Watershed Initiative
CPAWS-NWT is a participant in the Great Bear Lake Working Group, founded to create a management plan to "Keep Great Bear Lake clean and bountiful for all time".
The plan
The principles of the Group's plan are:- to work at the watershed level, taking into account activities in the whole Great Bear Lake watershed
- to work in consensus with many groups
- to help Déline in particular to be a full participant in managing activities in the watershed
Various elder, Working Group and Technical Working Group meetings were held to develop and refine the Management Plan.
- The Policies, Conditions and Prohibitions govern all activities in the watershed.
- Several Conservation Zones are incorporated into the plan.
- The Research and Monitoring Plan identifies knowledge gaps and recommends projects to fill those knowledge gaps.
Outside researchers from government, universities/academia and private companies must consider the plan when planning and undertaking research in the watershed. The Plan includes not only ecological research, but cultural heritage and economic research as well.
The Great Bear Lake Working Group is comprised of CPAWS-NWT, Déline organizations, co-management boards (institutions of public government established under the Sahtu Land Claim Agreement), INAC, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment Canada, Territorial Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development.