FORT NORMAN - Although it is not yet a done deal, representatives from the federal government and Tulita announced their intention last Monday to create a new national park west of Tulita.

The announcement was made in Ottawa, with Environment Minister John Baird and Sahtu Dene Council Grand Chief Frank Andrew, along with a large contingent from the Sahtu in attendance.

The tentative name for the park is Naats'ihch'oh, which in the Slavey language means "stands like a porcupine." The name refers to pointed mountains within the park.

The park would set aside land within the Sahtu Settlement Area north of the Nahanni River. It would protect the headwaters of the Nahanni, as well as the habitat of grizzlies, caribou, moose, mountain goats and Dall sheep.

"Mostly, what we're protecting is the watershed of all the rivers," said Andrew.

"Water is so important for us today and with mining and other activities that happen around the rivers and lakes, we know it might be affecting the waters.

"As we follow the news all over the world, we see that development is happening and things are vanishing from those parts. We've experienced that and we want to know that our animals are safe and our water is safe."

The park will border the current Nahanni National Park Reserve, but it would be a separate park with its own management.

"Up until recently, we were thinking of this as one park that crossed into two land claim areas. But that wasn't what the people of Tulita were interested in. Parks Canada agreed that the Naats'ihch'oh area warrants a good stand-alone national park," said David Murray, the senior planner of new Northern parks with Parks Canada.

He said three things have been achieved so far towards the establishment of the park. The first is a memorandum of understanding between Parks Canada and the Tulita District Land Corporation. The second is a contribution of $500,000 to the Tulita District Land Corporation to help pay for support and work towards negotiating an impact assessment plan. The third item is an interim land withdrawal that will set aside lands within the proposed park for the next five years.

"There's still lots of work to do," said Murray. "We're hoping it will be completed in the range of two to three years."

Parks Canada and the Tulita Land Corporation still need to iron out the small details, such as how it will be co-managed, and how to encourage visitors to the park among other things.

Murray said there is some third party interest in the area as well.

"There are big game outfitters and mining claims and leases. We'll have to work with them. In some cases we may be able to create a boundary around them, leaving them out of the park. In other cases we may want to acquire them. Parks Canada does that on a willing seller, willing buyer basis. We don't expropriate."

Parks Canada will have to consult with Dehcho First Nations and the Kaska Dena First Nations in the Yukon. Both have traditional roots in the area.

Murray said, like the people of Tulita, Parks Canada wants to protect this area because it is the headwaters of the South Nahanni, as well as several other waterways such as the Little Nahanni and the Broken Skull river.

The area is also flush with game animals. The Redstone and Upper Nahanni caribou herds spend their summers in the area because of its high elevation.

"They go to the snow to avoid the bugs, but at the same time there is good vegetation up there," said Murray.