City of Whitehorse Compost
Compost is now available at the landfill gatehouse!
For $6.00 you get a 20 L bag of high-grade compost. Refill your bag for $5.00. Stop by any day from 7am-5pm at the City of Whitehorse landfill gatehouse.
Possible Increase in Barge Traffic
Yukon River, between Independence Creek and Dawson City
Yukon River travelers are advised that barges may be operating on the Yukon River between Independence Creek and Dawson City. Barge landings are located near Independence, Thistle, Frisco and Lucky Joe/10 Mile Creeks, and just south of Henderson Creek.
Yukon Energy Corporation
Survey on Yukon’s future energy needs
Participants could win an Apple IPad
The Yukon Energy Corporation is interested in your views on Yukon's future energy needs.
If you wish to be entered in our draw for an Apple iPad, you will be asked for your name and a contact phone number at the end of the survey. You must be 18 years or older to be eligible for the prize draw. No personally identifiable information related to your responses to survey questions will be collected or shared.
Visit http://www.yukonenergy.ca/ and click on the blue tab that says “Take Our Short Survey to win an Apple IPad”.
Bison Hunt Rules for 2010-11 Season
Minor Changes from Last Year
Bison hunters will find only a few rules changed for the 2010-11 season. The annual allowable harvest has been set at 300 animals this season. The bison hunting workshop remains optional.
There are two hunting areas only this season:
- Bison Extended Season Area – hunting permitted Sept. 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. This includes what was called the ‘exclusion area’ last year, along with a 1-km-wide strip west of the North Klondike Highway from Whitehorse to Braeburn and a 3-km-wide strip north of the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to the Slims River Bridge.
- Bison Management Area – hunting permitted from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2010 and Feb. 15 to March 31, 2011. This is the same area as last year and covers most of Game Management Zone 5, which includes the bison core range. There is now a six-week break mid-winter to give wildlife in the area a reprieve from noise and disturbance.
The bag limit remains one bison per hunter per year. Kill reports must be made to an Environment Yukon office within 72 hours of harvest.
Hunters should refer to the Yukon Hunting Regulations Summary 2010-11 for more information. The summary and detailed maps will be available shortly from any Environment Yukon office or from the Environment Yukon website. Videos on how to identify the sex of a wood bison and how to field dress a bison are also available online.
Environment Yukon relies on advice from the Bison Management Committee and the Bison Technical Committee when setting rules for the bison hunt. The technical committee has representatives from local First Nation governments, Renewable Resources Councils, the Government of Canada, and stakeholders such as the Yukon Fish and Game Association and the Yukon Outfitters Association. The management committee consists of various directors from Environment Yukon, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation.
Wood bison are still considered a threatened species in Canada. Thanks to recovery programs the Canada-wide population has climbed to about 3,000 animals in the wild today from just 300 in the early 1900s, with Yukon’s herd numbering about 1150 animals.
For more info Nancy Campbell, Yukon Environment Communications
867-456-6794, nancy.campbell@gov.yk.ca
World Wildlife Fund
Petition re: Drilling in the Arctic
Ask the Canadian government to protect the Arctic from a tragedy like the one in the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, there are no known mechanisms for cleaning up an oil spill in the harsh, icy waters of the Arctic.
Please call on the federal government to halt offshore drilling for oil until or unless we can safeguard our environment, our marine species, and our coastal communities.
Join WWF-Canada in petitioning our government to reduce the risk to Canada's Arctic. Take action at:
http://wwf.ca/conservation/oceans/oil_spill_petition.cfm
Whitehorse Rapids Fish Ladder
Opens June 1st
Mon – Fri 9 am to 5 pm in June
Seven Days a Week 9 am to 9 pm in July/August
There’s always something to see and do at the Whitehorse Rapids Fishladder.
- Come see the Chinook salmon and local freshwater fish travel through the ladder.
- Get up close and personal with the fish in our aquariums.
- Use our high powered microscope to see fish like you’ve never seen them before.
- Check out our underwater camera system and our ‘salmon cam’ that allows viewing of the fish from a home computer by going to www.yukonenergy.ca and looking for the link from the home page.
- Listen to elders’ stories in our First Nations tent (starting in July)
- Learn from our many information panels and displays that can be found throughout the property
- Enjoy our special public art piece, created by dozens of Yukoners
Entrance by donation (suggested $3 per person) or ask about our $10 season pass that will give you and your entire family entrance to the fish ladder all summer.
More info at 867-633-5965 or www.yukonenergy.ca
Water Smart Contest for your Garden
Deadline for Entering July 15th, 2010
The Yukon Conservation Society is setting sail on a Whitehorse-wide Water Conservation Education Campaign in the spring, summer, and fall of 2010 to help promote water (and energy) conservation through reduction of household water consumption. There's also a nifty Water Smart Contest for your garden - here's the registration form. Deadline for entering is June 15th, 2010!!!! More details at www.yukonconservation.org.
Burning Permits Required in the Yukon
April 1st – September 30th
Remember, you need a valid permit to light an open fire. If you plan to burn grass, brush or debris between April 1 and September 30, you are required to obtain a Burning Permit. Burning Permits are required for all PUBLIC and PRIVATE lands (subject to municipal bylaws).
Burning Permits are free. Obtain a free permit from you local Wildland Fire Management or Client Services District Office.
For safe burning tips and information visit the Wildland Fire Management website: www.community.gov.yk.ca/firemanagment/prm.html
Report wildlfires: 1-888-798-FIRE (3473)
Yukon Recycling Club celebrates 15 years
Ends November 13th, 2010
Yukon youth aged four to 16 are invited to participate and collect points with the Recycling Club starting this Saturday.
The club celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. It is financially self-supporting, with funding from the surcharges on each beverage container sold in Yukon. Each year Environment Yukon staff organizes the program materials, community recycling depots deliver the Recycling Club program and Raven Recycling administers it.
The first day Recycling Club members can collect points is Saturday, May 15. Membership applications are available before the stating date. Dates to remember for 2010 are:
- November 13: Last day to claim Recycling Club points for empty beverage containers;
- December 22: Last day to use points to order a prize certificate; and
- January 8, 2011: Last day to redeem prize certificates at participating businesses.
The Recycling Club brochure is available at schools, community recycling depots, Environment Yukon offices, and the Environment Yukon website. This year prizes range from book certificates and ski passes to cameras, skateboards and bikes.
For more information visit www.ravenrecycling.org.
Nisutlin River Delta – Public Notice
National Wildlife Area
The Nisutlin River Delta National Wildlife Area (NWA), Yukon, protects a fall staging area for migratory waterfowl. Federal regulations prohibit and restrict many activities within the NWA.
The NWA is open to hunting and fishing for the 2010-2011 season. Territorial and federal hunting and fishing regulations apply. It is unlawful to use lead sinkers weighing less than 50 grams (1 ¾ ounces). Motorized boats (with the exception of airboats and hovercrafts) and snowmobiles are allowed. All other vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles, are prohibited. A complete list of prohibited and restricted activities is available from Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service; call 867-667-3930. Visitors should be aware of the potential hazards of military debris within the NWA.
Hazardous Materials Warning: Be advised that Nisutlin Bay, including the area within the Nisutlin River Delta NWA, is a former bombing range used by the Department of National Defence as a training area for aircraft. Military explosives and hazardous debris may remain in Nisutlin Bay and could cause serious injury or death.
What to do if you see a suspicious object on land or in water: do not disturb it. Contact the RCMP at 867-390-5555 (Teslin) or 867-667-5555 (Whitehorse). Do not use a cellphone or satellite phone near the object. To obtain more information on unexploded explosive ordnance, please visit the Department of National Defence’s Unexploded Explosive Ordnance and Legacy Sites Program website at www.uxocanada.forces.gc.ca.
Yukon Conservation Society
Renting Office Space
The Yukon Conservation Society is seeking renters for 2 small offices in the basement of the YCS building in Whitehorse at 302 Hawkins Street. Available immediately.
One Office ($450.00) is approx. 100 sq. feet
Additional Office space option (for $150 more) is another approx. 65 sq. feet.
The offices are equipped with independent phone service.
Included in the price:
- High-speed cable internet and 2 email addresses
- Shared fax and photo copier
- Heat and utilities
- Free car parking (2 spaces) plus bike rack
- Shared kitchenette
- Shared 1.5 bathrooms
- Shared meeting room
Other added benefits:
- central downtown location with lots of free parking in the area
- large outdoor patio
- home-style work space
- friendly volunteer/public atmosphere
- mail service to the building
- lots of storage space in the main office
- these offices are warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Phone Georgia at YCS: 668-5678 for more details.
Whitehorse Green Guide is now available.
2010 Whitehorse Green Guide Website Launch
This first edition of the Whitehorse Green Guide is now available. The guide is in the form of a website with a search toolfor information about where to find ‘green’ products and services in Whitehorse. The website includes additional resources and information on green principles and practices and provides links to other supporting information and resources. For the purposes of the guide, we have defined ‘green’ products and services as those which have one or more of the attributes and/or certifications that promote any or all of the following outcomes: increased energy efficiency; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; reduction of toxins; and/or waste reduction. The Whitehorse Green Guide has been developed to help people in Whitehorse identify where and what green products and services are available in Whitehorse and to provide information to help people make more sustainable choices.
Check it out! 2010 Whitehorse Green Guide website: http://www.taiga.net/whitehorsegreenguide/
Partners for the green guide include: Northern Climate ExChange, Yukon College; Energy Solutions Center, YG; Climate Change Secretariat, YG; Yukon Federal Council; City of Whitehorse.
For more info Lacia Kinnear, NCE Coordinator, Northern Research Institute
500 College Drive, PO Box 2799, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5K4 , tel 867.668.8862, www.yukoncollege.yk.ca
Two new Yukon regional bird checklists
Birds of Dawson and Birds of Whitehorse
The Yukon Bird Club is pleased to announce the publication of two new regional bird checklists.
The Checklist of the Birds of Dawson provides the first comprehensive seasonal checklist of the Klondike region. This is the very first edition of this checklist and we are eager to hear about anyone's sightings in the area that will improve its accuracy.
The Checklist of the Birds of Whitehorse was first published in 1995, and since then a remarkable 47 new species have been seen in the area. In particular, the remarkable number of unusual birds seen in Whitehorse leaves no doubt that the area is an outstanding rarity hotspot.
Paper copies of the checklists are available at the Whitehorse public library, the Alpine Bakery, the Whitehorse visitor's centre, and the Dawson visitor's centre. If anyone would like a bunch of checklists then just email your request.
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Yukon Bird Club
Box 31054, Whitehorse, YT, Y1A 5P7
yukonbirdclub@gmail.com
www.yukonweb.com/community/ybc/
Bird Observatories in the Yukon
Teslin Lake Bird Observatory: Site operating in August – September. For more info contact Ben Schonewille (teslin.bird.banding@gmail.com).
Plant a Row – Grow a Row
Whitehorse Food Bank
Growing a garden this summer? Plant a little extra!
Plant A Row – Grow A Row invites all gardeners to grow an extra row of vegetables and donate the harvest to the Whitehorse Food Bank. All fresh produce is needed and will be appreciated.
Step 1: Plant your seeds and nuture your garden. Step 2: Harvest your produce, wipe the excess soil off, and deliver the produce directly to the Whitehorse Food Bank during the drop-off hours. Step 3: Feel good about helping and connecting with your community!
Drop Off Information:
Whitehorse Food Bank, 306 Alexander Street
Mon – Wed 1 – 4 pm
Tues – Thu 9 – 12 am
For more information call the Whitehorse Food Bank at 393 BANK (2265).
Growing Forward
Agriculture Canada Programs
Growing Forward creates a climate for farmers to grow their operations.
Are you a farmer or do you work in agri-business? Find out how Growing Forward programs and services can help you:
Build profitable farming operations
Access markets around the world
Develop tools for a new generation of farmers and agri-business professionals
Obtain funding to cover farm margin declines
Stimulate innovation and investments in agri-businesses
Safeguard the environment
And much more…
For more information www.agr.gc.ca/growingforward or 1-877-842-5604.
Good Energy Rebate Today, Savings Tomorrow
Energy Solutions Centre
Yukon Government – Energy Mines and Resouces
Look for Yukon's good energy label on qualifying energy-efficient kitchen and laundry appliances, solar hot water systems, pellet and wood stoves, propane and oil heating appliances, and outboard motors.
A qualified good energy product will get you a rebate of $100 - $500 now form the Energy Solutions Centre, and at least that much again in energy savings over time.
Get rebate application forms and details at local stores that sell good energy products, call the Energy Solutions Centre at 393-7063 or toll-free 1-800-661-0408 ext. 7063, or visit www.esc.gov.yk.ca
Put some good energy into your future.
Arctic Peoples, Culture, Resilience and Caribou IPY project Website
The Arctic Peoples, Culture, Resilience and Caribou IPY project has just launched its website. Basic information on the project is available now and more content will be loaded over the coming months.
The site can be viewed at: http://www.ipycaribou.ca
Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA) Online registry (YOR).
The YOR is the electronic registry that allows public access to documents and information associated with assessments under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA). To provide your comments on current proposed projects visit www.yesab.ca/registry
Yukon Water Board Online Water Use License Applications.
In accordance with the Waters Act, the Yukon Water Board gives notice of applications they have received for water use licences, to give the opportunity for any person who wishes to request that a public hearing be held regarding the application to submit a written request by the deadline given in the notice. To view the list of current applications and deadlines, go to http://www.yukonwaterboard.ca/applications.htm. To view specific information on an application, click on the application register. License applications that have been approved are listed on the Water Use Licences page at; http://www.yukonwaterboard.ca/licences.htm.