The Friends of McIntyre Creek will continue its push for a park designation, though it's looking like an uphill fight against city hall, says the founder of the organization.

Dorothy Bradley said today she's very upset with how the city issued a press release Friday indicating a recent wildlife study between Porter Creek and Yukon College is not essential wildlife habitat.

The city has stacked the deck since the day it designed the type of study it wanted, Bradley told the Star.

She said issuing the press release even before the city shared the results of the wildlife survey with the Porter Creek D working group is another example of how the city is pushing its agenda.

"I'm really, really upset,” Bradley said. "Betrayed is probably a little harsh, but I know I have been stabbed in the back.”

She said Friends of McIntyre Creek, like the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS), are thinking about resigning from the working group, and Bradley said she pretty much has her mind made up.

"When you have a working group, you are supposed to come to some agreement, but we have not had a chance to speak,” said the 45-year resident of Porter Creek. "The city has said this is the way it is.”

The two non-profit organizations issued their own press release Friday afternoon, accusing the city of loading the survey exercise in its favour and now spinning the results.

It is nonsense to suggested that turning the forested area between Porter Creek and Yukon College into another major subdivision would not impact wildlife, Karen Baltgailis, the YCS's executive director, said in the release.

Developing the area from the Alaska Highway and Mountainview Drive – known as middle McIntyre Creek – has been on the books for several years, though public resistance some five years ago stuffed the plan back on the shelf.

The proposal includes a road across the creek to provide a connection to the Alaska Highway from Mountainview and the new Whistle Bend subdivision.

As part of the ongoing debate over the proposal for the Porter Creek D development proposal, the city commissioned a wildlife study last spring.

The draft report was delivered to city council at a special noon-hour meeting last Thursday. An open house to gather public input on the proposal is scheduled for the High Country Inn between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday.

Bradley pointed out when the city began its review of the Official Community Plan a couple of years ago, she was ready. She had done her research and was ready to argue her belief the entire McIntyre Creek corridor from toe of Mount McIntyre down to the Yukon River should be designated as a park.

Back in 2000, she said, the city did an "extensive study” of the McIntyre Creek corridor, and the Coucher Creek corridor, which is across the Yukon River and downstream a little from the mouth of McIntyre.

"It said that Coucher Creek and McIntyre Creek were valuable wildlife corridors and should be kept as such,” Bradley said. "I do not think wildlife change their habits in 10 years.”

Bradley said Friends of McIntyre Creek will be represented at Thursday's meeting. It may not be her, because she's working in Dawson City this week, but there'll certainly be somebody there.

"We have put the word out.”

In its report to council, EDI Environmental Dynamics indicated middle McIntyre Creek is neither a viable wildlife corridor nor a long-term habitat area for moose, bear, deer and other large animals, and should not be managed as one.

The report recommends focusing on a 250-metre corridor along both sides of the creek to provide for the movement of smaller animals like coyotes, foxes, otters and other water animals.

Implementing a management plan for middle McIntyre Creek would improve the 250-metre strip as a corridor for smaller animals, as the amount of human and motorized traffic through the area is currently unchecked, and a disturbance, the report suggests.

The city's press release on Friday says: "A housing development and potential transportation linkage in the McIntyre Creek area would not negatively impact wildlife provided mitigation measures are taken, a wildlife study on the area has concluded.”

Said Bradley: "It is really disappointing to see these people can't see the other side of things.”