Land use planning and the Peel’s future

By the 1990s, the Peel Watershed had become one of the most contested places in the Yukon. The Peel had provided physical and cultural nourishment to the First Nations who call the watershed home since time immemorial. Canoeing the Peel’s wild rivers and hiking breathtaking mountains were journeys of a lifetime. The entire region is a refuge for northern wildlife, birds and insects as the climate changes. At the same time, deposits of oil, gas, coal, uranium and other resources in the Peel attracted the eyes of mining companies and investors. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, a series of grassroots advocacy campaigns had sought to safeguard the watershed against industrial development. 

Still, the future of the Peel Watershed remained undecided. In 2006, a land use planning process began, designed to come to collaborative decisions about the future of the land. For years, the land use planning commission visited northern communities, studied the Peel, and began crafting a land use plan that would reflect people’s vision for the watershed.