The Narwhal https://thenarwhal.ca Deep Dives, Cold Facts, & Pointed Commentary en-US Copyright 2026 The Narwhal hourly 1 In the Yukon, the longest land migration on earth is under threat https://thenarwhal.ca/counting-porcupine-caribou-yukon/ Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=145748 Scientists are racing to count Porcupine caribou amid climate changes and ramped up pushes for oil and gas. Despite the odds, there’s optimism for the future Trina Moyles In-Depth climate change wildlife yukon Photo: Peter Mather Aerial view of the Porcupine caribou herd in the tundra of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Caribou vs. drilling: U.S. politics and the new phase of a multi-generational struggle in the Yukon https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-old-crow-porcupine-caribou/ Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:07:59 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=142180 The U.S. government is again moving to outright force drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, threatening both caribou and the Gwich’in people in northern Yukon who depend on them Trina Moyles In-Depth arctic Indigenous Rights oil and gas protected areas Spirits of Place wildlife yukon Two women skin bloody caribou heads on a table as a small crowd watches, including some people who are filming the activity on their phones. Iconic sled dog races — the ‘spirit of the North’ — face a reckoning https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-sled-dog-race-climate-change/ Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=132585 As historic sled dog races face extreme freeze-thaw cycles that put mushers and their dogs at risk, organizers are forced to make tough choices Trina Moyles On the ground climate adaptation climate change Climate Change News yukon Video: Michael Code A snowy landscape at twilight with a dogsled team. Why would Canadian taxpayers fund a dock in Alaska to serve mines that … don’t yet exist? https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-skagway-mining-dock-construction/ Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:38:02 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=116489 The Yukon’s plan to fund mining infrastructure in the U.S. has frustrated some residents, and left many more with questions Eva Holland Explainer mining yukon Photo: Michael Code / The Narwhal Panoramic photo of Skagway's port under mountains and a cloudy sky In the Arctic, a massive new Inuvialuit-led conservation area protects Porcupine caribou grounds https://thenarwhal.ca/aullaviat-anguniarvik-inuvialuit-conservation-area-yukon/ Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:30:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=110482 The Aullaviat/Anguniarvik Traditional Conservation Area is the final piece of a vast network protecting the northern stretch of the Yukon Ainslie Cruickshank News biodiversity caribou Indigenous protected areas Spirits of Place yukon Photo: Peter Mather The North is key to Canada’s critical mineral rush. Will its environment be protected this time? https://thenarwhal.ca/canadian-north-critical-mineral-strategy/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 11:00:00 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=82479 Old mines in the territories left polluted, scarred sites as they closed. As the federal government promotes northern resources for the green energy transition, this past serves as a lesson for the future Ed Struzik Analysis mining Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario peatland yukon Photo: Matt Jacques / The Narwhal Faro mine tailings pond; critical minerals, Yukon Territory, Canada Yukon at a crossroads with Fortymile caribou herd https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-yukon-fortymile-caribou-land-use-planning/ Tue, 05 Oct 2021 15:51:10 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=35977 Current land use planning for the herd’s range offers an opportunity to keep the volatile population on the right path Malkolm Boothroyd Opinion caribou hunting Indigenous mining yukon Photo: Malkolm Boothroyd Yukon Fortymile caribou conservation Fate of Yukon’s Dawson region hangs in coming land-use plan https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-dawson-land-use-plan-looms/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 22:25:57 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=29810 The Dawson region’s vibrant landscapes are at the heart of Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin culture — but also the territory’s bustling placer mining industry. A much-anticipated draft plan will finally signal what’s in store for the 40,000 square-kilometre, ecologically sensitive landscape Lori Fox In-Depth Indigenous mining protected areas yukon Photo: Peter Mather ‘It’s more than a party zone’: Kwanlin Dün accelerates land use planning as Yukoners flock to Fish Lake https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-kwanlin-dun-fish-lake/ Wed, 02 Jun 2021 17:28:05 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=29335 ‘I'm hoping that heightened awareness will result in people taking better care of the land and appreciating what we have’ Rhiannon Russell In-Depth Indigenous protected areas wildlife yukon Photo: Peter Mather A furry animal crossing a snowy road How eight idle wells might determine the future of oil and gas in Yukon https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-chance-oil-gas-idle-wells/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 22:24:31 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=29270 A plan to assess suspended wells in the territory’s Eagle Plains region is reigniting debate about fossil fuel development near the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are hitting harder, faster Carol Linnitt In-Depth climate change Indigenous natural gas oil and gas wells Porcupine Caribou wildlife yukon Photo: Peter Mather Yukon election 2021: where the Yukon Party, NDP and Liberals stand on climate and energy issues https://thenarwhal.ca/yukon-election-2021-environment-platforms-explained/ Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:02:23 +0000 https://thenarwhal.ca/?p=27335 Environment and energy issues can loom large in the North, which is natural resource rich and feeling the impacts of the climate emergency more acutely than the rest of the globe. With a territorial election race under way, here’s where the three major parties stand on climate, land use planning and clean energy Lori Fox Explainer climate change election Indigenous mining yukon