Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Dec 10/99) - Parks staff brought the Nahanni to the people last week, conceptually, that is.

Open houses were held in Fort Liard, Nahanni Butte and Fort Simpson, giving Deh Cho residents a chance to find out what might be in store for the park and offer their input.

"It's an awareness objective," Nahanni National Park Reserve superintendent, Chuck Blyth, said. Some people who stopped by were curious about the park's management plan, which is due to be reviewed this winter. Also on the agenda is the creation of an ecological integrity statement through a workshop to be held in January. Biologists, ecologists, environmental activists, representatives of the Deh Cho First Nations and other community representatives will attend the workshop, Blyth noted.

An ecological integrity statement will essentially be "our vision of what the parks should be so we know what changes to monitor," he explained. Park policy and regulations would be altered to ensure the objective is met.

"Sometimes it's just a matter of educating people to use the park in different ways," he said.

For instance, among the fact sheets being distributed was one pertaining to reducing human impacts. The use of fire boxes is being encouraged as opposed to starting campfires here and there, Blyth said. He added that the reduction of human waste is also being promoted.

The number of visitors to the park hasn't increased much over the past 14 years. By the year 2005, however, it's expected more than 1,000 people will tour the park, almost double the 1999 total of 550 people.

Blyth said a significant increase is also expected next year as many vacations have been planned for the year 2000. He noted that a regional air service already has bookings for next summer.

When First Nations' land claims are settled, the park reserve, which was designated as such in 1976, then stands to officially become a full-fledged park. Working with the First Nations is of the utmost importance to Parks Canada, according to Blyth. Dene and Metis cultural sites and legends are highly respected.

Gerald Antoine, former DCFN grand chief, was on hand for the open house and told of the legend of Yambaadezhaa, a giant of a man who came upon the Dene to put things in their rightful place.

Yambaadezhaa, which translates to a "person who walked along the edge of the snow," was said to have used a spear to poke at the top of the beaver lodge -- a beaver lodge that we know now as Nahanni Butte. The spear caused one side of the beaver lodge to collapse and thereby created the mountain range that stands in the area around the park, Antoine said.