EDI and the City of Whitehorse will be bringing their wildlife study and the results of the consultation out for public review on Thursday, November 3 from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the High Country Inn.
It is important that everyone who is interested in protecting the McIntyre Creek wild life corridor show up at the meeting to see what the City is planning to do.
We need the support of all Whitehorse residents, regardless of whether they live in Riverdale, Wolf Creek, or Takhini.
The area that is proposed for the development of Porter Creek D, could be a wonderful park for all residents and tourists to enjoy, as well as allow us to preserve the wild life corridor for the wild life, (moose, deer, bear and other animals) that are currently using this area to pass through the City to the Yukon River.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Media Release October 28, 2011
Groups cry foul over McIntyre Creek Report
The Friends of McIntyre Creek and YCS are shocked at the City of Whitehorse‟s spin on a
McIntyre Creek Wildlife Corridor Assessment.
A City press Release says that the EDI report concludes that Porter Creek D and proposed roads
along and across McIntyre Creek would not negatively impact wildlife, provided mitigation
measures are undertaken.
“That‟s just plain nonsense,” said YCS Executive Director Karen Baltgailis. “Do City Planners
really think that Whitehorse residents are so stupid as to believe that clearing most of the forests
on all the flat land north of McIntyre Creek between the Alaska Highway and Mountainview
Drive, and building roads along and across the creek will not impact wildlife?”
City Planners say that the high level of recreational use of the area is already impacting wildlife.
And City Planners quote the EDI report as saying that the area should not be managed as a
movement corridor for large mammals like bear and moose because of the potential for human wildlife conflicts. The EDI report proposes that a 250 meter natural buffer will solve the human wildlife conflicts and provide sufficient habitat and travel corridors for wildlife.
“It‟s unbelievable,” says Friends of McIntyre Creek President Dorothy Bradley. “It is astonishing
that the EDI report suggests that developing all the flat land north of the creek except a 250
meter buffer will improve the situation. Just imagine all of the people, dogs and wildlife
crammed into 250 meters – now we‟ll really see human-wildlife conflicts!”
“The area is already a travel corridor for large mammals,” says Baltgailis. “Do the planners
really think that bears are going to stop coming into the area? Imagine the conflicts once there
are houses and garbage cans right in their path.”
The groups are critical of several aspects of EDI‟s study. It only looks at the area as a movement
corridor for mammals, rather than as habitat for the wildlife that actually live there. In particular, birds were not studied at all. And the study only took place from spring to early fall of one year.
“The City obviously wanted certain answers and it appears that EDI gave them those answers,”
said Baltgailis. “The City kept the parameters of the study narrow, and now they‟re „spinning‟
the results. Just because no species would go extinct if Porter Creek D is built does not mean that
this is not a special place for wildlife, and for people.”
YCS and the Friends of McIntyre Creek are considering resigning from the Porter Creek D
Working Group.
“We were told when we agreed to be in the group that no decisions had been made and our input
about the values of McIntyre Creek would be duly considered as the City decides whether to
move ahead with development in Middle McIntyre Creek,” said Baltgailis. It was extremely
inappropriate for the City to send out a media release about the EDI report before it is available
to the public, or even to the Porter Creek D Working Group.
And it was even more inappropriate to then „spin‟ this report to say that the wildlife that use McIntyre Creek are not important. The people who use this area every day all year long will tell you that McIntyre Creek is important to wildlife, and to people!”
The Friends of McIntyre Creek and YCS are shocked at the City of Whitehorse‟s spin on a
McIntyre Creek Wildlife Corridor Assessment.
A City press Release says that the EDI report concludes that Porter Creek D and proposed roads
along and across McIntyre Creek would not negatively impact wildlife, provided mitigation
measures are undertaken.
“That‟s just plain nonsense,” said YCS Executive Director Karen Baltgailis. “Do City Planners
really think that Whitehorse residents are so stupid as to believe that clearing most of the forests
on all the flat land north of McIntyre Creek between the Alaska Highway and Mountainview
Drive, and building roads along and across the creek will not impact wildlife?”
City Planners say that the high level of recreational use of the area is already impacting wildlife.
And City Planners quote the EDI report as saying that the area should not be managed as a
movement corridor for large mammals like bear and moose because of the potential for human wildlife conflicts. The EDI report proposes that a 250 meter natural buffer will solve the human wildlife conflicts and provide sufficient habitat and travel corridors for wildlife.
“It‟s unbelievable,” says Friends of McIntyre Creek President Dorothy Bradley. “It is astonishing
that the EDI report suggests that developing all the flat land north of the creek except a 250
meter buffer will improve the situation. Just imagine all of the people, dogs and wildlife
crammed into 250 meters – now we‟ll really see human-wildlife conflicts!”
“The area is already a travel corridor for large mammals,” says Baltgailis. “Do the planners
really think that bears are going to stop coming into the area? Imagine the conflicts once there
are houses and garbage cans right in their path.”
The groups are critical of several aspects of EDI‟s study. It only looks at the area as a movement
corridor for mammals, rather than as habitat for the wildlife that actually live there. In particular, birds were not studied at all. And the study only took place from spring to early fall of one year.
“The City obviously wanted certain answers and it appears that EDI gave them those answers,”
said Baltgailis. “The City kept the parameters of the study narrow, and now they‟re „spinning‟
the results. Just because no species would go extinct if Porter Creek D is built does not mean that
this is not a special place for wildlife, and for people.”
YCS and the Friends of McIntyre Creek are considering resigning from the Porter Creek D
Working Group.
“We were told when we agreed to be in the group that no decisions had been made and our input
about the values of McIntyre Creek would be duly considered as the City decides whether to
move ahead with development in Middle McIntyre Creek,” said Baltgailis. It was extremely
inappropriate for the City to send out a media release about the EDI report before it is available
to the public, or even to the Porter Creek D Working Group.
And it was even more inappropriate to then „spin‟ this report to say that the wildlife that use McIntyre Creek are not important. The people who use this area every day all year long will tell you that McIntyre Creek is important to wildlife, and to people!”
Thursday, October 6, 2011
6 day photo challenge
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
This photo challenge is being run before the election by Archbould Photography. Check it out, and send in your photos.
Check out the link below for entries to the Photo Challenge.
http://www.facebook.com/ArchbouldPhotography
This photo challenge is being run before the election by Archbould Photography. Check it out, and send in your photos.
Check out the link below for entries to the Photo Challenge.
http://www.facebook.com/ArchbouldPhotography
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
CBC Interview Oct 4, 2011
Doris Bell interviewed Friends of McIntyre VP Gerry Steers at the McIntyre Creek during a walk with Reg Steers and the family pets. This video was filmed from the TV screen, and the barking dog is the black rottie, adding her comments to the video.
Trans Canada Trail Bridge over McIntyre Creek
The bridge that was built for skidoos and ATV's to cross the creek
was built too wide, and now there are cars using the bridge to cross.
The previous pedestrian bridge was damaged by recreational vehicles driving over it,
and now that it has been rebuilt to handle recreational vehicles, I am
concerned that cars driving over it will damage it, making it
unuseable.
McIntyre Creek Educational Value - Oct 4, 2011
For the second time in two weeks, a grade 4/5 class from Jack Hullund School was cycling in the area, scouting out where they would return for their Thursday science class. With so much educational activity and value in the McIntyre Creek wildlife corridor, it is really important to preserve the area, and stop the proposed road from Whistle Bend across the creek, and the development of Porter Creek D.
We need more than assurances from the City that they will set aside a mere 100 meter belt where construction would not happen. We need the Territorial Government, who own the land, to protect it and give it Park status where housing developments would not be allowed.
The Yukon College has not received their endowment lands for their educational purposes, and this should also be finalized before there are any discussions about putting either a road or houses in the area.
The City has clearly demonstrated that environmentally sensitive and protected areas as well as green belt areas are not safe from their land grab when they want to build houses. City Planner Mike Gau was quoted in the Whitehorse Star stating "times change, and so do needs", which puts any green space in Whitehorse in danger.
We need more than assurances from the City that they will set aside a mere 100 meter belt where construction would not happen. We need the Territorial Government, who own the land, to protect it and give it Park status where housing developments would not be allowed.
The Yukon College has not received their endowment lands for their educational purposes, and this should also be finalized before there are any discussions about putting either a road or houses in the area.
The City has clearly demonstrated that environmentally sensitive and protected areas as well as green belt areas are not safe from their land grab when they want to build houses. City Planner Mike Gau was quoted in the Whitehorse Star stating "times change, and so do needs", which puts any green space in Whitehorse in danger.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
