Chevron's decision to reclaim a fuel storage area in the Peel River watershed is good, says the mining analyst for the Yukon Conservation Society.

Lewis Rifkind is concerned, however, that the company's plan to make improvements to an old airstrip located next to the site on the banks of the Snake River could attract more use from other aircraft.

More air traffic would not be in keeping with the high degree of wilderness conservation identified for the area in the proposed land use plan for the Peel watershed, Rifkind said in an interview today.

In his written submission to the Yukon Environmental Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB), Rifkind asks that if Chevron lengthens the airstrip to conduct the reclamation work, that it be rolled back to its current length once the project is complete.

"It's great the company is doing the cleanup,” he said.

"The concern is that just by using the airstrip they are increasing the possibility that others will use it, and that does not mesh with the Peel recommended plan.”

Rifkind also notes in his submission to the assessment board that improvements to the airstrip should not be such that they would increase the value or attractiveness of Chevron's iron-ore leases nearby.

Chevron is planning on selling its Crest deposit, and using an improved airstrip to up the ante should not be a spinoff of the reclamation project, he said.

Chevron is proposing to remove a 191,000-litre (42,000-gallon) fuel tank that was built out of steel panels and bolted together in 1962 during the middle of a staking and exploration program that took place between 1961 and 1964.

In its submission to YESAB's office in Mayo, the company indicates it plans to take the tank apart and remove the steel.

The project also involves cleaning up and removing any contaminated soil that cannot be reclaimed on site, according to its proposal.

The project includes the use of a heavy-lift helicopter and short landing and take-off aircraft.

The company plans to begin work in June and continue through the summer. It plans to return in 2013 and 2014 if need be, according to its submission to YESAB.

Chevron does note that it is aware of the wildlife values in the area and their significant habitat locations.

The company's crew will be staying at an existing camp belonging to Bonnet Plume Outfitters.

The conservation society is asking YESAB to ensure the company is familiar with Environment Yukon's publications about flying in sheep and caribou country.

Minutes of a February meeting between Chevron officials and representatives of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun in Mayo indicate the company officials said Chevron was planning on selling the Crest iron-ore leases.

Ideally, said Rifkind, allowing the leases to lapse would be best for implementation of the recommended land use plan.

The land use plan recommended by the Peel Watershed Planning Commission has been rejected by the Yukon government, the primary player in the planning exercise, as 97 per cent of the 68,042 square kilometres is territorial Crown land.

The First Nations whose traditional territories run through the watershed have threatened the Yukon government with legal action for its rejection of the plan recommended by the commission.

The matter remains unresolved.

While the First Nations have called for maximum wilderness protection, more than 80 per cent of the watershed, the Yukon government wants to ensure industry has access while the government manages the access and protects sensitive areas.