Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve (proposed)

Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve (proposed)
Map showing the location of Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve (proposed)
Location of Thaidene Nëné in Northwest Territories
Map showing the location of Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve (proposed)
Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve (proposed) (Northwest Territories)
Location  Northwest Territories
 Canada
Nearest city Yellowknife
Coordinates 62°30′N 111°00′W / 62.500°N 111.000°W / 62.500; -111.000 (Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve)Coordinates: 62°30′N 111°00′W / 62.500°N 111.000°W / 62.500; -111.000 (Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve)
Area 14,000 km2 (5,400 sq mi)
Established proposed
Governing body Parks Canada

Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve (from the Dene, this Chipewyan name means land of our ancestors;[1] in the vicinity of the East Arm of Great Slave Lake.) It is a proposed National Park Reserve located on the northern edge of the boreal forest in the Northwest Territories, Canada.[2] The current land withdrawal covers an area of approximately 33,690 square kilometres (13,008 sq mi).

The area has been subject to interim land withdrawals by which "no new mining claims or oil and gas rights will be issued for the affected area" while decisions are being made.[3] Some areas of potentially high mineral content have been excluded from the proposals, such that certain industrial and commercial activities will likely be approved to continue in those areas.[3] Designation as a national park would prevent the expansion of uranium and diamond mines into the park's boundaries,[2] and works to protect caribou and pelt animals such as "lynx, wolf, red fox, wolverine, martin, moose and black bear".[1] The area features red granite cliffs, as well as "a spectacular array of peninsulas, canyons and waterfalls as the forests give way to northern tundra".[4] Various migratory bird species also stage and nest in the area, including ducks and songbirds.[5]

History

Utsingi Point

Consideration for the creation a 7,340km2 national park in the region was withdrawn in 1970 under the Territorial Lands Act, but in 2001 the Lutsel K’e (previously Snowdrift) Dene First Nations band re-considered the proposal.[6] Consultations for a feasibility study proceeded from 2002 to 2004, which drew the inclusion of the Métis Nation to the process.[7] By 2005, the Lutsel K’e produced a Band Council Resolution "supporting consideration of a national park as part of a broader protection initiative for their traditional territory",[8] in cooperation with other Akaitcho First Nations. In 2006, the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation and the Minister of Environment and Minister Responsible for Parks Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding which expanded the land withdrawal area for consideration for the national park by an additional 26,350 km2 and defined a process for working together on matters pertaining to establishing a national park.[9][10] Originally expected to be designated in 2009, [11] negotiations have yet to be finalized.

By 2014, the government of the Northwest Territories through the Northwest Territories Devolution Act took administrative control of the 33,690–square kilometer park study area, and by the following year initiated a "matrix of protected area designations" that included a scaled-down National Park Reserve of 14,000 square kilometers in combination with a range of territorial designations, conserving 75 percent of the 33,690km2 area.[12] Public consultations on the smaller proposed boundaries finished in 2016. The federal government's 2016 budget named the Thaidene Nëné proposal in its allocation of funds to help the National Park Reserve to realization.[13]

On June 10, 2015, Parks Canada and the Northwest Territory Métis Nation negotiators reached an agreement in principle on most elements of an Impact and Benefit Agreement. The agreement is subject to internal review and consultation by both the NWTMN and Parks Canada.

The Government of Canada announced its proposed boundary for a national park reserve in the Thaidene Nëné area on July 29th, 2015 and launched formal consultations on the boundary. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nature Canada Applauds Federal Government's Renewed Commitment to National Park System". Nature Canada. 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  2. 1 2 Gandhi, Unnati (2007-11-21). "NWT to get new national park". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  3. 1 2 "N.W.T.'s Ramparts gain interim protection". CBC News. 2001-11-15. Retrieved 2001-11-22.
  4. ↑ Martin, Don (2007-11-21). "Harper earns green stripes by protecting vast areas of northern land". The Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  5. ↑ "The Pew Charitable Trusts applauds Canadian Boreal Forest protection". Boreal Songbird Initiative. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  6. ↑ "State of Protected Heritage Areas 2001 Report". Parks Canada. 2001. Archived from the original on 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  7. ↑ "State of Protected Heritage Areas 2003 Report". Parks Canada. 2003. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  8. ↑ "STATE OF PROTECTED HERITAGE AREAS for the period ending March 31, 2005". Parks Canada. 2005. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  9. ↑ "WWF-Canada Supports Dene Initiatives and Ambrose's Announcements for Protection in the Mackenzie Watershed". World Wildlife Fund. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  10. ↑ "Canadian Boreal Initiative applauds agreement for a new northern National Park between Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation and Parks Canada". Canada Newswire. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  11. ↑ "Ottawa, Dene agree to create vast national park". CBC News. 2006-10-14. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  12. ↑ [http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/progs/np-pn/cnpn-cnnp/thaidene-nene/chrono.aspx Archived 2016-04-04 at the Wayback Machine. Proposed Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve, Chronology, Parks Canada, 2015
  13. ↑ Budget 2016, Chapter 4-A Clean Growth Economy, Providing Free Access and Expanding the National Park System, Government of Canada, 2016
  14. ↑ https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/cnpn-cnnp/thaidene-nene/chrono
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