A new national park in the Yukon?

Grand Chief Ken Kyikavichik of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, Chief Dawna Hope of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, Nils Clarke, Minister of the Environment for the Yukon, and Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced their shared commitment to explore the feasibility of establishing a new national park in the Peel Watershed, situated in the Yukon and in the traditional territories of the Gwich'in and the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun.

The Peel Watershed holds great cultural significance and is central to the traditions, cultures, and ways of life for both the Gwich'in and the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun.

It is the habitat for the Porcupine caribou herd boasting a diverse landscape with free-flowing rivers, untouched boreal forest, and deep river canyons. The forests are essential for sustaining boreal caribou as well as other iconic Canadian species including grizzly bears, peregrine falcons, and moose.

The canyons welcome an abundance of waterfowl, birds of prey, and other migratory birds each spring, and the Peel River and its tributaries hold important spawning areas for whitefish and other important fish species.

The area being considered includes the Peel River corridor, Turner Lake Wetlands, and Caribou River. If established, the proposed new national park would permanently protect 3,000 square kilometres and would be the fourth national park in the Yukon Territory.