          
DID YOU KNOW...The Boreal stretches through all provinces except PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick |
Media CentrePress Releases2006Canadian Boreal Initiative applauds agreement for a new northern National Park between Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation and Parks CanadaOctober 13, 2006 - LUTSEL K'E, Northwest Territories The Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation and Parks Canada signed an agreement today as a major step towards establishing a new National Park in the Northwest Territories. The agreement was signed today in the community of Lutsel K'e by federal Minister of Environment Rona Ambrose and Chief Adeline Jonasson. Minister Ambrose also made commitments to protecting several other sites through the Northwest Territories Protected Area Strategy. "The Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation are taking the lead to secure the ecological and cultural values of their territories for future generations," stated Larry Innes, Acting Executive Director of the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI). "We've been a proud supporter of their work, and are honoured to celebrate this event with them today." Much of the proposed new National Park lies in the Mackenzie watershed. It would secure protection for Thaydene Nene, an approximately 33,000 km2 natural and cultural area along the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, the tenth largest lake in the world. The area spans the northern fringes of Canada's boreal forest. The region has been home to the Dene for at least 7000 years, and remains largely intact. The lakes are dotted with islands and marked by cliffs and rivers, and the region is home to migrating caribou herds, barren ground grizzly bear, wood bison and internationally significant populations of resident and migratory bird species. A portion of the area was proposed as a National Park in the 1970s, but stalled in the face of local opposition. "This agreement is a critical step in the realization of the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation's vision of a conservation network in its traditional territory. CBI's active and financial support is contributing directly to the realization of this vision," noted Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation Chief Adeline Jonasson. The agreement between Parks Canada and the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation commits the parties to work cooperatively towards establishing Thaydene Nene as a National Park of Canada. Over the next several years, the parties will undertake a feasibility study and negotiate the model for how the Dene will fully participate in all aspects of park operations and management. "We welcome Canada's commitments to Thaydene Nene," continued Innes, "but much more remains to be done. The region is under tremendous development pressure. There's a balance that needs to be struck between conservation and development, and there's an urgency to get it right. We urge Minister Ambrose to make the advancement and financing of the Northwest Territories Protected Area Strategy a priority in advance of decisions on major developments like the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline," concluded Innes. Minister Ambrose also committed to following up protection of a number of other areas put forward by Dene communities in the Mackenzie Valley: Ts' ude niline Tu eyeta (The Ramparts) as a National Wildlife Area (NWA); Edéhzhíe as a continued candidate NWA; and Sahyoue and Edahcho (Grizzly Bear Mountain and Scented Grass Hills) as a National Historic Site in the Sahtu region. "We are very pleased the Minister intends to move forward on sponsorship of Ts'ude niline Tu eyeta (The Ramparts). This area is vital for the community and the continent's migratory birds," said Gary Stewart, Regional Manager, Boreal Programs with Ducks Unlimited Canada. CBI is a partner in the Northwest Territories Protected Area Strategy, and is working with local communities, the World Wildlife Fund, Ducks Unlimited, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the federal and territorial governments to secure protection for ecological and cultural values in advance of major development. About CBI Working independently with a wide range of conservation organizations, First Nations, industry and other interested parties, the Canadian Boreal Initiative links science, policy and conservation activities in Canada's boreal region, and supports on-the-ground boreal conservation work. Since being established in January 2003, CBI has been instrumental in generating constructive discussion about the management of Canada's boreal region. For more information visit: www.borealcanada.ca -30- For more information: Mary Granskou Stephen Ellis |
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