• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Table of Contents Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Purpose of the Report……………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Background………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 History……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Nomination…………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 A Decade of Change…………………………………………………………………………… 9 New Cultural & Natural Frameworks……………………………………………………………. 13 10 Years of CHRS…………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Natural Heritage………………………………………………………………………………… 15 Human Heritage…………………………………………………………………………………. 16 Recreational Opportunities………………………………………………………………… 18 Events, Actions, Research & Studies……………………………………………………………. 21 Soper River Management……………………………………………………………………………… 24 Overview……………………………………………………………………………………………. 24 Nunavut Land Claim Agreement………………………………………………………… 25 Community Consultation………………………………………………………………………………. 31 Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 32 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………………………. 33 Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35 1 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Executive Summary t has been ten years since the Soper River was designated to the Canadian Heritage Management of the river and the park are Rivers System for its outstanding natural undertaken with a high degree of community heritage,I recreational opportunities and consultation with the people of Kimmirut integrity values. This decade has seen little through the Tourism Committee. The Kimmirut direct change on the river but major changes within the new territory of Nunavut. The integrity of the river remains at a high level, very similar to the integrity values and opportunities that existed at the time of designation. The lower Soper River was included in the area designated as Katannilik Territorial Park. This area constitutes approximately half the Soper drainage basin. Most of the Tourism Committee and the Kimmirut Hunters developmental activity has been focused in this and Trappers Organization have both indicated area. that the community has great interest in the condition and management of the Soper River. In 1999, responsibility for managing the river Not only is it an important area for tourism, it shifted from the Government of the Northwest is also an important cultural area. Sandy Territories to the Government of Nunavut. This Akavak, a Kimmirut elder whose family lived in has been a smooth transition. The operation the upper watershed prior to moving to and management of the river have remained Kimmirut in the 1950’s, confirmed the consistent throughout this transition period existence of traditional hunting blinds and with the promise of new management campsites in that area. initiatives in the near future. Community members often confuse the Activity on the Soper River has increased over Heritage River status with the area that is the last ten years. Even though there has been designated as Katannilik Park, and frequently an increase in the number of visitors, guiding interchange the two. There are indications companies and recreational services, there has that the Heritage River status has been been no apparent degradation of the river somewhat overshadowed by the area’s status as environment. Air charters in summer have a park. increased as has the amount of snowmobile traffic in winter. Emergency shelters were Visitor Centre facilities were constructed in built in the lower river valley. Canoeing and Kimmirut and a full time manager has been camping along the river are very popular and employed to administer Katannilik Park, and people often hike along the river and into the this has been of direct benefit to the care and surrounding hills. attention the Soper River receives. 2 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Research on the vegetation and wildlife in the Agreement and the Inuit Impact Benefits area around the river has been undertaken in Agreement. With prospects of a JPMC being the past ten years. The willows of the Soper formed for Katannilik Park, there are increased Valley continue to be a source of interest. potential opportunities for preserving the Polar bears have become an issue over the last ecological integrity of the river as a whole. five years with a non-fatal attack on park users Mineral and road development are potential occurring in the summer of 2002. future threats to the watershed and will continue to be monitored. Polar bear and other Environment Canada installed a water wildlife research, along with monitoring monitoring station on the river to collect data vegetation and the quality of the river are on flow rates, but these services have been immediate needs. inactive for the last couple of years due to funding constraints. Many of the initiatives outlined in the management plan have been attempted and Interest in mineral resources was high in the often completed. There have been times when mid 90’s but no mineral developments are circumstances have changed and the original proposed for the watershed. At the moment a plan was not workable, therefore the plan was study is underway to determine the feasibility altered to complete the same objective. There of developing a port in Kimmirut and a road to were, however, some initiatives that were not Iqaluit. In May 2003 a proposed route through completed, and since these were basic in the Soper Valley was not considered attractive nature to the management and conservation according to a government-hired engineering objectives, this affected benchmarks and the consultant working on the project. ability to determine changes in the heritage and cultural values over time. Joint Park Management Committees (JPMC’s) are a requirement of the Nunavut Land Claim 3 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Purpose of the Report CHRS in identifying strengths and gaps in the s a method of maintaining the integrity System. of Canada’s Heritage Rivers, the Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS) This report was initiated to comply with CHRS Aadopted a review policy to monitor rivers after requirement for a ten year review, and to they have successfully completed the assess the values which permitted the Soper nomination and designation process. The River to be designated as a Canadian Heritage monitoring process begins with a 10-year River. Specifically, this report will: review of the river values that were considered when the river was • consider each of the nomination nominated and designated, and values individually to assess also reports on changes that any change that has have taken place in the occurred over the past quality of those values, the ten years, attitudes of stakeholders in • attempt to establish affected communities, the reason for the and the progress of change, management plan • present any trends or objectives since the developments that river’s designation as a may cause concern for Heritage River. the integrity of the In the past ten years nomination values in changes have been made the future, to the ways that CHRS • report on management considers rivers for plan objectives, Heritage River status. New • present natural heritage frameworks of the heritage and cultural values for and cultural values for rivers the Soper River as per the consider the general new framework. characteristics of the rivers, rather than only their outstanding or There will be a discussion of the new significant features. These changes were frameworks for natural heritage and cultural adopted in part to enable government values, and the differences, if any, from the managers to direct resources to rivers and river Soper River’s CHR designation values. values of national concern, and also to assist 4 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Figure 1 Canadian Heritage Rivers Soper Heritage River River Facts • located on south Baffin Island, Nunavut • highest elevation – 670 m above sea level, lowest elevation – sea level • over 100 km long • drainage basin – 2500 sq. km. including two major tributaries – the Livingstone and the Joy Rivers • adjacent community – Kimmirut, Nunavut • flows through metamorphic rock dating back 1,740 million years • intense folding in granite bedrock, intrusions of limestone, schists and quartzite, deposits of lapis lazuli and mica • landmarks – Mt. Joy (610 m), Mt. Moore (535 m) • excellent examples of river terraces • micro-climate enables lush vegetation; willow trees grow to 3.6 m. • evidence suggests Pre-Dorset people (4,000 years B.P.) depended on the river and valley resources • extensive use by native people in recent times is clear 5 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Figure 2 Soper River Watershed 6 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Figure 3 Soper River Watershed & Katannilik Park Boundary 7 Ten Year Monitoring Review of the Soper Heritage River Background mapping the river in 1930/31. The official History name is used little by local Inuit. he south Baffin region was surveyed in the In the post-European contact era the mica early 1980’s as part of a territory-wide deposits around the Soper valley attracted the study of tourism potential in the first commercial activity, which, because of the TNorthwest Territories. In 1982 the Marshall, numbers of Inuit that already gathered at that Macklin, Monaghan Report was released point, attracted the Anglican Missionaries in identifying the Soper River valley, various 1911, and was quickly followed by the Hudson’s coastal points, and the community of Kimmirut

Load more

  77

Copy Link