Both the city and territory will be asked to place a moratorium on any development along McIntyre Creek while the Yukon government considers the possibility of creating a territorial park around the creek.

The Friends of McIntyre Creek are set to propose the idea at a public meeting set for next Wednesday at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

At that gathering, the group will present its idea for an urban natural park serving as both a wildlife and bird migratory corridor and a sight for hiking, cycling, skiing and other outdoor activities, Dorothy Bradley, who headed up the organization last year, told the Star Tuesday afternoon.

"It runs the length of the creek," she said of the proposed park, noting it would also include land surrounding the waterway.

Bradley first proposed the idea of protecting the creek last year when she called a meeting in Porter Creek. From that session, the Friends of McIntyre Creek were born.

Bradley said she didn't want the issue to become one that's viewed as NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard) so it was important to involve everyone who had an interest in McIntyre Creek.

The other side of NIMBYism though is the developers' PIIMP - Put It In My Pocket - attitude, she said.

The protection of McIntyre Creek goes beyond NIMBYism though, she said.

Bradley was pleased at that first meeting when a variety of clubs, organizations and individuals from many neighbourhoods in the city (including those not around McIntyre Creek) came on board with the new group.

Among those involved are the Porter Creek and Takhini North community associations, the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, the Yukon Fish and Game Association and the Klondike Snowmobile Association.

While Bradley didn't have the exact number of hectares that would make up the park's area, she described the 23 hectares offered by Icy Waters as the size of a person's little finger compared to their entire hand.

Bordering both Ta'an Kwachan Council and Kwanlin Dun First Nation land, both governments have been asked to be involved as well, with the Kwanlin Dun still considering and the Ta'an opting not to, given the amount of other work it has underway.

Easily the largest number of the area's users are cross-county skiers with the ski club's trails running through much of the proposed park, Bradley said.

Mushers also make use of the area, as do snowmobilers.

While Bradley envisions a "natural urban park," snowmobiles would not be restricted from entering the park.

As she explained, a marked trail set aside for snowmobiles would allow riders a specific route to get off the road and to the hinterland, rather than having riders in all areas of the park.

"(A rider) needs that trail," she said.

Entrances to the snowmobile route would be provided in Takhini and Porter Creek.

The park, she suggested, could also be used down the road to attract tourists, with more and more travellers taking trips to see wildlife.

Eventually that would also mean hiring staff to manage the number of people who can make use of the park at any one time due to the impact on vegetation, she added.

"I think we can do it," Bradley said, after stating it would be some time before that would happen.

Establishing a park now, she continued, would mean avoiding much of the reclamation work many communities in the south have had to do to in developing parks such as the Fish Creek Park in Calgary.

She acknowledged there would be at least a bit of reclamation to clean up some areas around McIntyre Creek, though it would not be on the same scale as other cities have seen.

Just getting a park established would take some time.

Bradley said she doesn't expect the territory would make it happen within a year, and in fact it could take upwards of four years as it also continues working on management plans for other areas of the Yukon.

Adding to the matter is the location of the creek being in the city, which would involve both levels of government.

"They'll have to go through the process," she said.

Though the park would be in the city, the Friends of McIntyre Creek are proposing it as a territorial park due to its larger scale and the extensive plan the group has for its future.

"To my mind, it's beyond the resources of the city," she said, pointing out the territory is more likely to have the means to run a staffed park than the city has.

With a park likely some years off, the Friends of McIntyre Creek will ask the city and territory to apply a moratorium to the area until a decision on whether to move ahead with a park is made.

Mayor Bev Buckway said this morning she would have to see the group's proposal before taking a position on a proposed moratorium.

She plans to attend next week's meeting to get more detail on the plan.

Territorial government officials didn't return phone calls from the Star seeking comment.

Following a government decision on whether to move ahead with a park, the Friends of McIntyre Creek would then decide how it would proceed.

If it's a go, the group would then likely move toward becoming an official society and continue its work on the park, coming up with a detailed plan on what needs to be done and the regulations around its use.

"There's a lot of publicity that's going to have to happen," she said.

It would be a number of years before the long-term vision of the park - such as managing the number of people using it - would be realized.

For now, the group will focus on getting set for next week's meeting, which will start at 7 p.m.