National Library of Canada cataloguing in publication data. Parks Canada. Western Canada Service Centre. Aulavik National Park of Canada management plan Issued also in French under title: Parc national du Canada Aulavik, plan directeur. ISBN 0-662-29949-3 Cat. NO. R63-257/2001E 1. Aulavik National Park (N.W.T.) -- Management. 2. National parks and reserves -- Northwest Territories -- Management. 3. National parks and reserves -- Canada -- Management. I. Title. FC4324.P37 2002 333.78’09719’3 C2002-980142-7 F1095.P37 2002 © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Chief Executive Officer of Parks Canada, 2002. Cover photos: Wayne Lynch Cette publication est disponible en français. FOREWORD Aulavik is a breathtaking blessing. This wondrous place on Banks Island contains the world’s most northerly navigable river. It encompasses lush valleys, enormous sheer cliffs, arid desert, steep canyons, vast wilderness and gentle hills. Aulavik National Park is home to an astonishing variety of flowering plants and more than 40 species of birds visit Aulavik seasonally. Tens of thousands of muskox live in the park. Along the park’s dramatic northern coast is a vast array of marine mammals from ringed seals to beluga whales and polar bears. The human history of Aulavik resonates with the same drama as its natural beauty. Human life on Canada’s most westerly Arctic Island dates back more than three millennia. The Ugyuligmiut people harvested the land. British sailors aboard HMS Investigator became trapped in the ice at Mercy Bay for more than two years. Aulavik contains innumerable archaeological features, including the Head Hill site with its dozens of tent rings and food caches. Today, the only community on Banks Island is Sachs Harbour, home to some 140 Inuvialuit. Canadians owe deep gratitude to the Inuvialuit for their vital role in bringing Aulavik National Park into being. The care and management of Aulavik are now guided by this new management plan. Stewardship of the park will be an ongoing and cooperative partnership between Parks Canada and the Inuvialuit. It is through this partnership that the ecological vision set out in the management plan will be translated into specific ecological goals and indicators, action plans for dealing with threats to ecological integrity and a park ecological monitoring program. Canada’s National Parks connect us to our roots, to our future and to each other. Aulavik is a precious gift which Canada holds in trust for the world and for future generations. It is of exceptional importance to protect the health and the history of Aulavik, one of the most remote places in our country and one of the most awe-inspiring. In keeping with that spirit, I approve the Aulavik National Park of Canada Management Plan. Sheila Copps Minister of Canadian Heritage Aulavik National Park of Canadai Management Plan RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT AULAVIK NATIONAL PARK OF CANADA MANAGEMENT PLAN Recommended for approval by: John Keogak President Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee Lucy Kudlak Chairperson Sachs Harbour Community Corporation Lena Wolki Chairperson Sachs Harbour Elders Council Aulavik National Park of Canadaii Management Plan RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT AULAVIK NATIONAL PARK OF CANADA MANAGEMENT PLAN Recommended for approval by: Tom Lee Chief Executive Officer Parks Canada Nikita Lopoukhine Director General, National Parks Parks Canada Gaby Fortin Director General, Western and Northern Canada Parks Canada William A. Fox Field Unit Superintendent Western Arctic District Parks Canada Aulavik National Park of Canadaiii Management Plan AULAVIK NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLANNING TEAM: Steve Catto (Parks Canada) Graham Dodds (Parks Canada) Shirley Esau (Sachs Harbour Elders Council) Lucy Kudlak (Sachs Harbour Community Corporation) Eli Nasogaluak (Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers Committee) Yvonne Rowland (Parks Canada) Vicki Sahanatien (Parks Canada) Geddes Wolki, Sr. (Sachs Harbour Elders Council) Aulavik National Park of Canadaiv Management Plan 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 2.0 BACKGROUND 2 2.1 Park Establishment History 2 2.2 Regional Setting 2 2.3 Aulavik Landscapes 2 2.4 Vegetation 3 2.5 Wildlife 5 2.6 Cultural History 6 2.7 Present Park Use 6 3.0 PARK PURPOSE AND MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES 9 3.1 Purpose of Aulavik National Park 9 3.2 Vision Statement for Aulavik National Park 10 3.3 Park Management Objectives 12 3.4 Ecological Integrity Statement 12 4.0 MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION OF THE PARK ECOSYSTEMS 21 4.1 Ecosystem-Based Management 21 4.1.1 Traditional Knowledge 21 4.1.2 Further Work in Ecosystem Management 21 4.2 Natural Environment 23 4.2.1 Research and Monitoring 23 4.2.2 Environmental Emergency 23 4.2.3 Management of Banks Island Bird Sanctuary No. 2 24 4.3 Cultural Environment 24 4.3.1 Inventory, Research and Monitoring Program 25 4.3.2 Inuvialuit History, Culture and Involvement 25 5.0 VISITOR MANAGEMENT AND PARK PRESENTATION 26 5.1 Visitor Guidelines 27 5.2 Waste Management 28 5.3 Air Access 28 5.4 Outfitting and Guiding 29 5.5 Park Presentation 29 5.6 Education 30 Aulavik National Park of Canadav Management Plan 6.0 ZONING 31 6.1 Zoning in National Parks 31 6.2 Zoning in Aulavik National Park 31 6.3 Guided Over-Snow Vehicle Touring 34 7.0 ECONOMIC BENEFITS 36 8.0 REGIONAL INTEGRATION 37 8.1 Principles of Regional Integration 37 8.2 Inter-Agency Cooperation 37 9.0 ADMINISTRATION 38 9.1 Aulavik National Park Office 38 9.2 Staff 38 9.3 Park Cabins 38 10.0 ANNUAL REVIEW 39 11.0 IMPACT ASSESSMENT 40 11.1 Environmental Assessment Process 40 11.2 Decision Statement 40 11.3 Socio-Economic Statement 40 LIST OF MAPS Map One - Regional Setting 3 Map Two - Aulavik National Park 8 Map Three - Zoning 32 APPENDICES 42 Appendix A - Definition of Terms 42 Appendix B - Linkages Between Aulavik National Park and Co-Management Partners 44 Appendix C - Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Administration of Bird Sanctuaries Within National Parks 45 Appendix D - Summary of National Park Outfitting and Guiding Requirements 47 Appendix E - Management of Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region 48 Aulavik National Park of Canadavi Management Plan The opportunity for the broader Canadian public to contribute their knowledge, expertise and suggestions was also a cornerstone of the 1.0 planning process. Public meetings were held in EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sachs Harbour, Inuvik and Yellowknife to review drafts of the plan. Park management plans guide park managers This plan sets out the strategy for the care and in the protection, management and operation of management of Aulavik as a wild, unspoiled a national park. A park’s management plan Arctic wilderness with outstanding natural and outlines the appropriate balance of preservation, cultural values. It recognizes the right of education and visitor use goals and sets out the Inuvialuit for continued subsistence usage in framework and priorities for achieving them. It the park, reflecting the importance of traditional also identifies a strategy for park managers, users who value the land, and ensuring that the stakeholders and the general public for working park remains an oasis of beauty as well as a together over the long term. model of conservation practices. The Aulavik National Park Management Plan In keeping with the National Parks Act and the was prepared cooperatively between Parks park establishment agreement, this plan will be Canada and Inuvialuit interests. reviewed, with public involvement, every five years. Muskoxen © Parks Canada Aulavik National Park of Canada1 Management Plan closest community, located 250 km from the southern park boundary. Services in town include an airport, nursing station, a general store, 2.0 several guest houses, and independent tour BACKGROUND and sport hunting guiding operations. Residents of Sachs Harbour have a long tradition 2.1 Park Establishment History of use of the park area, and continue to travel to the park area for hunting purposes. Travel to the Land for Aulavik National Park was formally park by snowmobile takes approximately two withdrawn in 1994 following the completion of days. “An Agreement for the Establishment of a National Park on Banks Island” (ANPEA, 1992). The Town of Inuvik, located about 500 km to the This agreement is between the Inuvialuit, the south west of Sachs Harbour in the Mackenzie Government of the Northwest Territories, and Delta, is the closest major service centre to the Government of Canada. The establishment Banks Island. Scheduled flights link Sachs of Aulavik is part of Canada’s Green Plan initiative Harbour to Inuvik. to complete the system of national parks. 2.3 Aulavik Landscapes Aulavik will be formally established with an amendment under the National Parks Act. Landscapes in the park are diverse, ranging from low, undulating hills to butte upland areas. Aulavik will also be established within the The main characteristic of Aulavik is the mixture legislative framework of the Inuvialuit Final of lush, sedge meadows and polar desert areas Agreement (IFA) (1984) and the subsequent which support little or no plant growth. This is Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claim Settlement Act the result of very low annual precipitation and a (1984). The IFA and Act established a new, sixty day growing season. Areas of abundant environmental management mechanism for the plant growth are limited to valleys and areas area known as the Inuvialuit Settlement Region near lakes where extra water is available. (ISR). Under the provisions of the IFA, the Inuvialuit, as represented by the Inuvialuit Game The Thomsen River, noted as the northernmost Council, and where appropriate the co-management navigable inland waterway in Canada, is a major boards, are consulted on all issues relating to feature of the park, entering the south end of fish and wildlife and their habitat. Two other the park near its headwaters, and flowing national parks, Ivvavik and Tuktut Nogait, are through the park to the coast at the north end of located in the ISR (see Map 1 - Regional the park.