Pingo Canadian Landmark Management Statement , 2018

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Endorsements
• Recommendations
• Pingo Canadian Landmark
• Management approach
• Management objectives
• Strategic environmental assessment

Download PDF version (2.59 MB)

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Title: Pingo Canadian Landmark Management Statement, 2018

Organization: Parks Canada Agency

Foreword

Canada's national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas belong to all Canadians and offer truly Canadian experiences.

These special places make up one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world.

The Government is committed to preserving our natural and cultural heritage, expanding the system of protected places and contributing to the recovery of species-at-risk. At the same time, we must continue to offer new and innovative visitor and outreach programs and activities so that more Canadians can experience Parks Canada places and learn about our environment, history and culture.

This management statement for Pingo Canadian Landmark supports this vision.

Management statements are developed through extensive consultation and input from various people and organizations, including Indigenous peoples, local and regional residents, visitors and the dedicated team at Parks Canada.

National parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas are a priority for the Government of Canada. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this management statement for their commitment and spirit of co-operation.

As the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, I applaud this collaborative effort and I am pleased to approve the Pingo Canadian Landmark Management Statement.

Original signed by

Endorsements

The Pingo Canadian Landmark Management Statement is endorsed by members of the Pingo Working Group:

Recommendations

Recommended by:

Pingo Canadian Landmark

Inuvialuit have lived and traveled along the Arctic coast for generations. The area of the Pingo Canadian Landmark is highly valued. Traditionally, it is utilized for harvesting and is an important fishing area for people in the region. The pingos also serve as important navigational landmarks by the Inuvialuit.

The Parks Canada Agency manages one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and historic areas in the world. The Agency's mandate is to protect and present these places for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations.

The Pingo Canadian Landmark is situated on the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula - on the shore of Kugmallit Bay adjacent to the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. The peninsula is part of an old delta of the Mackenzie River that formed between 12,000 and 600,000 years ago in what is referred to in the geologic time chart as the Pleistocene Epoch. Its hummocky terrain of lake-strewn tundra contains approximately 1,450 conical pingos which project upward from the surrounding landscape in an area that includes the coastal plain of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Richards Island, and the south side of Husky Lakes.

This management statement outlines Parks Canada's management approach and objectives for the Pingo Canadian Landmark. The Pingo Canadian Landmark encompasses 16.4 km² of land and water, including eight pingos, which range in height from less than 5 m to lbyuk pingo at 49 m. lbyuk is the highest pingo in Canada.

Management approach

The Pingo Canadian Landmark site was identified as a Natural Site of Canadian Significance in 1978 and was proposed at that time for official status under the National Landmark Program. National Landmarks were originally envisioned to protect specific natural features considered to be outstanding, exceptional, unique or rare to this country. These natural features would most often be isolated entities and typically of scientific interest. The Pingo Canadian Landmark site was established following federal legislation of the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act, also known as the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA). The IFA stipulates that the landmark is to be managed under the Canada National Parks Act in consultation with the Inuvialuit Land Administration and the people of Tuktoyaktuk, as a joint management regime (Section 7(73)).

Since the early 1990s, Parks Canada and the Inuvialuit have been working to fulfill the obligations of the IFA, first through the establishment of the Pingo Joint Management Committee, then the Pingo Working Committee, and now the Pingo Working Group. The Pingo Canadian Landmark is cooperatively managed by members of the Pingo Working Group, which currently includes a representative from the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation, Inuvialuit Land Administration, Hamlet ofTuktoyaktuk, Tuktoyaktuk Elders Committee, and Parks Canada.

Management objectives

The Pingo Canadian Landmark was established in recognition of the special natural features of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula area and the opportunities available for people to appreciate, understand and enjoy the pingos and their environment. The primacy management objectives of the Pingo Canadian Landmark, as identified by the community of Tuktoyaktuk and Parks Canada, are:

1. To protect the special natural characteristics of the landmark, including the pingos and the natural ecosystem of which they are a part.
2. To protect the cultural heritage associated with the landmark and to ensure the continued traditional use of the area by the Inuvialuit.
3. To encourage visitor and local appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the natural and cultural environment of the landmark.
4. To encourage sustainable visitor activity in the landmark and the surrounding area and to manage those activities in the long-term interests of the landmark's resources.

Strategic environmental assessment

In accordance with The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals (2010), a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is conducted on all management statements tabled in Parliament. The purpose of SEA is to incorporate environmental considerations into the development of public policies, plans and program proposals to support environmentally-sound decision making. Individual projects undertaken to implement management statement objectives at the site will be evaluated separately to determine if an impact assessment is required under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (2012), or successor legislation.

Objectives in the management statement for the Pingo Canadian Landmark focus on protecting the special natural characteristics of the landmark, including the pingos and the natural ecosystem of which they are a part; the cultural heritage associated with the landmark and ensuring the continued traditional use of the area by the Inuvialuit; encouraging visitor and local appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the natural and cultural environment of the landmark; and encouraging sustainable visitor activity in the landmark and the surrounding area and managing those activities in the long-term interests of the landmark's resources. The Pingo Working Group, which includes representatives from the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters and Trappers Committee, Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation, Inuvialuit Land Administration, Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, and Parks Canada, cooperatively manages the landmark; proposed projects affecting the site are reviewed both through this group and through the environmental assessment regime established by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

The management statement will not substantially contribute to or challenge the Federal Sustainable Development goals. The statement supports the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy goals of Healthy Coasts and Oceans, Healthy Wildlife Populations, Sustainable Food and Connecting Canadians with Nature. There are no important negative environmental effects anticipated from management statement implementation.