Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT PROVIDENCE (May 21/99) - "It's a gas station for a lot of migratory birds."

That's the way one Fort Providence Resource Management Board member defined Mills Lake.

A workshop was held in Fort Providence last Thursday and Friday to discuss the merits of having Mills Lake designated as a protected area. The area in question is approximately 20 minutes west of Fort Providence by boat. It's been a staging grounds for birds such as Canada geese, snow geese, swans and various species of ducks as well, according to Darren Campbell, the community's resource management planner.

"It's always been important from a water fowl perspective, but it's also been extensively used traditionally by the community," Campbell explained.

Another purpose of the workshop, hosted by the Fort Providence Resource Management Board and the Deh Gah Got'ie Dene Council, was to review the new Protected Area Strategy under the GNWT. Officials from government agencies were there to explain the new policy. Representatives from the World Wildlife Fund, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited and Environment Canada were present as well.

"It's one of the few times that I've seen many people from many different agencies working in the same direction with really positive attitudes and positive responses. The meeting went really well. It was really informative," said Campbell.

The new GNWT protected areas initiative is quite detailed and it requires that the terms of protection be defined quite clearly. For example, it will have to be determined whether the designation would apply seasonally or year-round; as an ecological park or a marine park, Campbell said.

In that context, there's plenty of work yet to be done in Fort Providence, he admitted. For instance, the exact boundaries of Mills Lake have yet to be defined in terms of a protected area.

"Basically, we're just going through the step one phase. The question is where we go from here," he said, adding that a community consultation process will undoubtedly be undertaken in the future. As well, leadership in the community will be consulted and perhaps maps will be posted so people can help define the area, he suggested.

"In a way, we have to take a step back from where we started," he said.

The workshop was also intended to gauge public reaction as to whether Mills Lake should be designated as a protected area, Campbell said. Although the local turnout was poor for some reason, he said he's heard plenty of people express support for the idea around the community.

"There's more than one reason for it (applying for protected area status)," he said. "It's just a matter of shoring up all the sides and putting it into a report that's palatable for someone to review and say, 'OK, maybe they have a point here.'"