A road to a mine exploration site near Dawson City will go ahead, despite warnings from the territory's environmental screening board that its construction would be harmful to wildlife in the region.

In a July 18 decision, the Yukon's Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR) department, in conjunction with the federal Fisheries and Oceans department, overturned a Yukon Environment and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) recommendation "that the project will have significant adverse environmental effects on wildlife and wildlife habitat that cannot be mitigated."

In the five years since the YESAB process was implemented, the board has reviewed and made recommendations on 8,678 applications. Decision-making bodies that include the YTG, federal government and aboriginal governments have rejected a combined total of seven.

The primary concern expressed in the YESAB review affecting Dawson is that a road to Logan Resources Ltd.'s Shell Creek quartz project would open up sensitive sheep habitat to sport and subsistence hunters. According to the YESAB, the road could lead to a "decline in (sheep) populations."

Bob Holmes, the director of EMR's mineral resources branch, signed off on the decision document that overturned the YESAB recommendations and authorized amendments to land use permits, issued to Logan Resources Aug. 8.

"In this case, we decided that there was mitigation that could be put in place to address these residual effects," said Holmes. "It really had to do with managing access on the road."

Holmes said gate restriction on the road and a commitment from Logan Resources to decommission it when the project terminates were among conditions for construction to proceed.

He also said that before the company could build, it had to submit an engineered design plan for further approval.

Karen Baltgailis, the Yukon Conservation Society's executive director, said while the government is within its rights to overturn the recommendation, it's an issue the society will address during YESAB's five-year review, currently underway.

"We're very concerned about the attitude on the part of the government," said Baltgailis, adding she believes "YESAB did a very thorough job on the review ... they went out and talked to everybody possible.

"Basically, what's the point of having a review process if it isn't taken seriously by government?" she asked.

However, Holmes said the quartz exploration project, which was assessed and permitted in 2006, had always planned to have their land use permit amended "to do a couple of additional things."

The company also plans to augment a barge docking and fuel storage facility on the Yukon River.

Meanwhile, the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation, which expressed its opposition to the road in a June 6 letter to the YESAB, declined to comment.

"Where we're at right now is trying to get a face-to-face meeting with EMR, but as far as a comment on the decision, we're not there yet," said James MacDonald, natural resources director for the aboriginal organization.

As the YESAB's mandate is to review development projects in the Yukon, it is not a decision-making body and therefore, does not have an appeals process.