Working together to sustain the Seal River watershed
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/03/2025 (221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Every year at this time, almost 200,000 caribou migrate through the Seal River Watershed in Northern Manitoba. This sweeping landscape helps nurture the caribou throughout the winter. In spring, the abundant wetland and upland habitat in the watershed welcomes hundreds of thousands of waterfowl and migratory birds who nest and raise their young here. Throughout this cycle, caribou, ducks, and countless other species support biodiversity and help provide food security and economic prosperity throughout the region.
The watershed’s abundance reflects a principle understood by Indigenous and non-Indigenous hunters alike: good harvests depend on healthy lands.
In the case of the Seal River Watershed, many partners have come together to ensure these lands remain healthy for future generations.
Four First Nations are leading an effort to create an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) and they are working closely with provincial and federal counterparts, neighbours, conservation organizations, supporters, and stakeholders to advance it. A formal assessment led by the Manitoba Government, Parks Canada, and the four First Nations — and drawing on stakeholder and public input — was signed this month and concluded that establishing a protected area in the watershed is feasible.
The shared vision for protecting the watershed is holistic. It combines values that we know from experience go hand-in-hand: Conservation with economic development; strong Dene and Cree cultures with a welcome for visitors; protection of nature with sustainable hunting and angling. It includes respect for Indigenous rights and certainty for industry throughout the region.
By bringing these values together, we can create an enduring foundation for the IPA.
We need this shared vision now more than ever. In a time of great division around the world, nature brings people together. The IPA will provide healthy land and clean water for the benefit of wildlife, waterfowl, people and communities for generations to come. It offers a made-in-Manitoba model for partnership in conservation, enjoyment of nature, and economic growth and diversification.
For instance, the Seal River Watershed Alliance — founded by the Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Dene Nation, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation — is committed to expanding the region’s tourism industry. The Seal is the largest undammed river in the province, and the watershed is home to world-class fishing, hunting, and cultural opportunities.
Five lodges in the watershed already generate about $11 million per year, creating economic benefits in remote communities. Protecting this unique landscape will attract visitors now and into the future, creating even more economic growth for First Nations, Northern Manitoba, and the entire province.
That is why the alliance is working with existing lodge owners and outfitters on how to maintain opportunities for licensed hunters and anglers to access the area for harvesting that is respectful to community values and sustains animals and fish into the future.
This approach will expand jobs in both tourism and stewardship. Sustaining healthy lands requires active monitoring, and the alliance has hired 13 land guardians who conduct environmental monitoring and community outreach. These local jobs didn’t exist before the IPA proposal, and now they deliver benefits for all Manitobans who care about conservation and enjoyment of nature.
Fostering a stewardship-based economy in the watershed provides clarity for industry. As Premier Wab Kinew said about the proposed IPA, “We are making choices about the future of our economy. And in some areas, we’re choosing to do resource development and mining. But in this area, we’re choosing to pursue ecotourism, land-based learning and the development of a spiritual and cultural legacy of the people.”
There are no mining claims in the watershed, but there are elsewhere in the North, and through planning and consultation, Manitoba and First Nations can benefit from both conservation and development.
The alliance nations’ vision for protecting the watershed is a way of honouring the cultural responsibility to care for land and waters. It is rooted in Dene and Cree law and tradition, and it is for the benefit of all people. That’s why the alliance has invited input from partners, stakeholders, and neighbours for years while preparing this proposal and the feasibility assessment.
The Seal River Watershed is a truly special place and a uniquely Manitoban opportunity. The four First Nations advancing this protected area will continue to work in the spirit of partnership, dialogue, and collaboration to realize our shared vision. Together we can have the conversations that will help advance the IPA and ensure the land sustains us far into the future.
Stephanie Thorassie is the executive director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance. She is a member of the Sayisi Dene First Nation from Tadoule Lake, Man. Michael Nadler is the chief executive officer of Ducks Unlimited Canada.