SACHS HARBOUR COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLAN Sachs Harbour Angalatchivingit Niryutinik A plan for the conservation and management of renewable resources and lands within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the vicinity of Banksland, Northwest Territories Prepared by The Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee, Sachs Harbour Community Corporation, and The Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT), The Fisheries Joint Management Committee and the Joint Secretariat 2016 2 Sachs Harbour Community Conservation Plan - 2016 “Conservation is ensuring that if we take muskox, there will be muskox the next year and the year after that. The same for anything else. This applies to all users of the land: if it is used and enjoyed now, it must be left and preserved so that it will be there for the next year and for future years.” -Adapted by Sheila Nasogaluak from a similar quote by Peter Green, Paulatuk, NWT The Community recognizes that the success of conservation depends on the efforts of each person living in Sachs Harbour, as well as the cooperative support of the other individuals and organizations with an interest in Banksland and adjacent waters. Sachs Harbour Community Conservation Plan - 2016 3 Cover photo credit: Trevor Lucas The 2015 Sachs Harbour Community Conservation Plan has been prepared in consultation with the Community of Sachs Harbour and lnuvialuit and non-lnuvialuit bodies with an interest in the area. The undersigned hereby adopt this document for the purpose of guiding policy and planning in the area. Manny Kudlak Vernon Amos President Chair Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Sachs Harbour Community Corporation Committee John Lucas Jr. Vic Gillman Chair Chair Inuvialuit Game Council Fisheries Joint Management Committee Larry Carpenter Chair Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) 4 Sachs Harbour Community Conservation Plan - 2016 IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS The following important words and abbreviations have been used in the Community Conservation Plan and are explained below. Community Refers to all the Inuvialuit individuals living in the area and the local organizations which represent them. Those organizations include the Hunters and Trappers Committee, Elders, Community Corporation, Community Education Council and Hamlet. Conservation Is ensuring that if we take caribou, there will be caribou the next year and the year after that. The same for anything else. This applies to all uses of the land: if it is used and enjoyed now, it must be left and preserved so that it will be there for the next year and for future years. Ecosystem Refers to all of the plants and animals in an area, including the air, water and land on which they depend. The parts of the ecosystem are interconnected and influence one another. Food and energy flow through the ecosystem and are returned to it. Successful conservation and management depend on the recognition that changing one part of the ecosystem may affect the other parts. CWS - Canadian Wildlife Service DFO - Department of Fisheries and Oceans DoL – Department of Lands, GNWT DOT - Department of Transportation EIRB - Environmental Impact Review Board ENR - Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) EISC - Environmental Impact Screening Committee FJMC - Fisheries Joint Management Committee GNWT - Government of the Northwest Territories GRRB - Gwich’in Renewable Resource Board GTC - Gwich’in Tribal Council HTC - Hunters and Trappers Committee IFA - Inuvialuit Final Agreement IGC - Inuvialuit Game Council ILA - Inuvialuit Land Administration IRC - Inuvialuit Regional Corporation ISR - Inuvialuit Settlement Region ITI – Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment NWT - Northwest Territories PWNHC - Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre SHCC - Sachs Harbour Community Corporation SHHTC - Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee WMAC(NS) - Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) WMAC(NWT) - Wildlife Management Advisory Council (Northwest Territories) Sachs Harbour Community Conservation Plan - 2016 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF MAPS ....................................................................................................................... 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ 10 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 11 A BRIEF HISTORY OF BANKSLAND ................................................................................... 14 1.1 INUVIALUIT FINAL AGREEMENT AND RENEWABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 14 1.1.1 Inuvialuit Final Agreement ..................................................................................... 14 1.1.2 Wildlife Management Advisory Councils (NWT and North Slope) and Fisheries Joint Management Committee .......................................................................................... 14 1.1.3 Inuvialuit Game Council and Hunters and Trappers Committees ........................... 15 1.1.4 Inuvialuit Land Administration ................................................................................ 15 1.1.5 Environmental Impact Screening Committee and Environmental Impact Review Board 15 2 COMMUNITY VALUES .................................................................................................... 17 3 GOALS ............................................................................................................................ 18 4 SPECIAL AREAS AND RECOMMENDED LAND USE PRACTICES FOR THE PLANNING AREA ....................................................................................................................................... 19 4.1 SPECIAL DESIGNATED LANDS .............................................................................. 19 4.1.1 General Land Use Guidelines ................................................................................ 59 4.2 INUVIALUIT COMMUNITY PROCESS FOR LAND USE DECISIONS........................ 60 4.3 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS MANAGEMENT ................................................................. 60 4.4 ENVIRONMENTAL SCREENING & REVIEW ............................................................ 61 4.4.1 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 61 5 EDUCATION, TRAINING AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE.......................................... 63 6 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH ................................................................ 63 6.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES ........................................................................................... 64 6.2 SUBSISTENCE AND COMMERCIAL HARVESTING - GENERAL GUIDELINES ....... 66 6.3 TOURISM GUIDELINES ........................................................................................... 66 6.4 SPECIES CONSERVATION SUMMARIES ............................................................... 67 ARCTIC FOX (Vulpes lagopus) / TIRIGANNIAQ ....................................................................................... 69 ARCTIC HARE (Lepus arcticus) / UKALIQ ................................................................................................ 70 CARIBOU (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) / TUKTU ......................................................................................... 71 MUSKOX (Ovibos moschatus) / UMINGMAK ............................................................................................ 74 POLAR BEAR (Ursus maritimus) / NANUQ ............................................................................................... 76 WOLF (Canis lupus) / AMARUQ .............................................................................................................. 79 BELUGA WHALE (Delphinapterus leucas) / QILALUGAQ .......................................................................... 80 BOWHEAD WHALE (Balaena mysticetus) / ARVIQ .................................................................................. 86 SEALS .................................................................................................................................................... 89 OTHER MAMMALS ................................................................................................................................. 95 MAMMALS SPECIES LIST ...................................................................................................................... 95 DUCKS / QAUGAIT ................................................................................................................................. 97 GEESE AND TUNDRA SWAN ................................................................................................................ 100 LOONS ................................................................................................................................................. 103 PTARMIGAN (Lagopus spp.) / AQIJGIQ ................................................................................................. 104 SANDHILL CRANE (Grus canadensis) / TATIJGAQ ................................................................................. 105 PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus anatum) / KIJGAVIK ............................................................... 106 GYRFALCON (Falco rusticolus) / KIJGAVIK ...........................................................................................