The executive director of the Yukon Conservation Society is steamed at the city.

Karen Baltgailis said this morning it was wrong for city hall to issue a press release on the contents of a report regarding the findings of a wildlife study in the McIntyre Creek area.

And it's obvious from the tone of the release the city is cherry-picking the study to present a view of its findings which favour the city's pro-development plans, she said.

Baltgailis said the society, along with the Friends of McIntyre Creek and the Porter Creek Community Association, are thinking about resigning from the city's working group watching over the proposed Porter Creek D development.

The city, she said, has announced its view of the report while it is still in a draft form, even before members of the working group have seen it.

Furthermore, the city's design of the study – not the quality of the research – is flawed, she said. It did not focus on birds, though the area provides nesting for at least four species that are in trouble down south.

Baltgailis said the research occurred just over four months, which is hardly long enough to make sound conclusions.

The report indicates the McIntyre Creek area is not an essential wildlife corridor, the city's release notes.

The release also says development in the area would not cause adverse effects on wildlife populations.

"This is just nonsense,” said Baltgailis. "This is just spin.

"Do they really think that Whitehorse residents are so stupid that they believe eradicating the forest there and leaving just a 250-metre corridor along the creek is not going to affect wildlife?”

Baltgailis said the society was expecting to issue its own release later this afternoon.

Consultants with EDI Environmental Consultants delivered their findings to city council at a special meeting Thursday.

City planning manager Mike Gau said the report will be made public as soon as the consultants provide their response to matters raised by city council.

Once that is done, the report will be delivered to the working group, as has been the plan all along, because it's standard practice to give the first glance of such studies to the people who are paying for the work, he said.

Gau expects the report will be available before next Thursday's open house to gather public input on the conclusions and recommendations of the wildlife research.

The manager of planning also dismisses the suggestion by Baltgailis that he's cherry-picking what recommendations to release, to put a city spin on things.

Gau said the recommendations are the recommendations, and they won't change even as EDI works to respond to questions raised by council at Thursday's meeting.

You just don't change conclusions made by professional, independent consultants, he insisted.

"How does she know if I'm spinning something if she has not seen the report?” asked Gau. "The press release includes statements right out of the report.

"... And that is why the methodology and conclusions were released, because they are not going to change.”

City council is scheduled to vote Dec. 12 whether to proceed with the Porter Creek D residential development and road across McIntyre Creek connecting Mountainview Drive and the Alaska Highway.

The proposed development has sparked huge debate in recent years.