Nááts´ihch´oh (Nah-tseen-cho) is a proposed National Park Reserve that will protect the Nahanni Headwaters contained within the Sahtu Settlement Area. In their shared interest to protect the entire Greater Nahanni Ecosystem, Parks Canada and the Sahtu Dene and Métis of Tulita and Norman Wells are working together to define boundaries, assess and document values, and come to agreement on the details of protecting this important mountain area. Nááts´ihch´oh will be contiguous with the newly-expanded Nahanni National Park Reserve in the neighbouring Dehcho region; the two connected national park reserves will work together to protect the globally renowned Boreal wilderness of the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem.
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The proposed Nááts´ihch´oh area is 7,600 km2, covers the upper 20% of the South Nahanni Watershed, and accounts for approximately one third of the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem. Nááts´ihch´oh National Park Reserve will play an important role in formalizing protection of the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) wildlife corridor in the NWT.
This area includes key calving grounds for mountain woodland caribou, and important habitat for grizzly bears, both of which need large intact ecosystems to survive, and are listed under the federal Species at Risk Act. Home to the northernmost population of mountain goats in Canada, this area also holds a Dall's sheep population that is genetically unique in North America due to its isolation during the last ice age.
Nááts´ihch´oh holds key cultural and spiritual significance for the Shutagot'ine (Sahtu Mountain Dene and Métis), who have used and lived in the area for thousands of years. In North Slavey, Nááts´ihch´oh means, "pointed like a porcupine quill", and refers to Mount Wilson, the mountain looming over the Moose Ponds near the southern border of the proposed national park reserve. For tourists, Nááts´ihch´oh will provide for spectacular hiking and climbing, as well as encompass significant paddling routes such as the Broken Skull River, the Little Nahanni River, and the Moose Ponds, which is one of few starting points for advanced paddlers on their journey down the South Nahanni River (whitewater III).
Though relatively pristine, resource exploration, mine development and road access have encroached upon the headwaters of the South Nahanni River. There is a real risk that the ecological integrity of the entire watershed will be compromised if Nááts´ihch´oh is not established to fully protect the remaining part of the watershed. Its role in completing protection of the Greater Nahanni Ecosystem, as well as its ecological and cultural significance, make it a critical area to conserve.
Negotiations between the Sahtu Dene and Métis and Parks Canada on the establishment of Nááts´ihch´oh are provided for under the Sahtu Dene and Métis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, and as such, directly involve only the two parties. CPAWS-NWT will continue to provide support to both parties in garnering public support for establishment of the park reserve, and in communicating with the public about the ongoing processes.
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