Trucks finally reach Old Crow, Yukon, after overflow prevented them for a week

A fleet of six trucks that had been prevented from getting into Old Crow, Yukon, for close to a week because of overflow from the Crow and Porcupine rivers finally made its way into the community on Thursday morning after an ice bridge was built.

The fleet, which had left Eagle Plains on Feb. 25, was stuck about 10 kilometres outside of Old Crow on a new ice road because of the overflow that was about a metre deep, according to Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Dana Tizya-Tramm.

"The overflow was so deep and so viscous, that it was just was not freezing over," he explained.

"It was going quite a distance and didn't look like it was going to be stopping anytime soon," he added. "It just couldn't be challenged by the trucks."

On Wednesday night, according to Old Crow resident Jason Van Fleet, a path on the south side of the Porcupine River was created but a truck got stuck in the overflow. It was pulled out safely.

An ice bridge was then built on the north side of the Porcupine River. Allsix trucks were able to use the bridge Thursday morning to reachthe community and unload the equipment they were carrying to help build facilities this spring and summer.

Cause for concern

Tizya-Tramm explained the overflow was caused by the heaviness of the ice on the rivers which, when it pushed down, caused water to come up at the confluence of the two rivers.

On Thursday morning, he told CBC's Yukon Morning that he's heard from many of his community's knowledge holders and elders that they've never seen anything like this before.

He said it was one more event in a constantly changing environment that is giving him cause for concern about ice roads in the future.

"We really depend on these ice roads," he said. "They're lifelines to our community."

He said last winter, he was north of the Crow River, about 20 minutes north of the community.

"And there was maybe an inch and a half of snow in the forest, and we're talking in December," he said.

He added they're seeing major reductions in bird populations, lakes that are emptying in rivers and forests that are leaning over banks.

"This affects every bit of our lives, from hunting to all of the rest," he said.

But he added they're working with other First Nations, looking for solutions on how to achieve carbon net zero emissions.