DEH CHO - Fewer people took in the natural beauty of the Nahanni National Park Reserve this year, despite the park's growth this summer.

Chuck Blyth, superintendent of the park, estimated the drop to be about 20 per cent compared to previous years, though data is still being collected.

Staff at the administration office of the Nahanni National Park Reserve in Fort Simpson hope to get a base set up in Nahanni Butte. The Nahanni National Park, though now much bigger than at the start of the season, had fewer visitors than previous years. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

"We had fewer visitors than last year. Probably something to do with the economy, would be my guess. I think a lot of visitation was down in the North," said Blyth.

Those who did visit the park had much more to explore. During the summer, the federal government expanded the park by approximately 5,000 square kilometres.

The new areas include the Cirque of the Unclimbables - a cluster of mountain peaks and ridges - and the Ram Plateau.

Besides the expansion, the season was dotted with other events that kept management busy.

There were 18 fires in the park, including one that almost reached an outfitters cabin, though fire fighters managed to keep it from burning down.

"We had some unusual climate events this year. We had some big winds come and blow trees down over cabins, blow some rafts off the river," said Blyth.

Parks Canada staff also rescued a visitor who had dislocated their arm on the South Nahanni River.

"They were canoeing and we went out and helped them back to Virginia Falls, where they plan to start their trip off again next year," said Blyth.

The most severe incident was an August helicopter crash in the park's mountains, in which two people died.

Blyth was not particularly worried about the reduced tourism and is working with the rest of the park's staff to plan for the region's future.

Blyth said they want to hire more staff and are pushing for a larger budget for next year. There are also plans to put a base in Nahanni Butte.

As well, a Park Management Plan is in the works, being produced in conjunction with the Dehcho First Nations.

"The biggest thing (in the plan so far) is with the expansion, working on gaining the same level of knowledge for that area that we had with the original park," said Laani Uunila, a Parks Canada employee who focuses on the Nahanni.

Uunila added the goal is to incorporate traditional knowledge into the park's management, foster the park as a center for mountain research in the North and managing the waters of the park.

"Everything in the management plan has to be fairly integrated," said Uunila, "from the ecological integrity side to the natural environment, the cultural values, how the visitors may experience the environment, and how we communicate it as an education tool."