The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) is now in charge of a site located north of Whitehorse that monitors the level of naturally-occurring mercury and other emissions in the Yukon air.

The monitoring site at Little Fox Lake was built in 2007 and is part of the Northern Contaminants Program, run by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) in partnership with groups like CYFN.

"If you have a good strong data set, there can be national action or international action," says Bob Vandijken, CYFN's director of circumpolar relations.

The monitoring site at Little Fox Lake is one of many stations across the globe that help determine United Nations protocols on emissions.

Though the level of mercury in the Yukon has dropped since the station opened, "some of the new contaminants of concern are just starting to show up on our radar," says Vandijken. "We're just learning of their possible effects and their longevity in the ecosystems."