Deh Cho - Members of the Nahanni Expansion Working Group are less than a month away from announcing their recommended boundary for the expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve.

The working group has held public open houses in five locations to gather input on three possible boundary options. Members of the group, including two representatives from Parks Canada and two from the Dehcho First Nations, will use the feedback to help make a boundary recommendation by early December, said Steve Catto, the park establishment officer with the working group.

Danny Wright, a project geologist with Natural Resources Canada, speaks in Yellowknife at one of the public open houses that were held on the boundary options for the expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve. - Cara Loverock/NNSL photo

The group is faced with deciding how to balance a number of conflicting interests.

"We've looked at quite a number of different values," said Catto.

On one side are conservation values including protecting the habitat of woodland caribou, grizzly bears, Dall's sheep and the landscape of the North Nahanni Karst region.

"We've tried to balance that as best we can with possible economic and industrial development," Catto said.

A completed mineral and energy resource assessment study identified several areas that have potential for various resources including tungsten, lead, silver, zinc as well as gold and gemstones in some areas, said Catto.

The balancing act can be seen in the three boundary options that were presented at the public open houses.

Option one includes the greatest level of protection and encompasses 30,837 square-kilometres, 93 per cent of the Dehcho portion of the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem.

Two other options include smaller amounts of land, 29,295 square-kilometres and 25,997 square-kilometres respectively, leaving open more of the areas that have been identified as having potential for mineral development.

The current park reserve covers 4,766 square-kilometres. A total of approximately 28,000 square-kilometres of the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem are under interim protection.

The boundary that the working group will choose could be one of the variations, but they are just options, said Catto.

"We are definitely going to listen to the comments people give us and weight those comments carefully when we make our final boundary recommendation," he said.

Opinions from other groups will also be considered including federal and territorial government departments, big game outfitters, the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines and various mining companies.

"Quite a range of groups are being met with," said Catto.

Although a diverse range of factors have to be considered by the working group in their decision, Catto said it's an exciting time in the process.

"It's a wonderful opportunity and also a responsibility to consider information carefully in respect to our final boundary agreement," he said.

One local leader is concerned that not enough voices from the communities have been heard during the consultation process.

With so few people attending public meetings it's impossible to say that public consultation has been carried out, said Chief Keyna Norwegian of the Liidlii Kue First Nation.

An average of 15 people attended the recent meetings on the expansion in Nahanni Butte, Fort Liard and Fort Simpson.

"More effort has to be made to get feedback from the people," said Norwegian.

Even if it means going door-to-door to gather opinions, more local people need to be involved in the consultation process, Norwegian said.

In addition to questioning the consultation, Norwegian said that she'd like to ensure that the first nations will have a say in the management of the expanded park.

"I want to make sure the future generations will be able to access any potential resources that may be there," she said.

Norwegian said the protection of the land and water is important but that overprotection will limit future options.

"We have to have some kind of control," said Norwegian.

People can still have input into the expansion process during the public comment and revision period that lasts until late November, said Catto.

Comment forms were included in a mailout by Parks Canada and are also available on their website.

The working group will make their final boundary recommendation to the Dehcho First Nations and Parks Canada by early December. The two groups will then negotiate to reach a final agreement, Catto said.

"It will hopefully be a matter of months to come up with a final agreement," Catto said.