Friends of McIntyre Creek
Friends of McIntyre Creek is an advocacy group dedicated to protecting McIntyre Creek for the benefit of all! Their objectives include: education, awareness-raising activities, as well as wildlife and fish habitat enhancement and improvement projects.
The initiative provides the community with an opportunity to exchange ideas, and become involved in the management of McIntyre Creek Urban Natural Park.
A partnership between The Friends of McIntyre Creek and the Yukon Conservation Society was started to host hikes along the creek. These organizations worked together to conduct recreational users surveys and brochures for self-guided hikes in Middle McIntyre Creek.
Friends of McIntyre Creek continue to lead the campaign for formal protection of McIntyre Creek, including the area proposed for development for Porter Creek “D”.
What They Do
In a collaborative project The Friends of McIntyre Creek and the Yukon Invasive Species Council, organize garbage pick-ups and weed-pulls focused on the invasive plants Sweet Clover and Narrow-leaved Hawks Beard.
These invasive plants are taking over areas in Yukon, choking out native species and negatively effecting the food chain as these species have very little nutritional value for the wildlife in this region.
Lets Learn About McIntyre Creek!
McIntyre Creek or the Chasàn Chùa Corridor started out as a glacial meltwater channel, growing into a valuable wildlife and recreation area in Yukon’s capital city, Whitehorse. This area is the original territories of the Ta’an Kwach’an and Kwanlin Dun First Nations.
McIntyre Creek has a vast abundance of biodiversity along the creek - some of which are considered species at risk. The study by AEM (2000) that identified Significant Wildlife Areas and areas of high environmental sensitivity in Whitehorse found that McIntyre Creek is composed of a network of Significant Wildlife Areas with high to moderate environmental sensitivity.
The City has proposed a handful of regional parks in Whitehorse, that will be managed by the City; McIntyre Creek is one of those parks. The City has explored several subdivision expansion plans, to keep up with the growing population.
One of the subdivisions being proposed would extend straight into the McIntyre Creek corridor and has been strongly opposed by several local groups. They have advocated for legal protection of McIntyre Creek which includes the area with the proposed subdivision. They have voiced concern related to the negative effects it will have on wildlife- those depending on McIntyre Creek as their primary habitat, as well using it as a corridor to travel to other wilderness areas, both East and West of the park.
McIntyre Creek plays an important role as a local wilderness recreational area, and acts as an accessible spot for people to relax and connect with nature- which plays an even more significant role post-covid, with isolation and limited activities available.
Thank you for the helpful profile McIntyre Creek/Chasàn Chùa - CPAWS Yukon!
McIntyre Creek is an Ecological Corridor
What is an Ecological Corridor?
“To continue to play their important role, protected and conserved areas must also be connected. That is where ecological corridors come into play.
Ecological corridors are areas of land and water that allow species to move, and natural processes to flow freely across large landscapes.”
McIntyre Creek is the only corridor in the Whitehorse area which allows wildlife movement through the park to access other wildlife areas to the East and West of the park. The corridor is especially important for movement of between their wintering and summering grounds, and for salmon spawning and migration.
Ecological Corridors
Assist with adaption to climate change.
Reduce effects of human activity and development on wildlife areas
improve the ecological integrity of protected and conserved areas
Connecting diverse habitats required for migration and different stages of life.
They support important ecological services, such as: food, clean air, as well as nutrient, and water cycles.
Supporting the coexistence of human and wildlife while also supporting recreational activities and the connection with nature.
National Program for Ecological Corridors - Science and conservation (pc.gc.ca)
The Wildlife of McIntyre Creek
McIntyre Creek is a park that’s rich in biodiversity, which ranges from plants, to invertebrates, to mammals- some of which are considered species at risk. Coyote, red fox, Leafy Thistle, Black-capped Chickadee and Slimy Sculpin are a handful of species living in the park year-round.
There are various species that use the area to travel between wildlife areas, or for important life stages, which include black bear, lynx and moose. Conservation of habitats that these species rely on is critical for sustaining their long-term use of the area.
