People from as far away as Germany are making a case for and against a proposed winter road in the Wind River area of central Yukon, flooding environmental reviewers with dozens of comments.

The Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board's office in Mayo has received 60 public submissions on the Wind River Trail proposal — more than what it received for all other projects it reviewed this year.

"This one's got high public interest, but they're all unique," Loralee Johnstone, who runs the board's Mayo office, told CBC News on Monday.

The public still has until Dec. 6 to submit comments.

The assessment board must decide whether to approve an application by Cash Minerals to set up a winter road along the Wind River Trail to its uranium mining claims.

Environmental groups from as far away as Germany are protesting Cash Minerals' proposed use of the old trail, which they say could open the area to year-round road access and threaten a valuable watershed.

Such action from environmental activists has irked Yukon Chamber of Mines president John Witham, who said that undermines the credibility of the public review process.

"I don't think the spirit and intent of the process was ever to create a public relations or a voting-type environment," Witham said.

"This is an exploration project. This is exploring for metals."

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society has asked the assessment board to elevate the Wind River road decision to an executive review, arguing it's too important be left with the regional office in Mayo.

Johnstone said that will only happen if her office cannot reach a decision on its own.

"It will come down to at the end of the assessment, whether or not we can make a determination [as to] whether or not the project gets bumped," she said.

Cash Minerals is expected to hold public meetings on the proposal next week in Mayo, Johnstone said.