YG takes Peel road show north in January

The Yukon government has released dates for its remaining community meetings on the Peel watershed land use plan.

Old Crow is the first stop. On Jan. 14 officials will host a lunch at noon and hold an open house from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the community hall.

The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation has two site specific claims in the northwest corner of the Peel watershed, but of greater concern is the Peel's role as the wintering ground for the Porcupine caribou herd.

Aklavik, N.W.T. is next on the list. The community of 550 is located on the Peel channel of the Mackenzie Delta. Many of its Gwich'in residents have ties to the watershed to the south.

The government will hold a two-hour open house there on Jan. 15, beginning at 1 p.m. at the First Nation offices' boardroom. 

The Gwich'in of Aklavik are one of four groups that make up the N.W.T.'s Gwich'in Tribal Council. The other three are based in Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic and Inuvik.  

The Yukon government will visit Tsiigehtchic, formerly known as Arctic Red River, on Jan. 22. Lunch will be served from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and the open house will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chief Paul Niditchie School.

The meeting in Fort McPherson, a community of about 800 located on the banks of the lower Peel River, will be held on Jan. 23 at the Johnny Charlie Hall. There'll be lunch from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and an open house from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

The largely Tetlit Gwich'in community has the strongest ties to the watershed. It has a rich history in the region and still relies heavily on fish from the river and caribou from the land.

The final community open house will be held in Inuvik on Jan. 24. It will be at the Mackenzie Delta Hotel's conference room from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The government has already held open houses in Whitehorse, Mayo and Dawson.

The public has until Feb. 25 to submit comments on the final recommended plan.