TTHEK'EHDELI/JEAN MARIE RIVER - The ratified expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve will mean significant changes to the way the area is managed.

Jonas Antoine and Chuck Blyth discussed the effects of the expansion with delegates at the Dehcho First Nations' annual assembly in Jean Marie River on June 25.

Jonas Antoine, left, a member of the Naha Dehe Consensus Team, and Chuck Blyth, superintendent of the Nahanni National Park Reserve, discuss the park expansion with delegates at Dehcho First Nations' annual assembly. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"I feel kind of emotional because this is something that is very sacred and I'm talking about the land," said Antoine, a member of the Naha Dehe Consensus Team, which manages the park.

The challenge now is for the Dehcho First Nations' members to set the direction on how to manage the park, said Antoine.

The expansion has increased the park to six times its size to approximately 30,000 square kilometres from 4,766 square kilometres.

The expansion came with a commitment of $1.4 million for ongoing management and $5 million for capital investments.

One changes could see staffing level at the park increase to 30. The park currently has 12 staff including four summer students.

Any new personnel will need to be housed and provided with office space.

One of the conditions set years ago was a park office would be established in Nahanni Butte, said Antoine.

The residents of Nahanni Butte will have a major say in what happens next, he said.

Deciding what kind of staff to hire and opening an office in Nahanni Butte will be a lot of work but it's possible, said Chuck Blyth, the park's superintendent.

In the expanded park, Dehcho First Nations' members will continue to have the right to practice cultural activities and to harvest.

The land is also protected forever, Blyth said.

"You've got everything you've asked for," he added.

The assembly met the presentation on the expansion with a guarded response.

"How can you protect the watershed when there's two mines there," asked Chief Fred Tesou of Nahanni Butte.

Third-party interests in the park had to be respected because of an agreement that was signed in 2001, said Antoine. The interests include Prairie Creek Mine and Cantung Mine.

Due to the expansion, however, the land use permits and water licences for the parts of Prairie Creek's access road that fall within the park are now under Park Canada's jurisdiction, said Blyth.

"I'm confident we're going to be able to protect the watershed," Blyth said.

Chief Isadore Simon of Jean Marie River raised a concern about the big game hunters that operate in the area.

Within 10 years all of the commercial big game hunters will be gone from the expanded park because they're no longer able to renew their 10-year licenses, said Antoine.

Grand Chief Samuel Gargan thanked all the parties involved in the expansion for their dedication.

"We should be grateful for all their hard work," Gargan said.

"It was a good achievement."

Blyth encouraged the delegates and leadership to provide input to the Naha Dehe Consensus Team,.

The team is comprised of four Dehcho First Nations' members and three parks' staff.

In addition to Antoine, the first nation members include George Tsetso, Peter Marcellais and Darrell Betsaka, all from Nahanni Butte.

Antoine encouraged the delegates to congratulate themselves because they gave the direction that made the expansion possible.

Although the expansion has long been a goal for Dehcho First Nations it wasn't expected to happen this quickly, he said.

The bill to expand the park received royal assent on June 18. The bill was supported by all of the parties in the House of Commons before moving to the Senate.