Housing Development being Pushed by City Planners

If you care about McIntyre Creek and other wildlife and outdoor recreation areas in Whitehorse you may want to attend the City council meeting on Monday evening.

City planners will be presenting their recommendations for the OCP revisions at that meeting and Council will be discussing them. We fear City planners may recommend that Porter Creek D be zoned for housing development. This would block the wildlife corridor between the Alaska Highway and Mountain View Drive. We have tried to reach a compromise by asking for this area to be zoned for planning so that a scientifically justified, effective wildlife corridor can be designed and THEN some housing can be planned where appropriate. Most City Councillors seem much more interested in developing Porter Creek D regardless of wildlife, recreation, and the opposition of local residents.

Please come show your opposition to developing PC-D by attending Monday’s Council meeting, writing letters to the editor, and calling and emailing city counsellors. To email all City Counsellors and the mayor send to mayorcouncil@whitehorse.ca.

To write letters to the editor use the following email addresses: rmostyn@yukon-news.com and letters@whitehorsestar.com.

Thank you!

Karen Baltgailis,

Director, Friends of McIntyre Creek &

Executive Director, Yukon Conservation Society

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Surveyors at McIntyre Creek - July 26, 2010

Today the surveyors were out and about, preparing for the new bridge for motorized vehicles to cross the McIntyre Creek at the Pump House in the Takhini/College area. Since the City extended their fence around the Pump house to narrow the trail, I have been enjoying peaceful walks, listening to the creek bubble over the rocks, to the singing birds, and hearing the wind rustling in the trees. Unfortunately, the the scent of the many flowers will soon be replaced with the stench of exhaust from the motorized vehicles. The peaceful hikes will be no more, as the sounds of motors echoing into the trails from the snowmobiles and ATV's will carry throughout the trails.

Even if these motorized vehicles stick to the "roads" to cross the new bridge, and not invade the trails, they will be allowed to surround the Creek hiking area, as there is the service road for the power lines on one side of the Creek, and the service road for the Pump house on the other side, and with the bridge approved for motorized vehicles to cross the Creek, it will encourage more vehicles to use the area, and take away from the quiet enjoyment of the trails.

For myself, and many other hikers/joggers in the area, the peaceful quiet is one of the simple pleasures of the trails. I have met one woman in the woods, even in the winter, who sits and meditates above the Creek. Unless her timing is great, where she can catch a time there are no vehicles in the area, she will have to find a new peaceful area to enjoy.

So people, get out and hike the trails while you can still enjoy the simple pleasures of the sounds and smells of nature along McIntyre Creek!!!

McIntyre Creek happenings July 25, 2010 - Ninja

Photos by Gerry Steers

It was another beautiful day for a hike along McIntyre Creek, and two eagles were watching the creek for their next meal.
As well, a few young movie producers were taking advantage of the great day to film a Ninja movie.
The small beaver pond in the Takhini College area near the pump house, has the lowest water levels I have seen in the 24 years I have been hiking the area. There are mud flats, and marshes forming where pond water used to be. I have no idea of what the problem is, but the water flowing in the Creek above this pond is also low. Does anyone have any ideas?

Warning - This Could be Whitehorse!

This type of thing could happen in Whitehorse, with a moose, bear, or other wild animal that is trying to pass through the McIntyre Creek wild life corridor, if it is choked with houses. We need to keep the wild life corridor along the McIntyre Creek open, to prevent this type of encounter.

Thank You Mackenzie Morgan

It is very touching and encouraging to see that we have such great supporters, even in our young people. We thank Mackenzie for her fund raising and we promise we will do our very best to protect this area for a Park, so even her children will be able to enjoy it, as she and her mother do today. See email below:

"My daughter Mackenzie and I travel the trails often and she has raised/saved $19.10 for the Friends of McIntyre Creek. She wants it to help save the beavers, the ducks, the eagles, the foxes and the honeysuckles. She is very upset about the human houses being built by the animals' houses. She is eight years old and very concerned about the situation.How can she get these funds to you?

Thank you, - Cindy-Anne on behalf of Mackenzie Morgan"

July 8, 2010 at McIntyre Creek

Today I saw many happenings at McIntyre Creek. There were cyclist, guys wading in the creek, families enjoying the "beach", and dog walkers. Yesterday there were 3 adult eagles watching the ducks who were huddled into the reeds. A duck family that once had 5 or 6 ducklings was down to 1, and I found it interesting to see that to protect the one remaining baby, one adult swam in front of the duckling, and the other adult swam behind. It appeared to be a male and female sharing the responsibility for protecting their last offspring of the year.

Another thing I found was bear poo, right in the area proposed as Porter Creek D. If we don't leave this corridor open for wildlife to pass, we will be have many more encounters of the unwelcome kind between wildlife and human residents.
Click to view more photos.
All photos by Gerry Steers, Gerry's Computer Magic.