Taagísh Tóo’e’/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) Habitat Protection Area
With their homelands surrounded by rivers, lakes and oceans, the Tagish and Tlingit People – the ancestors of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation People – have always regarded water with the utmost importance.
This deep relationship with water is reflected in the language, clan names, place names and traditional stories of the Taagísh Dené (Tagish People) of the Yukon and the Tlingit People of coastal Alaska that are often directly related to water.
Today, this interconnected relationship is still acknowledged and honoured. The Carcross/Tagish First Nation People consider water as Idakát át ayakghwahéiyagu khudzitee or “the spirt of all things.”
The Tagish People have for millennia called the area of Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) home. The Coastal Tlingit would visit and gather in this place and held important economic relationships with the Tagish People. Over time, the Tagish and Coastal Tlingit People intermarried and began to blend their cultures. The Tagish People adopted the Coastal Tlingit’s clan system, which is still in use by Carcross/Tagish First Nation People (and government) today.
Far back to these early beginnings and even before them, we know of the importance of the Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) and surrounding area told from stories passed down from generation to generation and from language and place names that underline the deep connection between the land, water, wildlife and people. In the Tlingit language, Woosht hás Aan kawsixát, Héen ká ya Aan ka.ádi means “the interconnectedness of land and water”.
The significance of this area was voiced by Elders during land claim negotiations, which led to the protection of the Tagish River being identified in Chapter 10 of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation Final Agreement. The Final Agreement highlighted the need for management of the river and surrounding area to protect and rebuild the connection of the people with this place.
The Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) Habitat Protection Area is located between Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake. It is the final waterbody that forms the headwaters of the Yukon River. It is known by many names: Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni, Six Mile River and Tagish Narrows. The Habitat Protection Area is a 5 square kilometres strip that plays a large role in the ecological, economic and cultural systems of the area. The Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) is ecologically diverse and plays a key role in promoting the life cycle and conservation of several species.
Local and migratory birds flock to the river to feed, raise their young and live there throughout the seasons. In the spring, thousands of migrating swans and other waterfowl and birds start their summers at the Tagish River. More than 13,000 Trumpeter swans pass through the area in one season. In the summers, waterfowl, songbirds like the Rusty Blackbird and other species at risk come to eat, build their nests and raise their young in the vegetation along the shoreline. Eagles, osprey, falcons, and owls are also found in the area.
The river is also important for caribou, moose, bears and many other species both large and small. The Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) is the perfect area for migrating caribou to cross when lakes are open or unsafe. The caribou in this area are part of the Carcross caribou herd. In the springtime, moose calve in the wetlands where they have cover for their young and access food like new willow shoots along the shoreline vegetation. Cow moose prefer to calve in isolated areas to avoid predators and are frequently observed with their calves at the confluence of Tagish Creek and the Tagish River.
In developing the management plan for the area, the Taagísh Tóo’e/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) Habitat Protection Area Steering Committee ensured they recognized and honoured the deep roots of tradition, culture, and significance of the area. The Steering Committee used the medicine wheel concept as an integral component of the management plan to tell the story of the river through the four seasons and create a plan that allowed the river’s story to continue to live on.
Find out more about the Taagísh Tóo’e’/Taagísh Héeni (Tagish River) Habitat Protection Area:
