Caribou habitat protected on the shores of Great Bear Lake

Apr 16, 2009

I’m so excited!  This week the Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced permanent protection for Saoyú - ?ehdacho National Historic Site.  This has been a long time coming!  My neighbours in the community of Délįne and the CPAWS NWT Chapter have been working tirelessly for years to get this site protected as part of the NWT Protected Areas Strategy (PAS).  In fact Saoyú - ?ehdacho is the first PAS site that has received PERMANENT protection.

Saoyú and ?ehdacho are two large peninsulas in the southwestern corner of Great Bear Lake and are cultural and ecological hotspots. They are cultural landscapes, where place names and rich oral histories are tied directly to the land, and where deep links between the history and culture of the residents of Délįne have been made.

It is also important habitat for my Boreal caribou cousins in the north.  It’s a unique area as it’s right smack in the middle between the taiga and tundra ecosystems.

This is a significant and important step in protecting my Boreal forest home so me and my caribou cousins will survive over time.

You can read more on the CPAWS website.

PS - Can’t figure out how to pronounce Saoyú - ?ehdacho?   Phonetically, it would be spelled (Saw-ewey et da cho)

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