How many times have you been out on your daily rounds in Whitehorse, and noticed a coyote trotting beside the road, or a fox off in the bushes? Add them up together, and these sightings can offer valuable information on local wildlife.

Ross Burnett, the habitat coordinator for the City of Whitehorse, is starting to track these casual sightings and would like the public's help with the job.

He has put together a wildlife identification guide and a form which people can fill out whenever they spot a wild critter, whether it is by a road or out in the bush.

Last summer Burnett began enlisting the help of city employees, many of whom regularly spot wildlife while doing their jobs. "I thought that it would be good to draw on that information," he says.

"Also I just wanted to have one more tool at my disposal to strengthen advice that I give to the City on what areas need management."

Staff also report sightings from their off-duty hours as well. "One of the building inspectors was out ice fishing recently and saw a mule deer on one of the south-facing slopes by Hidden Lakes," he says.

As Burnett points out, "Whitehorse as a whole is wildlife habitat," so any time that new development takes place, the impacts on wildlife are an issue.

Typically wildlife habitat is mapped by studying air photos that show the lay of the land and where different plants grow. An area with lots of berries, for example, could provide habitat for bears in the fall.

Areas such as wetlands are important for wildlife, as are travel corridors allowing animals to move from one area to another.

People often have information on what wildlife they have seen in different areas, and the idea is to make these reports more specific.

"If I can put a dot on the map and say that so-and-so saw a wolverine there on October 12, 2003, that provides more concrete information," says Burnett.

Now Burnett is asking for help from Whitehorse residents as well. "I now that there are lots of knowledgeable people out there."

Already people have turned in reports on sightings of foxes in Granger and Copper Ridge, a lynx along the Whitehorse cross country ski trails, a porcupine in the Magnusson area, deer, bears, beavers, river otters and lots of coyotes along the highways.

He hopes that he will start receiving more reports from animals spotted away from the highways and street corridors. As well he hopes that people who are not ardent naturalists will help record sightings, and learn more about local wildlife in the process.

He has put together a guide to help them distinguish species that are sometimes confused, with two or three distinguishing features given for each animal.

For example, one panel shows a fox, a coyote and a wolf, and points out the different tail positions with these three species. A coyote usually holds its tail low while running, while a wolf holds its tail high and a fox's tail usually streams straight out behind the animal.

The guide also lays out which species live in this area, which can be particularly useful for people new to the Yukon. "People who have lived in the south might see a cat and think that it is a bobcat, but they do not live here, and cougars are really rare. So if they see something lynx-like, they should know that it is a lynx and not a bobcat."

"If people know through a process of elimination that it is not a certain animal, that can help," he says.

The one-page forms ask for basic information on the sighting, such as where and when it took place, but also for comments on what the animal was doing, and any other interesting details.

Burnett says that as well as providing information that can help the city with planning, he also hopes that the program will help increase people's understanding of the place where they live and their sense of stewardship for the area.

If you would like to pick up wildlife sighting forms and/or a wildlife guide, contact Ross Burnett at 668-8395 or ross.burnett@city.whitehorse.yk.ca.