Dinaga Wek'ehodi/ North Arm Great Slave Lake Candidate Protected Area

November 14, 2013

One of the working groups that the WRRB is involved with is the Dinàgà Wek'èhodì Candidate Protected Area Working Group.  Along with wildlife, forests, and plants, the WRRB is also responsible for Protected Areas within Wek’èezhìı.  Dinàgà Wek'èhodì (formerly Kwets'ootł'àà) is an area of approximately 590 square kilometers of the north portion of the north arm of Great Slave Lake, and includes the mainland shoreline, numerous islands and the water of the lake itself.  “Dinàgà Wek'èhodì” is a traditional Tłı̨chǫ name for the area, meaning “big island” and “to protect”.  It’s a spectacular place, popular for hunting, fishing, outfitting, ecotourism, and recreation. 

In 2010, the Tłı̨chǫ Government requested that this special cultural / heritage and natural place be protected for future generations, through the NWT Protected Areas Strategy process.  The area is culturally and historically important to the Dene, including Tłı̨chǫ, and Métis who have used the area for seasonal hunting and fishing, and in the past, it was a main transportation route.  Traces of its history are found in trails, old artifacts, historical cabins, stories and in elders’ memories. 

It’s a place rich in natural history too.  Dinàgà Wek'èhodì is home to several species at risk, including boreal woodland caribou, wood bison, wolverine, rusty blackbird, short-eared owl, common nighthawk and barn swallow. In fact, it has been classified as key migratory bird site in the NWT and an Important Bird Area in Canada –part of a network of sites that provide essential habitat for bird populations like the large numbers of tundra swans, Canada geese and other waterbirds who use the North Arm as a staging area –a place for northward-migrating birds to rest and feed.  Hundreds of thousands of birds are drawn to its islands, bays, marshes and delta wetlands –habitat that is also ideal for many species of breeding boreal ducks. 

The Working Group was created to help evaluate the candidate protected area in determining the area’s future status and management.  It has been researching and collecting information on the area’s ecological, cultural and economic values.

Earlier this fall in September, an interim land withdrawal for the Dinàgà Wek'èhodì candidate protected area was approved.  The purpose of the withdrawal is to ensure that the natural and cultural values of the area are not compromised during the protected area planning process.  The interim withdrawal provides temporary protection for the land by preventing the establishment of new surface and / or subsurface interests.  This means no new mining rights can be registered or new oil and gas rights issued.  Existing rights are respected. The interim withdrawal is in effect until September 2015.  The withdrawal does not affect Aboriginal rights.  Hunting, fishing, trapping and other traditional or recreational activities are not affected by an interim land withdrawal. 

A map showing the candidate protected area is included in the Photo Gallery at the end of this article.  

 

Fact Box
  • Members of the Dinàgà Wek'èhodì Candidate Protected Areas Working Group include representatives of:
  • Tłı̨chǫ Government Department of Culture and Lands Protection
  • WRRB
  • NWT Métis Nation
  • North Slave Métis Alliance
  • Yellowknives Dene First Nation
  • Community of Behchokǫ̀
  • Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service
  • Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC)
  • GNWT
  • Narwhal Northern Adventures
  • True North Safaris
  • Rabesca's Resources
  • Enodah Wilderness Tours
  • Great Slave Lake is the deepest lake in North America and the second largest lake in the NWT (after Great Bear Lake)
  • The NWT Protected Areas Strategy (NWT PAS) is a community-driven process to protect special natural and cultural lands in the NWT.  Visit the NWT PAS website for more information. 

 

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