Plans and Reports

The Kloo Wetland is an area of approximately 100 sq. km. of just over 340 small to medium sized ponds and lakes associated with the floodplain of the Jarvis River in the South Western Yukon. It includes two larger lakes, Kloo and Sulphur, and is about 30 km NW of the village of Haines  Junction, YT. In 1980, an area of 447 sq. km. including the wetland was identified as ‘critical’ wildlife habitat by map notation for Land Use decision purposes
(Yukon Waterfowl Management Plan, 1985, 1990). This designation was based simply on the obvious concentration of waterbodies and the area’s known value to wildlife species and to local people.

Wetlands are recognised in the Yukon as supporting a major portion of the territory’s biodiversity. Documenting wetland values at Kloo was a first step in developing conservation and management plans for the area. Two major sources for this data base are technical wetland analysis as reported here, and local traditional knowledge of the elders of the Champagne/Aishihik First Nation. This report is mostly the portion contributed by the former from a five-year period of field research (1988-93) although C.A. First Nation elder Frank Joe (deceased) gave valuable assistance with
the field logistics and offered good sound advice about the area generally.

The water birds of the area provided a powerful ‘focus’ of study. They are totally dependant on the functioning of the wetland ecosystem;  understanding their relative abundance, productivity and general use of the area gives a good ecosystem-level understanding of the critical features which will have to be protected if the wetland is to continue to function in the future.

2007. The Kloo wetland, a reconnaissance of its ecological diversity 1988-93. Northern Res. Inst. Ms 40 pp.