997). The Taku River has been a major area of use for First 

Nation since before contact with Europeans. The mountainous topography of the more 

coastal portions of the plan area restricted travel to a few major corridors, with 

concentrations of settlements. Major settlements, pre-contact, were located at the confluence 

of the Taku, Inklin, and Nakina Rivers (known as Hîn Tlèn), the confluence of the Nakina 

and Sloko Rivers (known as “Canoe Landing”) and further up the Nakina River. There also 

may have been large fish camp at the confluence of the Nakina and Silver Salmon Rivers as 

well as a number of fishing camps on the lower Taku River (Rescan, 1997). 

Known archaeological remains from the Taku River drainage and Atlin Lake area include the 

remains of cabins and semi-underground dwellings, grave houses, hearths and drying racks, 

food cache pits and bridges across narrow canyons (Rescan, 1997). The Hîn Tlèn and Canoe 

Landing sites have habitation sites with associated caches and grave houses. 

The Champagne Aishihik First Nations were in the news in 1999 and 2000 when a party of 

non-Aboriginal sheep hunters found artifacts and human remains in Tatsenshini-Alsek Park, 

within the traditional territory of the Champagne Aishihik. The body has been named 

“Kwaday Dan Sinchi”, or “Long Ago Person Found” by tribal elders. The artifacts found 


Page 40

with Kwaday Dan Sinchi have been dated at between 300 and 550 years old. The BC and 

Yukon governments have reached an agreement with the Champagne Aishihik regarding 

study of the remains and associated artifacts (Hunter, 2000). 

4.1.1.2 Traditional trails 

There are a number of important traditional trails in the plan area that date back to the 

extensive network of trade routes that connected the coast of what is now Alaska with the 

northern interior. The Tlingit lived along the lower Taku River in the summer, fishing and 

gathering berries. In the winter, some families travelled further inland to the upper Nakina 

River to hunt and spend the winter (Rescan, 1997). Trading took the families along these 

travel routes and north to the Atlin and Teslin areas and into the Yukon. 

The main travel route from the coast to the interior is the Taku-Nakina route. From the 

Nakina River there are trails through the valleys to various destinations, including Atlin, 

Gladys Lake, and Teslin Lake. The Tulsequah Chief Project Report describes two main 

aboriginal trails connecting the Nakina River with the Atlin area. The first follows the Silver 

Salmon River to Kuthai Lake and from there to Atlin. The second follows the Sloko River to 

the south end of Kuthai Lake. Kuthai Lake was, and continues to be, an important stopover 

camp for travellers in the territory (Rescan, 1997). 

Another aboriginal trail provided access to the upper Silver Salmon and Nakina Rivers and 

Paddy Lake (Rescan, 1997). This trail became part of the Telegraph Trail, running from 

Hazelton to the Yukon via Telegraph Creek and Atlin. 

The Dalton Trail, in Tatsenshini-Alsek Park, was originally a historic trading route from the 

coast to the interior between the Tlingit and Southern Tutchone people. 

4.1.1.3 Traditional use values 

Traditional use studies identify sites and areas of cultural importance to First Nations. These 

sites are not necessarily associated with past physical remains and may or may not be 

currently used by local First Nations communities. Examples include fishing sites, hunting 

camps, traditional trails, berry-picking areas, and legend or sacred sites. Although traditional 

use sites are not formally protected, government has a legal obligation to consult with First 

Nations where land-altering activities may interfere unjustly with the aboriginal right(s) to 

practice traditional activities. First Nations may bring information forward on traditional use 

and archaeological resources at their discretion. 

There have been no traditional use studies funded by the Province for First Nations in the 

plan area. However, areas of traditional use have been identified as part of the Tulsequah 

Chief project assessment (Staple and Poushinsky, 1997; RES, 1997). 

The use of the territories for activities such as hunting, fishing, berry-picking, gathering of 

medicinal plants, and cultural and spiritual activities continues to be an integral part of the 

cultural, social and economic fabric of First Nations communities in the plan area. Areas 

identified in reports as having high significance to the Taku River Tlingit for traditional and 

contemporary uses include: 


Page 41

• Blue Canyon in the high country east of Atlin (includes the Spruce Creek watershed 

and a number of connecting creeks); 

• Dixie and Tawina Lakes; 

• O’Donnell River valley; 

• Gladys River; and 

• Kuthai Lake and Silver Salmon River (Staples and Poushinsky, 1997; RES, 1997) 

4.1.2 Non-aboriginal historic features 

The plan area is rich in history. Many of the non-aboriginal historic features in the area are 

associated with the gold rushes that occurred at the turn of the 20 th century. There are also 

several sites related to the long history of mining activity in the area and to hardy souls who 

homesteaded in this remote location in the early 1900s. 

The earliest non-aboriginal settlements in the area were Russian settlements along the Taku 

River, including a fort at the junction of the Nanika and Inklin Rivers. There were still 

cannon at the site as late as the 1970s. 

Several buildings are standing in Atlin that date back to the first part of the century. Fires in 

1914 and 1916 destroyed many of the buildings from the days of the Atlin gold rush, 

although a few were spared and are still standing. Most of the existing heritage buildings in 

Atlin were built in 1916. There are some old homesteads dotted throughout the area, such as 

Ben-My-Chree, built in the 1930s to the south of Atlin Lake. 

Many of the placer mining sites that are active today contain examples of early mining 

activity. Old dredges and machinery can be seen in places such as Discovery Creek, Blue 

Canyon, and McKee Creek east of Atlin. Discovery Creek is a ghost town from the 1898 

gold rush. The Engineer Mine on Tagish Lake contains a derelict mill and old buildings 

dating back to the 1920s (Steele, 1995). 

There was a mining community built to support the mines operating on the Tulsequah River 

in the 1930s. Relics remain from the mines and the community, which ceased to exist when 

the mines closed down following the outbreak of World War 2. 

The area contains several historic sites related to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 – 1898. 

The famed Chilkoot Trail led hopeful prospectors to the gold fields of the Yukon by the 

thousands. The trail has been made into a National Heritage Park. It is littered with the 

relics of the gold rush years and has been called the longest open-air museum in the world. 

The White Pass was an alternative route to the Klondike. The route is littered with the bones 

of the 3000 pack animals that died on the route. The ghost towns of Lindemann and Log 

Cabin are along the BC portions of these trails. The Dalton Trail, in what is now 

Tatsenshini-Alsek Park, was originally a First Nations trading route. An enterprising local 

called Jack Dalton made money by charging stampeders to use the trail to access the Yukon. 

The White Pass Rail was built during the Klondike Gold Rush by the White Pass Yukon 

Railway Company. The railway was completed at the tail end of the gold rush, however, the 

trains continued to carried tourists into the area into the 1930s (Steele, 1995). The rail line 

has been restored and a locomotive from the era runs today as a tourist attraction. 


Page 42

In 1901 the Telegraph Trail was constructed from north of Quesnel in British Columbia to 

Dawson City in the Yukon. Segments of the trail, which runs though Telegraph Creek and 

Atlin, have been restored and can be used for recreational hiking. 

Other non-aboriginal historic sites include the remains of Taku Tramway that carried 

passengers from Taku Landing to Scotia Bay and an abandoned sawmill on the south side of 

Graham Inlet. 

4.1.3 Strategic planning considerations related to cultural and heritage 

resources 

How to manage resource development activities to maintain: 

The integrity of aboriginal cultural and heritage resources, traditional use areas and 

trails; 

The integrity of non-aboriginal historic sites and trails; and 

The aesthetic experience of visiting historic sites. 

4.2 Forestry 

The boundary of the Atlin Taku plan area approximates the Atlin and Alsek supply blocks of 

the Cassiar Timber Supply Area (TSA). The Cassiar TSA covers 13.4 million hectares in 

total and has an Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) of 400,000 m3/yr, determined in 1995. The 

Chief Forester will make a new AAC determination for the TSA in 2001. 

Overall, there is little harvesting activity in the Cassiar TSA. Approximately 70% of the area 

is tundra, rock and alpine; only 27% of the area is forested (Ministry of Forests, 1999b). 

Map 7 shows the small amount of forested land in the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Only about 3% of the total landbase (10% of the forested landbase) in the Cassiar TSA is 

considered operable. Areas of merchantable timber are often difficult to access due to their 

remoteness and the high cost and difficulties of building roads into areas. 

4.2.1 Timber allocation and harvest 

4.2.1.1 Alsek Supply Block 

All of the Alsek supply block of the Cassiar TSA is classified as inoperable. Two-thirds 

Alsek Supply block of the Cassiar TSA is within the Tatsenshini-Alsek Park and is therefore 

excluded from the operable forest landbase. Most of the remaining landbase is unforested 

and the existing forested areas are inaccessible. 

4.2.1.2 Atlin Supply Block 

The Atlin supply block has an partition of 40,000 m 3 /yr representing 10% of the1995 AAC 

for the Cassiar TSA. Of this, 2500 m 3 /yr is apportioned to the Small Business Forest 

Enterprise Program and 12,500 m 3 /yr to the Forest Service Reserve. . All of the existing 

timber harvesting is around the Atlin area. There is also potential for some harvesting in the 

Teslin Lake area (R. Braam, pers. comm.). 


Page 43

The amount of timber harvesting in the Atlin area for the past four years has ranged from 

1400 - 2900 m 3 /yr (Table 8). Timber sales of up to 500 m 3 are issued on demand as single 

cash sales permits by the Bulkley/Cassiar Forest District through the Dease Lake Field 

Office. The current level of harvesting is unlikely to change (C. Rygaard, pers comm.). All 

of the existing forestry activity is small-scale harvesting for local use (e.g., log house 

building, rough cut timber and mine development i.e., for mine timbers and removal of 

immature timber to allow room for expansion of mining operations). 

Table 8. Small Business Forest Enterprise Program timber sales 1997 – 2000 

Source: C Rygaard, pers. comm. 

Year Timber sales (m 3 /yr) 

1997 1434 

1998 2920 

1999 2297 

2000 1391 

4.2.2 Timber harvesting and operability 

An operability line has been drawn for the Cassiar TSA that defines the area of operable 

forest. Outside of the operability line all land is excluded from the timber harvesting 

landbase (THLB). In the Cassiar TSA, the operability line is primarily defined by the 

volume and quality of timber, the accessibility of timber, and the difficulty of creating new 

access (Ministry of Forests, 1999). 

Map 8 shows the distribution of merchantable timber in the plan area. This map is based on 

the volume of timber, with merchantable stands indicated as areas with > 150 m3/ha. The 

operable landbase is a much smaller subset of the area shown on the merchantable timber 

map and takes into accessibility and economic feasibility (map not available). As can be 

seen in Map 9: Logging History, most forestry activity to date has occurred in roadaccessible 

areas near Atlin and at the Atlin end of Graeme Inlet. Current levels of harvesting 

can be maintained in the immediate future using existing access, but new forestry-related 

access will be eventually be required (C. Rygaard, pers. comm.). 

Most of the timber harvested in the plan area is dry black spruce and pine (N. MacLean, pers. 

comm.). Almost all logging in the area has used the silvicultural system of clearcut-withreserves 

with only one entry (Ministry of Forests, 1999a). All timber is currently harvested 

by using ground skidding. 

The remoteness of the forests in the lower Taku River has precluded forestry development 

despite a relatively high volume of merchantable timber. The development of mining roads 

into previously unroaded areas could create additional opportunities for forestry activities in 

coastal forests. One of the concerns around the proposed Tulsequah Road has been that the 


Page 44

oad would open the area to industrial logging. The District Manager of the Bulkley-Cassiar 

Forest District has stated publicly that there will be no harvesting created as a result of the 

Tulsequah Road being built (C. Rygaard, pers. comm.). The BC Supreme Court overturned 

the approval of the Tulsequah development, including the road, in 2000. 

4.2.3 Agents of change 

In the boreal forests around Atlin, where the current forestry activities occur, fire is the main 

disturbance agent. Since the 1980s, the Ministry of Forests has had a policy of selective fire 

suppression whereby suppression efforts are focused around communities, highways, other 

infrastructure and valuable timber (Ministry of Forests, 1999a). Outside of those areas, fires 

are generally left to burn. 

Other agents of disturbance in boreal forests include forest insects and animal damage to 

plantation seedlings e.g., porcupine, bear, squirrel, vole and snowshoe hare. There is 

currently no program for treatment of forest insects or disease in the plan area. 

In the coastal forests, the high rate of precipitation results in a low frequency of fire. For the 

most part, forests are replaced in piecemeal fashion by the death and replacement of 

individual trees. Large-scale disturbances such as windthrow and landslides also occur 

occasionally. Spruce beetle infestation is at light to moderate levels in coastal drainages 

(Ministry of Forests, 1999a). 

4.2.4 Forest management for biodiversity and wildlife 

4.2.4.1 Biodiversity 

Landscape units are planning areas established under the Forest Practices Code for the 

purposes of applying biodiversity objectives. In the Cassiar TSA, landscape unit boundaries 

have been identified based on major watershed groups. Due to the large size of the area, 

landscape units are equally large, ranging in size from 300,000 – 950,000 ha. 

The Forest Practices Code identifies six basic elements of planning for biodiversity to be 

applied to each landscape unit outside of protected areas. These include old growth 

retention, wildlife tree retention, seral stage distribution, patch size distribution, connectivity, 

and species composition (see Appendix 3). Under current policy, as outlined in the 

Landscape Unit Planning Guide (1999) old growth retention and wildlife tree retention are 

priorities for biodiversity planning. 

To date, the low level of timber harvesting in the Atlin supply block and in most of the 

Cassiar TSA, has precluded the need for strategic level planning for biodiversity. However, 

biodiversity is addressed at the stand level during operational planning (e.g., retention of 

structural habitat features, maintenance of forest structure adjacent to streams). 


Page 45

4.2.4.2 Wildlife 

There are currently no specific management strategies in place for wildlife in the Atlin 

Supply Block, although the supply block is managed conservatively to a five-pass system 

because of the lack of habitat mapping for the area (N. MacLean, pers. comm.). 

The Forest Practices Code allows for the establishment of wildlife habitat areas to guide 

forest management activities in order to conserve habitat features for species classified as 

Identified Wildlife under the Code (see Section 3.2.4: Current Wildlife Management 

Strategies). At this time no wildlife habitat areas have been established in the Cassiar TSA. 

4.2.5 Strategic planning considerations related to forestry 

Due to the small amount of timber harvesting occurring in the plan area, there are few 

strategic planning issues related to forestry in the short term. The main concerns related 

to future forestry activities around Atlin are potential effects on caribou habitat and 

scenic values. Other issues, such as riparian management and alteration of forest 

structure are not a significant concern since logging will most likely continue to be at a 

small scale and in areas that are not overly sensitive to harvesting e.g., pine flats (F. 

Oliemans, pers. comm.). 

Even if new mine roads create access into coastal forests, it is unlikely to become 

economically feasible to log in these areas. Note that the Bulkley-Cassiar Forest District 

will not be issuing tenures or permits for logging in the Taku River area if the Tulsequah 

Road ends up being built. 

4.3 Mineral and energy resources 

4.3.1 Metallic mineral resources 

Metallic mineral deposits can be divided into two broad groups. Those that form at the same 

time as their enclosing volcanic or sedimentary rocks are deposited, and are conformable 

with stratification, are called bedded deposits. A variety of deposit types can form after 

sediments and volcanic deposits are consolidated into rocks. Those referred to in this report 

are vein, vein stockwork, replacement and skarn deposits. 

The reader is advised to refer to Section 3.1 for an understanding of the geologic terminology 

and 'terrane" descriptions. 

Bedded deposits are most prevalent in 300-380 million-year-old volcanic rocks that 

comprise Yukon Tanana terrane and the oldest (basement) rocks of Stikine terrane. The most 

significant historic mines in the Atlin-Taku area, Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull are bedded 

deposits. Several large bedded copper-zinc-silver-gold deposits were discovered in Yukon- 

Tanana terrane in the Finlayson Lake area of southern Yukon in the late 1990’s. These 

discoveries immediately raised the perceived potential for similar deposits in equivalent 

rocks in nearby British Columbia. Metamorphism masks the original nature of rocks in 

Yukon-Tanana and complex folding makes it challenging to map out. Recent mapping 


Page 46

conducted by the B.C. Geological Survey (i.e. Mihalynuk in B.C. Geological Survey Paper 

2000-1) has refined our knowledge of areas that might contain bedded copper-zinc-silver 

deposits, however prospecting follow-up is required. 

The 200 million-year-old mid-ocean rift volcanic rocks of Alexander terrane are extremely 

rich in bedded copper-cobalt and copper-zinc-silver-gold deposits. These rocks occur in two 

small areas in Canada, in the Tats Creek and Rainy Hollow areas. The Tats Creek area 

contains the enormous Windy Craggy deposit, discovered in 1958, and several other deposits 

nearby. In 1992, the Windy Craggy deposit was in the midst of the mine development 

assessment process and geological mapping was being conducted by the B.C. Geological 

Survey to evaluate mineral resources in the Tatshenshini area. These initiatives ended with 

the declaration of Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. The geological mapping program 

discovered several promising copper showings that remain unexplored. A second area of 

these highly prospective rocks is south of Rainy Hollow and includes mineral prospects on 

Mount Henry Clay. This second area extends eastward into Alaska (south of the Klehini 

River) where other prospects are under active exploration. There are no other correlative 

rocks in the plan area. 

Veins are the most common and widespread of mineral deposit types. They can be the least 

difficult to discover and many of the earliest mines were gold-bearing quartz veins. The 

Engineer, Polaris Taku and Venus mines (the latter just outside the planning area) are 

examples. Quartz veins in serpentine may be the elusive source of rich placer gold in the 

Atlin area. Large gold deposits in bedrock have been found in many placer districts in the 

world but only small deposits have been discovered to date near Atlin. 

Vein deposits form from mineral-laden fluids that are channeled through faults and fractures. 

The fluids are often derived from intrusion of granite or eruption of volcanoes, but are also 

driven out of sediments and rocks during compaction and metamorphism, so that veins can 

be found in almost all geologic environments. The richest vein deposits are those formed 

close to surface in areas of volcanic activity. Rich "bonanza-grade" gold and silver mines 

occur worldwide. This type of deposit is the target of active exploration of gold-silvercopper 

veins under on the Thorn property. Other examples are a cluster of gold showings 

near a Sloko volcanic caldera west of Bennett Lake and a history of exploration at Heart 

Peaks. Examples of veins associated with granite include the Atlin-Ruffner silver mine, 

gold-cobalt veins at Red Cap and antimony-gold-silver veins at Zohini. These deposits 

exhibit the diversity of metals that can occur in veins. 

The largest vein deposits are those associated with long-lived and/or major faults. The 

Llewellyn fault, active during the time of Sloko volcanism, contains a series of gold and 

polymetallic vein deposits from the Taku River to the Yukon border, including Polaris Taku, 

Engineer and veins in the Teepee Peak and Pavey areas. The polymetallic veins contain 

copper, lead, zinc, silver, arsenic and antimony, but gold is the commodity generally of most 

interest. Commonly the vein deposits occur in splay faults up to a kilometre from the 

Llewellyn fault. 

Replacement gold deposits, such as Golden Bear represent an unusual variation of the vein 

deposit type. At Golden Bear, the ore fluid migrated along a large fault until it encountered a 

reactive limestone within the 300 million-year-old basement rocks of Stikine terrane. 


Page 47

Reaction of the fluid with the limestone produced a gold-bearing siliceous replacement 

instead of a quartz vein. The mineral fluids were probably related to the Sloko volcanic 

event. Inlaw, Outlaw, Bandit and Slam are other replacement gold prospects near Golden 

Bear. 

Vein stockworks (known as porphyry deposits to geologists) are an important variation of 

simple vein deposits. They are within, or on the immediate periphery of granite intrusions 

and result from complete fracturing of the rock and infilling by a myriad of narrow veins. 

The veins are too small to be mined individually but where they extend through a sizeable 

volume of rock mineralization may support bulk mining, as in open pit mines at Kemess, 

Highland Valley and elsewhere in British Columbia. Vein stockwork deposits occur in 

various small to mid-size granite stocks and batholiths in all terranes, but are notably absent 

from the large composite granite intrusions found in the Coast Range. The Surprise Lake 

batholith (in Cache Creek terrane) contains the large, stockwork Adanac molybdenum 

deposit and many other molybdenum and tungsten occurrences. Similar molybdenum, tin 

and tungsten mineralization is widespread in the area, occurring in the Parallel Creek 

batholith (at the head of Teslin River) and the Christmas Creek stock (near Kedaha Lake, 

south of Jennings River) and at Mount Ogden. The large stockwork Logtung tungstenmolybdenum 

deposit (in Yukon-Tanana terrane) is only a few hundred metres north of the 

Yukon border, northeast of Swan Lake. In Stikine terrane, the many intrusions of granite to 

diorite that fed island-arc volcanoes, stand a good chance of containing vein stockwork 

copper-gold deposits. The most significant area is at Kaketsa Mountain near the junction of 

the Sheslay and Hackett Rivers. There are many intrusions in the Atlin-Taku area (e.g. 

Llangorse, Nome Lake, Simpson Peak, Klinkit, and Glundebery batholiths) but only a few 

contain vein stockwork deposits. 

Skarn deposits form by the reaction between granite magma and limestone, resulting in a 

complex mineral assemblage that can include copper, tungsten and other metals. The Maid 

of Erin mine is a copper-silver-gold skarn deposit in Alexander terrane that operated 

intermittently from 1911 to 1956. It is one of many skarn deposits and silver-lead-zinc veins 

near Rainy Hollow that are associated with a granite and granite/limestone contact and are 

now within Alsek Tatshenshini Park. 

4.3.1.1 Past Producing Hardrock Mines 

Though placer mining was the initial draw to the Atlin area, the search for the "motherlode" 

followed close on its heels. As available placer ground grew scarce in 1898, the interest in 

quartz properties increased, leading to extensive staking of mountains and high valleys 

around Atlin. 

The first mining operations in the plan area were located half a kilometre south of Atlin, on 

the Anaconda property. In the spring of 1900, construction began on camp facilities, 

workshops and a stamp mill. Unfortunately, tunneling encountered low-grade ore that could 

not be profitably mined and the property was abandoned. Though this first mine failed, the 

investors were not ready to leave. Later in 1900, they optioned the Imperial property and 

processed the ore at the Anaconda site. The mill was later moved to Munroe Mountain 

where it also processed ore for several other mine owners. 


Page 48

Table 9 is a list of "past producing" mines, compiled from the Ministry of Energy and Mines 

Minfile database. The table only includes properties from which ore was shipped. 

Numerous lode mine prospects around Atlin, such as the Anaconda property, provided 

employment to miners developing shafts and tunnels to test the ore. However, as these 

properties do not have recorded ore production, they are not included on the list. 

Table 9. Past Producing Hardrock Mines in the Atlin-Taku plan area 

Minfile # Mine Name Location Years of Production Commodities 

104N 011 Atlin Ruffner Atlin - McDonald Lake 

Road 

1916, 1922-27, 1951, 

1974-76, 1981, 1988 

Gold, Silver, Lead, 

Zinc, Copper, 

Cadmium 

104N 008 Imperial Atlin - Warm Bay Road 1899 - 1900 Gold 

104N 006 Black Diamond Atlin - Surprise Lake 1943 Tungsten 

104N 044 Pictou Atlin - Pine Creek 1968 Silver, Lead, Zinc 

104M 014 Engineer Tagish Lake 1913-18, 1925-28, 1932- 

34, 1944-46, 1949, 1952 

Gold, Silver 

104M 011 Ben-My-Chree Tagish Lake 1911 Gold, Silver 

104M 001 Gridiron Bennett Lake 1901 Gold, Silver 

114P 008 State of 

Montana 

Tatsenshini-Alsek Park 1908, 1909 Silver, Copper 

114P 007 Maid of Erin Tatsenshini-Alsek Park 1911, 1918, 1921-22, 

1956 

Gold, Silver, Copper 

104K 007 Banker Tulsequah River 1935 Gold, Silver, Lead 

104K 008 Big Bull Tulsequah River 1951-56 Gold, Silver, Copper 

104K 002 Tulsequah Chief Tulsequah River 1939, 1951-57 Silver, Gold, Cadmium, 

Copper, Lead, Zinc 

104K 003 Polaris-Taku Tulsequah River 1938-42, 1946-51 Gold, Silver, Copper 

Past producing mines in the Atlin and Tagish Lake area were generally small underground 

mines, exploiting mineralized veins. The most significant operations were the Atlin Ruffner 

and Engineer mines, which have undergone several periods of development and hold 

potential for future mine production. 

The State of Montana and Maid of Erin are located in Rainy Hollow near the headwaters of 

the Klehini River. Development work was done at intervals from 1903 to 1928, with limited 

production from underground workings. Production from these sites was partly constrained 

by a lack of infrastructure, as the Haines Road was not constructed until the mid-1920's. The 

Maid of Erin saw further production in 1956, as a small open pit operation with a four-mile 

road connecting the site to the Haines Road. Both properties were absorbed by the 

declaration of Tatsenshini-Alsek Park, however, with the exception of the Windy Craggy 


Page 49

deposit, compensation has yet to be paid for these and other mineral tenures expropriated by 

the government. 

During the 1920's, the Tulsequah River area began to attract attention, and by 1930 there 

were 100 prospectors working in the region. Though both the Tulsequah Chief and Polaris 

Taku deposits were discovered in the 1920's, isolation and difficult access, coupled with a 

shortage of capital following the stock market collapse of 1929, constrained mine 

development. In 1934, economics changed dramatically, when President Franklin D. 

Roosevelt raised the price of gold by almost 100% to $35 per ounce. 

The Polaris-Taku mine was the first to open. It began operations in 1938 and was in full 

production from 1939 to 1951, except for 1942-1946 when it was closed due to the war. The 

Polaris-Taku mill continued to be used after 1951 to process ore from Tulsequah Chief and 

Big Bull mines on the opposite side of the Tulsequah River. Though the mines were far from 

depleted, low metal prices forced the closure of Big Bull and Tulsequah in 1956 and 1957 

respectively. 

The town of Tulsequah was established in the late 1930's, to house mine workers and their 

families. There was no road connection between the mining town and either Juneau or Atlin, 

but reliable air transportation served the people there. In summer there was regular launch 

service to Juneau. In terms of facilities, the community lacked nothing. Residents even 

enjoyed a downhill skiing facility complete with night lighting and a challenging ski jump 

(Atlin News Miner, 28 Oct. 1938). 

4.3.1.2 Current Producing Mines 

The Golden Bear mine, located approximately 140 km west of Dease Lake, is the only 

operating hardrock mine in the plan area. The mine began operations mining refractory ore, 

but later converted to heap leach operations. 

Golden Bear was discovered by Chevron Canada in 1981. Extensive surface and 

underground drilling was conducted from 1982 - 87 to define the Bear Main deposit and in 

1988, a 150 km access road from Telegraph Creek was constructed. Underground mining of 

refractory gold ore began in 1989, and continued with both underground and open pit mining 

until 1994. During this period, the mine operated on a year round basis. 

Wheaton River Minerals purchased the mine on July 2, 1993, when the mine was in a 

shutdown mode with just 6 months reserves left to be mined and processed. Discovery of the 

Grizzly zone, approximately 400 metres below the mined out Bear Main zone, extended 

operations to September 1994, when the mine closed due to exhaustion of refractory ore 

reserves. 

Work conducted by Wheaton River from 1994 to 1996, lead to the discovery of oxide gold 

deposits on the property. Though heap leach operations had never been conducted at 

latitudes this far north, the company successfully pursued this option. A feasibility study was 

completed in late 1996, construction of the first heap leach pad was commissioned in late 

July 1997 and ore was loaded onto the pad. Leaching began on August 6th and the first gold 

bars were poured on August 13th. The official opening of the heap leach mine was on 

September 17, 1997. 


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The heap leach mine has operated on a seasonal basis, closing operations during the winter 

months (generally November to April). Production from the mine has exceeded the output 

predicted in the feasibility study, with the 1997 gold recovery 19% greater than predicted. A 

second heap leach pad and processing plant was put into production in the spring of 1998. 

Mining of the deposits was completed in 2000, however production from stockpiles and 

residual leaching will continue into 2002. 

4.3.1.3 Exploration Activity 

Regulatory Framework: 

Mineral exploration is conducted in accordance with the Mineral Exploration Code and 

Mines Act of B.C. Prior to conducting any mechanical disturbance of the land, the work 

program must be approved by the Ministry of Energy and Mines and sufficient reclamation 

securities placed to ensure that the site is reclaimed. Work programs are referred to affected 

agencies and First Nations for comment, which is then taken into consideration when 

approving (or disallowing) proposed mineral exploration. 

Full approval of a work program may also require that permits from other ministries be 

obtained. For example, where timber will be cut as part of a program, a free use permit or 

License to Cut is required from the Ministry of Forests. Similarly, for road construction off 

mineral tenures, a Special Use Permit must be obtained from the Ministry of Forests. 

Programs involving use of surface water must obtain a water use approval or water license 

from the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. 

Most mineral exploration programs involve minimal disturbance of the land. However, 

where significant volumes of mineralized rock (i.e. greater than 1000 tonnes) are to be 

blasted as part of a sampling program, testing for acid rock drainage potential is required. 

Similarly, though not required by the Ministry of Forests, the Ministry of Energy and Mines 

will request acid rock testing where road development requires blasting of mineralized rock. 

Recent Mineral Exploration in the plan area: 

Table 10 is a summary of mineral exploration work reporting expenditures in excess of 

$20,000, which was conducted in the plan area between 1994 and 1999. Information in the 

table is compiled from Assessment Report records, submitted by mineral tenure holders to 

maintain their tenures. 


Page 51

Table 10. Recent Mineral Exploration reporting Expenditures in excess of $20,000 for 

Assessment on Mineral Tenures (1994 - 1999) 

Property Location Commodities Year Work Conducted 

Ant-Bing Sheslay River Copper, 

Molybdenum 

Bennett Bennett Lake Gold, Silver, Lead, 

Zinc 

Bennett Bennett Lake Gold, Silver, Lead, 

Zinc 

Big Bull Tulsequah River Copper, Zinc, Lead, 

Silver, Gold 

Big Bull Tulsequah River Copper, Zinc, Lead, 

Silver, Gold 

1997 Geochemcial, Geological Mapping, 

Geophysics, Line Cutting 


Geophysics, Drilling 

1998 Geochemical, Drilling 


Geophysics, Drilling 


Geophysics, Line Cutting, Drilling 

Chid Tatsamenie Lake Gold 1994 Geochemcial, Geology, 


Cop Sheslay River Copper, Gold 1997 Geochemcial, Geophysics, Line 

Cutting 

Bandit Golden Bear Mine Gold 1994 Geochemcial, Geological Mapping, 


Golden Bear Golden Bear Mine Gold 1994 Geochemical, Drilling, Line Cutting 

Golden Bear Golden Bear Mine Gold 1995 Geochemical, Drilling 




Ram-Tut-Tot Golden Bear Mine Gold 1994 Geochemical, Geological Mapping 

Grizzly Golden Bear Mine Gold 1994 Geochemcial, Geology, Line 

Cutting, Drill 

Harts Peak Sheslay River Gold, Silver 1997 Geochemcial, Geological Mapping, 

Geophysics, Line Cutting, Drill 

Kap Taku River Gold, Silver 1998 Geochemical 

Polaris-Taku Taku River 1998 Geochemical, Drilling 

Mass- 

Quantity 

Tagish Lake Gold, Silver, 

Copper 



Misty Nie Tatsamenie Lake Gold 1994 Geochemcial, Geological Mapping, 

Geophysics 

Pineload Atlin (McDonald 

Lake area) 

Racine Teepee Peak 

(Tushi River) 


Gold 1994 Geochemcial, Line Cutting, Drilling 

Gold, Silver, 

Copper, Cobalt, 

Bismuth, Arsenic 

1996 Geology, Geochemical, Drilling 

Page 52

Property Location Commodities Year Work Conducted 

Red Cap Taku River (South) Gold, Silver, Lead, 

Zinc, Copper, 

Cobalt 

Red Cap Taku River (South) Gold, Silver, Lead, 

Zinc, Copper, 

Cobalt 

Tulsequah 

Chief 

Tulsequah 

Chief 

Tulsequah 

Chief 

Tulsequah 

Chief 

Volcanic 

Creek 

Tulsequah River Silver, Gold, 

Cadmium, Copper, 

Lead, Zinc 



Lead, Zinc 



Lead, Zinc 



Lead, Zinc 

Atlin (McDonald 

Lake area) 

1998 Geophysics, Line Cutting 

1999 Geochemcial, Drilling 

1994 Geochemcial, Geology, 


1994 Geology, Geophysics 

1995 Geophysics, Drilling 

1995 Geochemcial, Geology, Line 

Cutting, Drilling 

Gold 1997 Drilling 

Zenazie Gladys River Gold 1995 Geochemical 

ZO Taku River Gold, Silver, Lead, 

Zinc, Antimony 

1994 Drilling, Geochemical 

Table 10 shows two areas received the lion's share of mineral exploration. The pastproducing 

Tulsequah, Big Bull and Polaris Taku mines in lower Tulsequah River valley were 

evaluated for renewed mining by Redfern (now Redcorp) Resources Ltd. and Canarc 

Resource Corporation, respectively. Tulsequah Chief and Big Bull are zinc-copper-leadsilver-gold 

deposits, Polaris-Taku (now New Polaris) was a gold mine. Secondly, Wheaton 

River Minerals through its subsidiary North American Metals, prolonged the life of the 

Golden Bear mine by discovery of Kodiak, Ursa and Grizzly gold deposits (two of which 

were mined) and exploration, albeit unsuccessful, on nearby claims (Bandit, Misty, Nie, 

Ram/Tut/Tot group and Strike/Grand/Slam group) in the Tatsamenie Lake area. 

The Red Cap (also known as Kap) and ZO (Zohini Creek) mineral properties in the Taku 

River valley were explored primarily for gold, silver and antimony vein deposits. In the 

Gladys Lake area, the Zenazie and Volcanic Creek properties were explored for placer gold 

deposits. The bedrock source of Atlin's placer gold was sought by the Pinelode project and 

(since 1999) at Imperial, Chas, Como and White Star. Some of this exploration is focused 

near long-known lode gold occurrences (eg. Imperial) that were discounted as small deposits. 

New optimism and fresh ideas leads to re-exploration. 

A gold vein deposit, similar to Engineer or Mt. Skukum (in nearby Yukon) was the target of 

exploration on the Racine and Mass/Quantity (also known as the 025 group) and the Harts 


Page 53

Peak (more properly Heart Peaks) claims. Racine and Mass/Quantity are on the Llewellyn 

fault, the locus for epithermal gold veins at Engineer and Polaris Taku mines. 

Near the Sheslay River, the Cop, Ant, Bing and Hat mineral properties have been explored 

for a porphyry copper (+/- gold, +/- molybdenum) deposit in the past five years. Most 

recently, two prospector/geologists worked on the Hat claims near Hatchau Lake in 2001. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting active exploration properties in the area is the Thorn 

gold-silver-copper prospect, northwest of Trapper Lake. Several high-grade veins have been 

discovered with unusual geological characteristics that are comparable to prolific mineral 

deposits elsewhere in the world (Chile and Philippines). The owner, Rimfire Minerals 

Corporation of Vancouver, showed it to several major, international mining companies in 

2001, in hope of attracting their investment to explore and develop the property. 

4.3.1.4 Potential Future Hardrock Mines 

Regulatory Framework: 

With the exception of small operations of sand and gravel, rock quarry and placer, all mine 

development is subject to review under either the Mine Development Review Committee or 

the Environmental Assessment Act. Both processes are multi-agency reviews, often 

involving both provincial and federal agencies as well as First Nations and the public. Major 

mine projects are reviewed under the Environmental Assessment Act and require the 

approval of both the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Environment Lands 

and Parks. Approval under the Mine Development Review Committee is for smaller 

operations and is signed off by the Minister of Energy and Mines. For a more complete 

description of these processes and applicable mine thresholds, please refer to the following 

websites: 

Ministry of Energy and Minings - Permit Application Requirements: 

http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/MinePer/permreq.htm. 

Environmental Assessment Office: 

http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca 

Potential Future Mines in the Plan Area: 

Within the plan area, there are several hardrock mineral deposits with known reserves (Table 

11). Even if only economic factors are considered (i.e. assuming a favourable land-use 

designation), it is impossible to predict which, if any of the deposits listed will become 

mines. 

The most promising hardrock deposit in the plan area, the Windy Craggy deposit, was 

removed from productive capability in 1992, by the creation of the Tatsenshini-Alsek 

Provincial Park. This deposit had the potential to be a world-class producer of gold, silver, 

copper and cobalt with significant benefits accruing to the province of B.C. Windy Craggy 

was in the B.C. Mine Development Assessment process when the park was designated. 

Establishment of the park was a political decision and not part of an integrated land use 

planning program for the area. 


Page 54

Of the remaining deposits in Table 11, the most likely candidates to become mines are 

Tulsequah Chief (mid-size to large underground mine) and New Polaris (mid-size 

underground mine). 

A Project Approval Certificate for development of the Tulsequah Chief deposit was granted 

in 1998, however, this approval was challenged by the Taku River Tlingit and overturned in 

a decision by the BC Supreme Court in June, 2000. Road construction and mine 

development is currently on hold while the project committee works towards addressing 

issues of cultural sustainability brought forward by the Tlingit. 

The New Polaris deposit is the site of the former Polaris-Taku mine. Exploration drilling 

during the 1990’s by Canarc Resources Corporation outlined a gold resource in excess of one 

million ounces below the old mine workings. Canarc pumped out the mine in 1997, renamed 

the property New Polaris and were about to begin close-spaced underground drilling in 1998. 

Unfortunately, financing for the project was being conducted during the Bre-Ex scandal and 

the company was unable to attract investment in the project. Delays in approval of the 

Tulsequah Chief project (located proximal to New Polaris) have also negatively impacted 

New Polaris. No work has been conducted on the site since 1998. 

The other prospects in Table 11 are remote from economic viability under current conditions. 

Engineer, Atlin-Ruffner, Erickson-Ashby, Spokane and Mt. Ogden would be considered as 

small underground mines (based on currently identified mineral resources). Adanac and 

Logtung would be mid-size to large, open pit mines. 

The deposits listed in Table 11 do not represent all future potential for mine development in 

the plan area. New discoveries, changes in exploration and mining technology, increased 

understanding of mineral deposits and/or changes in mineral prices can quite abruptly 

transform a mineral occurrence into a mine development. The inability to predict the 

location of future mine developments requires that flexibility be built into land use planning. 

Table 11. Developed hardrock mineral prospects in the Atlin-Taku plan area 

Property / 

Year 

WINDY CRAGGY 

1990 

NEW POLARIS 

1997 

TULSEQUAH CHIEF 

1996 

ATLIN RUFFNER 

1988 


Location Tonnage / 

Category 

Tatsenshini-Alsek Park 143,000,000 t 

Combined 

Tulsequah River 3,270,000 t 

Combined 

Tulsequah River 7,910,000 t 

Measured 

Atlin area 113,638 t 

Unclassified 

Commodity Grade 

Copper 

Gold 

Silver 

Cobalt 

1.690 % 

.20 g/t 

3.41 g/t 

.084 % 

Gold 13.70 g/t 

Silver 

Gold 

Copper 

Lead 

Zinc 

Silver 

Lead 

100.91 g/t 

2.42 g/t 

1.270 % 

1.180 % 

6.350 % 

600.00 g/t 

5.000 % 

Page 55

Property / 

Year 

ENGINEER MINE 

1993 

ERICKSEN-ASHBY 

1964 

ADANAC 

1982 

MT. OGDEN 

1981 

LOGTUNG 

1983 

SPOKANE (LAWSON) 

1991 

4.3.2 Placer Resources 

Location Tonnage / 

Category 

Tagish Lake 20,000 t 

Indicated 

Taku River 907,100 t 

Indicated 

Atlin area 152,000,000 t 

Measured 

Headwaters of Inklin + 

Sheslay Rivers 

217,704,000 t 

Unclassified 

Jennings River area 162,000,000 t 

Unclassified 

Bighorn Creek (E of 

Tagish Lake) 

77,216 t 

Inferred 

Commodity Grade 

Gold 34.00 g/t 

Silver 

Lead 

Zinc 

214.90 g/t 

2.230 % 

3.790 % 

Molybdenum .063 % 

Molybdenum .170 % 

Molybdenum 

Tungsten 

.030 % 

.100 % 

Gold 5.83 g/t 

Placer gold production has made a very important contribution to the development and 

sustainability of the town of Atlin for more than 100 years. The historic placer mining 

creeks of the Atlin area are located in a relatively small area between Atlin Lake on the west, 

the Gladys River on the east, the O'Donnell River to the south and Gladys Lake to the north. 

This is a geologically special part of the earth's crust where suitable conditions for the 

creation and preservation of placer gold deposits has existed for perhaps more than one 

million years. The deposits were formed initially by the erosion of bedrock sources into 

steep sided canyons and have survived subsequent periods of intense continental glaciation 

and volcanic activity. 

4.3.2.1 Regulatory Framework 

Placer mining can take place only on placer claims or leases issued by the Ministry of Energy 

and Mines under the Mineral Tenure Act. Production from a claim is limited to 2000 cubic 

metres of paydirt per claim per year. 

All mechanized placer mining/testing requires a Mines Act permit and a reclamation security 

deposit. Operations may also require Water Act approvals for short term water use or for 

works 'in and about' a stream, Forest Act permits or licences to cut timber, Waste 

Management Act discharge permits, and/or a Special Use Permit under the Forest Practices 

Code of B.C. Act to construct or modify access to the placer tenures. Operations processing 

more than 500,000 cubic metres of paydirt may require a review under the Environmental 

Assessment Act. 

In addition to government regulations, the Atlin Placer Miners Association uses peer pressure 

to affect a measure of self-regulation. 


Page 56

4.3.2.2 Placer Mining Operations 

Placer mining activities in the Atlin area occur almost exclusively in the valleys of the 

historically mined creeks draining to Surprise, Atlin, or Gladys Lakes. Most operations take 

place between the months of May and October although it is possible to work through the 

winter. Projects range in size from hand panning and exploration test pits (less than 0.1 

hectare) to larger scale open-pit mining operations (up to 5 hectares) using large excavators, 

trucks, dozers, drills, front-end loaders and gold recovery plants capable of processing more 

than 100 cubic yards of gravel per hour (see photos). The water and fine tailings from the 

gold recovery plant are discharged to settling ponds. At the termination of operations, test 

pits are backfilled, waste dumps and tailings piles are recontoured at 2:1 slopes, settling 

ponds are breached, and any available topsoil is spread to promote revegetation. 

Open Pit 

Waste Dumps 

4.3.2.3 State of the Industry 

Settling Ponds 

Sluice Plant 

At present, the industry is in decline due a combination of factors including low world gold 

prices, the high cost of fuel and the scarcity of shallow paydirt. In 1999, approximately 320 

kilograms (10,000 oz.) of gold was produced from 14 mining operations with a total of 57 

seasonal workers. For 2001 production will fall to about 100 kilograms (3,200 oz.). Even 


Page 57

though production is falling, the number of placer tenures and exploration projects has 

remained fairly constant over the past five years. 

Although the major historic creeks have been mined extensively for over 100 years, potential 

exists for the industry to grow significantly given the right economic conditions. Thick 

glacial and glaciofluvial overburden is the main factor limiting the location and development 

of new high grade pre-glacial deposits. The extensive, lower grade post-glacial deposits have 

potential for large volume mining operations with the development of improved recovery 

technology for fine gold. 

4.3.2.4 Operational Issues 

Operational issues facing the industry and the regulatory agencies at this time include: 

discharge of water from settling ponds on "deregulated" creeks; riparian zone protection; 

construction of cabins by tenure owners for non-mining purposes; access to unroaded areas; 

and steep highwalls on existing pits. These issues are addressed through regulation as 

described below. 

On creeks named in the Placer Mining Waste Control Regulation ("de-regulated" creeks), no 

Waste Management Act permit is required to discharge process water from a placer mining 

operation. These creeks have generally been mined historically and the material available for 

constructing settling pond berms has been washed several times and therefore is not suitable 

for compaction. Though the material available limits the effectiveness of settling ponds, 

Mines Act permits still require settling ponds for all operations. 

Although no Code specific to placer mining exists, Mines Act permit conditions specify a 10 

metre riparian zone measured from the high water mark on each side of the creek. The 

purpose of the zone is to protect water quality, provide shade for the stream, provide fish 

food, and provide transportation corridors for large mammals. The riparian zone permit 

condition is not enforced on the historic "de-regulated" creeks of the Atlin area because they 

lack riparian values (i.e. vegetation) and are not fish-bearing. 

Neither buildings nor access construction are allowed for "hand" operations. However, 

placer tenure holders are allowed trailers and other temporary buildings if required for their 

mining operations. The removal of these structures must be covered by a Mines Act permit 

and reclamation security. 

New access construction to placer properties is a particularly difficult issue, requiring a 

balance between the "the right to mine" and a need to protect wildlife populations from 

increasing human encroachment. This issue is of particular interest to the Taku River Tlingit 

First Nation in their desire to protect their interests in traditional territory while negotiating a 

treaty settlement. Winter only trails and/or total deactivation is now prescribed for wildlife 

and First Nation sensitive areas in order to deter ATV access. 

Though many of the historic creeks have near vertical highwalls that are unstable over the 

long term, these slopes are not subject to catastrophic failure. Most of these situations are 

legacies from the days of hydraulic mining, although some have been worked within the last 

five years using large equipment. Experience has shown that the pre-glacial gravels (red 

channel) and clay-boulder glacial tills will stand at steeper angles than post-glacial (grey 


Page 58

channel) or glacial-fluvial gravels because they have been heavily compacted by thick 

continental ice. Failures in these types of material tend to be by slow ravelling initiated by 

spring melting and don't pose a significant threat due to massive failure. There is, however, a 

risk to persons snowmobiling near the unmarked crests of these pits. 

4.3.3 Industrial Mineral Resources 

Distance from market and lack of infrastructure has severely limited the exploration for and 

development of industrial mineral deposits in the plan area. Many industrial minerals are 

low value commodities requiring proximity to cheap transportation or a local market to be 

viable mines. 

Within the plan area, jade, asbestos, nickel, chromite and magnesite are found in serpentine 

along the Nahlin fault. Magnesium leached by groundwater from the serpentine has 

produced deposits of hydromagnesite near Atlin. Limestone that occurs throughout Cache 

Creek terrane would be an important resource for manufacture of cement if it were closer to 

markets or tidewater. Bedded gypsum deposits, suitable for the production of wallboard, 

have been identified in the O'Connor River area. Additionally, the Surprise Lake batholith, 

near Atlin, is a potential source of building stone. 

The Minfile database lists three industrial mineral prospects with identified reserves (Table 

12). All three deposits have been known for a considerable period of time (Atlin discovered 

in 1904, Ace in the early 1960's and O'Connor in 1958), however their development has been 

limited to a large extent by distance from market. 

Substantial drilling and surface work was conducted in the mid-1980's, to define the gypsum 

deposit at O'Connor Creek. However, the establishment of the Tatshenshini-Alsek park in 

1992, negated any possibility of developing the property. Though almost 10 years have 

passed, compensation has yet to be paid for expropriation of tenures covering the deposit. 

The hydromagnesite deposits at Atlin were mined in the early 1900's, however high 

transportation costs made further development uneconomic. Recent interest in the property 

may yet prove up a viable mine. In 1999, Stralak Resources optioned the Crown granted 

mineral tenures covering this deposit and conducted testing to determine its exact 

mineralogy. The material was found to be suitable for use in flame retardant applications and 

thermoplastics. However, development of the property will hinge upon securing long term 

contracts for the product. 


Page 59

Table 12. Industrial mineral prospects in the Atlin Taku plan area 

Ore Zone / 

Year 

ACE 

1966 

ATLIN 

1940 

O'Connor 

Creek 

1986 

Tonnage / 

Category 

11,793,401 t 

Inferred 

107,037 t 

Unclassified 

2,500 kt 

Inferred 

4.3.4 Energy resources 

4.3.4.1 Oil and gas potential 

Commodity Grade Comments 

Asbestos 5.0 % Estimated fibre potential from surface work. 

Hydromagnesite 41.0 % 83% of the reserves would grade 41 to 42 % 

MgO. 

Gypsum 79.0 % Estimated reserves. The SO3 content averages 

40% and the oxide and insoluble content is fairly 

high therefore suitable for wallboard. 

The Atlin-Taku planning area is bisected by the Whitehorse Trough, a geological feature 

trending NW-SE through the southern Yukon and northwest BC, which holds significant 

potential for accumulations of natural gas. No exploration wells have been drilled but the 

Geological Survey of Canada has undertaken a petroleum resource assessment of the 

Whitehorse Trough within BC. Utilizing the GSC figures the total in place natural gas 

resource potential for the Atlin-Taku area is estimated at 2.65x10 10 m 3 (993 BCF). 

The Takwahoni structural gas play (i.e., zone where gas is known to occur) is estimated to 

contain in place resources of 2.18 x 10 10 m 3 (770 BCF) of natural gas within BC (the play 

extends north into the Yukon). The Atlin-Taku planning area is estimated to hold about half 

of BC’s share or 1.1x10 10 m 3 (385 BCF). 

The Inklin structural gas play is estimated to contain in place resources of 1.57 x 10 10 m 3 

(557 BCF) of natural gas within BC (the play extends north into the Yukon). The Atlin-Taku 

planning area is estimated to hold about half of BC’s share or 7.85x10 9 m 3 (278 BCF). 

The Lewes River structural gas play is estimated to contain in place resources of 1.53 x 10 10 

m 3 (540 BCF) of natural gas within BC (the play extends north into the Yukon). The Atlin- 

Taku planning area is estimated to hold about half of BC’s share or 7.65x10 9 m 3 (270 BCF). 

4.3.4.2 Geothermal potential 

The NW portion of the plan area holds some moderate potential of finding economically 

significant geothermal resources in the area surrounding the Surprise Lake Batholith. 

Although moderate potential does exist the remoteness of the area makes it unlikely that this 

potential would be sufficient for direct conversion to electricity, however it may be suitable 

for direct space heating or recreational activities. 

4.3.5 Strategic planning considerations related to mineral and energy 

resources 

Completion of a strategic plan for the Atlin-Taku would help to provide certainty to the 

mining sector regarding lands available for mineral exploration and development. 


Page 60

Identification of key resource values that need to be considered in environmental 

assessment review processes. 

Timing of mineral exploration activity in areas of critical wildlife use. 

Recommendations for protected areas will be developed in consideration of the need to 

maintain a balance of resource uses and values. 

4.4 Recreation, Tourism and Visual Quality 

With its spectacular scenery, rich cultural history, and diversity of landforms, the Atlin-Taku 

area has an abundance of opportunities for high value recreation and tourism for local 

residents and for people from throughout British Columbia and around the world. The rich 

culture of the local First Nations and a vibrant pioneer history add to the character and appeal 

of the area. 

This section describes recreation (Section 4.4.1) separately from tourism operations (4.4.2), 

although there is a large amount of overlap between the types of activity that occur 

commercially and non-commercially. Visual quality (described in Section 4.4.3) is generally 

of concern to tourism operators and public recreationists. 

4.4.1 Recreational activities and areas of use 

Table 13 summarizes public recreation activities in the Atlin-Taku area. As can be seen from 

the table, there are a large number of activities, both water- and land-based that occur in the 

summer and winter months. 

Table 13. Public recreation activities in the Atlin-Taku area (from Davies, 1999) 

Non-Motorized Motorized Both 

Water-Based: 

• Canoeing • House boating • Fishing 

• Kayaking – whitewater 

(river) and flat water 

(lake) 

• Motor boating 

• Swimming • Sea-dooing 

• Sailing 

Land-Based: 

• Backpacking • ATV’ing • Hunting 

• Camping • Dirt-biking 

• Climbing • Four-wheel off-roading 

• Mtn. biking • Pleasure driving 

• Hunting 

• Hiking/walking 


Page 61

Non-Motorized Motorized Both 

• Horseback riding 

• Running 

Snow-based: 

• Dog sledding • Heli-skiing (chartered) 

• Backcountry skiing • Snowmobiling 

• Cross-country skiing 

• Sledding/Tobogganing 

• Snowshoeing 

Ice-based: 

• Glacier-traversing • Ice-fishing 

• Ice-skating 

4.4.1.1 Parks and recreation sites 

Parks 

There are two provincial parks in the area: Tatsenshini-Alsek Park, and Atlin Provincial 

Park. Both of these parks are wilderness areas, with no facilities or parks personnel on site. 

The Tatsenshini-Alsek is primarily used by recreationists for river rafting and 

mountaineering. There are no hiking trails in the park. BC Parks estimates that 95% of the 

visitors to the park are on commercial rafting trips (G. MacRae, pers. comm.). 

Approximately 1100 people visit the park every year. In 1994, when the area was newly 

designated and in the spotlight the number of visitors reached as high as 2500 (G. MacRae, 

pers. comm.). 

Atlin Park, at the south end of Atlin Lake, is primarily a boating location. Most of the access 

to the area is by boat and people visit in kayaks, motor boats, and houseboats, anchoring 

among the bays and many islands in the park (there are 80 islands in the park, including 

Theresa Island, which has the highest elevation of any freshwater island in BC). One trail in 

the park leads to Llewelynn Glacier from Llewelynn Inlet. 

4.4.1.2 National historic sites 

The Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site is a hike through history, with remnants of the Gold 

Rush of 1898 strewn along its path. Approximately half of the 33-mile hike is in the BC 

portion of the trail with the remainder in Alaska. Parks Canada has set a quota of 50 

people/day starting out on the trail in order to maintain the quality of the trail and associated 

artifacts and to maintain the aesthetic value of hiking the trail. Over 7000 recreational hikers 

use all or a portion of the trail every year (US Park Service, 2000). Almost all of the 

Canadian portion of the trail is in a backcountry setting. 


Page 62

Recreation sites and trails 

The BC Forest Service maintains seven recreation sites, six of which around Atlin. All 

recreation sites allow overnight camping except for Como Lake. There is also one recreation 

trail outside of Atlin. Table 14 lists the BC Forest Service recreation sites in the plan area. 

4.4.1.3 Other recreational features (land-based) 

Hiking trails 

Other than Monarch Mountain, some of the more popular hiking trails in the Atlin area 

include Atlin Mountain and Ruby Mountain, which is an extinct volcano. 

Recreationists can hike portions of the historic Yukon Telegraph Trail, which runs from 

Telegraph Creek to Atlin. The trail is not maintained and there are no bridges or established 

stopover areas. In some places it is completely grown over. Hiking this trail requires a 

certain amount of experience with wilderness travel. Guide outfitters currently use portions 

of the trail for guided hunting. 

Motorized recreation 

Motorized recreational activities primarily occur out of Atlin, Whitehorse, and Teslin and 

include hunting and general exploring of the backcountry using snowmobiles and all-terrain 

vehicles (ATVs). Off-road vehicles generally use old mining exploration roads and also 

access the area’s open alpine plateaus. 

Table 14. Recreation sites and trails in the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Recreation 

facility 

Palmer Lake 12 miles south of 

Atlin along Warm 

Bay Road 

Warm Bay On Atlin Lake 

south of McKee 

Creek 

The Grotto South of Atlin on 

Warm Bay Road 

McDonald Lake North of Atlin up 

the Ruffner Mine 

Road 

Como Lake Immediately north 

of Atlin on the 

Atlin Road 


Location Facilities Activities 

Campsite and day use area. 

Boat launch for canoes and cartop 

boats 


Beach and boat launch. 

Camping and day use area with 

cold mineral springs 

Picnic tables 

Fresh watercress year-round 


Boat launch 


boats 

Sandy beach 

Day use only 

Motor boating, fishing 

(pike and whitefish) 

Popular with canoeists 


Picnicking, viewing 

Motor boating, 

canoeing, fishing (lake 

trout), bird watching 


canoeing 

Float planes land on 

Como Lake when 

Atlin Lake is too 

windy 

Page 63

Recreation 

facility 

Location Facilities Activities 

Surprise Lake East of Atlin Good for campers and small 

trailers 

Morley Lake Off the Alaska 

Hwy east of Teslin 

Lake. 

Monarch 

Mountain trail 


boats 

Camping and picnic tables 

Boat launch 

5 km steep trail providing 

panoramic views Atlin Lake and 

the Atlin valley 

4.4.1.4 Other recreational features (water-based) 


canoeing, fishing, 

snowmobiling (note: 

snowmobile trails are 

not maintained by 

MOF) 


The large lakes in the plan area, including Atlin, Tagish, and Teslin Lakes provide a plethora 

of recreational opportunities. This includes fishing for lake trout, Dolly Varden, arctic 

grayling and pike, as well as sailing, kayaking, canoeing, and motor boating among the areas’ 

numerous islands and bays. 

The Taku, Tatsenshini, and Alsek Rivers offer opportunities for remote whitewater kayaking, 

canoeing and rafting. 

4.4.2 Tourism 

There are three primary tourism destinations in the plan area: Atlin and environs, the Taku 

River, and the Tatsenshini-Alsek. Tourists from Canada, the United States, and Europe are 

attracted to the plan area for is spectacular scenery, historic and cultural values, and 

opportunities for recreation in a wilderness setting. The remoteness of the area is one of its 

primary attractions. Map 10 summarizes the tourism use areas in the plan area. This map is 

incomplete and will need to be updated with local input in the event of a planning process. 

Much of the tourism is generated as part of an overall Alaska or Yukon experience. Trips up 

the Taku River are sold in Juneau to travelers to the Alaska Panhandle. Haines, Alaska and 

Haines Junction in the Yukon are the staging areas for river trips down the Tatsenshini and 

Alsek Rivers. Many visitors to Atlin detour into the town on their way to or from Alaska 

(Rescan, 1997). 

There is a strong nature-based emphasis on tourism activities in this area. Most of the 

tourism occurring outside of Atlin could be classified as backcountry. Backcountry tourism 

occurs in remote areas where there is little or no visible evidence of human activity or 

development. A recent Tourism Opportunity Study for the Cassiar area, commissioned by 

the Ministry of Small Business Tourism and Culture, identified that potential tourism value 


Page 64

of remote and developed areas is expected increase over time if the quality of backcountry 

resources in other areas of BC and North America is reduced through resource development 

activities (Meredith and Associates, 2000). 

The Cassiar Tourism Opportunity Study (TOS) identified a number of challenges to tourism 

development. Although the TOS was conducted for the Cassiar Iskut-Stikine LRMP area, 

the issues can be applied to the Atlin area and northern BC in general. Challenges include: 

highly seasonal tourism market (limited market due to long winters); small market base; 

limited number of facilities; weak tourism marketing; and a lack of performance monitoring. 

Other issues include lack of access to financing and outside investors; lack of local 

entrepreneurial skills and limited political influence due to the small population and lack of 

local government (Meredith and Associates, 2000). These challenges are countered by the 

high quality of natural resources in the area, high cultural and historical values, and variety of 

opportunities for front- and back-country activities (Meredith and Associates, 2000). 

Most tourism activity occurs in the summer months (from May to September). The long 

winter at this latitude limits the overall tourism market, although there are opportunities for 

winter tourism (Meredith and Associates, 2000). 

4.4.2.1 Atlin area 

Atlin is a town steeped in history and set in a stunning setting on an aquamarine lake 

overlooking the rugged Coast Mountains. Because Atlin is not located on a through road, 

tourists must make a special effort to visit the town. This adds to the appeal of the town as a 

remote location and helps to define the tourism experience. Most tourism activity in the area 

occurs in the summer months (June to September), although there is potential for increased 

winter tourism (Rescan, 1997). 

A study in 1989 indicated that about one third of the visitors to Atlin detoured into the town 

on their way through the region, most on the way to and from Alaska. Most overnight 

visitors were from the United States. Most visitors stayed in campgrounds or with friends 

and relatives (Rescan, 1997). These figures are over a decade old and the profile of visitors 

may well have changed. 

At a Community Tourism Action Workshop held in Atlin in 1995, the following were 

identified as the assets that attracted tourism: undeveloped wilderness; gold rush history and 

heritage; small town with an unregulated atmosphere; and special events. The main concerns 

related to tourism were uncontrolled development and its impact on tourism values, lack of 

planning for tourism, the need to make Atlin a destination rather than a side-trip, and the 

need for better development of winter tourism opportunities (Rescan, 1997). 

Front-country tourism operations: 

Atlin has a number of facilities to cater to front country clientele including accommodations 

(a hotel, motels, bed and breakfasts, lodges and cabins, and RV and camping facilities), 

dining facilities, and a range of tourism attractions. Tourism attractions within Atlin 

emphasize the historic and cultural assets of the town, including several historic buildings, 

the Pioneer Cemetery, the Atlin Centre for the Arts, day trips on the historic MV Tarahne, 


Page 65

and the Atlin Museum with its collection of exhibits on the gold-rush and Tlingit culture.. 

One local company offers tourists the opportunity to try gold-panning at Spruce Creek. 

There are also a number of retail outlets selling locally produced arts and crafts (Atlin 


Backcountry tourism operations: 

In 1999, there were eight guiding businesses in the Atlin area. Four of these businesses 

offered guided backcountry trips ranging from day trips to expeditions of several weeks 

(Davies, 1999). These included guided hiking, glacier tours, and mountaineering. The 

hiking season generally occurs between May and September. Most of the clientele are from 

Europe. One Smithers-based business offers guided mountaineering opportunities in the 

mountains to the southeast of Atlin. The other four businesses provide guided big game 

hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing opportunities to clientele from around the world. 

Guided fishing opportunities include fly-in fishing for salmon and steelhead on rivers such as 

the Taku, as wells as fishing on local lakes and streams for lake trout, grayling, and pike. 

Guide outfitting, which is described in more detail in Section 4.6.2, generally occurs between 

the months of May and November. 

In the Atlin area, there is one operator that rents houseboats and motor boats for use on Atlin 

Lake. Most of the clientele are from within the area (Juneau and Whitehorse). In addition, a 

number of businesses in Atlin and Whitehorse offer opportunities for guided and independent 

kayaking and canoeing on the various lakes in the area. 

Commercial permits are in place for guided hikes, canoe and kayak trips, houseboat tours, 

snowmobile and cross-country tours, angling trips, day boat tours and sightseeing flights in 

Atlin Park, staged out of Atlin. Over 1700 people visited the park in 2000 on commercially 

guided trips (BC Parks, 2000). 

Local airplane and helicopter operators offer scenic flights of the area as well as 

opportunities for heli-hiking and heli-fishing. 

Although most tourism activities occur in the summer months, there is an interest by local 

residents in developing winter tourism to the area. Klondike Heli-skiing currently runs a 

heli-skiing and heli-boarding operation based out of Atlin. Other winter tourism activities 

include snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and dog-sledding. 

4.4.2.2 Taku River area 

Most commercial recreation activity occurs in the lower Taku River and involves guided 

fishing for salmon, including steelhead. Guided fishing trips are staged out of Juneau and 

Atlin. A small number of companies also offer multi-day rafting and whitewater kayaking 

trips from the Sheslay River, down the Inklin and then the Taku to Juneau. Rafting and 

kayaking trips are generally staged out of Juneau. 


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4.4.2.3 Tatsenshini-Alsek area: 

The primary commercial recreation activity in Tatsenshini-Alsek Park is river rafting. Most 

of the 1000 – 1100 people who visit Tatsenshini-Alsek Park each year are on commercial 

rafting trips (G. MacRae, pers. comm.). In 2001, there were 14 companies with permits for 

river rafting on the Tatsenshini and Alsek Rivers (BC Parks, 2001). There is also a company 

that offers guided horse trips, another that offers big game hunting trips, and a number of 

companies that charter flights into the area (BC Parks, 2001). Trips down the Tatsenshini 

and Alsek may last from a single day to two weeks. The longest trips run from the Yukon, 

through BC, to Alaska. 

4.4.3 Visual quality 

The scenic beauty of the plan area is one of its key attractions to recreationists and tourists 

from around the world. Overall, the viewscapes from Atlin and key travel routes has not 

been overly compromised by development activities, although the long history of placer 

mining has left visible scars on the landscape. 

The small amount of forest development in the area has meant that there is no sense of 

urgency to formalize the establishment of scenic areas under the Forest Practices Code (L. 

Davies, pers. comm.). Although the area has no “known” scenic areas or established visual 

quality objectives, the Ministry of Forests has completed visual landscape inventories for 

Atlin Lake, Atlin Road, Tagish, Teslin and Tutshi Lakes, the Alaska Highway (Swift River to 

Morley Lake), Haines Highway east, and the Lower Taku River. The visible area has been 

mapped at 1:50,000 and visual quality objectives recommended. These inventories were 

completed over the 1980s and 1990s. 

Areas of high visual quality are currently not impacted by timber harvesting and, at this time, 

there are no specific management prescriptions to maintain visual quality during forestry 

activities in the Atlin supply block. 

4.4.4 Strategic planning considerations related to recreation, tourism, and 

visual quality 

The level of use in some recreational areas may be so high that the quality of the 

recreational experience is diminished. 

It may be necessary to consider limiting recreational access to ecologically sensitive areas 

Resource development activities may effect the aesthetic quality of recreational use 

(commercial and non-commercial) e.g., visual quality and the desire to experience 

recreational activities in a “wilderness setting”. At the same time, development activities 

such as road development can provide increased opportunities for recreation into areas 

previously inaccessible except by air. 

Opportunities for recreational and commercial sport fishing are dependent on healthy fish 

stocks. 


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Conflicts may occur between commercial users and independent tourists and public 

recreationists, or between different types of recreational users (e.g., motorized vs. nonmotorized). 

Recreational motorized use may disrupt wildlife and damage sensitive ecosystems (e.g., 

alpine plateaus) 

Concern has been expressed about the impact of large numbers of guided and recreational 

hunters from out of the area on wildlife numbers for local sustenance use (by First 

Nations and local resident hunters) 

The planning table may identify visually sensitive areas (i.e., scenic areas), including 

viewscapes from high use areas such as popular anchorages and recreational areas. The 

potential impact of assigning additional visual quality constraints to resource 

development activities such as timber harvesting and development of mineral occurrences 

will need to be considered as part of planning table discussions. 

4.5 Fishing 

The Atlin-Taku plan area offers fishing experiences for a variety of fish species in a 

wilderness setting. Most of the area is inaccessible except by air, foot, or boat. Three groups 

seek fishing opportunities in the area: First Nations, recreational anglers and commercial 

fishers. 

The Taku and Atlin Area Community Fisheries Working Group was established in 1999 in 

Atlin as a regional delivery agent for Fisheries Renewal BC project funding. In addition, 

Fisheries and Oceans has established a habitat steward position in partnership with the Taku 

River Tlingit (TRTFN) to address fish habitat issues within their traditional territory. A 

number of projects are underway: 

The TRTFN and Community Fisheries Working Group have developed a communitybased 

Biological Monitoring Program for Atlin Lake to monitor lake trout. The 

program includes: 

• a lake trout spawning survey; 

• an Angler Survey to determine the extent and location of fishing pressure on Atlin 

Lake; 

• and commercial fishers and sport fishing guides on the lake have collected 

biological data and otoliths from lake trout. 

The habitat steward has worked with the TRTFN to develop and implement 

assessment of the distribution of fish and fish habitat in the Taku River drainage. The 

purpose of the assessments is to create a database to allow management planning at 

the watershed scale. 

The TRTFN and habitat steward are implementing a local watershed monitoring 

program to assess water quality in Atlin Lake and placer creeks. 


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4.5.1 First Nations Fishery 

First Nations have traditionally fished for food, social and ceremonial purposes. Knowledge 

gained from these traditional practices is vital to land use planning efforts. Much of the 

information about traditional and current uses of the fisheries resource by First Nations 

belongs to the First Nations, and requires their permission to collect and use. The accepted 

time for requesting this information is during the land use planning consultation stage. First 

Nations contacts can be obtained through the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy Coordinator 

(AFS) with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Whitehorse. 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada assign catch numbers for management purposes to stocks 

utilized by First Nations. First Nations food, social, and ceremonial needs are priorities 

second to conservation. 

For the Taku River, 2000 sockeye, 500 chinook and 500 - 750 coho are assigned to the Taku 

River Tlingit. These numbers are not rigid and are not allocations. Principal Tlingit First 

Nations fishing areas include Kuthai lake, the confluence of the Nakina and Inklin rivers, and 

the lower Taku River. The lower Taku River has been historically important. Atlin Lake has 

a small Aboriginal fishery. The Teslin Tlingits and the Champagne and Aishihik First 

Nations tend to fish on the Yukon side of the border (J. Burdek, pers. comm.). The upper 

reaches of the Tatshenshini River and its tributaries, especially the Blanchard River, are 

fished. Major fisheries also occur on Village Creek and the Klukshu River. 

4.5.2 Recreational Fishery 

The recreational, or sport, fishery has two components: guided and non-guided. The ration 

of guided to non-guided angling within the plan area is unknown. Non-guided anglers are 

most often locals and other BC residents. A number of other Canadians and foreign tourists 

also choose to fish unassisted. Most of these people fish on the accessible lakes near Atlin. 

However, due to a small population and the inaccessibility of much of the planning area, a 

significant portion of the anglers is guided. A market exists here for all-inclusive wilderness 

fishing vacations. 

Fifteen guides operated on the major rivers and lakes in the Atlin-Taku area in the 1998/99 

fishing season 8 . The majority of guiding occurred in the Taku River watershed, with a total 

of 1887 angler-days granted in the 1998/99 season divided between 11 guides (AGMS, 

2000). Almost half the angler-days within the Taku watershed were allotted in the Nakina 

River. Other popular rivers included the Inklin, Taku, Sheslay and Nahlin. Salmon and 

steelhead are the biggest draws to this area. Kuthai Lake had guiding activity until the end of 

the 1996/97 season. Since this time, no angler days have been granted for this lake. Within 

the Tagish Lake watershed, Atlin Lake (646 angler-days) and Tagish Lake (155 angler-days) 

were the most popularly guided lakes. Four guides operated on these lakes. Guiding also 

occurred on Palmer and Surprise lakes. Char and trout species as well as grayling and 

8 Only major rivers and lakes were included in the search of the Angling Guide Management System database. 

It is likely that additional angling-days were allotted and that additional guides operated within the planning 

area. 


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northern pike are the sports fish in these lakes. Significant guiding activity also occurs in the 

Teslin drainage. In the 1998/99 season, 663 days were granted to seven guides in the major 

rivers and lakes. Gladys Lake and Jennings Lake were the most heavily used areas, with 

86% of the allocated angler days. 

Non-guided fishing is concentrated in readily accessible areas near roads. Most of the lakes 

around Atlin, as well as those rivers not heavily impacted by placer mining receive most of 

the recreational angling pressure. The Tatshenshini and some of its headwater streams, 

including the Blanchard River, are also fished recreationally. Although boat access is 

possible to some areas, the vast remote stretches of the planning area are accessible only by 

air. 

4.5.3 Commercial Fishery 

The only commercial fishery in the planning area is on the lower Taku River. The Taku 

River is a transboundary river, and both the Americans and Canadians operate commercial 

fisheries. The Canadian fishery is relatively small, with 16 gillnet licenses in 2000/2001. The 

Taku River Tlingit hold eight of these licenses and members of the Nation fish the licences as 

part of their own businesses (J. Burdek, pers. comm.). The other licences are held by 

residents of Atlin or elsewhere (Rescan, 1997). 

The chief target species for the fishery is sockeye. Canadian fishers also target coho and 

chinook. The Pacific Salmon Treaty allocates catch limits to American and Canadian 

fisheries. Under the comprehensive agreement signed in June 1999, the Canadian fishery 

was allocated a larger number of salmon for conservation and harvest. The harvest share of 

wild sockeye increased to 18% plus 20% of the projected river escapement over 100,000 fish 

(Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 1999). The harvest share of coho was also increased. A 

Transboundary River Panel has been established to undertake abundance-based management 

of both American and Canadian fishery over the 10-year term of the agreement (Fisheries 

and Oceans Canada, 1999). 

Commercial fishing occurs in a couple other areas adjacent to the planning area. American 

gillnet fisheries capture salmon at the mouth of the Alsek River. Canadians do not fish 

commercially within the Alsek River itself. A commercial lake trout fishery exists, or did 

recently, in the Yukon portion of Atlin Lake (S. Armitage, pers. comm. and Slater, pers. 

comm. in Tamblyn, 1996). 

4.5.4 Strategic planning considerations related to fishing 

Conservation of fish stocks. Healthy fish stocks are the basis for healthy recreational, 

tourism-based, commercial, and First Nations fisheries. Salmon are also key components 

of the food chain and nutrient cycle for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Although 

most aspects of fish management occur outside of strategic planning, objectives and 

strategies relevant to the conservation of fish stocks can be addressed. 

Maintenance of aboriginal fishing sites. 

Some streams in the Atlin area with historical placer mining have been deregulated from 

the Waste Management Act. Effluent discharges are instead regulated under the Mines 


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Act. Graying have been sampled from some of these streams and concern exists that eggs 

and alevins in possible spawning areas could be jeopardized each spring should placer 

mining commence prior to alevin emergence from the gravel. 

The Taku and Alsek rivers are transboundary rivers because they pass through Alaska. 

Quotas and management arrangements for salmon in these rivers are determined through 

the Pacific Salmon Treaty between the United States and Canada. Management of 

salmon is beyond the mandate of a strategic plan. 

Integrated management of lakes for fish and wildlife habitat, recreation/ tourism and 

resource development activities. 

Crowding and visual quality can affect the quality of angling experience. 

4.5.5 Current or upcoming projects 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is identifying areas of the Taku River drainage needing further 

inventory. 

4.6 Hunting, Guide-outfitting and Trapping 

4.6.1 Hunting 

4.6.1.1 Hunting – general 

Hunting is a significant recreational, sustenance and commercial activity in the planning area. 

While many of the hunters in the planning area are residents of BC, guide-outfitters cater to 

destination tourists 9 wanting to hunt big game. 

Five wildlife management units (MUs) fit within, and share the boundaries of the plan area: 

6-25, 6-26, 6-27, 6-28 and 6-29. Moose and black bear are the most widely hunted big game 

species, followed by mountain goat, caribou and Stone’s sheep (Table 15) 10 . Resident 

hunting effort for moose ranged from 1701 to 2422, and averaged 1932 days per year. 

Average number of moose kills was 5.5 per hundred days for residents and 11.2 per hundred 

days for guide-outfitters. Over the 10-year period examined, both hunting effort and success 

increased slightly. In the same period, annual hunting effort and success for black bear for 

both residents and guided hunters varied significantly. However, while effort declined from 

highs in 1989 and 1990, kill rates tended to increase through the decade. Although hunting 

effort for all compulsory inspected species 11 (grizzly bear, mt. goat, caribou, Dall’s sheep and 

9 Non-residents are required to hire a licensed guide when hunting big game. Residents of Canada have the 

option of hunting with a resident of BC who has a “permit to accompany”. 

10 The reliability of the data is suspect. Please use caution when interpreting the data and the brief summaries 

provided by the authors. 

11 Grizzly bear, mountain goat, caribou, Dall’s Sheep and Stone’s Sheep are compulsory inspected species. All 

kills are recorded for these species. These species, in most places, are on Limited Entry Hunting only. In order 

to determine hunter effort, a questionnaire is sent to hunters who receive LEH authorization. This questionnaire 

may or may not be returned by the hunters and therefore may or may not correspond to the number of kills. 

Some extrapolation would likely be necessary, as the effort could not necessarily be applied to all of the kills. 


Page 71

Stone’s sheep) appeared to have declined through the 1990s, the statistics may not be 

accurate and could be misleading. For example, in 1996, statistics indicated that more 

animals were killed than days hunted, which is highly anomalous and highly unlikely. The 

data, however, does suggest a trend toward fewer hunters completing hunter effort 

questionnaires. 

Number of kills is a much more reliable statistic for compulsory inspected species. The 

annual number of kills fluctuated widely for grizzly, caribou, Mt. Goat, Stone’s and Dall’s 

Sheep. Overall trends indicated slight decreases in number of grizzly and caribou kills over 

the period, but slight increases for mountain goat and Dall’s sheep. Stone’s sheep kills, 

stayed relatively stable on average over the 10 years examined. Small game species, 

including birds, are hunted in the planning area. Statistics are not kept for small game kills. 

4.6.1.2 Hunting – First Nations 

Hunting is a traditional activity of First Nations and has important cultural significance. First 

Nations have a constitutional right to hunt for traditional purposes barring any conservation 

and public safety concerns. As such, First Nations peoples are exempt from many provincial 

licence requirements for hunting wildlife and migratory birds. 

Easier motorized access to the backcountry and an increase in the hunting pressure by nonlocal 

resident hunters and non-resident trophy hunters has resulted in more hunters in 

traditional hunting areas, fewer game close to home, and conflicts between the Tlingit system 

of regulating their own hunters and the provincial hunting regulations (Staples and 

Poushinsky, 1997). Under traditional wildlife management, the Taku River Tlingit regulate 

their own harvest. They maintain that they can adapt to shifting animal populations quickly - 

provincial hunting regulations for non-natives are slower to respond. Government 

monitoring of wildlife populations and hunting activity is limited and the Taku Tlingit are 

concerned with the determination of quotas and sound conservation limits. At the same time, 

it is difficult for regional wildlife managers to gather statistics for effort and kills of animals 

by First Nations peoples, hampering their abilities to determine wildlife populations (Staples 

and Poushinsky, 1997). 

Moose is the most widely hunted game by First Nations in the planning area. Caribou 

hunting is also important where they range within First Nations’ traditional territories. 


Page 72

Table 15. Days hunted and number of kills (in parentheses) for the main big game species hunted in the Atlin-Taku plan area (MUs 6-26, 6-26, 

6-27, 6-28, 6-29). 

Year 

Species 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 

Moose * 

Residents 1997 (110) 1752 (88) 1710 (131) 1742 (80) 2422 (129) 1750 (101) 2292 (160) 1782 (92) 1701 (74) 2175 (101) 

Guided 761 (75) 670 (84) 662 (62) 729 (83) 636 (70) 654 (71) 618 (76) 779 (92) 821 (91) 839 (97) 

Total 2758 (185) 2422 (172) 2372 (193) 2471 (163) 3058 (199) 2404 (172) 2910 (236) 2561 (184) 2522 (165) 3014 (198) 

Blk Bear Residents 332 (5) 265 (11) 245 (3) 104 (3) 70 (3) 276 (21) 192 (4) 97 (6) 160 (5) 114 (8) 

Grizzly 

Bear # 

Guided 454 (19) 458 (24) 385 (19) 194 (13) 215 (8) 269 (18) 232 (19) 229 (26) 355 (20) 361 (17) 

Total 786 (24) 723 (35) 630 (22) 298 (16) 285 (11) 545 (39) 424 (23) 326 (32) 515 (25) 475 (25) 

Days (Kills) 106(33) 

Mt. Goat# Days (Kills) 377(103) 

Caribou# 

Dall’s 

Sheep# 

Stone’s 

Sheep# 

173(43) 134(27) 141(39) 188(32) 112(35) 18(24) 10(18) 0(22) 0(2) 

452(130) 334(112) 330(76) 382(99) 275(109) 130(83) 20(72) 47(38) 36(29) 

Days (Kills) 318(92) 233(72) 266(77) 256(63) 170(40) 168(41) 21(32) 49(61) 300(116) 29(26) 



45(10) 47(8) 14(3) 26(8) 36(16) 28(10) 0(8) 92(16) 14(11) 

218(57) 121(30) 158(29) 328(68) 226(52) 63(44) 2(16) 71(20) 277(85) 

* Source: BC Ministry of Environment summary statistics database (1999a). Numbers are for management units in their entirety and are thus overestimates. First Nations data is not included 

in this table. 

# Source: BC Ministry of Environment (1999b). Numbers are based on point locations from the digital file wldwhse.hdfile. Only kills reported on compulsory inspection and guide 

declaration forms and located within the LRMP area are included in this tally. 


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4.6.2 Guide-outfitting 

Fifteen guide-outfitting territories overlap the Atlin-Taku planning area boundaries. Eight of 

these are contained wholly within the plan area; various proportions of the remaining seven 

are located within the boundaries (Map 11). 

According to BC Environment statistics (Table 15), moose and bear are the most common 

animals sought by guided hunters. On average, 80 moose were killed annually by guided 

hunters between 1989 and 1997. In this period, both hunting effort and success for moose 

increased slightly. With black bears, guide-outfitters generally expended more effort than 

residents did, averaging 315 days and 18 kills per year. Low kill rates in 1997 and 1998 are 

inconsistent with the trend of increasing hunting success for black bears as the 1990s 

progressed. 

Guides also lead hunts for grizzly bear, mountain goat, caribou, Stone’s sheep and Dall’s 

sheep within the planning area. However, for these species, the number of hunter days and 

kills for guides were not separated from resident hunters in data received from B.C. 

Environment. 

4.6.3 Trapping 

Significant portions of seventy-seven trapping territories overlap the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

The number of trappers is unknown because many lines may be inactive (T. Smith, pers. 

comm.) and each trapping territory can have several registered trappers who may be actively 

trapping. In addition, any number of assistant trappers who have permission from the 

registered trapline holders may be trapping on a given trapline. 

The trapping statistics displayed in Table 16 are approximate. The exact number of animals 

caught is unknown for several reasons: 

reported kills are based on royalties collected from sales; 

price plays a large role on the numbers of furs sold on a year to year basis. To 

capitalize on higher prices, trappers may sell furs some time after the animal was 

captured; 

animals caught for traditional or ceremonial purposes are rarely reported (T. Smith, 

pers. comm.); and 

many of the trapping territories extend beyond the plan area, so some of the animals 

noted in Table 16 were captured outside of the planning area. 

Nonetheless, some trends are apparent using the available data. Marten is the most heavily 

trapped species by a wide margin. Approximately twice as many marten are caught annually 

compared with the next most trapped species, the squirrel (Table 16). Although figures vary 

significantly from year to year, trapping of martin, lynx, weasel and mink appear to have 

declined over the past decade. Squirrel trapping remained relatively stable until 1998 when 

numbers shot up significantly. Beaver is the only commonly trapped species to have seen an 

increase in trapping through the 1990s. Other species trapped within the planning area 

include coyote, fisher, fox, muskrat, river otter, wolf and wolverine. 


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Concerns regarding the reliability of trapping data exclude using this data to determine 

populations trends for furbearers within the planning area. However, previous studies 

support the theory that furbearer populations generally decline in areas subject to forest 

development and habitat conversion (L. Vanderstar, pers. comm.). 

Trapping within the Atlin-Taku plan area has been a traditional activity for First Nations and 

has important cultural significance. 

Table 16. The six most commonly trapped furbearer species in the Atlin-Taku plan area 

from 1989 to 1998. 

Numbers of animals trapped per year 

Species 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 

Marten 878 701 1274 441 166 562 705 720 245 238 

Squirrel 72 374 252 60 378 78 156 413 45 1431 

Lynx 26 54 76 126 101 25 44 16 16 56 

Weasel 25 67 82 26 25 117 50 12 22 55 

Beaver 29 24 50 36 34 56 57 98 30 39 

Mink 29 47 25 26 5 21 10 38 13 35 

Source: BC Ministry of Environment. Numbers are from the file wldwhse.harvest_summary, and are based on 

trapping territories that overlap with the planning area. 

4.6.4 Strategic planning considerations related to the harvest of wild animals. 

Inventory and monitoring of animal populations as well as understanding ecological 

connections are limited in much of the planning. A strategic plan may be able to promote 

further studies to address this concern. 

Access is a significant issue related to the harvest of wild animals. Both hunting and 

trapping require infrastructure. A strategic plan may be able to promote access planning 

– planning that considers the nature and extent of necessary infrastructure required to 

maximize benefits, while minimizing impacts on wildlife populations. See section 4.9 

for a broader discussion of access. 

Benefits of access (in particular, roads) include: 

◊ Increased opportunities for regulated hunting and trapping over a larger area, 

◊ Increased ability to transport game and check traplines more cheaply, quickly and 

effectively, 

Impacts from increased access include augmented opportunities for unregulated harvest 

of animals, which may be a considerable concern in the remote Atlin-Taku planning area. 

Indirect impacts can include increased development leading to ecosystem disruption and 

degradation, and displacement of wildlife from its usual habitats. 


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Mountain goats and grizzly bears are particularly sensitive to over-harvest because of 

their low recruitment rates. Access that increases opportunities for hunting and 

poaching, or that increases opportunities for human-bear interactions and potential 

habituation of bears, will potentially have a detrimental impact to their populations. 

A strategic plan may consider areas that will be closed to hunting of wildlife species 

that they consider at risk. 

A strategic plan could designate areas with limited or no access, zone areas as 

motorized or non-motorized access, identify acceptable road densities, and could 

prescribe deactivation standards. 

Resource development activities: 

May affect species populations through modification of habitat (positively or 

negatively depending upon species and type of habitat modification). Harvest 

systems and silvicultural techniques can be incorporated into forestry management to 

mitigate impacts to wildlife habitat. 

May impact the aesthetic quality of the wilderness experience for hunters and clients 

of guide-outfitting companies. 

Displacement of animals from preferred habitats due to human activities may result in 

lowered productivity and potentially increased vulnerability to predation. 

4.7 Agriculture and Crown range 

4.7.1 Overview of agriculture and Crown range use 

Agriculture is currently limited in the Atlin-Taku planning area to a few small commercial 

ventures. Several agricultural leases and tenures for beef production exist (D. Russell, pers. 

comm.). Activity is concentrated along Highway 7 and Warm Bay Road, near Atlin (Davies, 

1999); several operations have market gardens (organic and non-organic) that serve the Atlin 

area (D. Russell, pers. comm.). Produce is mainly sold locally at the weekly Farmer’s 

Market, although some is sold in Whitehorse (Davies, 1999). 

Crown Range tenures are closely linked to guide-outfitting within the plan area. Extensive 

tenures exist for horses used by outfitters. Several guide-outfitting businesses have also 

established horse raising and wintering businesses in the Atlin area (D. Russell, pers. comm.) 

Although some soils information exists for a portion of the planning area, agricultural 

potential has not been formally evaluated. Due to a relatively mild climate, the Taku River 

valley may have some agricultural potential. It is unlikely that a significant agriculture 

industry is possible without expanded road and power infrastructure to coastal areas (D. 

Russell, pers. comm.). A few homesteaders at the confluence of the Taku and Tulsequah 

Rivers grow fruit and vegetables for their own use (Rescan, 1997). 

Concerns exist that the provincial agricultural lease policy does not meet the needs of the 

people in the planning area. For instance, tenure issuance is often delayed due to the 

isolation of the area. 

This area has relatively few weeds at present. The extensive grassland and inverted alpine 

areas in the plan area are extremely susceptible to weed invasion because of their 


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dry nature and the lengthy period of time that soil disturbances persist. The weeds that have 

been noted in the Atlin area are oxeye daisy and common tansy. Other invasive plants may 

exist within the plan area but have not been detected in the survey efforts to date. 

4.7.2 Strategic planning considerations related to agriculture and ranching 

A strategic planning may be able to promote the completion of a strategy to control the 

spreading of noxious weeds. 

A strategic planning may be able to promote the determination of agricultural potential 

within the planning area. 

4.7.3 Inventory needs 

Agricultural potential based on Canadian Land Inventory. 

4.8 Freshwater use 

4.8.1 Overview of freshwater use 

The Atlin-Taku planning area has abundant freshwater resources. Several large lakes, 

including Atlin, Tagish and Teslin Lakes, straddle the Yukon border in the central part of the 

planning area. Most streams and rivers within the planning area are part of significant sized 

watersheds. Primary watersheds within the area are described in Section 3.4: Freshwater 

Fish provides important habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures, and is vital to all 

terrestrial animals and plant communities. Water is also used for drinking, recreation, 

industry, irrigation, and hydropower generation. This summary will focus on human use of 

water resources within the planning area. 

Fifty-four water licenses exist for the Atlin precinct of the Cassiar Timber Supply Area 

(Water Management Branch, BC Environment, 2000). Many of these licenses have several 

components; the actual number regulated points of diversion is 72. At least 13 are Permits 

over Crown Land for works or flooding of Crown land which extends off private land or 

tenured crown land. 

Water use is divided into consumptive and non-consumptive use. For instance, in nonconsumptive 

use, water is generally used for power, storage, or conservation and is not 

removed from the water source. Within the plan area, more than half of the water licences 

are consumptive, with domestic use as the most common consumptive type of water licence, 

followed by irrigation. A domestic water licence allows households to draw water from a 

lake or creek for their own domestic (household) use. The quantity allotted to domestic use 

is generally 500 gallons per day. A licence is not required for domestic water use under the 

Water Act provided the water being used is unrecorded water 12 . Although the domestic 

licence is the most common licence type for consumptive water use, ‘power-general’, 

’storage-power’ and ‘mining-process’ for the mining industry allocated the largest volumes 

12 Unrecorded water is the volume of water in a water body that is over and above the licensed volume. 


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of water. The licences allowing the greatest consumption of water within the planning area 

include: 

North American Metals - 538,000 gallons of water per day is allocated out of 

Limestone Creek in each of three categories: ‘mining-processing’, ‘work camps’ and 

‘cooling.’ 

Synex Energy Resources - 51, 840 acre-feet of water for ‘storage’ and ‘powergeneration’ 

on Spruce Creek and 760 cubic feet per second of water for storage and 

power generation on Pine Creek (two diversion areas for 360 cubic feet per second 

each). 

North American Metals - 35,000 gallons of water per day is allocated out of Fleece 

Creek for ‘storage’ and ‘mining-process.’ 

No community watersheds exist within the planning area. A community watershed is a 

drainage used to supply drinking water for a waterworks purpose (town or city water supply) 

or a domestic purpose in which six or more licensees have formed a group and requested 

community watershed status. The drainage area is to be not more than 500 km 2 . 

No ground water legislation currently exists in British Columbia. All ground water use 

therefore, is unlicensed. However, the British Columbia government has given a high 

priority to enacting ground water legislation (B. McGonigal, pers. comm.). 

4.8.2 Strategic planning considerations related to water 

Maintenance of natural stream flow regimes and water quality and quantity (for surface 

and ground water). These features are important for aquatic habitat as well as domestic 

and non-domestic water users. 

Some streams with historic placer mining activities in the Atlin area have been 

deregulated by the provincial government. Effluent discharges are instead regulated 

under the Mines Act. 

4.9 Roaded access 

4.9.1 Public roads 

The plan area encompasses a small number of permanent, public roads which fall under the 

jurisdiction of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways. There are four highways, 

all of which are located proximal to the Yukon border and connect with the Yukon highway 

system. For this reason, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways has signed an 

agreement with the Yukon government in which the Yukon government manages and 

maintains the majority of these highways. Highways in the plan area include: 

The Alaska Highway (Highway 97 in B.C. and Highway 1 in the Yukon) is a paved 

road, which dips into BC and parallels Swift River before heading north into the 

Yukon again east of Teslin Lake. As the highway on both sides of this section lies 

within the Yukon Territory, the Yukon government maintains and manages the B.C. 

section of the highway. 


Page 78

The Haines Road connects with Yukon Highway #3, heading from Haines Junction, 

Y.T. to Haines, Alaska. This paved road is maintained and managed for the province 

by the Yukon government. In 1992, the Tatsenshini-Alsek Park was established, with 

the highway as the eastern boundary of the park. At the time of designating the park, 

all of the existing gravel resources for the highway and a grader station were included 

within the park boundaries, which has created problems for maintenance of the road. 

The Klondike Highway runs from Whitehorse, through Carcross, to Skagway, 

Alaska. A section of the highway, between Carcross and the border crossing at Fraser 

lies within B.C. but is maintained and managed by the Yukon government. The 

highway is paved and/or seal coated from Skagway to Whitehorse. 

Highway 7 connects the community of Atlin with Yukon Highway #7 heading east to 

Jake's Corner (on the Alaska Highway) and west to Carcross (on the Klondike 

Highway). From Atlin, the road is sealcoated for the first 28 kilometers and gravel 

for the rest of the road. It is the only highway in the plan area maintained by the B.C. 

Ministry of Transportation and Highways. 

The Ministry of Transportation and Highways also maintains roads within the community of 

Atlin and secondary roads leading out of Atlin. Heading east, the Ministry is responsible for 

the Surprise Lake Road, as far as the last bridge before the lake. Heading south, the Ministry 

maintains the O'Donnell Lake Road as far as the Grotto. Both roads continue for several 

kilometers beyond as non-status roads and trails. Though the Ruffiner Mine Road (or 

Macdonald Lake Road) is not officially under its jurisdiction, the Ministry maintains the first 

7 km. of the road, prior to the forest recreation site. 

4.9.2 Non-status roads 

There is a historical legacy of existing (non-status) roads and 4x4 trails in the Atlin area that 

are used by outdoor recreationalists and mining operators. Most non-status roads around 

Atlin were constructed in the 1960s or earlier, to access mining properties. Some of the 

roads were originally pack horse trails, which have been upgraded over time to accommodate 

vehicular traffic. Others are more recent and were constructed for movement of heavy 

equipment. Though many of the roads have been upgraded and maintained by private users 

over the years, there has been no construction of new non-status roads in the past 10 years 

(Claus Rygaard, pers. comm.). 

Due to the dry climatic conditions and the abundance of gravel and other fairly non-erodible 

soils in the Atlin area, water control on these roads and trails is generally not a problem. 

There are few culverts, bridges or ditches requiring maintenance and most streams are 

crossed by fords. As such, unmaintained non-status roads remain traversable for decades, 

with little environmental impact resulting from erosion. 

4.9.3 Mineral Resource Access 

The Mineral Tenure Act, the Mining Right of Way Act, and the Mining Rights Amendment 

Act define legal rights of access to mineral and placer claims. The Mineral Tenure Act 


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establishes the right of entry, occupation and use of Crown land for mineral development, 

subject to conditions. The Mines Act and the Mineral Exploration Code regulate mechanized 

access on mineral tenure. A Mines Act Permit, issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, 

specifies conditions for operation, maintenance and reclamation of on-tenure access. 

Mechanized access off mineral tenure (including trail and road construction) to a mineral 

tenure is regulated by the Mining Right of Way Act, the Mining Rights Amendment Act, and 

the Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act. A Special Use Permit is issued by the 

Ministry of Forests for the construction, operation, maintenance and reclamation of the 

access off tenure. Access development under either permit requires the operator to post a 

security to ensure compliance with permit conditions. 

Current management practices ensure that the right to develop exploration and mine access is 

balanced by the responsibility to predict, minimize and mitigate impacts on other known 

values. Prediction and mitigation of impacts to other values are achieved through referrals 

and consultation with other ministries, First Nation groups, non-governmental organizations, 

and the public during the permitting process; and through inspections during operation of the 

mine. For example, exploration access to a remote area with sensitive wildlife issues could 

be restricted to unbladed trails during the winter months. 

4.9.3.1 Current major mine roads 

Within the plan area, there is one existing major mine road to the Golden Bear mine. There 

is also a proposed road to the proposed Tulsequah Chief mine. 

Golden Bear 

In 1988, a 155-kilometer road was constructed from the Telegraph Road to the Golden Bear 

mine site at Bearskin Lake. Approximately 90 kilometers of this road lie within the Atlin- 

Taku plan area. As most of the road is located off mineral tenure, the Ministry of Forests 

holds permitting and reclamation securities under a Special Use permit. 

Mining at Golden Bear was completed in 2000; however, gold extraction by heap leaching is 

anticipated to continue until 2002. The 155-kilometer long access road is scheduled for 

reclamation in 2004. 

Tulsequah Chief 

In 1994, Redcorp (previously Redfern Industries) of Vancouver, applied to re-open the 

Tulsequah Chief mine in the lower Taku River area. There were two access options included 

with the proposal: 

barging equipment and products to and from Juneau, and 

construction of a 160-km road from the mine site on the Tulsequah River to Atlin. 

Barging was deemed financially and logistically not viable. One of the main concerns was 

servicing of the proposed 200 man camp at the mine, as barging would not be feasible year 

round and the area is subject to dense cloud, often preventing the landing of aircraft at the 


Page 80

mine site. Additionally, there were environmental concerns associated with the dredging 

and river traffic near Flannigan's Slough. 

The alternative proposal, to build a road into a remote and unroaded area, was controversial 

within some circles in BC and internationally. Concerns included potential impacts on fish, 

wildlife and aboriginal rights. 

Approval for the Tulsequah Chief project and associated road development was granted in 

August, 1998. However, the approval was challenged by the Taku River Tlingit and 

overturned in a decision by the BC Supreme Court in June, 2000. The court determined that 

Redcorp had met the requirements of the Environmental Assessment process, but that 

government had been remiss in the latter stages of the review process in addressing 

aboriginal concerns. Road construction and mine development is currently on hold while 

the project committee works towards addressing issues of cultural sustainability brought 

forward by the Tlingit. 

For a more complete discussion of the court decision, please refer to the Environmental 

Assessment Office website at: 

http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/PROJECT/MINING/tulsequah_ac/home.htm 

4.9.3.2 Mineral resource use of non-status roads 

The Forests Practice Code of British Columbia Act regulates use by mining operators of 

existing access (including non-status roads) off mineral tenure. A Special Use Permit 

Exemption is issued to the operator by the Ministry of Forests for the following: exploration, 

bulk sampling, and small mining projects involving occasional use of the access by heavy 

equipment with no maintenance work outside the access prism. No security is required. For 

projects involving more than occasional use of the access by heavy equipment or 

maintenance work outside the access prism, a Special Use Permit including a 

maintenance/deactivation plan and security deposit are required by the Ministry of Forests. 

Use of existing access by mining operators on mineral tenures is regulated by the Mines Act. 

Permit conditions including the security deposit are used to ensure proper maintenance and 

deactivation of the access. 

In current practice, Special Use Permits and Mines Act Permits do not generally prescribe 

total deactivation of existing access since they don't represent a significant environmental 

liability and they are an important resource for continued mineral exploration and 

recreational use. Deactivation is generally limited to controlling water in a self-maintaining 

fashion. 

4.9.4 Strategic planning considerations related to access 

A Goal 1 proposed protected area has been identified which encompasses the portion of 

the Klondike Highway that falls within B.C. If this area is established as a park, 


Page 81

consideration must be given to ensuring that adequate gravel resources remain available 

for both maintenance and future upgrading of the highway. 

Road development has both positive and negative consequences that must be assessed 

prior to proceeding with construction. With appropriate planning and management 

(either through direction re road development and use, or by introducing controls on 

public access), many of the negative consequences can be reduced and occasionally 

eliminated. 

Negative consequences may include: 

◊ Increased pressures on wildlife through habitat loss, changes in habitat utilization, 

increased mortality (from vehicle collisions, hunting and poaching) and wildlife 

habituation; 

◊ Impacts on previously remote lakes, including reduction in water quality and fish 

populations through recreational over use, and possible negative impacts on 

aesthetic quality of a previously remote recreational experience; 

◊ Damage to alpine habitats; 

◊ Poor siting of road impacting on visual quality; 

◊ Temporary access roads into sensitive environments may become permanent 

access roads; and, 

◊ Development of natural resources which were not part of the original proposal for 

the road (i.e. construction of a road to a mine site may make previously 

uneconomic timber viable for harvesting). 

Positive consequences may include: 

◊ Development of natural resources leading to a more economically diversified 

community; 

◊ Potential for development of more than one resource (i.e. construction of a road to 

a mine site may make previously uneconomic timber viable for harvesting or may 

foster the development of a tourist operation); and 

◊ Increased public access to Crown lands for recreation. 


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5.0 PROTECTED AREAS 

5.1 Existing Protected Areas 

Three protected areas currently exist in the Atlin-Taku planning area (Table 17, Map 12). 

Two are provincial parks, and one is a national historic site. The provincial parks cover large 

areas of wilderness and have no road access extending beyond the park boundaries. 

Together, these protected areas encompass approximately 1.1 million hectares or 20% of the 

Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park was established in 1993. Creation of this park was 

controversial due to the loss of development opportunities at the world-class Windy Craggy 

mineral deposit. The Province financially compensated the mining company that lost its 

rights to develop the deposit. 

Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is the second largest park in British Columbia at 937,000 

ha. It lies adjacent to Kluane National Park in the Yukon to the north, and Glacier Bay 

National Park in the Alaskan panhandle to the south and west, creating a vast protected area. 

Much of this park is rugged, with high ice capped mountains. The Tatshenshini and Alsek 

rivers, cutting through the heart of the park, are world-class wilderness rivers. The 

ecosystems found in the river valleys and wide floodplains are unique in Canada and house a 

high biological diversity for this latitude. The park is home to a number of rare plant species 

and has high habitat values for grizzly bear, Dall’s Sheep, mountain goat and bald eagle 

(RPAT, 1995). The Tatsenshini-Alsek Park is co-managed as part of an agreement between 

BC Parks and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. The agreement “recognizes the 

traditional and current uses of the park by the Champagne-Aishihik, aims to integrate 

traditional and scientific knowledge in managing the Park, recognizes oral history, aims to 

identify economic opportunities for the C-AFN, and facilitates the assumption of 

maintenance and operation of the park by the C-AFN” (BC Parks, 1998). The Park 

Management Board consists of equal representation of the Champagne-Aishihik First 

Nations and BC Parks. 

Atlin Provincial Park and the adjacent Atlin Recreation Area, although much smaller than 

Tatshenshini Park, are still significant on the provincial scale, covering approximately 

208,500 ha. The park excludes industrial development, while the Recreation Area allows 

mineral exploration and development. The park and recreation area includes the south end of 

Atlin Lake and the rugged, ice-covered mountains to the west. Large mammals are 

characteristic of the western two-thirds of the park and include black and grizzly bear, wolf, 

mountain goat, caribou, moose and Stone’s sheep. Atlin Lake is the home to large lake trout, 

Arctic tern and Pacific loon (RPAT, 1995). 

Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site is the northernmost heritage site in BC and the largest in 

Canada (B. Lewis, pers. comm.). This park has historical significance as it marks the path of 

the Klondike Gold Rush. The Chilkoot Trail was the main route for the tens of thousands of 

“stampeders” who, in their quest for gold, hiked from Skagway, Alaska to Bennett Lake and 

boated down the Yukon River to the gold fields around Dawson City. In August, 1998, the 

Klondike Gold Rush International Historic Park was created by joining the Chilkoot Trail 

National Historic Site, the Klondike Gold Rush National Park in Alaska, Pioneer Square 


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Historic District in Seattle, Washington, and various sites in the Yukon Territory. . A 

provision for this designation was outlined in special legislation in the US and Canada. The 

combining of the various historic sites into one international historic park is primarily a way 

of collectively promoting and conserving heritage resources from the Klondike Gold Rush. 

Historic sites and parks are still managed on an individual basis by the relevant agency and 

jurisdiction (B. Lewis, pers. comm.). The Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site is within the 

traditional territory of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. Parks Canada works with the 

Carcross/Tagish in maintaining links with the First Nations interests in the area (B. Lewis, 

pers. comm.). 

Table 17. Existing parks and protected areas within the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Park / Protected 

Area 

Tatshenshini-Alsek 

Provincial Park 

Chilkoot Trail National 

Historic Site 

Atlin Provincial Park / 

Provincial Recreation 


Source: RPAT (1996) 

Size (ha) Ecosections Comments 

937,700 Icefield Ranges (ICR) 

Alsek Ranges (ALR) 

Tatshenshini Basin (TAB) 

13,100 Tagish Highland (TAH) 

160,300 / 38,200 Tagish Highland (TAH) 

5.2 Protected Areas Strategy Study Areas 

Boundary Ranges (BOR) 

Tahltan Highlands (THH) 

Teslin Plateau (TEP) 

This park covers the 

entire ICR ecosection. 

British Columbia’s existing protected areas system meets many of our conservation and 

recreation needs. However, it falls short of representing the full diversity of biological, 

natural, and cultural-heritage resource and recreational opportunities. Some areas, interests 

or values are not represented as well as others, and some are not represented at all. Even 

within some well-represented areas, existing protected areas tend to over-represent alpine 

ecosystems and under-represent mid and low elevation forested ecosystems. 

The Province’s Protected Areas Strategy reflects the move to a systematic approach to 

planning for new protected areas. The strategy aims to protect 12 percent of each of the 

provinces ecosections, equating to 12 percent of the province. The strategy also 

acknowledges that some regions may have more than 12 percent and some less, depending 

upon over-riding provincial objectives or existing land use commitments. As of 2000, the 

Province had reached its goal of protecting 12% of the provincial landbase. However, the 

goal of protecting 12% of each ecosection has not been met, particularly in areas without 

land and resource management plans. 

As part of a regionally based project, the northwest region of the province was assessed to 

determine how well current protected areas represent the variety of ecosystems, special 


Page 84

features, cultural features and recreational uses in the area. This project, called a “Gap 

Analysis”, identified a number of candidate sites, called study areas, that have features or 

characteristics which may warrant protection (Table 18). This Protected Areas Strategy 

(PAS) gap analysis identified areas based upon two goals: 

Goal 1 (Representativeness): To protect viable, representative examples of the natural 

diversity of the province, representative of the major terrestrial, marine and 

freshwater ecosystems, the characteristic habitats, hydrology and land forms, and the 

characteristic backcountry recreational and cultural heritage values of each 

ecosection. 

Goal 2 (Special Features): To protect the special natural, cultural heritage and 

recreational features of the province, including rare and endangered species and 

critical habitats, outstanding or unique botanical, zoological, geological and 

paleontological features, outstanding cultural heritage features, and outstanding 

recreational features such as trails. 

Table 18. Summary of the gap analysis by ecosection for the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Ecosection Area 

Currently 

Protected 

(ha)* 

Area currently 

protected in 

the Atlin-Taku 

(ha) 

Alsek Ranges 192,500 192,500 Exceeds 12% target 

by 157,500 ha 

Boundary 

Ranges 

Identified GAP (ha) Comments / Proposed Goal 1 

protected areas in the Atlin-Taku 

plan area 

None 

84,000 84,000 163,800 The Iskut / Stikine LRMP designated 

protected areas in late 2000 which may 

add to the “Area Currently Protected” 

column 

Icefield Ranges 512,000 512,000 Exceeds 12% target 

by 450,000 ha. 

This ecosection is contained fully within 

a protected area. 

Stikine Plateau 117,300 0 100,500 Teslin River Wetlands; 

Tagish 

Highland 

Tahltan 

Highlands 

Tatshenshini 

Basin 

43,900 43,900 Exceeds 12% target 

by 200 ha. 

The Iskut / Stikine LRMP designated 



column 

Tutshi / Skagway 

33,000 27,200 78,200 The Iskut / Stikine LRMP designated 



column 

233,200 233,200 Exceeds 12% target. None 

Teslin Basin 0 0 Evaluated by RPAT 

(1995) as part of the 

Teslin Plateau 

ecosection. 


Teslin River Wetlands 

Page 85

Ecosection Area 

Currently 

Protected 

(ha)* 

Area currently 

protected in 

the Atlin-Taku 

(ha) 

Identified GAP (ha) Comments / Proposed Goal 1 

protected areas in the Atlin-Taku 

plan area 

Teslin Plateau 56,500 56,500 114,200 Nakina Canyonlands 

Tuya Ranges 0 0 141,000 Jennings Lake 

* These areas consider the entire ecosection and do not include areas protected since 1995 in adjacent LRMPs. 

(RPAT, 1995) 

A brief description of the Protected Area Strategy and details of the Regional Study Area 

project can be found in two documents: 

1) Technical Gap Analysis Results Prince Rupert IAMC Region prepared by the Prince 

Rupert Regional Protected Areas Team (RPAT), 1995; and 

2) Protected Areas Strategy for British Columbia: The Prince Rupert Region PAS Report, 

RPAT, (1996). 

The PAS report (RPAT, 1996) identified four Goal 1 (Table 19) and sixteen Goal 2 study 

areas (Table 20) within the Atlin-Taku LRMP area. Six of the Goal 2 areas are contained 

within Goal 1 areas. In 1997, the BC Cabinet approved these study areas (Map 15). Should 

an LRMP start in the Atlin-Taku planning area, the LRMP table will have the opportunity to 

choose which, if any, of the study areas will be protected. A planning table will also have the 

option of proposing additional protected areas. 

Table 19. Goal 1 PAS study areas within the Atlin-Taku plan area. 

Study Area Ecosection Size (ha) Conservation 

Rating 

Jennings Lake 

Teslin River 

Wetlands 

Recreation 

Rating 

Cultural / Heritage 

Rating 

TUR 244,900 Very High Very High Native hunting, fishing, 

gathering. More 

information to be 

collected. 

TEB / STP 119,300 High High Village legend, 

fishing/drying sites. 

Tutshi / Skagway TEP / TAH 119,300 High Very High Native hunting, fishing, 

gathering; Historic trade 

route. More 

information to be 

collected. 

Nakina Canyonlands TEP / THH 145,200 Very High High – Very 

High 

(RPAT, 1996) 


Telegraph Trail / 

trading route. 

Information to be 

collected. 

Comments 

Moderate 

mineral 

values. 

High 

mineral 

values 

Moderate to 

high mineral 

values. 

Page 86

Goal 1 Study Areas have numerous values including ecological, historical or cultural 

significance and provide recreational opportunities. Descriptions and values of each Goal 1 

Study Area are listed in Appendix 4. 

Table 20. Goal 2 PAS study areas within the Atlin-Taku plan area. 


Ecosection 

Size (ha.) 

Conservation 

Features 

Recreation 

Features 

Heritage/Cultur 

e Features 

Values and Attributes 

Flannigan Slough BOR - X X X 

Large, productive, high latitude wetlands; 

floodplain cottonwood - spruce and western 

hemlock – Sitka spruce forests of CWHwm. 

Fourth of July 

Creek ERP #286 

TEP 5,500 X 

Outstanding glacio-fluvial landforms and their 

associated ecosystems; part of winter range for 

threatened Carcross/Tagish caribou herd. 

Mt. Mansfield 

ERP #288 

TAB 3,700 X 

Maternity habitat for Dall’s sheep; mineral licks, 

rare plants, wildlife viewing close to road. 

Sinawa Eddie, 

Nakina River 1 TEP - X X X 

Extensive wetlands of glacial origin; important 

breeding habitat for waterfowl. 

Atlin River / Taku 

The following are Goal 2 Recreation Sites 

Historic, shortest railway in BC ;hiking, navigable 

Landing / Scotia 

Bay 

TEP X X river; boating destination on Atlin Lake 

Bennett Lake TEP X X Scenic lake; part of Klondike Gold rush route 

Jennings Lake 2 TUR X X 

Very scenic, drowned esker complex; hunting, 

fishing, boating, camping, fishing. 

Kelsall Lakes TAB X 

Scenic alpine setting beside highway; boating, 

camping, fishing; ptarmigan research area. 

Nakina Canyon 1 Deep, narrow, limestone canyon; wilderness 

TEP X X whitewater kayaking; wildlife viewing; salmon 

fishing at downstream end. 

Tagish Lake Sites TEP X 

Scenic, fjord lake in alpine setting; boating 

numerous recreation sites. 

Teslin Lake Sites TEP X Boating, fishing, hunting, camping. 

Three Guardsmen 

Pass 

ICR X 

Scenic alpine pass on highway; alpine hiking. 

Tulsequah / 

Lakeno Lakes 

BOR X X 

Self-dumping lakes ( ). 

Tutshi River 

Canyon and 

Delta 3 

Popular kayaking area – lake access and camping 

TAH X on sandy delta. 

White Pass 3 TAH X X 

1 Within Nakina Canyonlands Goal 1 Study Area. 

2 Within Jennings Lake Goal 1 Study Area. 

3 Within Tutshi/Skagway Goal 1 Study Area 

(Table adapted from RPAT, 1996) 


Historic – route of White Pass Railway; 

snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, hiking. 

Page 87

5.3 Strategic planning considerations Related to Protected Areas 

If mandated, a strategic planning table could make recommendations on areas to be 

designated as protected areas. The planning table may also recommend the types of uses 

allowed within individual protected areas. 

The Atlin-Taku plan area has regions of high mineral potential that may be a 

consideration when negotiating protected areas. Though mineral values were considered 

when considering study area boundaries, further modification may be required to address 

mineral values more recently identified. 

The Atlin Recreation Area currently has park protection status but it not a legislated park. 

The strategic planning may consider how to designate the Recreation Area for the future 

(e.g., upgrade to a Class A park , leave in a special management zone designation, or 

manage under general direction) 

Establishment of protected areas that encompass or are adjacent to existing roads should 

consider the need to ensure that adequate gravel resources remain available to maintain 

and upgrade such roads. 


Page 88

6.0 HISTORY OF PLANNING IN THE ATLIN-TAKU AREA 

The Cassiar Timber Supply Area has been divided into three areas for strategic sub-regional 

planning under the provincial land use strategy: Atlin-Taku, Cassiar Iskut-Stikine, and 

Dease-Liard. To date, there has been little strategic planning done within the Atlin-Taku area 

with the exception of the following: 

The Atlin Area Commercial Recreation Plan was developed in 1999 for BC Assets 

and Lands Corporation (Davies, 1999). The plan provides zoning and management 

direction to guide commercial recreation activities in an area that includes Atlin Lake 

and the Taku River watershed; and 

Parks management plans have been developed for Tatsenshini-Alsek Park and Atlin 

Park. 

Each of these planning processes involved extensive consultation with local First Nations, 

stakeholders, and members of the public. 

The Atlin-Taku plan area is adjacent to a number of different planning areas, each with their 

own approach to strategic planning. A planning process for the Atlin-Taku area will need to 

consider adjacent plans as well as consider any potential trans-boundary issues and/or 

resources. 

Adjacent plans within BC: 

The Cassiar Iskut-Stikine and Dease-Liard planning areas flank the Atlin-Taku plan area to 

the south and east, respectively. A Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) for the 

Cassiar Iskut-Stikine area was approved by Cabinet in 2001. The LRMP, developed through 

a three-year multi-stakeholder planning process, establishes additional protected areas and 

provides management direction for the range of natural resource values on Crown land 

outside of protected areas. Almost of the zoning adjacent to the Atlin-Taku plan area is for 

general management direction or area-specific management. The only protected area 

bordering the Atlin-Taku is at the northern tip of the Tuya drainage. There are no adjacency 

issues between the Atlin-Taku and Cassiar Iskut-Stikine plan areas. 

There are currently no strategic plans in place for the Dease-Liard area. However, the 

Ministry of Forests and BC Environment have been working with the Kaska Dena First 

Nation for the last two years to develop a long term area assessment of potential forestry 

operating areas in consideration of other values within the Kaska Dena traditional territory. 

Adjacent plans in Alaska: 

The US Forest Service has a comprehensive land use plan completed for the Tongass 

National Forest. The Tongass Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) 

identifies a range of land use designations from Wilderness Preserve to Intensive 

Development for the entire Alaska Panhandle from Yakutat Bay to Misty Fjords. The 

portions of the Tongass National Forest that border the Atlin-Taku include the following: 


Page 89

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve covers a large area at the north end of the 

Panhandle. The boundary of the park with BC extends from the White Pass west 

almost as far as the BC-Yukon border. 

Russell Fjord Wilderness Preserve is zoned at the northwestern tip of the plan area 

immediately south of Yakutat Bay. Tracy Arm-Ford’s Terror Wilderness Preserve 

runs along the south end of the Atlin-Taku area. These two areas are zoned as 

“essentially unmodified to provide opportunities for solitude and primitive 

recreation” (USDA, 1999). Limited motorized access. 

The northwestern boundary of between Alaska and BC, between Russell Fjord and 

Glacier Bay National Park is zoned as Remote Recreation, to “provide for recreation 

in remote natural settings outside of Wilderness (zones), where opportunities for 

solitude and self-reliance are high” (USDA, 1999). 

The boundary from White Pass to the Tracy Fjord, with the exception of areas to 

either side of the Taku River have also been zoned as Remote Recreation. 

The areas to either side of the Taku River have been zoned Semi-Remote Recreation 

to “provide for recreation and tourism in natural-appearing settings where 

opportunities for solitude and self-reliance are moderate to high” (USDA, 1999). 

In the rationale for the Tongass plan, the Taku River is noted as being unsuitable for 

designation as a “Wild, Scenic, and Recreational River” because the area “has greater 

value for its contribution to the multiple use of other resources and to the balance of 

those uses in the land use allocation patterns across the (Tongass National) Forest” 

(USDA 1999). The primary reason for this decision was to not impede a potential 

road corridor connecting Juneau and Canada (USDA, 1999). The map of the Tongass 

LRMP includes proposed state road corridors to either side of the Taku River. 

Adjacent plans in Yukon Territory: 

In 1992, a regional land use plan was completed for the Greater Kluane Land Use Planning 

Region (i.e. southwest Yukon) but was never approved by all Parties. In 2000, a much 

smaller planning exercise was completed for a portion of the former regional planning area 

which focused on rural residential and agricultural development issues around the Village of 

Haines Junction. The majority of recommendations from this plan were approved by the 

federal government, Yukon Government and the Champagne-Aishihik First Nations and are 

now being implemented. 

Other types of plans that have been completed for the Champagne-Aishihik First Nations, 

Carcross-Tagish First Nations and Teslin Tlingit Council traditional territories include the 

Teslin Region Tourism Development Plan, Kluane Region Tourism Development Plan, 

Alsek Moose Management Plan and a Bison Management Plan. 


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Existing protected areas and special management area designations: 

In 1995, approximately one-third (7655 km2) of Kluane National Park Reserve was 

designated as Kluane National Park under the Yukon First Nations Land Settlement 

Act. Both the Park Reserve and National Park border the Atlin-Taku area. The 

Champagne-Aishihik First Nations, whose traditional territory encompasses the park, 

has negotiated an agreement with the Yukon government related to the park. Part of 

the Kluane National Park Reserve is within the territory of the Kluane and White 

River First Nations. 

The Canadian Heritage Rivers has designated both the Tatsenshini and Alsek Rivers 

as a Heritage Rivers. The Alsek River was designated in 1986. The Tatsenshini 

River was designated in 1998. Preparation of a management plan for the river began 

in 1999. 

Pursuant to Chapter 10 of the Teslin Tlingit Council Final Agreement, a National 

Wildlife Area has been established under the Canada Wildlife Act in the Nisutlin 

River Delta area. A management plan has been completed for this area. 

Current land use planning processes: 

Regional land use planning is commencing in the traditional territory of the Teslin 

Tlingit Council, in keeping with the terms of the settlement agreements signed with 

Canada and the Yukon in 1993. The Teslin Planning Region is part of a larger Daak 

Ka Planning Region, which includes the traditional territories of the Teslin Tlingit 

Council (TTC) and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. Once the Carcross/Tagish First 

Nation completes its final agreement with Canada and the Yukon on land claims and 

self-government, the General Terms of Reference for the planning process allows for 

the Carcross/Tagish traditional territory to be folded into the process if all parties 

agree. 

These planning processes are significant to the Atlin-Taku plan area since the three of 

the First Nations whose traditional territories cross the boundary between the Yukon 

and the Atlin-Taku will be imminently engaging in strategic planning processes for the 

Yukon portion of their territories. The General Terms of Reference for the Regional 

Planning Commission for the Teslin Planning Region requires the Commission to do 

the following: 

S7.2(3): consult with adjacent jurisdictions where trans-boundary issues and/or 

resources are identified (including British Columbia, Taku River Tlingits, 

Kaska Tribal Council, and Carcross/Tagish First Nations); and 

S7.2(6): develop working relationships with land and resource management agencies 

in the Planning Region and in adjacent areas that affect the Planning Region. 

The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) has initiated regional forest 

management planning in two areas of the Yukon - the Champagne & Aishihik 

traditional territory and the Teslin Tlingit Council traditional territory. The Planning 

Teams for these processes have identified management units and set priorities for 


Page 91

planning. They have also completed draft resource reports for a number of interim 

harvest areas (i.e. areas where harvesting can occur while the plan is being 

completed). The completion of the plans is expected to take about two years. 

The Yukon Department of Renewable Resources is in the process of preparing a Fish & 

Wildlife Management Plan for the non-overlap areas of the Teslin Tlingit Traditional 

territory in conjunction with the Teslin Tlingit Council and Teslin Renewable Resources 

Council. The purpose of the plan is to examine issues related to the management of fish and 

wildlife populations and their habitats and to recommend solutions and action items to 

address community concerns. Some of the issues that have been raised to date relate to the 

management of moose, wolf, caribou, sheep, trout and grayling populations, harvest 

monitoring, and enforcement. 


Page 92

7.0 REFERENCES CITED 

7.1 Literature sources 

Angling Guide Management System (AGMS). 2000. Ministry of Environment, Lands and 

Parks angling guide database. Jan 20, 2000. 

Atlin Community Website. 2001. http://www.atlin.net 

BC Parks. 1998. Selected summaries of joint management agreements in protected areas. 

Proceedings of the First Nations Co-operative Management of Protected Areas 

Workshop – Nov 19, 1998. 

http://www.nativemaps.org/conferences/workshop/mgmttable.html 

BC Parks. 2001. Atlin Parks Commercial and Recreation Parks Use Permit data. BC Parks, 

Atlin. 

BC Stats. 2001. 1996 Census Profile of British Columbia’s Census Subdivisions (CSD): 

Profile of Stikine Region. http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca 

B.C. Tour Online. 2000. The Community of Atlin. http://www.bctour.com/atln/atln.htm 

BC Treaty Commission. 2001a. Taku River Tlingit Statement of Intent. 

http://www.bctreaty.net/soi/soitaku.html 

________. 2001b. Teslin Tlingit Statement of Intent. 

http://www.bctreaty.net/soi/soiteslin.html 

________. 2001c. Champagne and Aishihik Statement of Intent. 

http://www.bctreaty.net/soi/soichampagne.html 

Canadian Wildlife Service. 1999. Species at risk website: http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca. 

Canadian Wildlife Service. 2000. Hinterland’s Who’s who website. http://www.cwsscf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/ 

Cichowski, D.B. 1993. Seasonal Movements, Habitat Use, and Winter Feeding Ecology of 

Woodland Caribou in West-Central British Columbia. Land Manage. Rep. No. 79. 

B.C. Ministry of Forests. Victoria, B.C. 

Cooko-Whiteduck, J. 2001. Champagne-Aishihik believe a strong economy supports their 

self-government agreement. Assembly of First Nations National Indian Brotherhood. 

http://www.afn.ca/TheMessenger/DecemberIssue/Community Affairs/ 

Coupé, R., A.C. Stewart, and B.M. Wikeem. 1991. “Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine Fir 

Zone” In Ecosystems of British Columbia. Eds. D. Meidinger and J. Pojar. British 

Columbia Ministry of Forests. Crown Publications. Victoria, BC. 

Davies, A. 1999. Atlin Commercial Recreation Plan. Draft. Prepared for BC Assets and 

Lands Corporation. Smithers, BC. 


Page 93

Demarchi, D. 1996. An Introduction to the Ecoregions of British Columbia. Wildlife 

Branch, Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. Victoria, British Columbia 

Demarchi, D.A., R.D. Marsh, A.P. Harcombe, and E.C. Lea. 1990. The environment. In 

R.W. Campbell, N.K. Dawe, I. Mc Taggart-Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G.W. Kaiser, and 

M.C.E. McNall. The Birds of British Columbia. Vol. 1. Royal British Columbia 

Museum/Canadian Wildlife Service, Victoria, BC. 

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Yukon/Transboundary Salmon Section. 1999. Summary of 

1998 Taku Catch, Escapement and Enhancement Figures. Whitehorse, Yukon. 

Government Agents website. 2001. Locations: Atlin. 

http://www.governmentagents.sb.gov.bc./locations/atlin.html 

Hatter, I. 1999. Unpublished data provided by Rick Marshall of the Skeena Region of the 

Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. 

Horne and Powell, 1995. The Forest District Tables. Ministry of Finance and Corporate 

Relations 

Horne, G. 1999. The 1996 Forest District Tables. Unpublished data 

Hunter, T. December, 2000. They call him Long Ago Person Found. Raven’s Eye New and 

Headlines. http://www.ammsa.com/raven/DEC2000.html 

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. 2001. First Nations Profiles. 

http://esd.inac.gc.ca/fnprofiles/ 

McTaggart Cowen, I. and C.J Guiguet. 1978. The Mammals of British Columbia. British 

Columbia Provincial Museum. Victoria, B.C. 

Marshall, R. 1999. Level-Kawdy Caribou Survey “Draft.” British Columbia Ministry of 

Environment, Lands and Parks. Smithers, BC. 

Meidinger and Pojar. 1991. Ecosystems of British Columbia. British Columbia Ministry of 

Forests. Crown Publications. Victoria, BC. 

Meredith and Associates. 2000. Cassiar Region Tourism Opportunities Analysis. Ministry 

of Small Business and Tourism, Victoria, B.C. 

Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. 2000. FISS website: 

http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/fsh/IS/products/fiss. 

________. 1999a. Summary Statistics Database. 

________. 1999b. Computer file: wldwhse hdfile. 

________. 1995. British Columbia Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy. Queen’s Printer, 

Victoria. 


Page 94

Ministry of Forests. 1994. Biodiversity of the Prince Rupert Forest Region and Biodiversity 

and Forest Management in the Prince Rupert Forest Region: A Discussion Paper. 

Land Management Report Number 82. Ministry of Forests Research Program. 

Victoria, BC. 

________. 1999a. Cassiar Timber Supply Area Timber Supply Review: Data Package. 

Bulkley/Cassiar Forest District. Smithers, B.C. 

________. 1999b. Cassiar Timber Supply Area Timber Supply Review: Information 

Report. Bulkley/Cassiar Forest District. Smithers, B.C. 

Ministries of Forests and Environment, Lands and Parks. 1999. Landscape Unit Planning 

Guide. Victoria, BC. 

________. 1999. Managing Identified Wildlife: Procedures and Measures. Vol. 1. Queen’s 

Printer, Victoria, BC. 

________. 1997. Species and Plant Community Accounts for Identified Wildlife. Vol. 1. 

Queen’s Printer. Victoria, BC. 

________. 1995a. Biodiversity Guidebook. Queen’s Printer. Victoria, BC. 

________. 1995b. Riparian Management Area Guidebook. Queen’s Printer. Victoria, BC. 

Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture, Tourism and Corporate Policy Division. 

1999. Tourism Opportunity Studies: Fact Sheet #2. 

O’Donoghue, Mark. 1997. Southern Lakes Caribou Recovery Program. Progress Report 

1992-1996. Unpublished report for the Yukon Dept. of Ren. Res., the Council of 

Yukon First Nations, and BC. Environment. 

Pojar, J, C. Rowan, A. MacKinnon, D. Coates, and P. LePage. 1999. Silvicultural Options 

in the Central Coast. Draft. Ministry of Forests, Prince Rupert Forest Region. 

Smithers, BC. 

Pojar, J, K. Klinka, and D.V. Meidinger. 1987. Biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification in 

British Columbia. Forest Ecology and Management 22: 119 - 154. 

Poole, K, D.S. Heard, and G. Mowat. 2000. Habitat use by woodland caribou near Takla 

Lake in central British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78: 1552 – 1561. 

Prince Rupert Regional Protected Areas Team (RPAT). 1996. A Protected Areas Strategy 

for British Columbia. The Prince Rupert Region PAS Report. Unpublished Report. 

Smithers, BC. 

________. 1995. Technical Gap Analysis Results Prince Rupert IAMC Region. 

Unpublished Report. Smithers, BC. 


Page 95

Radcliffe, G., B. Bancroft, G. Porter, and C. Cadrin. 1994. Biodiversity of the Prince Rupert 

Forest Region. Ministry of Forests Research Program. Victoria, BC. 

Rescan Environmental Services. 1997. Tulsequah Chief Project Report, Volume III 

Environmental Setting. Redfern Resources Ltd. Vancouver, B.C. 

Resources Inventory Committee. Ecosystems Working Group. 1998. Standards for Broad 

Terrestrial Ecosystem Classification and Mapping for British Columbia: 

Classification and Correlation of the Broad Habitat Classes used in 1:250,000 

Ecological Mapping. Version 2.0. Resources Inventory Committee. Victoria. BC. 

Sharpe, S. 2000. Skeena Region Grizzly Population Stepdown Estimate, January 2000. 

Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Smithers, BC. 

Staples, L. and N. Poushinsky. 1997. Determining the Impact of the Tulsequah Chief Mine 

Project on the Traditional Land Use of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Prepared 

for the BC Environmental Assessment Office. Victoria, BC. 

Steele, P. 1995. Atlin’s Gold. Caitlin Press. Prince George, B.C. 

Stevenson, S.K. and D.F. Hatler. 1985 Woodland caribou and their habitat in southern and 

central British Columbia. Vol.1. Land Manage. Rep. No. 23. B.C. Ministry of 

Forests. Victoria, B.C. 

Tamblyn, Gregory C. 1996. Review and Assessment of Fisheries Values for 17 Potential 

Operating Areas in the Cassiar Forest District. Prepared for the Prince Rupert 

regional office of the Ministry of Forests. Smithers, BC. 

Transboundary Technical Committee. 2000. Preliminary Estimates of Transboundary river 

salmon production, harvest and escapement and a review of joint enhancement 

activities in 1999. Prepared for the Pacific Salmon Commission. 

US Department of Agriculture. 1999. Record of Decision: Tongass National Forest Land 

and Resource Management Plan, Alaska. Tongass National Forest. Ketchikan Area, 

Alaska. 

Yukon Community Profiles. 2000. The Community of Teslin. 

http://www.yukoncommunities.yk.ca/teslin.html 

Yukon First Nations Tourism Association. 2001. First Nations Community Profiles: 

Champagne/Aishihik. http://www.yfnta.org/community/Profile.asp?First_Nation=2 

Yukon First Nations Tourism Association. 2001. First Nations Community Profiles: Teslin 

Tlingit. http://www.yfnta.org/community/Profile.asp?First_Nation=17 


Page 96

7.2 Personal communication 

Beere, Mark. MELP Skeena Region, Smithers. 

Braam, Rick. LIM Operations Manager. Bulkley-Cassiar Forest District 

Burdek, John. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Whitehorse. 

Davies, Lloyd. Regional Landscape Forester, Prince Rupert Forest Region. 

Diemert, K. Sr. Environmental Assessment Biologist, MELP Skeena Region, Smithers. 

Lewis, Bob. Superintendent of Chilkoot Trail Historic Site. Parks Canada, Whitehorse. 

MacLean, Norm. Forest Ecosystem Specialist. MELP Dease Lake Field Office. 

MacRae, Gord. Tatsenshini-Alsek Area Supervisor. BC Parks, Atlin. 

McGonigal, Bruce. Assistant Regional Water Manager. MELP Skeena Region, Smithers. 

Oliemans, Fred. Planning Officer. Bulkley-Cassiar Forest District. 

Russell, Don. Range Specialist. Prince Rupert Forest Region, Smithers. 

Rygaard, Claus. Roads and Mining Technician. Bulkley Cassiar Forest District, Cassiar 

Field Office, Dease Lake. 

Schultze, George. Nisga’a Wildlife Technician. MELP Skeena Region Smithers. 

Smith, Tom. MELP - Skeena Region., Smithers. 

Vanderstar, Len. Regional Forest Ecosystem Specialist. MELP Skeena Region, Smithers. 

Williams, Mark. Native Issues Biologist. MELP Skeena Region, Smithers. 

Wodjack, Paul. Ministry of Energy and Mines, Northwest Regional Office, Smithers. 


Page 97

APPENDIX 1: SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCH AND 

INVENTORY PROJECTS IN THE ATLIN-TAKU PLANNING AREA. 

• Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping is being conducted at a scale of 1:50,000 for the area 

between Atlin Lake and Gladys Lake south down the Gladys River to the Silver Salmon 

River. This two year project will be complete as of August 2001. 

• Large mammal studies in the Atlin area. Contact Karen Diemert (250-847-7260) 

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada is defining areas in the Taku watershed that require further 

inventory. 


Page 98

APPENDIX 2: RARE AND ENDANGERED PLANT AND ANIMALS 

SPECIES 


Page 99

B.C. Conservation Data Centre: Rare Vascular Plant Tracking List 

Cassiar portion of Bulkley Cassiar Forest District 

May 2000 

SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME Global 

Rank 

Lampreys 

Freshwater Fish 

Prov. 

Rank 

Prov. 

List 

Coregonus nasus Broad Whitefish G5 S2 Red 

Coregonus sardinella Least Cisco G5 S2 Red 

Salvelinus confluentus Bull Trout G3 S3 Blue 

Amphibians 

Reptiles 

Birds 

Cygnus buccinator Trumpeter Swan G4 S3S4B,S4N Blue 

Clangula hyemalis Oldsquaw G5 S3?B,SZN Blue 

Haliaeetus 

leucocephalus 

Bald Eagle G4 S4 Yellow 

Falco peregrinus anatum Peregrine Falcon, 

anatum subspecies 

G4T3 S2B,SZN Red 

Falco peregrinus pealei Peregrine Falcon, 

pealei subspecies 

G4T3 S3B,SZN Blue 

Falco rusticolus Gyrfalcon G5 S3?B,SZN Blue 

Pluvialis dominica American Golden-Plover G5 S3S4B,SZN Blue 

Heteroscelus incanus Wandering Tattler G5 S3S4B,SZN Blue 

Bartramia longicauda Upland Sandpiper G5 S1S3B,SZN Red 

Limosa haemastica Hudsonian Godwit G4 S2B,SZN Red 

Limnodromus griseus Short-Billed Dowitcher G5 S2S4B,SZN Blue 

Phalaropus lobatus Red-Necked Phalarope G5 S3S4B,SZN Blue 

Asio flammeus Short-Eared Owl G5 S2N,S3B Blue 

Calcarius pictus Smith's Longspur G5 S3?B Blue 

Mammals 

Sorex tundrensis Tundra Shrew G5 S2 Red 

Zapus hudsonius 

Meadow Jumping Mouse, G5T4T5 S3 Blue 

alascensis 

alascensis subspecies 

Ursus americanus 

emmonsii 

Glacier Bear G5T3? S3? Blue 

Ursus arctos Grizzly Bear G4 S3 Blue 

Martes pennanti Fisher G5 S3 Blue 

Gulo gulo luscus Wolverine, luscus 

subspecies 

G4T4 S3 Blue 

Ovis dalli dalli Dall's Sheep G5T5 S2S3 Blue 


Page 100



May 2000 


Rank 

Prov. 

Rank 

Prov. 

Aphragmus eschscholtzianus Eschscholtz's little 

nightmare 

G3 S2S3 Blue 

Arabis lignifera Woody-branched rockcress G5 S2S3 Blue 

Arctophila fulva Pendant grass G5 S2S3 Blue 

Arenaria longipedunculata Low sandwort G3Q S2S3 Blue 

Artemisia alaskana Alaska sagebrush G4 S2S3 Blue 

Artemisia furcata var. 

heterophylla 

Three-forked mugwort G4T? S2S3 Blue 

Astragalus umbellatus Tundra milk-vetch G4 S2S3 Blue 

Callitriche heterophylla 

ssp. heterophylla 

Two-edged water-starwort G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Carex bicolor Two-coloured sedge G5 S2S3 Blue 

Carex krausei Krause's sedge G4 S2S3 Blue 

Carex maritima Curved-spiked sedge G4G5 S2S3 Blue 

Carex membranacea Fragile sedge G5 S2S3 Blue 

Carex misandra Short-leaved sedge G5 S2S3 Blue 

Carex rupestris ssp. 

rupestris 

Curly sedge G5T? S2S3 Blue 

Carex tenera Slender sedge G5 S2S3 Blue 

Castilleja hyperborea Northern paintbrush G4 S2S3 Blue 

Chamaerhodos erecta ssp. 

nuttallii 

American chamaerhodos G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Chrysosplenium wrightii Golden carpet G5? S2S3 Blue 

Cicuta virosa European water-hemlock G4G5 S2S3 Blue 

Cnidium cnidiifolium Hemlock-parsley G5 S2S3 Blue 

Cornus suecica Dwarf bog bunchberry G5 S2S3 Blue 

Descurainia sophioides Northern tansymustard G5 S2S3 Blue 

Diapensia lapponica ssp. 

obovata 

G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Douglasia alaskana Alaskan fairy-candelabra G2G3 S1 Red 

Douglasia gormanii Gorman's douglasia G3 S2S3 Blue 

Draba cinerea Gray-leaved draba G5 S2S3 Blue 

Draba corymbosa Baffin's Bay draba G4G5 S2S3 Blue 

Draba fladnizensis Austrian draba G4 S2S3 Blue 

Draba glabella var. 

glabella 

Smooth draba G4G5T4 S2S3 Blue 

Draba lactea Milky draba G4 S2S3 Blue 

Draba lonchocarpa var. 

thompsonii 

Lance-fruited draba G4T? S2S3 Blue 

Draba palanderiana Palander's draba G4G5 S2S3 Blue 

Draba porsildii Porsild's draba G3G4 S2S3 Blue 

Draba ruaxes Coast Mountain draba G3 S2S3 Blue 

Draba stenopetala Star-flowered draba G3 S1 Red 

Draba ventosa Wind river draba G2G3 S2S3 Blue 

Epilobium davuricum Swamp willowherb G5 S2S3 Blue 

Epilobium halleanum Hall's willowherb G5 S2S3 Blue 

Epilobium hornemannii ssp. 

behringianum 

Hornemanns willowherb G5T4 S2S3 Blue 


List 

Page 101



May 2000 


Rank 

Prov. 

Rank 

Prov. 

Epilobium leptocarpum Small-flowered willowherb G5 S2S3 Blue 

Erigeron uniflorus ssp. 

eriocephalus 

Northern daisy G5T4 S2S3 Blue 

Eriophorum vaginatum ssp. 

spissum 

Sheathed cotton-grass G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Erysimum pallasii Pallas' wallflower G4 S2S3 Blue 

Eutrema edwardsii Edward's wallflower G4 S2S3 Blue 

Festuca minutiflora Little fescue G5 S2S3 Blue 

Gentianella tenella ssp. 

tenella 

Slender gentian G4G5T4 S2S3 Blue 

Geum rossii var. rossii Ross' avens G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Glyceria pulchella Slender mannagrass G5 S2S3 Blue 

Gymnocarpium jessoense 

ssp. parvulum 

Nahanni oak fern G5T4 S2S3 Blue 

Helictotrichon hookeri Spike oat G5 S2S3 Blue 

Juncus albescens Whitish rush G5 S2S3 Blue 

Juncus arcticus ssp. 

alaskanus 

Arctic rush G5T? S2S3 Blue 

Koenigia islandica Iceland koenigia G4 S2S3 Blue 

Lesquerella arctica var. 

arctica 

Arctic bladderpod G4T4 S2S3 Blue 

Lomatogonium rotatum Marsh felwort G5 S2S3 Blue 

Lupinus kuschei Yukon lupine G3 S2S3 Blue 

Luzula arctica Arctic wood-rush G5 S2S3 Blue 

Luzula groenlandica Greenland wood-rush G4 S2S3 Blue 

Minuartia elegans Northern sandwort G4G5 S2S3 Blue 

Minuartia macrocarpa Large-fruited sandwort G4 S2S3 Blue 

Minuartia stricta Rock sandwort G5 S2S3 Blue 

Minuartia yukonensis Yukon sandwort G3G4 S2S3 Blue 

Montia bostockii Bostock's montia G3 S2S3 Blue 

Oxytropis jordalii ssp. 

davisii 

Jordal's locoweed G4T3 S3 Blue 

Oxytropis jordalii ssp. 

jordalii 

Jordal's locoweed G4T4 S2S3 Blue 

Oxytropis maydelliana Maydell's locoweed G5 S2S3 Blue 

Oxytropis scammaniana Scamman's locoweed G3G4 S2S3 Blue 

Papaver alboroseum Pale poppy G3 S2S3 Blue 

Parrya nudicaulis Northern parrya G5 SH Red 

Pedicularis verticillata Whorled lousewort G4 S2S3 Blue 

Penstemon gormanii Gorman's penstemon G4 S2S3 Blue 

Phacelia mollis Macbryde's phacelia G3 S1 Red 

Pinguicula villosa Hairy butterwort G4 S2S3 Blue 

Plantago eriopoda Alkali plantain G5 S2 Red 

Poa abbreviata ssp. 

pattersonii 

Abbreviated bluegrass G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Poa pseudoabbreviata Polar bluegrass G4 S2S3 Blue 

Polemonium boreale Northern Jacob's-ladder G5 S2S3 Blue 

Polemonium occidentale G5? S2S3 Blue 


List 

Page 102



May 2000 


Rank 

Prov. 

Rank 

Prov. 

Polygonum bistorta ssp. 

plumosum 

Plumose bistort G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Polystichum kruckebergii Kruckeberg's sword fern G4 S2S3 Blue 

Potamogeton perfoliatus Perfoliate pondweed G5 S2S3 Blue 

Potentilla biflora Two-flowered cinquefoil G4G5 S2S3 Blue 

Potentilla elegans Elegant cinquefoil G4 S2S3 Blue 

Potentilla nivea var. 

pentaphylla 

Five-leaved cinquefoil G5T4 S2S3 Blue 

Primula cuneifolia ssp. 

saxifragifolia 

Wedge-leaf primrose G5T? S2S3 Blue 

Primula nutans Siberian primrose G5 SH Red 

Primula stricta Upright primrose G4 S2S3 Blue 

Ranunculus pedatifidus 

ssp. affinis 

G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Ranunculus sulphureus Sulphur buttercup G5 S2S3 Blue 

Rumex arcticus Arctic dock G5 S2S3 Blue 

Rumex paucifolius Alpine sorrel G4 S2S3 Blue 

Sagina nivalis Snow pearlwort G5 S2S3 Blue 

Salix petiolaris Meadow willow G5 S2S3 Blue 

Salix raupii Raup's willow G2 S1 Red 

Salix setchelliana Setchell's willow G4 S3 Blue 

Saussurea angustifolia 

var. angustifolia 

Northern sawwort G5T? S2S3 Blue 

Saxifraga hieraciifolia 

var. hieraciifolia 

Hawkweed-leaved saxifrage G4T? S2S3 Blue 

Saxifraga hirculus ssp. 

hirculus 

Yellow marsh saxifrage G5T? S2S3 Blue 

Saxifraga nelsoniana ssp. 

carlottae 

Cordate-leaved saxifrage G5T2 S2 Red 

Saxifraga razshivinii Large-petioled saxifrage G? S2S3 Blue 

Saxifraga serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved saxifrage G5 S2S3 Blue 

Senecio atropurpureus Purple-haired groundsel G5 S2S3 Blue 

Senecio congestus Marsh fleabane G5 S2S3 Blue 

Senecio fuscatus Northern groundsel G4 S2S3 Blue 

Senecio ogotorukensis Ogotoruk Creek butterweed G? S2S3 Blue 

Senecio sheldonensis Mount Sheldon butterweed G5 S2S3 Blue 

Senecio yukonensis Yukon groundsel G4G5Q S2S3 Blue 

Silene drummondii var. 

drummondii 

Drummond's campion G5T5 S2S3 Blue 

Tofieldia coccinea Northern false asphodel G5 S2S3 Blue 

Trichophorum pumilum Small deer-grass G5 S2S3 Blue 

Woodsia alpina Northern woodsia G4 S2S3 Blue 

111 Taxa Listed 


List 

Page 103

B.C. Conservation Data Centre: Rare Natural Plant Community Tracking List 


August 2000 

The natural plant community tracking list is incomplete since there is not yet enough data available for the CDC to rank all of the rare natural plant communities in B.C. This applies especially to many 

wetland, alpine, and grassland plant communities. This year, the Ministry of Forests will be classifying grassland and wetland plant communities throughout B.C., and this will enable the CDC to 

produce a more comprehensive natural plant community tracking list. In preparation for this, the rarity ranks of those wetland and grassland plant communities already on the tracking list have the "Q" 

modifier (e.g. S2Q) to indicate that their classification is about to change. Their names and ranks will be updated after the classification is completed. Until then, they will be retained on "interim" red 

and blue lists to indicate that there are conservation concerns for these plant communities which will probably also apply to the corresponding plant communities in the new classification. 

Please note that all ranks reflect the rarity of plant community occurrences that have not been disturbed by humans or domestic animals, and are in a natural or "climax" state. Do not confuse these 

natural plant communities with successional plant communities (e.g. second-growth Douglas-fir and salal forests), or with degraded plant communities (e.g. a weedy bluebunch wheatgrass and junegrass 

grassland). However, be aware that for the purposes of conservation, disturbed occurrences of rare plant communities may be ecologically valuable if there are few or no natural, undisturbed occurrences 

left in the Province (e.g. Garry Oak plant communities). Please visit the CDC's Ecology web page (www.elp.gov.bc.ca/rib/wis/cdc/ecology.htm) or contact the CDC for more information on rare natural 

plant communities and rare natural plant community conservation. 

Scientific name Common name Biogeoclimatic 

Amelanchier alnifolia / Elymus trachycaulis Saskatoon / slender wheatgrass SBSdk/81 S2 Red DC 3 

Picea sitchensis - Tsuga mertensiana / Sitka spruce – mountain hemlock / reed MHwh1/03 

S3 Blue CC 7 

Calamagrostis nutkaensis 

grass 

MHwh2/03 

Picea sitchensis / Lysichiton americanum Sitka spruce / skunk cabbage CWHwm/09 S3 Blue EC 7 

Picea sitchensis / Rubus spectabilis Wet 

Maritime 

Sitka spruce / salmonberry Wet Maritime CWHwm/05 S3 Blue EC DC 7 

Pinus contorta / Juniperus communis / 

Oryzopsis asperifolia 

Lodgepole pine / juniper / ricegrass SBSdk/02 S3 Blue EC 7 

Poa rupicola 

AT 

S3Q Interim CC 2 

SWB/00 

Blue 

Poa secunda - Elymus trachycaulis Bluegrass - slender wheatgrass SBSdk/82 S1Q Interim 

Red 

DC 2 

Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa / Black cottonwood / red-osier dogwood CWHvm1/10 S3 Blue EC DC 6 

Cornus stolonifera 

CWHwm/06* 

CWHws1/08* 

CWHws2/08* 

Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa / Black cottonwood / red-osier dogwood - SBSdk/08 S2Q Interim EC DC 6 

Cornus stolonifera - Rosa woodsii 

prairie rose 

Red 

Pseudotsuga menziesii / Pleurozium - 

Douglas-fir / feathermoss - stepmoss SBSdk/04 S3Q Interim CC 7 

Hylocomium 

Blue 

Tsuga heterophylla - Picea sitchensis / 

Hylocomium splendens 

Western hemlock – Sitka spruce / step moss CWHwm/02 S3 Blue EC 7 

Tsuga heterophylla / Sphagnum girgensohnii Western hemlock / sphagnum CWHwm/08 S3 Blue EC 7 


12 Natural Plant Communities Listed 

Ecosystem 

Classification 

Unit(s) 

Provincial 

Rank 

Provincial 

List 

Successional Status 

Structural Stage 

Page 104

B.C. Conservation Data Centre: Rare Natural Plant Community Tracking List 


August 2000 

Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) Unit(s): This column gives the BEC unit(s) in which each plant community can occur. These units are described in the Ministry of Forests’ "Field 

Guide to Site Identification and Interpretation" for the appropriate Forest Region. Please note that the BEC units listed are for the entire Forest Region, and may not all occur in this Forest District. Units 

numbered "00" have not yet been assigned site series numbers by the Ministry of Forests. Site series are NOT equivalent to natural plant communities as defined by the CDC; visit the CDC's Ecology 

web page (www.elp.gov.bc.ca/rib/wis/cdc/ecology.htm) for an explanation. 

Successional Status: This column indicates the successional status of each natural plant community. Natural plant communities are, almost without exception, climax plant communities. Younger 

successional stages are considered to be different plant communities, though they may eventually develop into climax plant communities. For more information on successional status, visit the CDC's 

Ecology web page (www.elp.gov.bc.ca/rib/wis/cdc/ecology.htm) or consult the Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems (www.for.gov.bc.ca/RIC/Pubs/teEcolo/fmdte/deif.htm). 

Code Successional 

Status 

Definition 

CC Climatic climax The oldest expression of an ecosystem, where succession has been unimpeded by edaphic (site) limiting factors or ecological disturbance. This state is self-perpetuating 

in the absence of disturbance. 

ED Edaphic climax The oldest possible expression of an ecosystem given edaphic (site) limiting factors atypical for the landscape which arrest or redirect succession so that the climatic 

climax is never achieved. Edaphic limiting factors include extremely dry soil, extremely wet soil, and very poor nutrient regime, relative to the landscape norms. 

DC Disclimax The oldest possible expression of an ecosystem given a natural disturbance regime which arrests or redirects succession so that the climatic climax is never achieved. 

Natural disturbances include periodic surface fires and annual flooding. 

Structural Stage: This column indicates the structural stage(s) of each natural plant community. Similar plant communities at younger structural stages are considered to be different plant communities, 

though they may eventually develop into natural plant communities. For definitions, see the Field Manual for Describing Terrestrial Ecosystems (www.for.gov.bc.ca/RIC/Pubs/teEcolo/fmdte/deif.htm). 


Code Structural Stage Code Structural Stage 

1 

Sparse/bryoid 3 Shrub/Herb 

1a Sparse 3a Low shrub 

1b Bryoid 3b Tall shrub 

2 

Herb 4 Pole/Sapling 

2a Forb-dominated 

2b Graminoid-dominated 

2c Aquatic 

2d Dwarf shrub-dominated 

5 Young Forest 

6 Mature Forest 

7 Old Forest 

Page 105

APPENDIX 3: CURRENT POLICY FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT 

TO MEET BIODIVERSITY OBJECTIVES 

There are six basic elements of biodiversity planning under the Forest Practices Code: old 

growth retention, wildlife tree retention, seral stage distribution, patch size distribution, 

connectivity, and species composition. These six elements are described below. 

Biodiversity planning in British Columbia is based on the assumption that “the more that 

managed forests resemble the forests that were established from natural disturbances, the 

greater the probability that all native species and ecological process will be maintained.” 

Under current policy, as outlined in the Landscape Unit Planning Guide (1999) old 

growth retention and wildlife tree retention are priorities for biodiversity planning. In the 

absence of direction from an LRMP or higher level plan, objectives for other biodiversity 

elements (patch size distribution, seral stage distribution, including targets for mature 

seral retention and early seral, and landscape connectivity) and other forest resources can 

only be developed in draft form and must not create timber impacts in excess of 

government policy. 

Old growth retention 

Areas of old forest, called old growth management areas (OGMAs), are identified in 

each landscape unit and set aside from timber harvesting. Where possible, OGMAs 

are located outside of the timber harvesting landbase or in areas of minimal impact to 

timber supply. Under current policy, old growth representation in OGMAs is by 

biogeoclimatic variant. 

Wildlife tree retention 

Wildlife trees are standing live and dead trees that provide habitat for many species of 

wildlife, birds and invertebrates. Stand structure is retained within individual 

cutblocks, either as individual trees or as patches of trees. Targets for wildlife tree 

retention within each cutblock are determined by landscape unit and are based on 

previous harvesting patterns. 

Seral stage distribution 

Seral stage distributions provide a variety of different-aged forests across a landscape. 

Targets for seral stage distribution are intended to maintain a minimum amount of 

forest in mature and old condition and to set a limit on the amount of early seral forest 

(younger than 40 years). 

Distribution of cut and leave areas over space and time 

The pattern and timing of timber harvesting has a large influence on the size and 

distribution of forest patches across the landscape. Patch size targets permit a range 

of opening sizes, from small to very large, with the intent of mimicking the range of 

natural patterns of disturbance across the landbase as well as providing economic 

efficiency for harvesting operations. 

Atlin-Taku Technical Background Report Page 106

Connectivity 

Connectivity is provided by continuous areas of mature and old forest cover. In the 

mountainous topography of the coast, where contiguous blankets of old forest cover 

are the norm, important elements of connectivity include riparian areas and forested 

cover linking watersheds (e.g., over low elevation passes) and connecting valley 

bottom and upper elevation areas. 

Species composition 

The intent of objectives for species composition is that a significant component of the 

landscape unit be maintained in communities with plant species composition similar 

to that in communities that have developed through natural succession. This includes 

maintaining a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees, where appropriate. 


Page 107

APPENDIX 4: PROTECTED AREAS STRATEGY GAP ANALYSIS 

Nakina Canyonlands Area of Interest / Official Study Area 

The Nakina Canyonlands Official Study Area (OSA) is mostly (153,000 ha) within the 

Teslin Plateau Ecosection ( TEP ), with 26,300 ha in the Tahltan Highland Ecoregion ( 

THH ) and 900 ha in the Stikine Plateau Ecosection ( STP ). The TEP has been 

prioritized by the Regional Protected Areas Team (RPAT) to a Class II status, on a scale 

of I to IV (highest to lowest priority). This ranking is based on the current gaps in 

representation and the extent of existing and anticipated disturbance. 

Gap analysis identified the following gaps in representation in the TEP: 

• boreal forest (BWBS) and subalpine Spruce-Willow-Birch (SWB) ecosystems 

• riparian habitats 

• lava flow escarpments 

• canyons cut into limestone karst 

• river, canyon and rolling plateau recreation settings 

Terrestrial Ecosystem Representation 

Ecosystem Eco - section 

Boreal White and Black Spruce - 

BWBSdk1 

Area in TEP 

Area in Nakina 

Canyonlands 

Hectares Protected % Hectares % 

TEP 523,400 11.4 53,700 10.3 

Spruce-Willow-Birch Zone - SWB TEP 406,700 5.4 58,600 14.4 

Alpine Tundra Zone - AT TEP 313,700 5.6 37,500 12.0 

Other biogeoclimatic zones TEP 13,100 0 3,300 25.2 

Total in TEP TEP 1,256,900 7.9 153,100 12.2 

Sub-Boreal Spruce - SBS THH 202,100 0.9 17,700 8.8 

Engelmann Spruce- Subalpine Fir - 

ESSF 

THH 308,900 2.6 6,900 2.2 

Alpine Tundra - AT THH 33,900 13.6 1,700 5.0 

Other biogeoclimatic zones THH 66,900 0 0 0 

Total in THH THH 611,800 2.4 26,300 4.3 

All biogeoclimatic zones STP 1,815,100 6.5 900 0.05 

Total for all 3 ecosections 180,300 -- 


Page 108

Values and Attributes of the Nakina Canyonlands OSA 

• Ratings: Conservation - very high; Recreation - high 

• Special Features: Peridotite Peak/Houdini Creek; Sinawa Eddy Mountain; Nakina 

Canyon (Goal 2 areas) 

• productive river cut deeply into limestone karst 

• representative forest ecosystems (BWBS and SWB) 

• rare/unusual plants on limestone and ultrabasic rock 

• Nakina Lake and other smaller lakes and rivers - exceptional steelhead, sockeye 

salmon habitat and seasonally high concentrations of grizzly bear 

• good mountain goat habitat 

• spectacular canyons and caves within limestone karst; waterfalls, hoodoos 

• high cave exploration potential 

• wilderness white-water kayaking opportunities 

• portion of the Telegraph Trail / trading route 

• traditional native fishery sites 

• contains a number of special features such as Peridotite Peak, Houdini Creek and 

Sinawa Eddy Mountain 

Teslin River Wetlands Area of Interest / Official Study Area 

The Teslin River Official Study Area (OSA) is within the Teslin Basin ( TEB ) and 

Stikine Plateau ( STP ) ecosections. The Teslin Basin is a relatively newly recognized 

ecosection, which used to be part of the Teslin Plateau ( TEP ). It was identified after the 

gap analysis was completed, so this area of interest was evaluated under the TEP 

ecosection criteria. The Regional Protected Areas Team (RPAT) classed both the TEP 

and the STP as Class II ecosections, on a scale of I to IV (highest to lowest priority). This 

ranking is based on the current gaps in representation and the extent of existing and 

anticipated disturbance. 

Gap analysis identified the following gaps in representation in these ecosections: 

Stikine Plateau 

• Spruce-Willow Birch (SWB) ecosystems 

• mule deer and caribou winter range 

• predator-prey ecosystems 

• extensive wetlands with high waterfowl values 

• rolling plateau landscape 


• boreal forest (BWBS) and subalpine (SWB) ecosystems 






Page 109

Ecosystem 

Boreal White - Black Spruce - 

BWBSdk1 


Eco- Total Area Teslin River Wetlands 

section Hectares Protected % Hectares % 

STP 539,500 19.5 22,800 4.2 

Spruce Willow Birch - SWB STP 1,059,300 1.4 0 0 

Alpine Tundra - AT STP 214,000 0.3 0 0 

Total for STP 1,812,800 6.6 22,800 4.2 

Boreal White - Black Spruce - 

BWBSdk1 

TEB* 280,700 0 49,150 17.5 

Spruce Willow Birch - SWB TEB* 40,500 0 0 0 

Alpine Tundra - AT TEB* 4,300 0 0 0 

Total for TEB 325,500 0 49,150 15.1 

Total 71,950 

NOTE: These figures are for the Teslin Basin; the Teslin Plateau ecosection has 7.9% 

protected. 

The Values and Attributes of the Teslin River Wetlands OSA 

• Ratings: Conservation - high; Recreation - high 

• Special Features: Teslin Wetlands (Goal 2 area) 

• extensive wetlands and adjacent boreal forest 

• critical migration and breeding habitat for northern pintail, lesser scaup and 

American green-winged teal 

• caribou and moose winter range 

• valley bottom lakes, forested mountain slopes 

• historic Teslin Trail/trading route 

• wildlife viewing, wilderness fishing, hunting and boating 

Tutshi-Skagway Area of Interest/ Official Study Area 

The Tutshi-Skagway Official Study Area (OSA) spans the Tagish Highland ( TAH ) and 

the Teslin Plateau ( TEP ) ecosections in the Cassiar Forest District. Both of these 

ecosections have been prioritized by the RPAT to a Class II status, on a scale of I to IV 

(highest to lowest priority). This classification is based on current gaps in representation 

and the extent of existing and anticipated disturbance. The OSA is approximately 34,000 

hectares in size. 



Page 110

Tagish Highland 

• long, linear lakes 

• lichen "barren lands" - caribou habitat 

• Bennett lake - important historic route during the gold rush 


• subalpine (SWB) ecosystems 





Ecosystem 

Boreal White Black Spruce - 

BWBS 


Eco- 

Total Area Tutshi-Skagway 

section Hectares Protected % Hectares % 

TEP 523,400 11.4 9,100 1.7 

Spruce-Willow-Birch - SWB TEP 406,700 5.4 2,100 0.5 

Alpine Tundra - AT TEP 313,700 5.6 1,800 0.6 

Other (several small zones) TEP 13,100 0 0 0 

Total for TEP 1,256,900 7.9 13,000 1.0 

Boreal White Black Spruce - 

BWBS 

TAH 3,900 0 0 0 

Sub-boreal Spruce - SBS TAH 52,600 31.7 8,300 15.8 

Spruce-Willow-Birch - SWB TAH 14,900 0 2,500 16.8 

Engelmann Spruce-Subalpine 

Fir - ESSF 

TAH 49,000 30.8 4,000 8.2 

Alpine Tundra - AT TAH 321,900 19.7 6,600 2.1 

Total for TAH 442,300 21.5 21,400 4.8 

TOTAL 34,400 

Values and Attributes of Tutshi-Skagway OSA 

• Ratings: Conservation - medium to high; Recreation - very high 

• Special Features: White Pass, East Tutshi River ERP#287, Tutshi River Canyon 

and Delta (Goal 2 areas) 

• representation of lichen "barren lands" of White Pass 

• includes part of the range of the threatened Champagne - Aishihik Caribou herd 

• mountain goat habitat 


Page 111

• White Pass is an important regional destination for recreational activities, 

including hiking, snowmobiling and ski-touring, while Tutshi River Canyon is a 

popular kayaking area, with lake access and camping on the sandy delta 

• White Pass - portion of an important historic trail/route during gold rush 

• scenic highway corridor with good public, winter access 

• alpine, backcountry recreation settings 

Jennings Lake Area of Interest / Official Study Area 

The Jennings Lake Official Study Area (OSA) is entirely within the Tuya Ranges 

Ecosection ( TUR ), in the Cassiar Forest District. This ecosection has no representation 

in protected areas. The Regional Protected Areas Team has classed this ecosection as a 

Class I priority, on a scale of I to IV (highest to lowest priority). This ranking is based on 

the current gaps in representation and the extent of existing and anticipated disturbance. 

The OSA consists of approximately 190,000 hectares. 

Gap analysis identified the following gaps in representation in the TUR: 

• Spruce-Willow-Birch (SWB) ecosystems, including extensive wetlands 

• boreal forest in lower McNaughton Creek 

• tuyas (flat-topped volcanoes that erupted beneath the Pleistocene ice sheet) - 

provincially significant special features 

• habitat for waterfowl, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, caribou and Stone's sheep 

• wilderness valley bottom and upland lakes 

• navigable rivers, wide valleys and mountainous terrain 


Ecosystem Total in TUR Jennings Lake 

Boreal White and Black Spruce - 

BWBSdk 

hectares Protected % hectares % 

31,800 0 1,800 5.7 

Spruce-Willow-Birch - SWB 617,700 0 124,600 20.2 

Alpine Tundra - AT 478,000 0 63,800 13.3 

Total 1,127,500 0 190,200 16.9 

Values and Attributes of the Jennings Lake OSA 

• Ratings: Conservation - very high; Recreation - very high 

• forest ecosystems in the Spruce-Willow-Birch zone, including subalpine 

lodgepole pine forest in upper Rancheria river (unusual in SWB) 

• extensive wetlands which support large populations of waterfowl 

• Jennings Lake - a drowned esker complex 

• tuyas 


Page 112

• large mammal predator-prey ecosystems, including caribou, Stone's sheep, 

moose, grizzly bear, black bear and wolf 

• valley bottom lakes and creeks (Little Rancheria and McNaughton Creek) 

• wilderness recreation opportunities - fishing, hunting, lake and river canoeing, 

wildlife viewing, high scenic values 

• excellent gap filling ability as area includes a very complete cross-section of the 

important recreation settings 

• natural resource appreciation/ interpretation of glacio-fluvial features 

Taku River Area of Interest 

The Taku River Area of Interest (AOI) spans two ecosections, the Boundary Ranges ( 

BOR ) and the Tahltan Highlands ( THH ). The Regional Protected Areas Team (RPAT) 

has ranked the both the BOR and the THH as Class II ecosections, on a scale of I to IV 

(highest to lowest priority). This ranking is based on the current gaps in representation 

and the extent of existing and anticipated disturbance. 


Boundary Ranges 

• full range of forested ecosystems (CWHwm, MH, ICHvc, ESSFwv) 

• major low elevation river valleys dissecting the ranges 

• riparian habitats with high fish, wildlife and waterfowl values 

• coastal temperate rainforest 

Tahltan Highlands 

• major unregulated rivers 

• wetland habitat 

• lake-headed river systems - sockeye salmon spawning 

• better representation of sub-boreal forest to alpine elevational sequence of forest 

ecosystems 

• major wilderness river and associated highland terrain 


Page 113

Ecosystem 

Coastal Western Hemlock - 

CWH 



Eco- 

Area Taku River 

section hectares Protected % hectares % 

BOR 204,500 0 6,300 3.1 

All other zones BOR 1,860,400 4.5 0 0 

Total in BOR 2,064,900 4.1 6,300 0.3 

Sub-boreal Spruce - SBS THH 212,600 6.3 4,900 2.3 

All other zones THH 713,900 2.7 0 0 

Total in THH 926,500 3.6 4,900 0.5 

Total 11,200 

The Values and Attributes of the Taku River AOI 

• Ratings: Conservation - high; Recreation - high 

• Special Feature: Flannigan Slough (Goal 2 Official Study Area) 

• major unregulated river valley 

• Sub-Boreal Spruce forest - SBS 

• Coastal Western Hemlock forest - CWHwm 

• broad low elevation floodplain with productive riparian ecosystems 

• seasonal grizzly bear concentrations 

• productive habitat for moose, waterfowl, salmonids 

• boating, canoeing, hunting, fishing and excellent wildlife viewing opportunities 

Page 114

Atlin-Taku Planning Area Background Report - Integrated Land ...

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