Tuktoyaktuk Community Conservation Plan - April 2008 1 TUKTOYAKTUK COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PLAN A Plan for the Conservation and Management of Natural Resources and Lands within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Vicinity of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories Prepared by The Community of Tuktoyaktuk, The Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and The Joint Secretariat April 2008 Tuktoyaktuk Community Conservation Plan - April 2008 2 The Inuvialuit have and will always be conservationists. However, with the influx of people of different cultures with different values we must protect our lands and the animals that live there lest it be lost to us all. This is our responsibility to both our generation and future generations. Dennis Raddi, Tuktoyaktuk Conservation Plan Working Group Tuktoyaktuk Community Conservation Plan - April 2008 3 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 Committee, 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 DIAND - Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development DENR - Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) DOT - Department of Transportation EIRB - Environmental Impact Review Board 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 IBP - International Biological Programme IFA - Inuvialuit Final Agreement IGC - Inuvialuit Game Council IHTC - Inuvik Hunters and Trappers Committee ILA - Inuvialuit Land Administration IRC - Inuvialuit Regional Corporation ISR - Inuvialuit Settlement Region NWMB - Nunavut Wildlife Management Board NWT - Northwest Territories PCMB - Porcupine Caribou Management Board PWNHC - Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre RRC - Renewable Resource Council SRRB - Sahtu Renewable Resource Board TCC - Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation THTC - Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee WMAC (NS) - Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) WMAC (NWT) - Wildlife Management Advisory Council (Northwest Territories) YTG - Yukon Territorial Government Tuktoyaktuk Community Conservation Plan - April 2008 4 Tuktoyaktuk Community Conservation Plan - April 2008 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................ 10 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 11 1.1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TUKTOYAKTUK AREA.............................................................. 14 1.2 INUVIALUIT FINAL AGREEMENT AND RENEWABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ........... 15 1.2.1 Inuvialuit Final Agreement ............................................................................................. 15 1.2.2 Wildlife Management Advisory Councils (NWT and North Slope) and Fisheries Joint Management Committee ....................................................................... 15 1.2.3 Inuvialuit Game Council and Hunters and Trappers Committees .................................. 15 1.2.4 Inuvialuit Land Administration ....................................................................................... 15 1.2.5 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 TUKTOYAKTUK SUB REGION - SPECIAL DESIGNATED LANDS ........................................ 20 4.1.1 General Land Use Guidelines ....................................................................................... 74 4.2 INUVIALUIT COMMUNITY PROCESS FOR LAND USE DECISIONS .................................... 75 4.3 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS MANAGEMENT .............................................................................. 75 4.4 ENVIRONMENTAL SCREENING & REVIEW ......................................................................... 76 4.1.1 Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 76 5 EDUCATION, TRAINING AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE .............................................78 6 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH ....................................................................79 6.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES ........................................................................................................ 79 6.2 SUBSISTENCE AND COMMERCIAL HARVESTING - GENERAL GUIDELINES ................... 81 6.3 TOURISM GUIDELINES ......................................................................................................... 82 6.4 SPECIES CONSERVATION SUMMARIES ............................................................................. 83 Beaver .......................................................................................................................... 84 Caribou ......................................................................................................................... 85 Foxes ............................................................................................................................ 91 Grizzly Bear .................................................................................................................. 92 Lynx .............................................................................................................................. 95 Marten .......................................................................................................................... 96 Tuktoyaktuk Community Conservation Plan - April 2008 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont’d) Page Mink ............................................................................................................................... 97 Moose ............................................................................................................................ 98 Muskox .......................................................................................................................... 99 Muskrat ........................................................................................................................ 100 Polar Bear ................................................................................................................... 101 Snowshoe Hare ........................................................................................................... 104 Wolf ............................................................................................................................. 105 Wolverine .................................................................................................................... 107 Beluga Whale .............................................................................................................. 108 Bowhead Whale .......................................................................................................... 114 Seals ........................................................................................................................... 117 Mammals Species List ................................................................................................. 119 Ducks .......................................................................................................................... 120 Geese and Tundra Swan ............................................................................................. 123 Loons........................................................................................................................... 126 Ptarmigan .................................................................................................................... 127 Sandhill Crane ............................................................................................................