The number of submissions on the hotly contested land use plan for the Peel River watershed is approaching 1,000.

The deadline for comments from the public was midnight Friday.

Yukon government spokesman Rod Jacob said this morning the official count was at 897, though he was still processing submissions received at the last minute.

"I would guess it will be somewhere around 1,000 by the time we get them all on there,” Jacob said.

He said he was unable at this point to say exactly how many support wilderness conservation and how many want to see the watershed remain open for development.

It is, however, evident the majority of submissions favour conservation, he added.

Under a schedule agreed to by the Yukon government and the four affected First Nation governments, the governments have agreed to deliver their response to the recommended plan no later than mid-December.

Three of the First Nations most affected by the planning exercise have come out in full support of maximum wilderness protection for the area.

If consensus cannot be reached by the governments, the final say will rest with the Yukon government, as 97 per cent of the planning area is territorial Crown land.

The debate over a land use plan for the Peel has been red hot from the very day the six-member planning commission released the first three options for public comment in January 2009.

The final recommended plan was released last December. The period for public comment on the proposal began in late July and closed Friday.

A DataPath Systems poll commissioned by the pro-conservation lobby last year indicated the majority of Yukoners favour wilderness protection.

The mining community, on the other hand, has argued if the plan recommended by the commission is accepted, it will all but kill exploration and the potential for mining across the 68,042 square kilometres.

Carl Schulze, president of the Yukon Chamber of Mines, said this morning while the time for the public to file submissions is over, the opportunity for political lobby is not.

"We are still going to work on what our next move is,” he said. "Where do we go from here?”

There is always more opportunity to lobby, said Schulze.

Karen Baltgailis of the Yukon Conservation Society agrees.

The society's executive director said she expects Yukoners will be keeping a close eye on the position of the three political parties.

One way or another, the land use plan for the Peel watershed will be an issue in the next territorial election, which must be held no later than next fall, she said.

Both the Yukon Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party have stated their support for the recommended plan.

The Yukon Party government has not put its position on record.