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Environment & Access Nahanni Under Fire
Environment & Access Nahanni Under Fire
| Nahanni Under Fire |
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| Written by Matthew Jackson |
| Sunday, 01 March 1998 06:25 |
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The Nahanni River, Canada's Grand Canyon and first heritage river, has just been placed on environmental alert. In the not-too-distant future it may be impossible for the "river of no return" to return to its original pristine state--that is, if the San Andreas Resource Corporation gets its way. Located in the southwest corner of Canada's Northwest Territories, the Nahanni is a longtime paddling classic that has been attracting canoeists and rafters from around the world since before the national park reserve was christened in 1976. Currently it serves as a recreational haven for almost 1,500 fly-in visitors every year, who come to experience the thundering torrent of Virginia Falls, sheer-walled canyons slicing thousands of feet skyward, burbling natural hot springs, and the Nahanni's extensive karst labyrinth--all within the river's serpentine corridor. All this is why the Nahanni was the first site designated to UNESCO's World Heritage List--before the Grand Canyon, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and even Mount Everest. It can be safely said that the Nahanni was a major inspiration for one of the best ideas the world's collective minds have ever had. What worries many people now is the abandoned lead/zinc mine that San Andreas purchased in 1991, which is located less than 12 miles from the park boundary on Prairie Creek, a drainage that runs directly into the Nahanni River inside the national park. According to some sources, oil drums from this mine site have already been found floating down the river. "There are definitely going to be issues with water quality if the mine goes into operation," says Rob Prosper, superintendent of the park, explaining that the mine is not situated in a particularly good location. Alex Borowiecka of the Northwest Territories chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), notes that Prairie Creek's drainage is narrow and the mine's current tailings pond is perched on an embankment directly above it. Some are convinced that with the next large flood or earthquake the acidic debris in the partially degraded tailings pond will wash down the creek and into the park. "There's act of God potential in that region," says Prosper. The other major issue is the question of greater access to the Nahanni region, as San Andreas hopes to achieve by building a 100-mile all-weather road for trucking ore out of the mine year round. The major obstacle for the mining company at the moment is funding. Yet early in 1997, the company signed a cooperation agreement with the local Dene band of natives, which San Andreas believes will help attract investors. "Now that we're partners with the band," states Alan Taylor, president of San Andreas, "we can go to various agencies to seek grants and secure financing for this sort of development." Not everyone, however, believes that a road cutting through the Nahanni's sensitive karst features and Ram Plateau would be beneficial. "Roads are something that can rarely be taken away," says Neil Hartling, owner of Nahanni River Adventures, a company that organizes guided river tours. "Once a road is there, it's there to stay." Prosper agrees: "Access is the death of wilderness--it's the start of the end." He says he's particularly skeptical of how it will affect tourism in the region, because it relies so heavily on wilderness to attract people in the first place. Ironically, if the road were constructed, it would cut across territory north of the national park reserve, "an area Nahanni Park has publicly announced it would like to add to the park in the future," adds Prosper. At this time the park protects less than one-seventh of the Nahanni watershed. So even doubling the park's size, as has been suggested, would not go far enough to preserve the Nahanni's unique and special character if the rest is managed carelessly. --For more information on how you can help, contact Alex Borowiecka of the Northwest Territories chapter of CPAWS at (867) 920-2986. For information about paddling the Nahanni, contact Nahanni River Adventures at (403) 668-3180.
Originally Published, Paddler March-April 1998 |
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