“It’s a pretty important area that we need to conserve to protect our interests for future generations,” Dylan Loblaw told CBC News. “We need to have that balance.”

According to a funding proposal to the Canada Nature Fund, the First Nation wants to protect roughly 41,000 square-kilometres in central-east Yukon. The proposed area would extend from the Pelly River valley to the Selwyn-Mackenzie Mountains along the continental divide. The First Nation’s group trapline — used by community members for generations — comprises a significant portion.