Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

DEH CHO - A final round of community consultations is underway to help determine the boundary that will be suggested for the Edehzhie protected area.

Paul Latour, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, was in Fort Simpson on Sept. 2 and Wrigley the following day to present information and gather comments on the boundary for the area.

Paul Latour, a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, stands with a map that shows one of the boundary options for the Edehzhie protected area that's been presented to Deh Cho communities. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"People certainly had opinions," Latour said.

Edehzhie includes the Horn Plateau, Horn River, Mills Lake, Willow River and Rabbitskin Creek. Latour said the area is important to surrounding communities because historically people could be assured of finding fish and game there even when it was scarce everywhere else.

Edehzhie is an important fish and wildlife habitat and a source of clean water with three main watersheds coming out of it but none flowing in. Near Fort Providence, Mills Lake is also a key habitat for waterfowl, he said.

Work to protect the area has been underway for more than 10 years, said Latour. Edehzhie joined the territories' Protected Areas Strategy seven years ago. The land is currently protected under an interim land withdrawal that expires in October.

The current question is how much of the area should be put forward for protection as a national wildlife area.

A full land withdrawal would include 25,230 square kilometres. The minimum suggested area that would still accomplish the conservation goals is 10,565 square kilometres, said Latour.

Option three, which makes a compromise between economic potentials and conservation goals, includes 66 per cent of the area or 16,588 square kilometres. A final choice covers 58 per cent of the area and avoids 80 per cent of the oil, gas and mineral potential.

Test for non-renewable resources have shown parts of Edehzhie have potential for lead, zinc, uranium as well as oil and gas. Nothing, however, is conclusively known to exist, let alone in economic quantities, said Latour.

The decision on the suggested boundary option will be made by the Edehzhie working group that includes representatives from affected Deh Cho communities including Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, Jean Marie River and Wrigley. The group is also composed of representatives from Tlicho communities as well as government agencies and conservation groups. The boundary option will be passed to the Dehcho First Nations before being given to the territorial and federal government for the final decision, said Latour.

Reaching this point has been a "long haul, slow going," he said. The end, however, is in sight.

"We're getting closer to where the working group can sit down and make a decision," said Latour.

Gauging public opinion on the boundary options is one of the final stages before a decision is made. The working group has received clear direction from Fort Providence and Wrigley, said Latour.

A follow-up meeting will be held with members of Liidlii Kue First Nation because of the low turnout to the public meeting in Fort Simpson. Jean Marie River is scheduled to be consulted later in the month.

At this point Latour was reluctant to say which of the options communities have endorsed.

Jonas Antoine, the Dehcho First Nations' representative on the work group, has no such qualms.

DFN supports protecting all of Edehzhie, said Antoine.

"It's a matter of protecting the water," he said.

By protecting the whole area the watersheds of the Willow River, Horn River and Rabbitskin River are secured in one move, said Antoine. He said the water, not unproven economic potential, should be the focus.

Antoine argues mineral assessment shouldn't even be part of the Protected Area Strategy. The possibility of resources is affecting the boundary, he said. When making the boundary decision, people need to think long term as far as 200 years in the future, he said.

"If you don't prescribe areas for protecting now, you will have nothing left," said Antoine.