Vast Expansion of Park In Canada’s Northwest Territories

The Canadian government and the Dechko First Nation have approved a major expansion of Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territories, creating a new roadless reserve that will be 3.5 times larger than Yellowstone National Park. Covering 11,600 square miles — nearly two-thirds the size of Switzerland — the new park is home to roughly 500 grizzly bears, two herds of woodland caribou, and Alpine species of sheep and goats. The park also encompasses the highest mountains and largest ice fields in Canada’s wild Northwest Territories. The heart of the new park is the South Nahanni River, a remote and scenic waterway considered to be one of the world’s great paddling destinations. An additional 3,000 square miles encompassing the headwaters of the South Nahani have been withdrawn from development and may also become part of the national park. “Nahani is one of the great natural areas of the world,” said John Weaver, of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, which carried out extensive studies that helped lead to the park’s expansion.