Fishing Branch Ni'iinlii'njik Park

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About the Park
 Fishing Branch Ni'iinlii'njik Park was established in December of 1999. The park protects a far northern wilderness with unique features created by limestone caves, year-round open water, salmon runs, and grizzly bears at concentrations rarely seen at the arctic circle.

Covering nearly 7,000 square kilometres, Fishing Branch Ni'iinlii'njik Park involves four areas in total. A 5,400 square kilometre Wilderness Preserve and 1,000 square kilometre Habitat Protection Area surround a 165 square kilometre Ecological Reserve and adjacent 143 square kilometre Vuntut Gwitchin Settlement Land selection. The whole area is managed as an ecological unit for the protection of chum salmon and grizzly bear populations and their habitat.

The park is the result of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Final Agreement and the Yukon Protected Areas Strategy. Ni'iinlii'njik - where fish spawn - encompasses the entire Fishing Branch River watershed and portions of adjacent headwaters. The park protects a representative example of the North Ogilvie Mountains Ecoregion. It also provides a buffer through the Habitat Protection Area to help protect the values of the Ecological Reserve and Wilderness Preserve.

What to do
Fishing Branch Ni'iinlii'njik Park is a wilderness area at the arctic circle far from the nearest road or airport. One of the primary purposes of the park is to protect the Fishing Branch watershed which supports the salmon and bears of the Ecological Reserve. Bear viewing from the Settlement Land adjacent to the Ecological Reserve during the September-October salmon spawning season can be arranged once requirements of the management plan are met.

Rolling terrain and open tundra landscapes throughout the park, and the rocky ridges of the North Ogilvies can provide attractive hiking opportunities. The recreational potential of the area remains largely unexplored.

How to get there
Fishing Branch is located halfway between Dawson City and Old Crow in the Vuntut Gwitchin Traditional Territory. One hundred kilometres from the nearest highway (the Dempster Highway), it is accessible by helicopter, foot, snowmobile, or by boat (during high water conditions) from Old Crow.

Nature
Rugged mountains, gentle slopes, floodplains and karst geology (including caves) are typical of the North Ogilvie Mountains Ecoregion and Fishing Branch Park. Surface features - lichens, coniferous forests, bare soil and rock, heather and herbs - are also representative of the ecoregion, as is the pattern of fires and floods in the past.

Isolated from roads, exploration and development, the Fishing Branch area has high natural values. The relatively undisturbed area provides opportunities to study and monitor natural systems characteristic of the region but unique to the northwestern part of the North American continent.

The Fishing Branch River is the jewel in the crown of the northern chum salmon fishery. Salmon travel thousands of kilometres from the Bering Sea to spawn and die here, cycling rich nutrients from the sea. These nutrients feed a very diverse ecosystem not often found in northern interior regions. Calcium-enriched waters, created from dissolving limestone, enhance this nutrient-rich ecosystem. This dissolving action creates karst formations like the underground caverns through which Fishing Branch River flows.

Thermal energy from summer waters is stored in the underground reservoirs, and waters resurface and flow year-round, in spite of severe winter conditions. These warm waters seep through forest floors, causing unique permafrost-free conditions and an island of temperate forest around Bear Cave Mountain and along tributaries of the Fishing Branch River.

Fishing Branch supports the highest known seasonal density of grizzly bears at this latitude. The bears congregate each fall to feed on spawning salmon. The area includes a spring migration route of the Porcupine caribou herd. In deep snow years, the caribou use high mountain ridges to migrate. In low snow years, they pass through valley bottoms where food sources are richer. The area is also home to sheep, moose, raptors, and a wide variety of other wildlife.

Culture
The Vuntut Gwitchin are strongly connected to Fishing Branch. Ni'iinlii'njik is a sacred area with a long history of traditional use. Vuntut elders have related that the watershed of the Fishing Branch and its tributaries is extremely important for the community and for the protection of fish and caribou.

"The headwaters of those rivers come from the mountains. We use that water and there are a lot of fish in every tributary." "This area we look after, as Vuntut Gwitchin, is very special to us for the migration of caribou and the other animals there. We know them like ourselves - we live with them - we take a few, watch them go through, and give them thanks." "The history of our elders has taught us how to use the resources for the future. We have been told by elders to protect the caribou, the moose and everything in that area. And speak for it."

An important part of the history of the Vuntut Gwitchin is the legend of K'aiiheenjik, the great warrior. "K'aiiheenjik spent his last days at Bear Cave Mountain, which is at the centre of the protected area. He must have done this because of the abundance of food there."

Windows into the Ice Age - Human Heritage
The Fishing Branch area is located in Beringia, a dry, cold northern region that was not covered by the last ice age. The limestone mountains and hills overlooking the Fishing Branch area include ancient karst caves.

Unlike other ancient sites in the north, which have been exposed and disturbed by erosion and weathering, these Beringian caves contain bones and remains which are well preserved. An impressive array of remains of plants and animals and traces of human occupation have been discovered in nearby caves dating to the last ice age.

This area promises to increase our understanding of Eastern Beringia and the role it has played in the changes and movement of plants and animals in North America. These caves may make a major contribution to the story of early human occupation of North America.

Facilities
There are no facilities in the park. The nearest community is Old Crow, 100 kilometres to the north.

Leave no trace
Access to the Ecological Reserve area is restricted to protect wildlife and habitat. Check with Yukon Parks for current information.

Far from the nearest highway or community, as a visitor to Fishing Branch you are on your own. You should bring all the equipment needed for independent camping and travel in an arctic environment. You should also make reliable arrangements for pickup and contact in case of emergency. For more information on travel in the Yukon wilderness, see the booklet Into the Yukon Wilderness.

Contact us
Yukon Parks
Department of the Environment
Yukon Government
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6

Whitehorse Office: (867) 667-5648
Dawson Office: (867) 993-6850