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Articles by Dan Davidson
Issue: 2026 October 28
Halloween in the Yukon and the U.K. couldn’t be more different. A.J. Smith looks at his traditions from his old country and the new.
‘This year is different’: The water reality Idaho can no longer ignore
Critical reserve: Jackson Lake Dam in Grand Teton National Park holds 847,000 acre-feet of water that’s diverted into canals for Idaho farms via the Minidoka and American Falls dams 100 miles downstream. Photo: Dan Davidson/Minidoka Irrigation District By Dan Davidson/Idaho Capital Sun. September 17, 2026. I’ve spent the majority of my career managing water on the Snake River in Idaho, and I can tell you plainly: This year is different.
Guest Column: The water reality Idaho can no longer ignore
I've spent the majority of my career managing water on the Snake River in Idaho, and I can tell you plainly: this year is different. According to the most recent calculations by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, the amount of water needed across southern Idaho to feed crops this past spring ran at nearly 140% of the historical average. This is the highest number we’ve ever had on record.
The Water Reality Idaho Can No Longer Ignore
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‘This year is different’: The water reality Idaho can no longer ignore
I’ve spent the majority of my career managing water on the Snake River in Idaho, and I can tell you plainly: This year is different. According to the most recent calculations by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, the amount of water needed across southern Idaho to feed crops this past spring ran at nearly 140% of the historical average. This is the highest number we’ve ever had on record.
The water reality Idaho can no longer ignore
I’ve spent the majority of my career managing water on the Snake River in Idaho, and I can tell you plainly: This year is different. According to the most recent calculations by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, the amount of water needed across southern Idaho to feed crops this past spring ran at nearly 140% of the historical average. This is the highest number we’ve ever had on record.
Lłēge zedle s̱on nes̱it’īn
Lłēge zedle s̱on nes̱it’īn (Tahltan for We See Stars Only at Night) is the name of the latest exhibit at the ODD Gallery. It opened with an author’s talk by Cole Pauls on May 7 and will continue until July 25. Book on Stand Pages 1 Pages 2 Wall Mural. Photos: Dan Davidson Pauls is a Champagne and Aishihik Citizen and Tahltan comic artist, illustrator and printmaker hailing from Haines Junction (Yukon Territory) with a BFA in Illustration from Emily Carr University.
Helen Knott shares from her memoirs - Yukon News
Helen Knott, the most recent Writer in Residence at Berton House, gave a reading at the Dawson City Community Library on June 15. She is a Dane Zaa, Cree, Métis and mixed Settler descent writer from Prophet River First Nations living in Northeastern British Columbia, in Fort St. John. She is the author of In My Own Moccasins, which was long listed for the 2020 RBC Taylor Prize.
Braeburn Lodge has closed indefinitely - Yukon News
After a tough winter and the owner’s illness, Braeburn Lodge has shut down on May 28, ending years of cinnamon bun delights. On May 29, Leigh Knox, who worked with Steve Watson for 33 of the 35.5 years that he has been running the place, posted the following to Facebook. “Good day folks, Leigh here. It’s a sad day for Braeburn Lodge today as it will be closed indefinitely as of today.
The ice bridge at Dawson City is now officially closed for the season. - Yukon News
The ice bridge across the Yukon River at Dawson was officially closed on April 16. There wasn’t much official warning this year, with the first notice posted on April 14. “With warming temperatures, conditions on the Dawson ice bridge are changing. The Dawson ice bridge has been reduced to light-duty vehicles only (up to 5,000 kilograms Gross Vehicle Weight). Travel is recommended for only high clearance 4×4 vehicles.
Dawson holds ceremony for the Yukon School of Visual Arts - Yukon News
The Yukon School of Visual Arts held its year-end ceremony on April 10, choosing this year to hold the event, which is not quite a graduation, in the ballroom at Dënäkär Zho (Klondike Institute of Art and Culture, or KIAC). The SOVA Foundation Year program offers a Visual Arts Certificate from Yukon University and the opportunity to complete a diploma program at one of several arts colleges across the country with which SOVA is affiliated.
Learning the lesson of the Lorax in Dawson City
The Robert Service School gymnasium was packed on the evening of May 23 for the public performance of the Lorax, based on the 1971 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss.
Dawson City Gold Show opens 37th year
The Dawson City Chamber of Commerce is proud of its annual Dawson City International Gold Show, which has been in place every Victoria Day weekend (except during the COVID-19 lockdown) since 1986. This year May 15 to 17 marked the 37th edition of the event.
The George Black ferry is crossing the Yukon River again for the season
The George Black Ferry is back in the Yukon River at Dawson City as of Monday, May 12, a week earlier than last year. Yukon Highways reports that the ferry is “currently supporting local traffic to West Dawson until the Top of the World Highway is reopened for the season.” During this week the ferry will be operating from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and this will be extended to 24-7 service later in the week. It is expected that it will resume operating 24 hours a day by May 16th.
Yukon River breaks and starts to move at Dawson City
The Yukon River ice has broken in front of Dawson City and vast floes have spent the day heading north. Two people will share the prize. The IODE, which runs a fundraiser in which people can stake a bet on the time the ice will begin to move, posted an announcement on Facebook on the afternoon of April 30 after the time was confirmed. They explained it took a little longer this year. “We are pleased to announce that the river has broken in Dawson City," the post reads.
Watching The River Flow
“The Dawson City ice bridge is located at the George Black Ferry crossing of the Yukon River – the ice bridge links the district of West Dawson to the main part of Dawson City east of the river (acting as a replacement to the ferry during the winter). “The ice bridge is 400 m in length and its width is typically about 60 m. The bridge has been operated since the 1960s by the Yukon Government (YG).
To Seek for Eldorado By Sam Holloway
This book begins in the middle of the action so to speak; in media res, they call it. That almost always means that the author will have to back up and tell us how we got there, but this is how it starts. “I crouched in the old truck out by the gate. Beside me, a Cooey single shot .22 rifle stood, loaded and looking awfully puny for what I might face. Lizzie’s dad would be coming with his high-powered rifle to shoot at me again.
Keeping ‘The Percy’ Alive!
There won’t be a Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race this year, but to keep the idea alive, the smaller-than-usual new board has decided to hold what they’re calling a Fun Mail Run, which will kick off from near the ferry landing at the end of Front Street on March 7 at 10 a.m. The new race committee this year is so far composed of Dany Jette, John Mitchell and Anthony Da Costa Maia. These three are hoping to recruit a few more, but it’s late in the game to mount a full event this year.
Tales From Before And After The Gold Rush
Tales of an Unsung Sourdough The Extraordinary Klondike Adventures of Johnny Lind by Phil Lind and Robert Brehl Page Two 122 pages $39.95 The extreme focus on the drama of the Klondike Gold Rush tends to obscure the stories about the gold seekers who were already in what would come to be called the Yukon Territory as a result of that event.
The Perfect Day
It was going to be the perfect day. When Discovery Day came around, I planned a special Mother-Son Day for my toddler and I since my husband had to go into work and it was just going to be the two of us. I wanted it to be fun, because my child continues to remain a Daddy’s Boy, with unaltering feelings of my husband being the more-fun choice of playmates.
Seizing The Day
Art has always been infused in Leah Day’s life. The abstract surrealist artist, who is also an actor, voice actor, poet, writer and musician, was raised by artistic and musical parents. She goes as far as to say she and her younger brother would sing through their chores to get them done. They didn’t have internet or cable TV, so they entertained each other.
Skills Canada Yukon Interview: Jacob Wyres
Name : Jacob Wyers Skills Yukon Affiliation: 2019 Territorial Skills Competition Competitor Age: 25 Trade & Certifications: Level 2 Plumbing Apprentice at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Current workplace: For Hire Plumbing Services Can you tell us about your experience in the trade/technology sector so far? My experience learning the trade of plumbing has been great. Like every job, there are highs and lows. But I get to see different aspects of the trade that others may not be aware of.
Sport Yukon’s 2023 Major Award Winners
Five awards were given out at the 2023 edition of Sport Yukon’s annual Major Awards ceremony, which took place May 31 at Sport Yukon. The Major Awards began in 1977 with a goal of recognizing exceptional achievements of Yukoners in sport across a number of categories. The award for Administrator of the Year was given to Brenda Dion.
Growing Up Van Bibber
At 96, Lucy Van Bibber Sanderson reflects on her early years growing up at Mica Creek, working at St. Mary’s Hospital in Dawson City and gaining the skills and experiences that would serve her well throughout her long, full life When Elder Lucy Sanderson (née Van Bibber) was growing up in her family home in rural Yukon in the 1930s, she dreamed of travelling. “The cranes would fly overhead in the spring and fall, and I thought, Oh, I wish I could go with them.
Celebrating Dawson City’s Historic Gardeners
By the 1890s, local traders were growing vegetables to supplement a monotonous diet of beans, bread and mouldy bacon. Klondike gardeners discovered the need for fresh produce to feed the residents at Dawson and the surrounding creeks. Miners were willing to pay higher prices for fresh produce. Sound familiar?
Skills Yukon Interview: Oriana Gallina
Full Name: Oriana Gallina Age 17, grade 12Trade: Fashion Technology Skills Yukon Affiliation: 2023 Territorial Skills Competition Gold Medalist, 2023 National Skills Competition Competitor School: F.H. Collins, FADS program at PCSS Can you tell us a bit about your experience with the trade so far? My experience with Fashion Technology has been amazing! I was in grade 11 when I heard about an amazing program, through a friend, called FADS [Fashion, Arts and Design School].
The Dancer of Kotaneelee
After becoming aware of my interest in sasquatch, a friend shared his sasquatch encounter. The sighting occurred in early October of 1989 at the Kotaneelee Natural Gas Plant. This natural-gas area was discovered in 1977, the plant came into operation in 1979, ceased operation in 2012 and remediation work started in 2018. He shared his experience in 2005. The Kotaneelee Camp is located some 270 kilometres east of Watson Lake, in the Yukon’s Liard Plateau, close to Coal River Springs Territorial Park.
Whispers in the Library
Imagine yourself arriving at one of the antique libraries at Oxford University in England. As you enter through the arched doorway, the wooden floor beneath you begins to softly squeak. You continue down the hallway, past the librarian’s desk to where the endless rows of bookshelves are. As you pass each row, you inhale the scent of cedar from the floorboards and desks, along with hints of paper and wax from the old books.
10 Things That Gardening in the Yukon Can Teach You
It teaches you … 1. To trust and to believe in possibility Sometimes it feels so hard to imagine that spring will come, that things will grow again and that there’ll be enough time for everything to mature in the few warm months we have here. The ground is frozen for so much of the year that the fact that, in a matter of a few weeks, everything turns green again—is close to a real-life miracle. Gardening in the North teaches us to trust that there will be new life again.
Playground Musings
There is something really remarkable about playgrounds. Who among us doesn’t have core memories of playing with their friends and family at their local park or jungle gym? These moments stay with us and rarely fail to bring about a smile. Yukon kids have a lot of wonderful options when it comes to outdoor play, and playgrounds provide a perfect opportunity for our little ones to run around, climb, jump and have a grand ol’ time enjoying themselves in the outdoors.
Unfrozen After 85 Years
Parks Canada got the call late last August—a cache of items left behind in 1937 (by legendary photographer Bradford Washburn and expedition partner Robert Bates) was found on a remote glacier in the Traditional Territory of Kluane First Nation, within Kluane National Park and Reserve. Media company Teton Gravity Research was on the Walsh Glacier attempting to find the cache as part of a film and research project documenting long-term changes of the glacier.
Safe At Home
The popular local retailer has donated $37,000 to the Safe at Home Society, with five years of The Home Project The Safe at Home Society is a Yukon organization that works to end and prevent homelessness in the territory, bringing together service agencies, such as government partners, landlords, community members and people with lived experience of homelessness, to connect people with housing and supports.
Let There Be Light
Winter Solstice from way back The longest night, the shortest day. Either way you measure, if you celebrate during or near midwinter, or Winter Solstice, usually falling on December 21 or December 22 each year, you are echoing ancient history and traditions passed forward from pre-Christian times from around the world.
His Third, 1st Christmas
The holidays through a toddler’s lens For many of us, that first Christmas as a parent is something very special. So special, in fact, that it is difficult to describe just how many emotions you go through as the holiday season progresses.
At Home With Art
Fredrick W. Lemke has been in the Yukon since 1979. Originally born in Germany, the visual artist calls Whitehorse his home, as well as an endless source of inspiration to create. Over the years here, he’s made quite a few connections in the Yukon’s artistic community—enough that he feels confident hosting his own exhibition and sale of art from his own home. “The space available in a mobile home is limited, but it still works,” Lemke admitted.
Skills Canada Profiles
Sky Pearson NTC Age: 42 Red Seal Welder Current workplace: Yukon University What motivated you to get into this trade? I first got interested in welding while working in outdoor education at the University of Alaska Southeast, because I wanted to build an aluminum sea kayak to explore the Alaska coast with. The thought of joining metal together fascinated me. I started welding and getting training, while I lived in Juneau, striving to gain the skill sets to build the kayak.
Artists Creating A Zine
Yukon Conversation Society (not to be confused with the Yukon Conservation Society) is a group of artists, a creative collective. Its Facebook site has 81 members. They are organizing open mics and meetings and are publishing a zine—a self-published magazine. “Our publication is really just for the sake of bringing artistic minds together and helping people showcase their work.
The Yukon Remembers
The Remembrance Day ceremony at the Canada Games Centre (CGC) is something many community members have missed, over the past couple of years, when Covid protocols didn’t allow for large indoor gatherings. This year, however, the ceremony will look much like it did in pre-pandemic years. It’s been a lot of work to put together again, according to Whitehorse Legion President Joseph Mewett, but this year’s edition will once again be an event the whole community can take part in.
On Thin Ice
Never have I wanted to skate, again, as much as when I am listening to Joni Mitchell’s “River.” It has, for the past twenty-plus years, been one of my favourite songs since that first time I heard her sing it. A favourite, in part, because of the range of her voice, but also because of the piano accompaniment and intro inspired by “Jingle Bells.” Skating on a river sounds like a dream, but it would make me nervous (I’m not that brave) and may even be a nightmare.
Sass Is Coming Back
Sass Jordan is always busy. In fact, the British-born, Montréal-raised, multi-Platinum-selling, award-winning songstress has been constantly busy since her career began 40 years ago. Between releasing albums, touring the world and even once starring in an off-Broadway Janis Joplin show, it seems Jordan never gets a break—but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I guess I never really think about this as a career,” Jordan pensively told What’s Up Yukon.
Queerlesque Comes To Town
Come what Mae and Chérie Coquette Cabaret will be presenting Queerlesque Convoy: A Transportation-Themed Cabaret and Peepshow Extravaganza in Whitehorse on November 19 If you aren’t familiar with the term queerlesque, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to deduce its meaning from the two words it’s made of.
A Peek At The Yukon During ‘The Quiet Years’
It was with a bit of shock that I discovered my name among the list of those being acknowledged for having made some contribution to the creation of Don Barz’s engaging story about the five years (1937–1942) that his father, Ernie (known as Erwin in the Yukon), and his uncle, Art, spent in the territory, mostly around Dawson and the area north of Mayo.
Ode To The End Of Autumn
It’s that time of year again. The school buses are back on the roads, the trees are a few hard frosts and a couple of strong gusts of wind away from revealing their bare branches, and there’s a bittersweetness to each warm, sunny day. Fresh snow covers the mountaintops, and time seems to be flying by. Blink and you might miss the end of fall. Here are a couple of ideas for how to savour it a little bit more, so that hopefully the arrival of winter won’t feel quite as startling. 1.
Biking With Dogs
My dogs are my best friends. And what makes them great biking companions? They never complain, they always want to go with you and make you get outside. There are many ways you can bring your best friend on bike rides with you, and I’d highly recommend going to a local trainer to get specific advice for your dog. But here’s what I did to get my two dogs, Phil and Charlie, biking-dog-ready.
Pan-fried Fish on the West Coast Trail
In August I hiked the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. I took a few pictures and made no notes—I couldn’t spare the attention. For the first three days, I talked to myself in the vocative case: “Stay focused. Step there, onto that slippery root. Pay attention! Aim for that rhomboid of dirt between those roots. Use your pole. Put your hand on that rock. Heave!” The thing about the West Coast Trail is that footing is precarious.
Yukon Chef Chris Irving has had an interesting career, and now he'll compete on Top Chef Canada
When you ask Chef Chris Irving about his life as a chef, he humbly describes what he does “as a job.” Despite having an impressive career that has spanned over two decades, including major roles with Chef Gordon Ramsey, preparing meals for David and Victoria Beckham’s family, and international job offers in various locales with major names like Marriott, Yukon-born Irving takes it all back to the basics and simply enjoys the craft and the art of cooking.
Hecate Press, a stepping stone for northern comic artists
Hecate Press, founded a few years ago by artist Kimberly Edgar, is creating new opportunities for the Yukon’s established and emerging comic artists. The press has completed two projects, the first being a comics anthology called The Northern Gaze. “I wanted there to be some sort of comics anthology centered around northern stories, for a couple of years, but it really started when I applied for and got a [Culture Quest] grant in 2020, in the fall,” explained Edgar.
Looking Inside the Insider
The Unraveling of the Dawson City Insider by Christopher Ross Vanguard Press 257 pages $11.99 Much of Christopher Ross’s history of his involvement with Harper Street Publishing is very much his own story. It’s interesting and touching in a lot of ways.
The Durable (Water)Melon
Mark Twain once said, “When one has tasted watermelons, one knows what angels eat.” I would have to agree with him on that. Although I am not privy to the knowledge of what, exactly, celestial beings eat, I suspect that a delicious thick slice of watermelon would definitely be on their list. Watermelon is a perfect summer fruit that is as equally refreshing as it is sweet, and quite durable too.
Toddler-Friendly Skies
The time had come. We had waited two years to be able to introduce our toddler to his extended family and now, at last, it was finally going to happen. However, in order to do that we first had to become the parents I have always looked at with a mix of trepidation and sympathy. We had to become FWAT parents. You know the ones: the “flying with a toddler” parents. Those poor souls! When Air North first announced that they would begin seasonal routes to Toronto, I was ecstatic.
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