Let’s Talk About Commercial Guided River Outfitting in Nahanni
Nahanni National Park Reserve
The deadline to submit written comments has been extended to September 30, 2024. Please see corrected Nái̖li̖cho Allocation statistics below.
Licence Quotas and Nái̖li̖cho Allocation for Commercial Guided River Outfitting in Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni is conducting a public review of licence quotas and Nái̖li̖cho Allocation to determine the future 5-year allocation.
In January 2019, Nahanni National Park Reserve adopted the Guidelines for Licensing Guided River Outfitting in Nahanni and Nááts’įhch’oh National Park Reserves (the Guidelines). The Guidelines were developed with Indigenous cooperative management partners and included input from stakeholders, and the public. This was the first of its kind for Nahanni and the Guidelines were aimed at securing long term tourism sustainability, as well as integrating principles of adaptive management for commercial guided river outfitting.
Scope of Review
Parks Canada would like to hear from you, your comments and ideas will help shape the future of tourism in Nahanni. We are particularly interested in comments related to licence quota and Nái̖li̖cho allocation. However, general comments or recommendations on the Guidelines are also welcome.
| June 15 - 30 | NRA | BF | CNA | Private |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allocated | 15 | 15 | 15 | 45 |
| Used | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| % Allocation Used | 67 | 27 | 7 | 11 |
| July 01 - 31 | ||||
| Allocated | 48 | 33 | 12 | 93 |
| Used | 28 | 23 | 11 | 49 |
| % Allocation Used | 58 | 70 | 92 | 53 |
| Aug 01 - 15 | ||||
| Allocated | 24 | 15 | 6 | 45 |
| Used | 20 | 13 | 4 | 30 |
| % Allocation Used | 83 | 87 | 67 | 67 |
| Aug 16 - 31 | ||||
| Allocated | 15 | 15 | 15 | 45 |
| Used | 11 | 8 | 0 | 20 |
| % Allocation Used | 73 | 53 | 0 | 44 |
NRA = Nahanni River Adventures
BF = Black Feather
CNA = Canoe North Adventures
Frequently Asked Questions
What is licence quota and why is this in place?
In 2019, the Guidelines called for licences in Nahanni to remain fixed at 4 to meet the objectives for appropriate levels of visitor use on the South Nahanni River. A high-quality wilderness environment continues to be the chief defining characteristic of the Nahanni experience. Groups should expect to share popular camping locations with other groups and can expect to see no more than 2-3 large groups per day while paddling on the river. If groups are reporting multiple encounters of more than 3 large groups per day those would be clear indications of declining wilderness experiences as well as increased impacts to park resources because of greater impacts.
Parks Canada has not received any significant feedback to indicate exceedances and/or impact to wilderness qualities by visitors.
What is Nái̖li̖cho Allocation and why is it in place?
Nái̖li̖cho is the Dene Zhatie name for a large and impressive waterfall on the South Nahanni River, it is the main attraction in the park for visitors. River travellers on the South Nahanni River must portage their equipment approximately 2 km around Nái̖li̖cho.
Parks Canada has developed campgrounds and boardwalks at this location to facilitate safe visitor experiences, but the facility is not developed to accommodate high visitation and the portage requires multi-night stays. Therefore, visitation is managed carefully. Each group must register a reservation for overnight stays the Nái̖li̖cho campgrounds. Each reservation allows for a maximum 2-night stay. Parks Canada must allocate arrival days to each overnight group at the Nái̖li̖cho campgrounds.
Parks Canada allocates 50% arrival days at Nái̖li̖cho to commercial guided river outfitters. In 2019, each outfitter was assigned their Nái̖li̖cho allocation based on their historical usage, and this would be in place for 5 years.
The Guidelines call for Parks Canada to conduct a review of Nái̖li̖cho allocation every 5 years. Allocation may be reorganized to better accommodate sustainable tourism objectives. For example, there is a use it or lose it approach. Looking at the best 3 year average of Nái̖li̖cho Allocation statistics, if an outfitter fails to use 50% of their arrival days, Parks Canada may reallocate assigned dates to other outfitters or consider notifying the public about a new call for applications.
Further Context
We encourage you to explore this background information before you develop your written comments:
- Link to the Guidelines
- Link to the Park Management Plan
We want your feedback!
If you wish to make a written submission please do so on or before Friday, August 30, 2024. You may do so by writing your comments in an email or by completing the attached document and table. Please submit comments to: nahanni.info@pc.gc.ca.
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