Protecting Sahoyúé - ?ehdacho
Déline is the closest community to Sahoyúé - ?ehdacho, and the only community located on the shores of Great Bear Lake. It is located in the Sahtu region of the NWT. The community of Déline has been working to achieve permanent protection of Sahoyúé - §ehdacho since 1991.
In 1998, Sahoyúé - ?ehdacho was designated as a National Historic Site. This recognizes the importance of these cultural landscapes to the community of Déline and to the people of Canada. However, this designation did not permanently protect Sahoyúé - ?ehdacho. Because the peninsulas were left vulnerable to the impacts of industrial development, Déline sought complete protection through the NWT Protected Areas Strategy.
In March 2001, the Minister responsible for Parks Canada travelled to Déline to formally announce interim protection for Sahoyúé - ?ehdacho, promising that these peninsulas would ultimately become part of the National Parks system. Finally, in 2007, the Federal Environment Minister delivered on this promise with a commitment of federal funding to establish and maintain a fully protected National Historic Site.
