Dehcho Collaborative Management AAROM Proposal; – Multi-Year starting April 2010 DEHCHO FIRST NATIONS _______________________________________________ ___ Five Year - Multi-Year AAROM Collaborative Management Proposal For the Period beginning April 1, 2010 Dehcho First Nations PO. Box 89, Fort Simpson, NT., X0E-0N0 Telephone: (867) 695 2610, Facsimile: (867) 695 2038 www.dehchofirstnations.com Leads: Ria Letcher, Executive Director Dora Tsetso, Finance Officer George Low, AAROM Coordinator Proposal Prepared by: George Low, AAROM Coordinator 13 Riverview Drive Hay River, NT., X0E 0R7 Phone; 867 874 3359 Cell; 867 874 1248 e-mail; [email protected] Dehcho First Nations 1 Dehcho Collaborative Management AAROM Proposal; – Multi-Year starting April 2010 A. Applicant Eligibility Information Recipient Organization: Dehcho First Nations PO Box 89 Fort Simpson, NT, X0E 0N0. Ph. (867) 695-2610 Fax: (867) 695-2038 www.dehchofirstnations.com Lead Contacts: George Low Ria Letcher Dora Tsetso AAROM Office PO Box 89 PO Box 89 13 Riverview Drive Fort Simpson, NT Fort Simpson, NT Hay River, NT, X0E 0R7 X0E 0N0 X0E 0N0 Ph.: (867) 874-3359 Ph (867) 695-2610 Ph(867) 695-2610 Cell: (867) 874-1248 • Ria Letcher, Executive Director E-mail: [email protected] • George Low, Dehcho AAROM Coordinator E-mail: [email protected] • Dora Tsetso, Finance Officer E-mail: [email protected] Organizational Information The Dehcho First Nations (DFN) was established as a ‘regional tribal council’ in the early 1990s to represent the regional and territorial Aboriginal interests of Dene and Métis indigenous to the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories. The Dehcho Dene1 are direct descendents of the people who have inhabited and used the Dehcho landscape since time immemorial. In 1921, Treaty 11 was signed by Dehcho leaders, but the nature and intent of the treaty has been challenged and a ‘contemporary treaty’ is currently under negotiation between DFN and Canada. This negotiation process is referred to as the Dehcho Process and encompasses lands, resources, and self-government issues. DFN’s primary mandate is to represent its member First Nation and Métis governments in negotiations with Canada. As a component of this process, and in order to ensure regional protection of the Aboriginal interests of its members, DFN has established three long-term goals: 1 The term Dehcho Dene includes both First Nation and Métis peoples. Dehcho First Nations 2 Dehcho Collaborative Management AAROM Proposal; – Multi-Year starting April 2010 • Public government for the Dehcho region based on Dene principles and traditions; this government must also protect and promote Treaty and Aboriginal rights; • Protection of the Dehcho land base so that the land remains healthy and capable of supporting traditional land use activities; and • Sustainable economic development that balances regional and community interests (Source: http://www.dehchofirstnations.com/dehcho_government.htm). DFN is also acknowledged by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) as the regional administrative body for the Dehcho Dene. In this capacity, DFN administers a wide range of regional funding and programming on behalf of its member governments, such as Aboriginal language revitalization funding, Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy (AHRD) funding; Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) funding; and Mackenzie Gas Project Impact Funding. The total annual budget for the Dehcho First Nations is approximately $10 million, much of which is flowed through to the member communities for programming and service delivery. Within the Dehcho Region, DFN represents the following member governments (see detailed contact information in Appendix A): • Deh Gah Got’ie Dene Band; • K’atl’odeeche First Nation; • Jean Marie River First Nation; • K’agee Tu First Nation; • Liidlii Kue First Nation; • Nahanni Butte Dene Band; • Pehdzeh Ki First Nation; • Sambaa Ke Dene Band; • West Point First Nation; • Fort Simpson Métis Local 52 ; and • Fort Providence Metis Local 57. The total population of the Dehcho Dene and Métis is approximately 4500. The AAROM Body The Dehcho First Nations (DFN), as the "AAROM Body", is ultimately responsible for directing and administrating the Dehcho AAROM program. The DFN Executive Director provides direction to the program and manages the administrative support of the program. The AAROM Coordinator position is dedicated entirely to the program and broad duties are to organize and run the AAROM program. DFO Employee ! 6/15/10 12:24 PM Comment: Expand and link to strategic plan Dehcho First Nations 3 Dehcho Collaborative Management AAROM Proposal; – Multi-Year starting April 2010 The Dehcho Watershed Ecosystem Advisory Committee (the Advisory Committee) Dehcho First Nations (DFN), through a process of consultation with its members2, has established the Dehcho Watershed Ecosystem Advisory Committee (DWEAC) to assist in the fulfillment of DFN’s goal to ‘protect the Dehcho land base’. This Advisory Committee provides community based participation in advising the DFN on the direction of the program. The members of this Advisory Committee bring community concerns to the table and advise on program direction. A preliminary ‘terms of reference’ for the Committee were prepared during previous capacity building initiatives (see Appendix B) and will guide the Advisory Committee during the capacity building and collaborative management stages. All Aboriginal organizations in the Dehcho ARROM area are each year invited to participate in the AAROM program. DFN’s member governments and Dehcho Métis organizations who want to participate in the Dehcho AAROM program, will appoint one voting representative to the Advisory Committee (as well as an alternate). Non-voting membership on the Committee has been extended to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Dehcho First Nations, and the AAROM Coordinator who acts as facilitator at the spring and fall meetings. The Advisory Committee will operate under the authority of Dehcho First Nations, so overriding accountability for financial and program management of the Collaborative management AAROM projects will rest with the Dehcho First Nations. The Dehcho First Nation’s headquarters are located in the Community of Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. The AAROM Coordinator has an office in the community of Hay River. Geographic Parameters: The Dehcho AAROM program will operate within the geographic area that currently falls within the Dehcho Process. This area is located in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, as illustrated on the map below. It encompasses approximately 210,000 square kilometers. 2 Terra Firma Consultants. (May 2005). Aboriginal Aquatic Resources and Oceans Management Program – Phase A: Report on Consultations. Dehcho First Nations 4 Dehcho Collaborative Management AAROM Proposal; – Multi-Year starting April 2010 This area of land also falls within the land planning mandate of the Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee (DLUPC), which was established in 2002 as a component of the Dehcho Process. DLUPC is a tripartite group made up of DFN, DIAND, and the GNWT. Its mission and principles are as follows: Mission: The Dehcho Land Use Planning Committee will develop a land use plan as a management tool to determine what type of land use activities should occur and where they should take place. This plan will balance economic, social, environmental and cultural needs and interests. Guiding Principle: This plan will be guided by the principles of sustainable development and respect for the land as understood and explained by the Dehcho elders. Given overlapping interests in sustainable resource management, linkages with the DLUPC will be established by the Advisory Committee as a component of this Collaborative Management initiative. According to the DLUPC, the Dehcho Region encompasses several major sub-basins – including Great Slave, the Liard, and the Mackenzie Great Bear basins – and contains fifteen distinct and interconnected watersheds, all of which eventually flow into the Dehcho (Mackenzie River). These watersheds, as mapped by the DLUPC, are illustrated below. All of the watersheds contain traditional and contemporary areas and sites for fish harvesting and are of interest to the Advisory Committee. The northern border of the Committee’s area of interest is defined by the Sahtu Land Claim settlement, which is also the northern boundary of the Dehcho Process. Given that Dehcho First Nations 5 Dehcho Collaborative Management AAROM Proposal; – Multi-Year starting April 2010 there are overlapping watershed issues with the Sahtu, the Advisory Committee will establish communication links with the appropriate Sahtu resource management bodies regarding fisheries issues of joint interest. The eastern end of the Dehcho Region extends into Great Slave Lake and therefore overlaps with the AAROM “Great Slave Lake Watershed Advisory Committee” established through the Akaitcho Territory Government. Initially, three Dehcho communities were accepted as voting members of the above AAROM Committee. However, since 2009, Dehcho members have not been invited to Great Slave Lake Watershed Advisory meetings and have not been included Great Slave Lake AAROM activities and projects. Given these overlapping interests, as a component of this Collaborative Management project, a working relationship and set of operational protocols need