Parks, DCFN react to Nahanni Butte seismic deal
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Apr 06/01) - The implications of proposed seismic activity in Nahanni Butte are being examined.
Chuck Blyth, superintendent of Nahanni National Park Reserve, said Parks staff are trying to find out more about the seismic project and whether it might have an impact on the ecological integrity of the park.
Whether the seismic work will preclude plans for Nahanni National Park's expansion is also uncertain, according to Blyth.
"We'll probably have to find out more about it before we can comment on whether it would or not," he said.
Nahanni Butte chief Leon Konisenta told The Drum that jobs are his primary concern. He said he's "not worried" about park expansion.
Reaction from Deh Cho First Nations' grand chief Michael Nadli was muted. Just returned from vacation, Nadli said he knew very little about the agreement.
"I haven't been informed. I don't know what's going on," he said.
Although Deh Cho elders have urged that major projects be approved by all the region's aboriginal leadership, that recommendation has not been formally adopted.
Chris Reid, chief negotiator for the DCFN, said companies doing exploration of any kind in the Deh Cho would be well served to consult widely within the region.
"I know they (Arcis) have not consulted with the DCFN as a whole on this," Reid said. "That doesn't mean there will necessarily be opposition to their plans... but it doesn't go over well when a company just announces what they're going to do without first consulting with all the affected communities."
The DCFN's Interim Measures Agreement, which has been initialed but not yet signed, stipulates that there will be no seismic activity on withdrawn lands. Some of the lands designated for the Arcis seismic project will likely be withdrawn, Reid noted. However, it will likely be a year after the agreement is signed before any Deh Cho lands are declared off limits by virtue of a withdrawal order, he acknowledged.
He also noted that seismic activity only provides oil and gas companies with information about the land, it doesn't allow them to do any drilling.
"That's another step, and that will be governed by a land-use planning process and by withdrawal order," he said. "This seismic exploration can't go much further anyway without the leadership's collective decision on where it's going to go from here."
