Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Management Plan

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Recommendations
• Executive Summary
• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 Park Management Plan
• 2.0 Significance of Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve
  • 2.1 Regional Setting
• 3.0 Vision
• 4.0 Key Strategies
  • 4.1 Dene and Metis Connection
  • 4.2 Heartbeat of the Land
  • 4.3 Building a Presence in the Tulita District
• 5.0 Zoning and Aircraft Access
  • 5.1 Zone I – Mount Nááts’įhch’oh
  • 5.2 Zone II – Park Wilderness
  • 5.3 Zone III – Ǫtaa Tué Fehto (Divide Lake)
  • 5.4 Zone IV – Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail / Howard’s Pass Access Road)
  • 5.5 Aircraft Access
• 6.0 Planning Context
  • 6.1 Parks Canada
  • 6.2 Purposes of the Park
  • 6.3 Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Management Committee
  • 6.4 Legal and Administrative Context
  • 6.5 Commitments and Key Issues
• 7.0 Strategic Environmental Assessment
• 8.0 Acknowledgements

Maps

• Map 1: Regional Setting – Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve
• Map 2: Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve
• Map 3: Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Zoning
• Map 4: Proposed Designated Landing Sites

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Chief Executive Officer of Parks Canada, 2017.

National Library of Canada cataloguing in publication data:

• Parks Canada
• Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve of Canada Management Plan 2017

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Foreword

Canada’s national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas belong to all Canadians and offer truly Canadian experiences.

These special places make up one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world.

The Government is committed to preserving our natural and cultural heritage, expanding the system of protected places and contributing to the recovery of species-at-risk. At the same time, we must continue to offer new and innovative visitor and outreach programs and activities so that more Canadians can experience Parks Canada places and learn about our environment, history and culture.

This management plan for Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve of Canada supports this vision.

Management plans are developed through extensive consultation and input from various people and organizations, including Indigenous peoples, local and regional residents, visitors and the dedicated team at Parks Canada.

National parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas are a priority for the Government of Canada. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this plan for their commitment and spirit of co-operation.

As the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, I applaud this collaborative effort and I am pleased to approve the Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve of Canada Management Plan.

Original signed by

Approval

Approved and original signed by

Recommendations

Recommended and original signed by

Executive Summary

Located in the southwestern portion of the Sahtu Settlement Area, Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve of Canada is 4,895 km2 in size, it is part of the homeland of the Shúhtaot’ine (Mountain Dene). An Impact and Benefit Plan was signed in 2012 with the Sahtu Dene and Metis of the Tulita District. The Park Management Committee helps guide Park operations. The Committee was instrumental in the development of this, the first management plan for Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve of Canada.

This management plan reflects the cooperative spirit of the Impact and Benefit Plan by weaving in the voices of the Sahtu people. Since the Park was announced in 2012, significant work has occurred, including a traditional knowledge study, increasing employment of local Sahtu Dene and Metis people, baseline ecological monitoring, as well as the development of new visitor products.

In this management plan, a vision is introduced for the Park to be a place where Sahtu Dene and Metis traditions continue, and Shúhtaot’ine stories, knowledge, and protocols guide and teach people and the health of the land, wildlife and waters are protected. Three key strategies are proposed to guide Park management activities for the next 5 to 10 years and support the achievement of the vision.

Key Strategy 1

Dene and Metis Connection

This strategy recognizes the importance of the relationship to the land, water, wildlife and spiritually sacred spaces in the Park to the Sahtu Dene and Metis of the Tulita District, specifically the Shúhtaot’ine - the Mountain Dene. The Park aims to celebrate and recognize these connections, and forge new ones with visitors, Canadians and people from around the world.

Key strategy 2

Heartbeat of the Land

This strategy recognizes the need to ensure the health of the land for future generations – from wildlife, to water, to cultural resources. Monitoring and research programs will be implemented that draw from both traditional knowledge and science.

Key strategy 3

Building a Presence in the Tulita District

Parks Canada will be building its presence in the Tulita District through community relationships, employment, and infrastructure.

Nááts’įhch’oh, is a very strong name. It is sacred ground, a sacred mountain. People were given medicine power from the area; this is why we, the Shúhtaot’ine, have lived a long time. The mountain is powerful.

Wildlife is declining. Landscapes don’t look like they did in the past. Elders predicted this change; it is happening. We want to continue to live off the land.

A national park is a powerful tool for protection.

We, the Dene people and wildlife, need the land. Without the land there is nothing to talk about.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Park Management Plan

This plan is the first management plan for Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve. The Canada National Parks Act and the Parks Canada Agency Act require Parks Canada to prepare a management plan for each national park. The Impact and Benefit Plan requires the first management plan to be completed in 2017. The Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Management Plan is approved by both the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board and the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and is tabled in Parliament.

This management plan reflects the cooperative spirit of the Impact and Benefit Plan by weaving in the voices of the Sahtu people. Together, we will preserve, protect, and celebrate the Park lands, respect the mandate of Parks Canada, incorporate the advice of the Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Management Committee, and honour the knowledge and experience of and commitments to the Sahtu Dene and Metis people.

This plan sets a clear vision and strategic direction for the management and operation of Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve. Parks Canada will report annually on progress toward achieving the plan and will review the plan every five to ten years, as per the requirements of the Impact and Benefit Plan and the Canada National Parks Act. Parks Canada and the Management Committee will maintain an open dialogue on the implementation of the management plan, to ensure that it remains relevant and meaningful.

2.0 Significance of Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve

The Shúhtaot’ine have travelled this area and value it for its hunting and cultural importance. The mountain from which the Park takes its name is credited with great spiritual powers. Power, energy, and medicine sites can be found throughout the Park.

The Park is also an important area for the Kaska Dena and Dehcho First Nations. Along with Sahtu Dene and Metis, Kaska Dena continue to harvest on lands within the Park.

2.1 Regional Setting

Map 1: Regional Setting – Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve

Map 2: Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve

3.0 Vision

It’s almost like the mountains have kept the music…you can feel the spirit of our ancestors and you can feel the powerful feeling from the mountains. It’s so majestic. It’s so overwhelming.^{Footnote 1}

Welcome to the ancestral homeland of the Shúhtaot’ine, the Mountain Dene and Metis. The Park is a place where culture and nature are intertwined. It is a place where traditions continue. The Sahtu Dene and Metis of the Tulita District and Parks Canada are entrusted to care for the land, water, wildlife, spiritually sacred places and cultural artifacts found in the Park. If we take care of the land, the land will take care of us. Shúhtaot’ine stories, knowledge, and protocols guide and teach people.

Where Tehjeh Deé (the South Nahanni River) and its tributaries stretch high into the Mackenzie Mountains, the Park protects them. Here, nature shapes the land. Whether it is caribou on their calving grounds, the dense population of grizzly bears, or the northernmost population of mountain goats - plants and animals thrive here.

Flying into the Park, you get a bird’s eye view of your upcoming journey. As the days lengthen, melting snow trickles down slopes into the sparkling rivers below. River valleys burst green against the grey, red, and orange mountains. On the ground, and with the plane gone, the sounds of the land – a creek flowing into a lake, birds flitting around - bring a calmness and peace. Time seems to stand still as you feel the cool waters on your feet. Pausing for a moment, you watch a moose browse on the far shore. Walk for days in any direction through long mountain views. Paddle the wild headwaters of Tehjeh Deé, or, let local guides tune your ears to the music that these mountains keep.

4.0 Key Strategies

4.1 Dene and Metis Connection

The relationship to the land, water, wildlife and spiritually sacred spaces within Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve is of upmost importance to the Sahtu Dene and Metis of the Tulita District, specifically the Shúhtaot’ine - the Mountain Dene – as this is their homeland. This bond comes from their Sahtu ancestors and endures through the youth. The Park will celebrate and recognize these connections, and forge new ones with visitors, both Canadians and people from around the world.

There are so many things that the land gives, but what I like most about our land is that we are able to get our food off it, our medicine off it, and just our peace and quietness. You want to go on the land to just relax and enjoy.

4.2 Heartbeat of the Land

4.3 Building a Presence in the Tulita District

5.0 Zoning and Aircraft Access

Parks Canada’s Five Zones

Zone I - Special Preservation:

Small areas within a national park that require special preservation because they contain unique, threatened or endangered natural or cultural features. Preservation is the key consideration. Motorized access is not permitted. Where an area is too fragile to allow public access, every effort will be made to provide park visitors with off-site programs and exhibits interpreting the area’s special characteristics.

Zone II – Wilderness:

Extensive areas that are good representations of a natural region and are conserved in a wilderness state. The perpetuation of ecosystems with minimal human interference is the key consideration. Zone II areas offer opportunities for visitors to experience first¬hand the park’s ecosystems and require few, if any, services and facilities. In much of Zone II, visitors have the opportunity to experience remoteness and solitude. Motorized access is not permitted except for controlled air access.

Zone III – Natural Environment:

Areas which are managed as natural environments, which provide opportunities for visitors to experience a park’s natural and cultural heritage values through outdoor recreation activities requiring minimal services or facilities of a rustic nature. While motorized access may be allowed, it will be controlled.

Zone IV – Outdoor Recreation:

Limited areas which are capable of accommodating a broad range of opportunities for understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the park’s heritage values and related essential services and facilities, in ways that impact the ecological integrity of the park to the smallest extent possible, and whose defining feature is direct access by motorized vehicles. Park management plans may limit private motorized access and circulation.

Zone V – Park Services:

Communities in existing national parks which contain a concentration of visitor services and support facilities (e.g. Jasper, Banff).

5.1 Zone I – Mount Nááts’įhch’oh

Mount Nááts’įhch’oh is the only Zone I – Special Preservation area in the Park; it is also considered a culturally sensitive area. Due to its spiritual power and cultural significance, Elders have requested that access to the mountain be prohibited. This restriction does not apply to Dene or Metis people, nor to access for operational purposes by Parks Canada staff.

The Zone I area does not encompass Nááts’įhch’oh Tué (The Moose Ponds), a lake, which lies below the slopes of the mountain.

5.2 Zone II – Park Wilderness

The majority of the Park is zoned Wilderness, with the exception of the Mount Nááts’įhch’oh (Zone I), Ǫtaa Tué Fehto - Divide Lake (Zone III) and Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail / Howard’s Pass Access Road) (Zone IV). Designation of wilderness through the National Parks of Canada Wilderness Area Declaration Regulations will not be pursued at this time.

5.3 Zone III – Ǫtaa Tué Fehto (Divide Lake)

Otaa Tué Fehto (Divide Lake) is Zone III - Natural Environment. When the Park was created, Parks Canada inherited a hunting outfitter’s camp – this cabin and its outbuildings are located at the lake. It is envisioned that an on-the-land camp and the eco-tourism facility, noted in the Impact and Benefit Plan, may possibly be developed at this location, meaning there may be a future need for additional facilities. Trips down Pı̨́ı̨́p'enéh łéetǫ́ǫ́ Deé (Broken Skull River) start at this location.

5.4 Zone IV – Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail / Howard’s Pass Access Road)

Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail / Howard’s Pass Access Road) is Zone IV. This zone was selected because the defining feature is direct access by motorized vehicle. A licence of occupation^{Footnote 3} that pre-dates the Park is held by Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd. for the road. There is industrial traffic on this road.

The road parallels Łáhtanı̨lı̨ Deé (Little Nahanni River) for a portion of its length. The river is an important recreational corridor for visitors – the river is part of the Zone II Wilderness area. The river valley and surrounding area are important for species of special concern, such as the federally listed northern mountain caribou, as it includes a portion of the South Nahanni herd’s calving, summer and rut ranges. It is also an area of high grizzly bear density.

Limitations to private motorized access

A restricted activity permit is required for anyone using Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail / Howard’s Pass Access Road) within Nááts’įhch’oh or Nahanni National Park Reserves, with the exception of Aboriginal traditional users. There are safety considerations for travel on the road, visitors are requested to contact the Nááts’ihch’oh or Nahanni office for further information.

Map 3: Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Zoning

5.5 Aircraft Access

Map 4: Proposed Designated Landing Sites

6.0 Planning Context

[Mount] Nááts’įhch’oh has been known for its spiritual power for generations. Being a national park reserve will help protect Nááts’įhch’oh.

6.1 Parks Canada

6.2 Purposes of the Park

The Park land should be considered as an important land to all.

 

The purposes of the Park, as identified in the Impact Benefit Plan, are:

6.3 Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve Management Committee

6.4 Legal and Administrative Context

The Impact and Benefit Plan indicates the Park office is to be located in Tulita.

The Park is located in the Sahtu Settlement Area. However, Kaska Dena and the Dehcho First Nations have overlapping interests in the area. Until these claims are settled, the Park will remain a national park reserve.

6.5 Commitments and Key Issues

This management plan addresses priorities from the Impact and Benefit Plan, recommendations of the Management Committee, and issues identified in the 2015 State of the Park Assessment. The three key management priorities are: fulfilling economic and employment commitments, expanding visitor opportunities, and recognizing Shúhtaot’ine culture. A fourth area of focus, is Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail/Howard’s Pass Access Road), management of which is non-standard for Parks Canada. These commitments and issues are outlined in detail below, and are addressed in the key strategies and zoning outlined earlier in the plan.

Parks Canada is committed to working with our partners to continue progress in fulfilling the commitments in the Impact and Benefit Plan, including economic benefits for the Sahtu Dene and Metis of the Tulita District. Employment and local contracting opportunities from the Park provide benefits to Tulita District Land Corporation members. Several staff positions are designed for Tulita District Land Corporation members. The Impact and Benefit Plan also outlines how Parks Canada will support Tulita District Land Corporation member businesses, including a first right of refusal process. Additionally, Parks Canada will invest in a visitor centre/office complex and two staff housing units in Tulita. Given the fact that the Park is in a settled land claim area, businesses operating in the Park should provide as much benefit as possible to the Sahtu Dene and Metis of the Tulita District. To support this, the Park’s business licence process requires applicants to outline any benefits provided to the Tulita District.

The Park recognizes a need to explore new visitor opportunities, as the full potential for visitor experiences remains untapped. Due to its remote location and the cost of access, few people visit. There were 61 visitors in 2015 and 115 visitors in 2016. Most visitors paddle one of three rivers: Tehjeh Deé (South Nahanni), Łáhtanı̨lı̨ Deé (Little Nahanni) or Pííp’enéh łéetóó Deé (Broken Skull). Other visitors use the Park to access Túochee Deé (Natla River) and Tátsǫ́k’áá Deé (Raven’s Throat River) or hike around Níonep’eneʔ Tué (Backbone Lake, formerly Grizzly Bear Lake).

Opportunities also exist for cultural tours, flightseeing tours, and hiking and backpacking trips. None of the current river outfitters sustain their businesses solely on Park visitors, and many operate throughout the Sahtu, the Northwest Territories, and beyond. There are few limits on the innovation and development of tourism projects; however, business operators cannot rely on Park visitors as their sole source of clients and/or income. Primarily a whitewater enthusiast’s Park, work will continue to promote river experiences, in addition to developing new opportunities.

Celebrating and honouring the cultural landscape of the Park is an important principle enshrined in the Impact and Benefit Plan. A knowledge gap has been identified in regards to cultural resources and Shúhtaot’ine place names. As more is learned about cultural resources and traditional knowledge, there is tremendous potential to inform protection, management, community sharing, communication products and the visitor offer. Working with our Sahtu partners, the Park can develop materials to share the human story of the Park with local youth and visitors.

The final management challenge facing the Park is Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ (Caribou Crossing Trail / Howard’s Pass Access Road). Near the Yukon boundary, Ɂepé Nı̨narehɂá Ɂetenéɂ goes through both Nahanni and Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserves. The road is a pre-existing mining access road. Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd. has a licence of occupation for this road. The road is located in a key area for caribou. The road also provides an increasingly popular access point for visitors paddling Łáhtanı̨lı̨ Deé (Little Nahanni River). Some major concerns include (but are not limited to) impacts to: ecological integrity, caribou, public safety and visitor experience.

7.0 Strategic Environmental Assessment

I can give you a good version of why it’s important to me…knowing that a lot of development has been happening within the Sahtu region particularly in Tulita area…we always hear from our people wanting to make sure that we always have our animals and certain areas that we can always go back to, to be able to hunt, fish, or trap. That’s why it’s important that we are able to leave a balance of some kind to our young people.

Targets of the plan were assessed to determine which have the greatest potential to interact positively and/or adversely with key environmental components and the scale, magnitude, and importance of the interactions was assessed. The majority of targets outlined in the plan were not expected to generate environmental effects of sufficient scale to warrant further assessment. The targets identified as having the potential to result in important positive and/or adverse interactions with key components include:  

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act must be completed prior to commencement of these initiatives; this will include mitigation measures to address adverse effects in addition to identifying monitoring measures used to inform the Management Committee about the extent of effects. It is not expected that there will be cumulative effects^{Footnote 8} resulting from implementation of the plan.

The direction outlined in the plan, combined with EIA prior to project commencement, will ensure that management plan implementation will not likely result in any significant adverse effects. For those initiatives that trigger the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA), the effects of proposed projects will be assessed prior to a decision being made to approve or not approve the project. In conclusion, implementation of the strategies in the Nááts'ihch'oh National Park Reserve Management Plan is expected to achieve the desired positive results for the environment at Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserve. The plan will contribute to the objectives of “Planning for a Sustainable Future: Federal Sustainable Development Strategy for Canada” (2010) by protecting nature.

8.0 Acknowledgements