Ross River Dena Council, Yukon sign wildlife pact

The Ross River Dena Council and the Government of Yukon have signed an agreement creating the first collaborative fish and wildlife body in the territory that sits outside a treaty, the two governments said in a joint news release Monday.

Ross River Dena Council Chief Dylan Loblaw and Premier Currie Dixon signed the Fish and Wildlife Collaborative Stewardship Agreement on Oct. 14. It establishes a Collaborative Stewardship Authority as the main forum for the two governments to discuss fish, wildlife and habitat in the Ross River area.

The authority will have two delegates from each government. They will work on operational and strategic priorities and make recommendations to the Government of Yukon and the Ross River Dena Council.

“Ross River Dena Council is pleased to achieve this milestone with Yukon government to work collaboratively on the stewardship of fish and wildlife and their habitat within the Ross River Area,” Loblaw said in the release. He said the authority sits in Kaska territory and moves toward Kaska practices and ways of knowing and being.

Dixon called the authority “a major step toward strengthening our government-to-government relationship” and a dedicated forum for dialogue. Environment Minister Wade Istchenko said the agreement allows better integration of Tū Łī́dlini Dena laws, customs and traditions, including stewardship practices, with the government’s policy and program framework for fish and wildlife.

The agreement comes as Yukon’s government is working with other First Nations on land and resource decisions. Last week the territory and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in opened public input on the Dawson regional land use plan, and we have also reported on the Faro Mine cleanup contract.

The Yukon government’s release is posted on yukon.ca as news release 26-317.

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