Northern Climate Change Schools Program
Community Profile

Faro is located in central Yukon on the upper benches of the Pelly River. The town originated as a mining community in the late 1960s when Anvil Range Mining Corporation decided to build an open community for its employees. Much care and study was put into selecting the townsite. The developers were aware of the importance of temperature, winds, sunshine and aesthetics. After examining in detail a number of potential sites the construction of the Town of Faro began on the south-facing slopes of the Pelly River in 1968.

The town is pictured in the photograph taken from the Arboretum (the northernmost in North America) looking down into the Pelly River valley with the Pelly Range in the background. Faro's population rises and falls with the activity at the mine. The mine has been closed since 1998 and the population in Faro is now about 350 people. Many people have remained because they love the wilderness and the freedom that it allows them.

Placement of the town above the river avoided the colder temperatures associated with the valley bottom and moved the town closer to the mine site which is about 20 km back in the Anvil Mountain range. This prime location, however, did have its problems. Most notable was the occurrance of pockets of permafrost. Although town planners attempted to avoid these areas during construction of homes and community structures they were not totally avoided. Over the years considerable damage has occurred as a result of the permafrost underlying the town. Faro's infamous hotel, the Tilt'n Hilton, derives its name and character from the fact that it has subsided as the permafrost beneath it melted. At one point the school's gymnasium was closed and much work was required to stabilize it above water soaked permafrost soils. Most recently, a new ball diamond was constructed over an ice lense. Vegetation was removed and a swamp was filled in. Every year since its construction, sod has had to be removed in the outfield so that soil could be added to the sunken sections. Many homes in Faro have experienced damage due to melting of underlying ice.

The students at Del Van Gorder School are very familar with some of the impacts of melting permafrost. For this reason the Earth Science 11 class (pictured in the photo, along with their instructor) chose to study permafrost and monitor soil temperature at various depths in the area to get a long term picture of how these are changing over time.

Contributed by René Dove