PROUDLY BRINGING YOU CANADA AT ITS BEST VUNTUT NATIONAL PARK Management Planning Program NEWSLETTER #1 OCTOBER, 2000 INTRODUCTION This newsletter launches the development of the first management plan for Vuntut National Park. The national park was established in 1995 under Chapter 10 of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Agreement (VGFNFA). Interim Management Guidelines were approved in April, 2000 and provide management direction until a Management Plan is approved. Parks Canada, the North Yukon Renewable Resources Council (NYRRC) and the Vuntut Gwitchin government work cooperatively to manage the park. All three parties are represented on the planning team. The Management Plan will provide long term strategic direction for the management of the park to ensure ecological integrity and continued Vuntut Gwitchin traditional opportunities on the land. The Management Plan is required by legislation, guided by public consultation, developed by a planning team of cooperative managers, approved by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and tabled in Parliament. Once approved, the Management Plan will be reviewed every five years. This is your opportunity to assist in defining and achieving a future vision for Vuntut National Park. Public Participation Public input is a key element of the planning process. During the Arctic National development of the Management Plan, Wildlife newsletters and Public Open Houses Refuge will be the main methods used to share information. Meetings with Old Inuvik stakeholders will also provide valuable Crow input into the process. Vuntut The Planning Team members want to Anchorage hear from you. The first management Dawson City plan developed for a national park is critical as it will shape the future of the park. The chart on the adjacent page outlines the major stages in the development of the Management Plan Whitehorse and the key times for public input. Several different planning process are currently underway or about to begin in the Vuntut Gwitchin traditional territory. These include: Old Crow Flats Special Management Area Management Plan; Fish and Wildlife Management Plan; Fishing Branch Ecological Reserve and HPA Management Plan; Tourism Planning and Land Use Planning. Efforts will be made to coordinate Vuntut National Park Planning Process public involvement, especially in the community of Old Crow, as much as possible. Management Plan Key Public Input Development WE Draft Vision October - ARE OTHER INPUT Identify Key Issues November 2000 HERE (July-September 2000) Open Houses public and Other important sources of government review E and feedback information and guidance for Draft Options/Recommendations February- the development of the (November 2000-February2001) April 2001 Management Plan will be an Open Houses public and Elders’ workshop in Old Crow, E government review and feedback the Oral History project Draft Management Plan October- underway in the Vuntut (May-August 2001) November 2001 Gwitchin traditional territory public and E government review and the Resource Description and feedback and Analysis of the park which Final Plan Recommendation (Winter 2001/2002) is nearing completion. u Minister of Canadian Heritage for Approval 2 Vuntut National Park Management Planning Program Park Purpose and Objectives The Interim Management Guidelines (IMGs) for the park provide the following purpose for Vuntut National Park: to protect for all time a representative natural area of Canadian significance in the Northern Yukon Natural Region and to encourage public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the area so as to leave it unimpaired for future generations; and to recognize Vuntut Gwitchin history and culture and recognize and protect the traditional and current uses of the park by the Vuntut Gwitchin. This purpose will be reviewed and confirmed during the development of the Management Plan. The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Agreement outlines the following objectives for the park: to recognize Vuntut Gwitchin history and culture, and the rights provided for in Chapter 10, Schedule A of the VGFNFA, in the establishment and operation of the park; to recognize and protect the traditional and current use of the park by Vuntut Gwitchin in the development and management of the park; to protect for all time a representative natural area of national significance in the Northern Yukon Natural Region, including representative portions of the Old Crow Flats wetlands and the surrounding foothills which contain important waterfowl habitat, critical parts of the Porcupine Caribou range, and archaeological and paleontological resources of international significance; to encourage public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the park in a manner which leaves it unimpaired for future generations; to provide economic and employment opportunities and participation for Vuntut Gwitchin in the development, operation and management of the park; to recognize that oral history is a valid and relevant form of research for establishing the historical significance of the heritage sites and moveable heritage resources in the park directly related to the history of the Vuntut Gwitchin; and to recognize the interest of Vuntut Gwitchin in the interpretation of aboriginal place names and heritage resources in the park directly related to the culture of the Vuntut Gwitchin. Newsletter #1 October 2000 3 Park Vision A vision statement for the park was developed as part of the Interim Management Guidelines. A shared vision helps focus planning, management and operation of the park and will facilitate closer cooperation and working relationships among those who care for and use the area. Does the following statement reflect your vision for the future of Vuntut National Park? In 15-20 years, Vuntut National Park will be: a protected area where Old Crow Flats show a high degree of ecosystem health, as demonstrated by abundant waterfowl, migratory moose populations and normally fluctuating muskrat populations; a protected area where wildlife populations such as the Porcupine Caribou Herd vary naturally and wildlife movement patterns continue unhindered; a protected area with the same high level of ecological integrity that it has today, where natural processes govern change; a protected area which is recognized for the paleontological resources of international significance found there; a protected area where traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge are given full and fair consideration in the protection, management and operation of the park; research and monitoring are ongoing; and the results are used to alert park managers to environmental changes (whether caused locally or globally), leading to appropriate actions; a protected area which is managed cooperatively and effectively with the Vuntut Gwitchin, and the management of which is regionally integrated with Old Crow Flats Special Management Area, Ivvavik National Park, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Vuntut Gwitchin Settlement Lands, as well as the chain of protected areas across northern Yukon and northern Alaska; a protected area where the Vuntut Gwitchin continue a subsistence lifestyle and maintain a spiritual connection to the land, and where Vuntut Gwitchin Elders and teachers are on the land, educating the youth so that respectful stewardship of the land will continue; a protected area where cultural resources are documented and interpreted through oral history and research, and where those resources are appropriately managed and their meanings understood and shared; a protected area where visitors are welcomed by park staff and the Vuntut Gwitchin, and opportuni- ties are provided to learn about the land, the people and Vuntut Gwitchin culture. The health of the land, wildlife and the Gwitchin lifestyle have priority over visitor opportunities; a protected area where, through outreach, the Vuntut Gwitchin can, as they feel appropriate, share their wealth of knowledge of the land and their culture with Canadians and international audiences; a protected area where the community of Old Crow is the focus for community-based tourism and is a place where visitors can learn about and experience Vuntut Gwitchin culture and history and the area’s natural and cultural resources; and a protected area where the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Agreement related to Vuntut National Park is being implemented, bringing continued economic benefits to the Vuntut Gwitchin. 4 Vuntut National Park Management Planning Program Park Resources and Current Use Regional Setting Vuntut National Park (4,345 km²) is located in the northwestern corner of the Yukon Territory, immediately south of Ivvavik National Park and east of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The Old Crow Flats Area (12,116 km²), designated a Special Management Area (SMA) in the VGFNFA, is comprised of Vuntut National Park, Vuntut Gwitchin FN Settlement Land and additional land east and west of the Settlement Land Blocks (see map on back, page 8). The area which makes up Vuntut National Park is part of the traditional territory of the Vuntut Gwitchin. The Vuntut Gwitchin are centered in the community of Old Crow, population 300, located 60 km south of the park. Whitehorse, the closest major centre, is 840 km to the south of Old Crow. Vuntut National Park is over 200 km from the closest highway (Dempster Highway), adding to the park’s remoteness. Visitors can access the park by chartered aircraft, boat, on ski or on foot. Park Features and Resources The