Images of McIntyre Creek - College Takhini Area - Photos by Gerry Steers

Creek in winter- bridge across the Canada Trail

Late summer/early fall greenery on the wider trail off Mountain View / Pine Street
Bridge across the Trans Canada Trail down from Yukon College
Fallen trees across the Creek on the Upper Trail behind the Yukon College
A pond created by beaver dams where hiking dogs like to swim - across from the water station
Upper trail viewing the pond created by the beavers, and viewing the water station and the new bridge crossing the creek.

Ugly Duckling??

On our Easter Sunday hike through the trails of McIntyre Creek, we spotted this lone swan hanging out with a flock of ducks. It brought back the memory of the children's story, where the swan was considered an "ugly duckling". I thought it was rather strange to see a single swan, and wondered how it had gotten separated from its flock.

Spring is on its way & Jane Goodall Comments

Spring is quickly melting the Creek. Only a week ago, this was still frozen, and now it is rushing towards the Yukon River.

I was reading a Readers Digest (November 2010) interview with Jane Goodall, the world famous primatologist, and found these comments relevant to our City's development plans.

"RD: Is our planet better or worse off today than it was when you first began your work in 1960?

Goodall: In most ways, it is worse off. The human population has soared, as has the damage to the ecosystem. We still face the loss of species and the threat from climate change . I think we've lost wisdom. We don't ask how decisions made today will affect generations to come, but instead how they affect the bottom line. Perhaps there has been a separation between the clever brain and the heart - the seat of love and compassion."

I believe this is where our City officials are, in that they only are concerned with the bottom line, and not how their decisions will affect future generations and the ecosystem. It is up to the people like you, members of the Friends of McIntyre Creek who still care about the ecosystem, to make their voices known to the Officials as well as the public, and hopefully we can make them see the light before it is too late, and the wildlife corridor is destroyed with Porter Creek D. The City of Whitehorse advertises itself as a Wilderness City, so we need them to step up and prove it by not destroying the wilderness that is easily accessible from our neighbourhoods within our City.

Bridges Across McIntyre Creek - December 2010

I have to admit, that with the weather being so cold, and the work closing the bridge closest to the Yukon College, I have not been hiking my usual trails. However, today with close to zero temperatures, I took the hike to see what changes had happened.

The bridge closest to the water station had been finished weeks ago, and is now a busy snow mobile trail. As I feared, more snowmobile access has also increased the snowmobiles on trails where they are not to go, but the tracks in the snow tell the tale, as well as attempted blockades to prevent their access.

The bridge closest to the College was the biggest surprise. For years I complained to the City that the pole barriers were often set too wide, which still allowed motorized vehicles on some of the trails & bridges, where they were not supposed to go. I was told that they had to have them wide enough for wheel chair access. Now honestly, I doubted very much any wheel chair would want to traverse those hills and trails, but that was their explanation. The new bridge nearest the College has steps on both sides to get onto to the bridge. Hmmmm....I wonder how a wheel chair is supposed to access the bridge now? Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying that the steps should be turned into ramps, but it makes me question the reasoning in the replies I got from the City.

At any rate, here are some photos of the bridges being built and finished. Now that the weather has warmed up, I am sure more folks will be out and about enjoying the McIntyre Creek trails.

Gerry

New Bridges - McIntyre Creek November 2010

Well the "trail closed" signs have been up for several weeks, but as of November 18, 2010, it is for real. The work on the pedestrian bridge by the Water Station (Takhini area) has now closed the bridge, and will likely be closed at least until Monday 22nd. The small log bridge is still accessible further up the trail. I have been taking photos as the various stages of the bridge have progressed, from the foundations, to the dropping of the beams, and will post photos at a later date on Flickr. But for now, this is the current stage of the snowmobile access bridge.

I had hoped that the rail would be left up to separate the pedestrian path from the snowmobiles, but unfortunately, it will become one bridge for all to access.

The creek has been flooding, and whether it is an ice jam further down, or an increase water flow is hard to determine, but the water is moving very quickly, and could hamper the replacement of the bridge closer to the College if it continues to rise.

McIntyre Creek Walk August 8, 2010 with Tami Hamilton

McIntyre Wetland Hike was sponsored by FOMC and the YCS lead by Tammy Hamilton.

The walk started at the Alaska Highway and went upstream from the highway along the shore adjacent to Raven’s Ridge.

The bird is some kind rare blackbird. Photographer was Jeff Marynowski

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.

McIntyre Beach?

It isn't my idea of a beach, but this is the second time in two weeks I have seen people relaxing on the small gravel area at McIntyre Creek by the pumphouse.
This just shows Yukoners are tough folks, and the pleasure we get from being around McIntyre Creek, is worth any discomfort we might feel from lying on the gravelly "beach".

Flowers

It is easy to walk by the many blossoms that are flooding McIntyre Creek these days, but this blossom caught my attention. Do you know what it is? Yes, it is the common dandelion, the plant we all consider a nasty weed, yet if you let yourself observe the flower, you will see it is truly beautiful. We fight so hard to grow flowers in our gardens, and hate the dandelion, but it really is an amazing plant. You can eat the leaves, it has beautiful flowers, and it doesn't need to be babied, as it grows in even the most difficult soils. So maybe we should slow down and observe some of the beauty nature offers us, which requires nothing from us, but to enjoy.
Photo by Gerry Steers

Family Enjoys McIntyre Creek Picnic

This photo was taken today, of a family enjoying the little "beach" at McIntyre Creek, with a family picnic. The temperature was 19C, and the cold water cooled the children, as they played in the water, and on the rocks. Most people might not consider this a "beach", but our McIntyre Creek provides much enjoyment for many people without leaving the City, even if our "beach" is micro sized.
Photo by Gerry Steers, Gerry's Computer Magic

Biodiversity of McIntyre Creek

Gerry Steers, the creator of the Friends of McIntyre Creek biodiversity poster, is shown standing beside her creation. This poster will be present at many of the upcoming events in Whitehorse, so you will be able to get a closer view of the wildlife, and photos of the various activities that take place in our proposed McIntyre Creek park area.

The photos in the poster are all taken from the McIntyre Creek area. Most of the photos are Gerry's, but we did get submissions from other photographers as well, and they have been given credit on the poster for their submissions.

McIntyre Creek - Samurai Club June 2009

Some of the characters and creatures found playing along McIntyre Creek during the week.

The McIntyre Creek is used for nature hikes and education, as well as for events such as this where there is plenty of room for fantasies to be played out for the enjoyment of the participants, as well as people who like myself, came across them and wondered what these unusual creatures were doing dashing about in the woods.

Photos by Gerry Steers - Gerry's Computer Magic

Flowers Along McIntyre Creek Hiking Trails

Except for the purple crocus (center top), which is the first flower we see in spring, this is a composite of the June flowers currently in bloom along the hiking trails surrounding McIntyre Creek. The Wild Roses should be the next flowers to blossom, and will enhance the hiking experience with their wonderful fragrance. There are carpets of tiny mauve flowers that almost appear as ground cover, growing in and around rocks, and in the clay soil. I don't need to know the names of these flowers to enjoy them on my hikes. Now is a great time to experience the McIntyre Creek trails and enjoy our wilderness City.

Photos by Gerry Steers
Gerry's Computer Magic

Hot days in June at McIntyre Creek

It may only have a rocky gravel shoreline for a beach, but Whitehorse citizens and their canines are happy to cool off playing in the McIntyre Creek waters on a hot June day.

Vandals Strike Again - May 31, 2009

It never ceases to amaze me how limited the mental capacity is in vandals who needlessly destroy property. This bridge that crosses McIntyre Creek was vandalized between Saturday, May 30 at 3 pm and Sunday, May 31 at 3 pm, by destroying the right side railings. What motivates individuals to destroy public property? If you see anyone who looks suspicious or know anything about this vandalism, please report it to the City and the RCMP. We hope citizens will keep their eyes open to help catch these vandals, and possibly prevent further damage.
Reported by Gerry - a Friend of McIntyre Creek
June 3, 2009 Update - I am happy to report that the bridge has been repaired. Thanks to the City of Whitehorse for taking quick action on this repair.

Barrow's Golden Eye

Photo by Julius Debuschewitz
I noticed the duck in the pond at Icy Waters (the first pond). The photo was taken on the morning of May 18, 2009, with a Canon 50D camera and a Canon 100-400 L lens (focal length 400 mm). We often go down there when we are at the actual Marsh to take a look...
Julius

History of Yukon Fish & Game in McIntyre Creek - Jon Carney April 1, 2009